Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Hanover County (Va.) Election Records, 1879-1966. Local government records collection, Hanover County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Hanover County under accession number 45307.

Historical Information

Hanover County was named for George I, who at the time of his ascent to the English throne was elector of Hanover in Germany. The county was formed from New Kent in 1720.

The 1902 voter registration books were created following the passage of the 1902 Virginia state constitution. The purpose of the 1902 state constitution was to maintain white suffrage while eliminating African-American voters by means of literacy tests as well as property and poll tax requirements.

Most county court records, particularly deeds, wills, and marriage records, were destroyed by fire in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War. The circuit court records were not moved to Richmond and were relatively unscathed. Consequently, there is a strong run of common law papers and chancery papers after 1831 that were generated by the circuit superior court of law and chancery and its successor, the circuit court.

Scope and Content

The Hanover County (Va.) Election Records, 1879-1966, consists of 133 volumes of rolls and lists of registered voters along with county poll books for general, primary, and local option elections.

Hanover County Rolls and Lists of Registered Voters record the roll of registered voters in the county. The volumes are divided by precincts: Ashland, Rockville, Mechanicsville, Higgason, Hall's Shop, Blunts, Farrington, Old Church, Rural Point, Cold Harbor, Clay, Smith's Store, Montpelier, Washington Henry, and Beaverdam; and within each precinct on the basis of color. Information found in the volumes includes date of registration; name of registered voter; date of birth; age; occupation; residence; length of residence in state, county, and precinct; whether exempt from poll tax; if naturalized, and if so, date of papers and by what court issued; if transferred from another precinct, and if so, when and to what precinct. The rolls also include names of women who registered following the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

Related Material

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Hanover County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--History--1877-1964.
• African Americans--Suffrage.
• African Americans--Virginia--Hanover County.
• Suffrage--Virginia--Hanover County.

Geographical Names:

• Hanover County (Va.)--Genealogy.
• Hanover County (Va.)--History--19th century.
• Hanover County (Va.)--History--20th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Election records--Virginia--Hanover County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Hanover County.
• Voters' lists--Virginia--Hanover County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data