Frederick County (Va.) Estray Records, 1788-1920

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:

Frederick County (Va.) Estray Records, 1788-1920. Local government records collection, Frederick County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

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

Frederick County (Va.) Estray Records, 1788-1920. Local government records collection, Frederick County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Frederick County (Va.) Estray Records, 1788-1920, contains various loose and bound records giving public notice of valuable, tame animals, either lost or found wandering and presumed escaped from their owners, allowing the owners to reclaim the animals. Enteries generally indicate by whom the animal was taken up, before what justice the person went and when, and the description and appraisement (value) of the animal.

These Estray records are also housed with World War I papers, including compensation for soldiers' families (ca. 1917-1918), and records of the Commissioner of Revenue.

Biographical / historical:

Frederick County was named in honor of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales and eldest son of King George II. It was formed from Orange County by a statute of 1738 that stipulated that when the population was large enough the new county government would begin to function. The county court first met on 11 November 1743. Part of Augusta County was added in 1754.

Estrays were stray livestock found wandering. An inquest was held to determine the value of the livestock in order to reimburse the person who had found and cared for the animal. The report generally includes a physical description of the animal as well as an assessed monetary value.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Frederick County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 cu. ft. ; 1 v.