Albemarle County (Va.) Marriage Register No. 1 and Index, 1854-1903

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

Background

Scope and content:

Albemarle County (Va.) Marriage Register No. 1, 1854-1903, records marriages in the county from the mid-nineteenth century until early twentieth century. The original volume is found in the Albemarle County Circuit Court Clerk's Office. A copy of the volume is found on Reel 62. The register contains information such as a consecutive line number for each entry, the date and place of marriage, the full names of both parties, age and condition of parties before marriage, birth places of parties, places of residences of parties, names of their parents, occupation of husband, the name of the person performing the ceremony. By 1866, the remarks section contains the race of the parties (white or colored). The volume has 205 leaves. Some pages of the volume include the dates and names of marriage bonds and certificates, for various years, not recorded in the register.

Albemarle County (Va.) Index to Marriage Register No. 1, 1854-1893, combines references to both brides and grooms on specific page numbers (pages 1-150). The volume is arranged by the bride or groom's surname (A-Z) within specific year according to page number found in register. The index references both white and colored marriages . As indicated, this volume is only a partial index to Marriage Register No. 1. Indexes to Marriage Registers Nos. 1-3, 1854-1940 is a single volume found on Reel 62. This reel contains a complete copy of Index to Marriage Register No. 1. Reel 233 contains only a partial copy (1854-1893) of Index to Marriage Register No. 1.

Biographical / historical:

Albemarle County was created by a statute of 1744 and formed from Goochland County; part of Louisa County was added in 1761 and islands in the Fluvanna (now the James) River in 1770. The court met for the first time on 8 February 1745. The county was named for William Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle, and governor of Virginia from 1737 to 1754.

In 1853, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the systematic statewide recording of vital statistics. The marriage register, still compiled by the county clerk from ministers' returns and other marriage records, became more standardized and comprehensive.

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

Acquisition information:

Index to Marriage Register No. 1, 1854-1893, came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court papers from Albemarle County.

Reel 62 was generated by the Genealogical Society of Utah while filming in the Albemarle County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Reel 233 was generated by Backstage Library Works through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Program.

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