Prince Edward County (Va.) Election Records, 1754-1789

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.) Election Records, 1754-1789, contains polls, or lists of votes, for candidates running for office in Prince Edward County. The lists contain the first and last name of each voter. The collection contains polls for Mr. Walker and Joseph Morton, 1754 March 22; a poll for Charles Anderson, 1755 December 8; polls for Abner Nash, Charles Anderson, and Peter LeGrand at the election of Burgesses, 1758 July 17; and a poll for Abraham Venable, 1789.

Biographical / historical:

Conext for Record Type: In colonial Virginia, only adult white men who owned property and a few who rented substantial farms were permitted to vote for representatives in the lower house of the General Assembly. The only elected officials in colonial Virginia were the members of the House of Burgesses. Even though voting was restricted to a minority of the population and an even smaller minority, the prosperous and better-educated members of the society, was represented in the General Assembly, politics was always a public event, and on election day many Virginians congregated to watch the voting and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere.

Locality History: Prince Edward County was named in honor of Edward Augustus, a son of Prince Frederick Louis, a grandson of George II, and a younger brother of George III. The county was formed from Amelia County in 1753.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the Prince Edward County in an undated accession.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: Election Records, 1754-1789, arranged chronologically
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
14 pages