Virginia Beach (Va.) Circuit Court

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.

Virginia Beach was located in Princess Anne County, which is now extinct. The oceanside resort was incorporated as a town in 1906 and as a city by an act of the General Assembly in 1952. It was greatly enlarged in 1963 by consolidation with Princess Anne County, which thereby became extinct.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free Negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk.

An act passed in 1806 required freed slaves to leave the state within a year.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Records, 1766-1862, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. Princess Anne County was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

Until 1780, marriages could be performed only by ministers of the Established Church, who were required by law to record marriages in the parish register. In 1780, dissenting ministers (only four per county from each sect) were first permitted to perform marriage ceremonies. In order to have a record of all marriages, ministers were required to sign a certificate to be filed with the county clerk. Initially, ministers sent marriage certifcates to the clerk every three months. Some ministers adopted a custom of making collected returns--a list of marriages performed within a period of time such as a year or several years. Beginning in 1784, marriage certificates were returned annually. The law was rarely enforced, and ministers' returns were sometimes late, incorrect, incomplete, and in many instances, not made at all. County clerks compiled a register of marriages based, in part, on ministers' returns.

The ministers' returns of Princess Anne County (Va.) described in this collection were created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Ministers' Returns, 1787-1821, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. Princess Anne County was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

The original marriage records, from which these volumes were compiled, were created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Marriage Bonds, 1799-1850, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach was in Princess Anne County, which is now extinct. The ocean resort was incorporated as a town in 1906 and as a city by an act of the General Assembly on 14 February 1952. It was greatly enlarged on 1 January 1963 by consolidation with Princess Anne County, which thereby became extinct.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Wills, 1746-1965, (The Library of Virginia)

The City of Virginia Beach was located in Princess Anne County, which is now extinct. The oceanside resort was incorporated as a town in 1906 and as a city by an act of the General Assembly in 1952. It was greatly enlarged in 1963 by consolidation with Princess Anne County, which thereby became extinct.

Princess Anne County was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963. The county seat was Princess Anne.

From the guide to the Virginia Beach (Va.) Deeds, 1718-1974 (bulk 1768-1937), (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.

The City of Virginia Beach was located in Princess Anne County, which is now extinct. The oceanside resort was incorporated as a town in 1906 and as a city by an act of the General Assembly in 1952. It was greatly enlarged in 1963 by consolidation with Princess Anne County, which thereby became extinct.

In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Virginia, the term "tithable" referred to a person who paid (or for whom someone else paid) one of the taxes imposed by the General Assembly for the support of civil government in the colony. In colonial Virginia, a poll tax or capitation tax was assessed on free white males, African American slaves, and Native American servants (both male and female), all age sixteen or older. Owners and masters paid the taxes levied on their slaves and servants. For a more detailed history of tithables, consult the Library of Virginia's website for Colonial Tithables

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Lists of Tithables, 1763, 1767, 1771-1779., (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County was formed in 1691 from Lower Norfolk County. Now extinct, it was incorporated into the city of Virginia Beach in 1963.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) List of Freed Negroes, 1864, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became Queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963 after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.

The separate office of coroner appeared in Virginia about 1660. The judicial duty of the office is to hold inquisitions in cases when persons meet sudden, violent, unnatural or suspicious death, or death without medical attendance. The coroner would summon a jury to assist him in determining cause of death. Prior to November 1877, the jurors numbered twelve. Between November 1877 and March 1926, the jurors numbered six. The jury viewed the body of the deceased and heard the testimony of witnesses. The coroner was required to write down witness testimony. After seeing and hearing the evidence, the jury delivered in writing to the coroner their conclusion concerning cause of death referred to as the inquisition. After March 1926, only the coroner determined cause of death. He could require physicians to assist him with determining cause of death. If a criminal act was determined to be the cause of death, the coroner was to deliver the guilty person to the sheriff and the coroners' inquests would be used as evidence in the criminal trial.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Coroners' Inquisitions, 1810-1935, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. Princess Anne County was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

Until 1780, marriages could be performed only by ministers of the Established Church, who were required by law to record marriages in the parish register. In 1780, dissenting ministers (only four per county from each sect) were first permitted to perform marriage ceremonies. Ministers' returns were required by law beginning in 1780, so all marriages from that date would be of record in the county court clerk's office--thereby creating an official record. Some ministers adopted a custom of making collected returns--a list of marriages performed within a period of time such as a year or several years.

The marriage record of Princess Anne County (Va.) described in this collection was created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Certificates of Marriage Returns, 1786-1850, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County was formed in 1691 from Lower Norfolk County. Now extinct, it was incorporated into the city of Virginia Beach in 1963.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1803 required every free negro or mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes, 1830-1862, (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became Queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Free Negro Register, 1830-1862., (The Library of Virginia)

Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct in 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach was in Princess Anne County, which is now extinct. The ocean resort was incorporated as a town in 1906 and as a city by an act of the General Assembly on 14 February 1952. It was greatly enlarged on 1 January 1963 by consolidation with Princess Anne County, which thereby became extinct.

Laws requiring the recording of births and deaths in Virginia were enacted as early as 1632, when a law directed ministers or churchwardens in each parish to present a "register of all burialls, christenings, and marriages" yearly at the June meeting of the court. A similar act passed in 1659 stated that "enquiries are often made for persons imported into the collonie, of whose death no positive certificate can be granted for want of registers." Few records survive from these early decades.

In 1713, the General Assembly noted that earlier acts had "for a long time been disused" and once again directed the recording of births and deaths by the minister or clerk of each parish. A return made the same year noted that the list of births and deaths was not complete since many parishes failed to make returns "for tis a thing so new to the people that neither they care to Register their Births and Burials, nor are the Parish Clerks yet brought into a regular method of transmitting them."

The recording of vital statistics continued to be an ecclesiastical function throughout the colonial period. With the disestablishment of the Anglican church after the American Revolution and the rise of other religious denominations, the record-keeping process for vital statistics fell more and more to the individual family. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, medical science began to recognize the advantages of accurate birth and mortality information in controlling and treating communicable diseases. Pressure from local and national health organizations and medical professionals resulted in the passage of vital statistics registration laws. Virginia was one of the earliest states to pass such a law.

A law requiring the systematic statewide recording of births and deaths was passed by the General Assembly on April 11 1853. Every commissioner of revenue registered births and deaths in his district annually, at the same time personal property subject to taxation was ascertained. The commissioner recorded births and deaths that had occurred prior to 31 December of the preceding year and returned the record to the clerk of court by 1 June. Information was obtained from heads of family, physicians, surgeons, or coroners. The law imposed penalties for failing to furnish or collect the information.

The clerk of court in each locality entered the information supplied by the commissioner into registers and prepared an accompanying alphabetical index. A copy of each register was forwarded to the Auditor of Public Accounts. The law went into effect on 1 July 1853, and continued until 1896, when an economy-conscious legislature repealed the recording provisions.

There was no statewide recording of births and deaths between 1896 and 1912. Several metropolitan areas continued to keep records of births and deaths for all or part of the period between 1896 and 1912. Systematic statewide registration began again in June 1912.

From the guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Birth Records, 1907-1915, (The Library of Virginia)