Halifax County (Va.) Records Related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1802-1853

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Creator:
Halifax County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Halifax County (Va.) Records Related to the Registration of Free Persons, 1802-1853, includes two "Register of Free Negroes," 1802-1853

"Registers of Free Negroes," 1802-1831 of Halifax County lists the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law. The register is 86 pages with about 197 entries no. 1-197. There are some conservation issues with the volume including faded text and degradation of the iron gall ink making the text difficult to read on some pages. There is no index.

"Registers of Free Negroes," 1831-1853, of Halifax County lists the registration number, age, name, color, stature, marks or scars, in what court the person was emancipated or whether the person was born free. Some clerks recorded additional information not required by law. The register is about 170 pages with about 360 entries no. 198-558. There are some conservation issues with the volume including faded text and degradation of the iron gall ink making the text difficult to read on some pages. There is no index.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type:

"Free Negro" Registers

In 1793, the Virginia General Assembly specified that "free Negroes or mulattoes" were required to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the town clerk, which shall specify "age, name, colour, and stature, by whom, and in what court the said negro or mulatto was emancipated; or that such negro or mulatto was born free." The process was extended to counties in 1803. Although some clerks were already recording such features, an 1834 Act of Assembly made it a uniform requirement to record identifying marks and scars and the instrument of emancipation, whether by deed or will. This bound register often coincided with a loose certificate containing largely the same identifying information. Both the registration system and the process of renewal was enforced differently in the various Virginia localities. Thus, the information found in these registers may differ from year to year and across localities.

The register books resulting from the administration of the 1793 and 1803 Act of Assembly are evidence of Virginia legislators' reaction to a quickly growing free Black and Multiracial population in Virginia in the post Revolutionary War period. Acts such as these allowed white officials to police the activities and movement of free Black community members throughout the state thereby restricting their autonomy.

Locality History:Halifax County was named for George Montagu Dunk, second earl of Halifax, who was president of the Board of Trade from 1748 to 1761. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1752. Halifax County regained the city of South Boston on 1 July 1995, when the latter relinquished its city status.

Acquisition information:
Digital Images of the Registers came to the Library of Virginia in 2025 under accession number 54603.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: "Free Negro" Registers, 1802-1853

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
Digitial images