Prince Edward County (Va.) Marriage Licenses, 1861-1870

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:
Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Prince Edward County (Va.) Marriage Licenses, 1861-1870, is a record of marriage licenses issued by the county clerk throughout Prince Edward County in the mid-nineteenth century. All licenses follow a set form and include the following information: date of marriage, place of marriage, full names of both parties married, ages of both parties, condition of both parties, place of husband's birth, place of wife's birth, place of husband's residence, place of wife's residence, names of husband's parents, names of wife's parents and occupation of husband. Marriages between "free persons of color" and colored persons are noted between 1863 to 1870. There is no index for the volume.

Biographical / historical:

Prince Edward County was formed from Amelia County in 1753. The county court first met on 8 January 1754. The county was named in honor of Edward Augustus, a son of Prince Frederick Louis, a grandson of King George II, and a younger brother of King George III.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Once the marriage service was performed, the minister submitted a return to the county clerk. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

The original marriage licenses, from which this volume was compiled, were created by the County Court.

Acquisition information:
This volume came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Prince Edward County.
Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically by day, month and year.

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