Collections : [Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center]

Series 1: Applications, 1876 - 1943, contains one Union pension application, applications for Artificial Limb Commutation (Confederate), applications for aid (Confederate), Confederate pension applications and supporting paperwork

This collection starts in 1844 and ends in 1908. The bulk of the collection is concentrated from 1867 through 1890, with a particularly prominent concentration from 1886 through 1890. No records from 1859 through 1865 exist. Likewise, no road petition records exist prior to 1844 - both gaps in chronology are likely due to military activity during the Civil War. The Library of Virginia identifies Fairfax County as a "Lost Records Locality," meaning this locality suffered significant losses of early records due to military action. Our records end in 1908 because the law changed in 1909, shifting responsibility for road petitions to the county's Board of Supervisors.

Series 1: Demographic records, 1873-1903. Eleven Ledgers. This series contains four School Censuses for 1890, and one for 1900; as well as three Teacher's Registers, two books containing the examinations of teachers, and one Virginia Public School Register. These documents contain teachers' and students' names, ages, education, and race. The censuses include the guardians of the students, the school they attended, what studies they pursued, and if the students could read and write. This series contains a wealth of information about the daily operations of the schools, such as attendance, textbooks used, and studies taught.

Series 1: Personal, 1861-1936, contains personal papers from both F.D. and F.W. Richardson. F.D.'s papers include receipts from Richmond merchants dating to 1861 and 1862 showing that F.D. and another man listed as Howard were buying large quantities of foodstuffs, cooking, serving and eating implements, tobacco products and pipes and other sundries such as candle molds and needles. There is no evidence-based explanation for these purchases. A possible explanation is that F.D. was outfitting a Confederate unit, but this is conjecture. F.D.'s papers also include a farming journal, other bills and receipts, some court papers and claims on his estate.

The collection includes documents from 1840 to 1905 and is arranged chronologically, then alphabetically by surname. Along with the executions are receipts from purchases, IOUs, and bank checks to prove that the debt had either been satisfied or not satisfied.

Series 1: Poll Books, 1854 - 1914, contains the poll books of Fairfax County pre- and post-1870. Poll books prior to 1870 list the year and precinct, the candidates, their position, and the names of the voters and the votes cast (there was no anonymity in voting). The nature of how poll books were written changed in 1870, when voting became anonymous. Post-1870 poll books are simply a list of electors for each precinct-a list of those who voted but no indication of who they voted for. These documents have been grouped together due to the context in which they were used being the same.