Roanoke County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Requisition Records, 1862-1865.

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
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Roanoke County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Requisition Records, 1862-1865. Local government records collection, Roanoke County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Roanoke County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Roanoke County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Requisition Records, 1862-1865. Local government records collection, Roanoke County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Roanoke County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Requisition Records, 1862-1865. The collection contains lists and correspondence documenting the requisition of Roanoke County slaves for labor on the defenses of Richmond during the Civil War. The lists document the name, age, owner, and estimated value of slaves eligible for requisition; also included are lists of slaves who were sent to Richmond from Roanoke County in December 1862 and from Big Lick and Salem Depot in January 1865. The collection also contains a list of free negroes selected for labor in the Confederate Service by the County Court 30 March 1864. Correspondence between the county court and authorities in Richmond consists of printed requisition orders from the Governor's office, a letter to the county clerk in response to a request for an exemption from an 1865 requisition order, and a letter from the quartermaster department documenting his supervision of 14 Roanoke County slaves in Richmond in December 1862.

Biographical / historical:

Roanoke County was named for the Roanoke River. The name is an Indian word meaning shell money. The county was formed from Botetourt County in 1838, and part of Montgomery County was added later.

The General Assembly of Virginia passed a law as early as 1 July 1861 calling for the enrollment of free negroes to work in the public service. From 1862 to 1863, at the request of the president of the Confederate States, the General Assembly passed three more laws that requisitioned slaves to work on fortifications and other works of the public defense. Each county and city were alloted a certain number of slaves that had to be provided to the government under the requisition.

Acquisition information:
This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Roanoke County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
5 leaves and 62 p.