Buchanan County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1877-1927

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

Background

Scope and content:

Buchanan County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1877-1927, consists of Record of Judgments; Justices' Civil Judgments, and Executions; Executions Returned by Constables on Judgments of the Justices of the Peace; Justices' Criminal Judgments, an unnumbered volume, Volume 2 and Volume 8; and Criminal Judgments Lien Docket for Justices.

Biographical / historical:

Buchanan County was named for the United States president James Buchanan and was formed from Tazewell and Russell Counties in 1858.

Justices of the Peace were first known as Commissions of the Peace when they were formed in 1623. The Commissioners of the Peace replaced the Commanders of Plantations who served from 1607 to 1629. The name Justices of the Peace was used from 1662 through 1974, when they were replaced by Magistrates. They traditionally had both civil and criminal jurisdictions. They served other functions, including performing coroners' and lunacy inquisitions, and performing civil marriages. Until 1869 justices served as both judges of the county court and as individual justices; since then they have only served as justices.

Records were destroyed by fire in 1885; records created after that date suffered extreme damage in a flood in 1977.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court papers from Buchanan County.
Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Physical description:
8 volumes.