Montgomery County (Va.) Marriage Certificates and Minute Book, 1811-1854, 1866-1870

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:
Montgomery County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Montgomery County (Va.) Marriage Certificates, 1811-1854, contain a listing of nineteenth century certificates from individual ministers within the county. As part of the return process, ministers filed marriage certificates with the county clerk. These signed documents certified that a minister had performed the actual marriage ceremony between the named individuals on a certain date. These certificates, sometimes in the form of lists, note the names of both parties and their date of marriage. The surnames of the groom and bride were abstracted from the certificates and are used to provide quick reference to the individual certificates. Only volume, 1811-1841, was microfilmed. The second volume, 1841-1854, was originally titled "Minister Returns, 1841-1853 and Order Book, 1866-1870."

Montgomery County (Va.) Minute Book, 1866-1870, is found in the latter part of Marriage Certificates, 1841-1854. This volume, along with closely related court records such as order books, record all matters brought before the court when it was in session and may contain important information not found anywhere else. Generally minute books contain brief entries. A locality's loose papers are the raw materials from which this type of book was created. Like order books, a wide variety of information is found in its pages including: appointments of county officers, records of legal disputes heard before the county court and matters related to the fiscal management of the county court.

Biographical / historical:

Montgomery County was formed from Fincastle County in 1776, and the county court first met on 7 January 1777. Part of Botetourt County was added in 1790. Part of Pulaski County was added in 1842. The county was named for Richard Montgomery, who was killed in the American assault on Quebec late in 1775.

Fincastle County was created from Botetourt County in 1772, and the county court first met on 5 January 1773. Fincastle County became extinct on 31 December 1776 when it was divided to form Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky Counties. The county was named probably for George, Viscount Fincastle, Lord Dunmore's son; for John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore, Viscount Fincastle; or for the town of Fincastle, Virginia, which was established in 1772 and named for George, Viscount Fincastle.

Until 1780, marriages could be performed only by ministers of the Established Church, who were required by law to record marriages in the parish register. In 1780, dissenting ministers (only four per county from each sect) were permitted to perform marriage ceremonies. In order to have a record of all marriages, ministers were required to sign a certificate to be filed with the county clerk. Initially, ministers sent marriage certificates to the clerk every three months. Some ministers adopted a custom of making collected returns--a list of marriages performed within a period of time such as a year or several years. Beginning in 1784, marriage certificates were returned annually. The law was rarely enforced, and ministers' returns were sometimes late, incorrect, incomplete and in many instances, not made at all. County clerks used these returns and other original records to compile volumes.

The original certificates, from which these volumes were compiled, were created by the County Court.

Acquisition information:

These volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Montgomery County.

Microfilm Reel 52 was generated in-house by the staff of the Virginia State Library's (now the Library of Virginia) Microfilm Section.

Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Physical description:
2 v., 1 microfilm reel.