Prince William County (Va.) County Court Records, 1752-1897, undated

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:

For Order Book 1778-1784, use microfilm copy, Prince William County, Reel 88

Preferred citation:

Prince William County (Va.) County Court Records, 1752-1897, undated. Local Government Records Collection, Prince William County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219

Summary

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

Prince William County (Va.) County Court Records, 1752-1897, undated. Local Government Records Collection, Prince William County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219

Background

Scope and content:

Prince William County (Va.) County Court Records, 1752-1897, undated contain three fee books, eight indices to execution books, one memorandum book, one minute book, seven order books, two record books and one summons docket (Index to Cases Suspended)/Memorandum Book. Early order and minute books for this county also contain executions.

Record book dated 1803-1804 was kept for the District Court in Dumfries and heard suits from Prince William as well as surrounding localities.

Fee books are volumes showing the date of a duty performed by the clerk, the name of the person paying the fees and the amount. These books include fees charged attorneys, cash accounts and the clerk's fees in common law and chancery suits.

An execution is a court order directing a sheriff or other officer to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property.

Memorandum books are used for notations of entries to be made in other books.

Minute books contain the clerk's rough notes of court proceedings.

Order books are the formal, corrected transcript of the clerk's notes of the proceedings of court.

A summons could be one of three things: a writ directing a sheriff to summon a defendant to appear in court, a writ or process commencing the plaintiff's action and requiring the defendant to appear and answer or a notice requiring a person to appear in court as a juror or a witness.

A docket is a brief formal record of proceedings in a court of justice; an entry of all acts in the conduct of a case, from inception to conclusion.

Biographical / historical:

Prince William County was formed from Stafford and King George Counties by a statute adopted in 1730, to take effect on 12 March 1731. The county was named for William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and third son of King George II.

Many pre-Civil War records were lost, destroyed, or stolen by Union troops in 1863 during the Civil War. Sixteen deed books and five will books are missing.

The items in this collection were originally created by the County Court.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court records from Prince William County. Portions of this collection were obtained under the accession numbers 22187, 38383, 40077, 42609 and 43945.
Physical location:
State Records Center--Archives Annex, Library of Virginia (Items 1146819 and 1017147 are housed at the Library of Virginia.)
Physical description:
24 volumes and/or boxes and one microfilm reel. Six volumes are photostats.