Louisa County (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1781-1853
- Creator
- Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court.
- Abstract Or Scope
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Louisa County (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1781-1853, records the returns made by individual ministers of marriages performed within the county. This volume was originally entitled, "Marriage Returns." Returns in this volume, prior to 1853, record the names of the parties, the date of the marriage ceremony--either month, day and year or month and year and the minister's name and denomination. As part of the return process, ministers filed marriage certificates with the county clerk. These signed documents certified that a minister had performed the actual marriage ceremony between the named individuals on a certain date. The majority of returns in this volume are in the form of lists. By 1853, more information was included in lists or certificates from the individual ministers such as the place of the marriage ceremony, the names of the parties, the ages of the parties, the status of the parties before marriage and the occupation of the groom. In addition, the parents' names of both parties and the birthplaces of both parties were sometimes noted.