Brunswick County (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809

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:

Brunswick County (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809. Local government records collection, Brunswick County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

Summary

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

Brunswick County (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809. Local government records collection, Brunswick County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

Brunswick County (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809, consist of civil suits and commonwealth causes that were heard in the District Court of Brunswick County. The majority of cases in this record series relate to matters of debt. Documents commonly found in civil suits include declarations or narratios that explain the plaintiff's complaint, executions, affidavits, and depositions. Suits may include exhibits such as wills, plats, deeds, indentures, estate inventories, and business records. Names of slaves are commonly found in the District Court records. Additional types of suits heard by the District Court include land ejectment suits and petitions for freedom made by slaves.

Biographical / historical:

Brunswick County was named for the duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg, one of the German possessions of King George I. It was formed by statute in 1720 from Prince George County and on 31 October 1723 the boundaries of the county were ordered to be laid out, but, because of the sparse population, the county court first met in June 1732. Brunswick County was enlarged by the addition of parts of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties in 1733. The county seat is Lawrenceville.

The District Court was created in 1788. The purpose of the creation of the District Court was to alleviate congestion in the General Court which had caused unreasonable delays in the adjudication of common law cases. Virginia was divided into eighteen districts, each composed of several counties, plust the district of Kentucky. Courts were held in each district twice yearly and cases were heard from the several counties in that district. The District Court always met at the same place in each district, and its records were kept at that one location. The District Courts were abolished in 1809 and were replaced by the Superior Courts of Law.

The District Court at Brunswick County included the following localities: Brunswick, Greensville, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg counties.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Brunswick County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
6.35 cu. ft. (7 boxes)