Search

Arlington County (Va.) Board of Supervisors Minutes, 1907-1932 consists of twelve volumes primarily concerned with maintenance and construction of county buildings, roads, and fiscal matters.

Plats are maps, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Information commonly found in plats are property boundaries, land features, and names of property owners. These plats were made in connection with a land transaction, estate settlement or court case.

Arlington County (Va.) Judgments and Criminal Suits, 1783-1896 (bulk 1786-1859), consist primarily of civil suits and commonwealth causes heard in the Hustings Court of Alexandria and the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia. The majority of civil suits relate to matters of debt.

Arlington County (Va.) Marriage Register, 1853-1879, records the date and place of marriage, the full names of both parties, the age and condition of both parties before marriage, their places of birth, their places of residence, the names of their parents, the occupation of the husband, the name of the minister performing the ceremony and any additional remarks (such as references to consent.) By 1860, the date of the marriage license is also listed. A consecutive numbering system was used for each entry on each page of the register. There are numerous references throughout the volume to both Free African American and African American marriages. Sometimes, the religious denomination of the parties was noted as well--especially in the 1850's when the county had a large influx of Irish immigrants.

Arlington County (Va.) Marriage Registers, 1850-1881, consist of two separate volumes. The first volume dates from 1850-1865 and includes 210 pages. This volume is divided into three distinct sections. Pages 1-74, 1850-1854, include the date of the marriage license, names of groom and bride, record of ministers' returns and written consents from parents. On page 7, there are listed two marriage returns from the Quakers or Society of Friends. In the 1850s, marriages between persons of Irish descent are noted. Beginning in 1852, page 26, information is added under the bride's name regarding her age. Pages 75-132 1/2, 1854-1861, include the date of the marriage license, the names of the groom and bride and whether a consent was given. Pages 134-210, 1861-1865, include the number of the marriage license--a consective numbering system used for each year, the date when the license was issued, the names of the groom and bride, the ages of the groom and bride, information on the parents' consent, date of ministers' returns and record of ministers' returns (including date and by whom married.) There are numerous references to marriages between "free persons of color" throughout the volume. This volume also contains an internal index arranged alphabetically (A-Y) by groom's name according to page number.

Arlington County (Va.) Minute Books, 1785-1904, record all matters on a daily basis when it was in session including but not limited to: civil and criminal suits, appointments of county officers, appointments of guardians and administrators, deed recordings, free negro registrations, naturalization registrations, and court fees. Clerks would transfer information from minute books to appropriate order book, deed book, fiduciary book, free negro register, etc. Collection includes minute books from the Hustings Court of Alexandria, Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, Orphans' Court, and County Court.

Arlington County (Va.) Record of Ministers' Certificates, 1801-1850, records the returns made by individual ministers performed within the county and the District of Columbia. Some returns in this volume take the form of registers which record the date when the marriage was solemnized, the parties names, when married and by whom. Later, these registers also indicate the date of the marriage license. Other returns in this volume are in the form of lists which record when the parties were married, the names of the parties, the minister's name and denomination. Along with these returns, the 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. Marriages between free blacks or free persons of color are noted between 1808-1822 and 1841-1848. All pages in this volume are unnumbered.

Arlington County (Va.) Records, circa 1784-1943, undated, consist of the following series: Bonds/Commissions/Oaths, Marriage and Vital Statistics, County Administrative Records (subfield series include Board of Supervisors Records and Overseers of the Poor Records), Road and Bridge Records, Court Records (subfield series include Personal Documentation Records, Chancery Records, Clerk's Records, Judgments, Criminal Records and Jury Records), Tax and Fiscal Records, Election Records, Fiduciary Records, Organization Records, Wills, Business Records and Miscellaneous Records.

Charles Alexander Farm Ledger, 1801-1807, records the operation of and expenses incurred by his Arlington County plantation. Entries regarding expenses record wages for day laborers, payments for farm supplies and livestock, and sale or purchase of slaves. Other entries record the sale of agricultural produce (corn, wheat, clover) by Alexander to individuals. This volume also contains short passages pertaining to medicinal remedies, agricultural theory, and events occurring on the plantation.