Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865

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:

Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865. Local government records collection, Petersburg (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

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

Petersburg (Va.) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865. Local government records collection, Petersburg (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Petersburg (Va) Writs of Habeas Corpus, 1842-1865, consist primarily of writs of habeas corpus involving minors who fraudulently enlisted in the Petersburg Company of Virginia Volunteers for the Mexican-American War, as well as individuals who claimed to be illegally conscripted into Confederate military service. The collection includes additional writs of habeas corpus for arrests that involved free and enslaved persons, individuals detained in debt cases, and civilians held on military charges during the Civil War.

A writ of habeas corpus is directed to a person detaining another and commanding him to produce the body of the person detained. The purpose is to test the legality of the detention or imprisonment.

Biographical / historical:

Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established in 1645 on the site of the Indian village of Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd II, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie counties in 1972.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the city of Petersburg.
Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 box