Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1893-1932

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:

Use microfilm copies, Caroline County (Va.) Reels 36 and 66.

Preferred citation:

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1893-1932. Caroline County (Va.) Reels 36 and 66, Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Summary

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

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1893-1932. Caroline County (Va.) Reels 36 and 66, Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Caroline County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1893-1932, includes a chronological listing of marriages recorded by the court clerk in Caroline County. This register notes the date and place of marriage, the full names of both parties, the color of the parties, the age and condition before marriage of both parties, their places of birth, their places of residence, the names of their parents, the occupation of the husband and the name and denomination of the person performing the wedding ceremony. By June 1899 (p. 16), the date of the marriage license was listed consistently. Marriages between African Americans are noted. In addition, the volume contains an internal index which is unnumbered. Males and Females are listed separately by the first letter of their surname.

Biographical / historical:

Caroline County was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen County were added in 1742 and 1763. The county was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II.

Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse in May 1864. A near-complete run of order books exists.

In 1853, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the systematic statewide recording of vital statistics. The marriage register, still compiled by the county clerk from ministers' returns and other original marriage records, became more standardized and comprehensive.

The original marriage records, from which this volume was compiled, were created by the County Court until 1904. After 1904, marriages were recorded in the Circuit Court.

Acquisition information:

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Caroline County.

Microfilm Reel 36 was generated by the Genealogical Society of Utah while filming in the Caroline County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Microfilm Reel 66 was generated by a field operator for the Virginia State Library's (now Library of Virginia) Microfilm Section while filming in the Caroline County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically by month, day and year except index.

Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v. (104 p.); 2 microfilm reels