Warren County (Va.) Petitions to Remain in the Commonwealth, 1847

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

Extent:
3 leaves; Digital images
Creator:
Warren County (Va.) Circuit Court
Abstract:
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Warren County (Va.) Petitions to Remain in the Commonwealth, 1847, consists of one petition of George Foucks who was emancipated by the will of William Hopewell and seeks to remain in the state of Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Sometimes referred to as "Applications to Remain," these records are applications that formerly enslaved individuals submitted to state and local courts for permission to remain in Virginia with their free status. The Virginia General Assembly passed a law stating that all formerly enslaved people freed after 1 May 1806 who remained in Virginia more than twelve months could be put on trial by the state. Individuals who wished to remain in the commonwealth were to petition the state legislature. In 1816, a new Act of Assembly gave the local courts power to grant permission to remain. The documents in these cases will include: the name(s) of the petitioner(s), the circumstances of free status, and a request to remain in the county. Individuals needed to prove that they had in fact been emancipated. Therefore, application packets might also include supporting documents such as the formerly enslaved person's register, a copy of a will or deed of emancipation, or witness statements known as affidavits.

Locality Note: Warren County was named for Joseph Warren, the revolutionary patriot who sent Paul Revere and William Dawes on their famous rides and who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The county was formed from Shenandoah and Frederick Counties in 1836.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Warren County in an undated accession [possibly in 2000 under accession number 37580, 37581, or 37582]
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into

  • Series I: Petitions to Remain in the Commonwealth, arranged chronologically
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.