Warren County (Va.) Circuit Court.

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

A Docket is a brief record of proceedings in a court of justice. It usually gives the style of the suit and the date the court first dealt with it. Sometime it gives the date the suit was removed from the docket.

An executions is a court order directing a sheriff or other officer to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property. An Execution Books lists executions sued out or pending in the sheriff's office. It shows notices of process, names of all parties, amount of judgment, date of execution, return date and sheriff's return.

A Writ is a written judicial order to perform a specified act, or giving authority to have it done. A written court order of a judicial process, directing that a sheriff or other judicial officer do what is commanded by the writ; or giving authority and commission to have it done. The Writ Docket is a book that have brief entries concerning writs that are being enforced.

Fee Books are volumes showing the date of a duty performed by the clerk, the name of the person paying the fees, and the amount. It includes the fees charged attorneys, cash accounts, and the clerk's fees in common law and chancery cause.

A Memorandum Book is used for notations of entries to be made in other books.

Judgments are civil cases in which justice was administered on the strictly formulated rules of common law. The majority of cases in this record series relate to matters of debt.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Court Records, 1832-1932, (The Library of Virginia)

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

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. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Once the service was performed, the minister submitted a return to the county clerk. The county clerk recorded these returns along with other marriage records, such as bonds, certificates and licenses, in a marriage register.

According to Virginia law, individuals under the age of twenty-one needed the consent of a parent or guardian to marry. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, officials were especially concerned about females under the age of 16 marrying without consent. County clerks were not authorized to issue a marriage license without certificate (permission) from the parent, master or guardian. In the nineteenth century, a parent or guardian could give consent verbally to the clerk of the court, or provide written consent in front of one to two witnesses; the consent was then delivered to the county clerk.

The original material, from which this volume was compiled, was created by the County Clerk.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Register of Marriages, 1850-1913, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Deeds of bargain and sale are the most commonly recorded deed in which one individual sells property, usually land, but occasionally personal property, to another individual. Such deeds show the names of the grantor and grantee, the residence of both parties, a description of what is being sold, the consideration (or price), the location of the tract of land, the tract's boundaries, and any limitations on the property being sold. The deed was signed by the grantor, and possibly his wife or anyone else having a claim to the property, and by at least two witnesses. Appended to the deed may be a memorandum of livery of seisin, stating that the property has changed hands and that peaceful possession has taken place.

Deeds of gift are often found transferring property, either real or personal, from one individual to another "for love and affection." The degree of kinship, if any, between the grantor and grantee is sometimes stated.

Mortgages and deeds of trust were deeds where one party is indebted to another and transfers or mortgages property to a third party to secure the debt. Deeds of release were made by the trustees after payment of the debt, for the purpose of divesting themselves of the legal title and revesting it in the original owner.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Land Records, 1788-1937 (bulk 1836-1937), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Bonds are obligations or covenants between persons, made binding by a money guarantee. Bonds are given for various causes. They show the names of the principal and sureties, the date, amount and condition of the obligation, and signatures. Person receiving commissions to serve as officials in ths county or city governments provided a bond for their service.

People were given commissions by the Colonial Government, the State Government and other groups to serve as officers in the militia and the county or city government. Once they received a commission, they had to take an Oath of Office to serve.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Bonds/Commissions/Oaths, 1827-1951, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The Constitution of 1869 placed the sheriff's tax collection function in the new office of treasurer, who was both the cashier and the bookkeeper of the county. During the township period (1870-1875) the township collector and clerk also had treasurer's functions; later the county treasurer's duties were expanded to include the township officer's activities.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Treasurer Records, 1876-1913, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Special officers have been appointed specifically to oversee general elections since 1831; these have included registrars, commissioners of elections, election judges and clerks. The election law of 1884 created electoral boards, which have since appointed all other election officials. The electoral boards and registrars are the recording agents of the election machinery.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Electoral Board Minutes, 1913-1945, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The 1902 voter registration books were created following the passage of the 1902 Virginia state constitution. The purpose of the 1902 state constitution was to maintain white suffrage while eliminating African-American voters by means of literacy tests as well as property and poll tax requirements.

The Nineteenth Amendment was granted the right to vote to women. It was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Lists of Voters Registered, 1836-1953, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Under an Act of Congress in 1903, the Bureau of Immigration was transferred to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor. Under an Act of Congress in 1906, the Naturalization Service was created and together with the Bureau of Immigration, they became the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization. The Department of Commerce and Labor sent books entitled "Form 2202, Department of Commerce and Labor, Naturalization Service, Record of Declaration of Intention" to City and Court Clerks. These record books were to be used to keep records of persons applying to become citizens of the United States.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Declaration of Intention, 1912-1913, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The Board of Dental Examiners certify dentist and dental hygienist who meet their requirements to work in Virginia.

Board of Medical Examiners certify physcians and surgeons who meet their requirements to work in Virginia.

An estray is an animal who's owner's name is unknown. An Estray Book is a register giving public notice of valuable, tame animals, either lost or found wandering and presumed escaped from their owners. These records allow the owners to reclaim their animals

A lien is a claim, encumbrance, or a charge on property for payment of some debt, obligation, or duty. A Mechanic's lien is a claim created by state statutes for the purpose of securing payment of the price or value of work performed and materials furnished in erecting, improving or repairing a building or other structures.

A Docket is a brief record of proceedings in a court of justice. It usually gives the style of the suit and the date the court first dealt with it. Sometime it gives the date the suit was removed from the docket.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Miscellaneous Records, 1866-1914 (bulk 1890-1914), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

On February 21, 1818, the Virginia legislature passed a school bill which appropriated $45,000 annually from the Literary Fund for the education of poor children. (The Literary Fund had been established in 1810 with passage of a bill to appropriate "certain escheats, confiscated, and forfeited lands" for the "encouragement of learning.") Under the provisions of the 1818 School Act, each county court was required to appoint five to fifteen commissioners to establish and/or administer schools for children of the poor. A more comprehensive public school system was established by the legislature in 1870. Prior to 1818, county courts were given the option of whether to appoint a Board of School Commissioners.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) School Records, 1837-1931 (bulk 1870-1931)), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) County Court Judgments, 1836-1904 (bulk 1856-1904), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Marriage Records and Vital Statistics Records, 1850-1913, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

In 1780, the Virginia General Assembly replaced the Anglican vestries and churchwardens of the colonial period with elected bodies called Overseers of the Poor. The Overseers provided food, clothing, shelter, and medical treatment for the persons who were too poor to support themselves or too ill to provide for their basic needs. They also bound out children whose parents could not support them or who failed to educate or instruct them, as well as orphans to become apprentices. The boys learned a trade and the girls learned domestic skills.

In 1844, the General Assembly enacted laws to create poor farms overseen by boards of directors for the maintenance and education of the poor. The boards bought farms and built buildings, appointed a superintendant for each poor farm, and chose a physician to attend the sick and teachers to educate the children. The adults and older children were required to work if they were able.

In order to control the population of certain animals in a locale, citizens were allowed to kill them. They took the scalps of the animals to court and the court paid them for the scalps. In Warren County, hawks, owls, wild cats, gray foxes, red foxes, and minks were the animals killed for payment. Scalps Claims are voucher stating the type and number of scalps and the name of the person submitting the voucher.

Sheep Claims are records of sheep killed or bitten by dogs. The bodies of the sheep were examined by the court and the owners were reimbursed for the animals killed or injured by a dog.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Overseers of the Poor Records, 1830-1914, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

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 Warren County (Va.) Birth and Death Records, 1912-1918, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Public Buildings and Grounds, 1834-1839, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

A Docket is a brief record of proceedings in a court of justice. It usually gives the style of the suit and the date the court first dealt with it. Sometime it gives the date the suit was removed from the docket.

An issue is the act of issuing or promulgating; e.g. to issue an order or writ. An issue docket is the record of issuance, showing parties' names, actions, and remarks.

An executions is a court order directing a sheriff or other officer to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property. An Execution Books lists executions sued out or pending in the sheriff's office. It shows notices of process, names of all parties, amount of judgment, date of execution, return date and sheriff's return.

A Writ is a written judicial order to perform a specified act, or giving authority to have it done. A written court order of a judicial process, directing that a sheriff or other judicial officer do what is commanded by the writ; or giving authority and commission to have it done. The Writ Docket is a book that have brief entries concerning writs that are being enforced.

Fee Books are volumes showing the date of a duty performed by the clerk, the name of the person paying the fees, and the amount. It includes the fees charged attorneys, cash accounts, and the clerk's fees in common law and chancery cause.

A Memorandum Book is used for notations of entries to be made in other books.

Judgments are civil cases in which justice was administered on the strictly formulated rules of common law. The majority of cases in this record series relate to matters of debt.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) County Court Records, 1836-1903, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Fiduciary Records consist of the records produced by executors, executrices, administrators or administratrices. The executors and executrices handled the estate of a person who died testate and the administrators and administratrices handled the estate of a person who died intestate. They had an inventory or an inventory and appraisement made of the deceased person's estate. They gave accounts currents telling how they collected debts owed the decease and the payment of the decease person's debts. They gave a report called a "Settlement of the Estate" which said what was done with the deceased person's estate that was left after all that person's debts were paid.

Fiduciary Records may include the records of a guardian appointed to administer the estate of a child under the age considered to be the age of an adult. The guardian would give accounts of the monies spent to feed, cloth, educate, and maintain their ward. They would rent out the land and/or slaves owned by their ward to produce income for the ward's support and record the amount of rent received in their accounts. If their ward received a legacy or a deed of gift, that information would be recorded in the guardian's accounts. When the child became of age, a final account would be made and a receipt from the ward would be included.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Fiduciary Records, 1850-1938, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

A Docket is a brief record of proceedings in a court of justice. It usually gives the style of the suit and the date the court first dealt with it. Sometime it gives the date the suit was removed from the docket.

An executions is a court order directing a sheriff or other officer to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property. An Execution Books lists executions sued out or pending in the sheriff's office. It shows notices of process, names of all parties, amount of judgment, date of execution, return date and sheriff's return.

An issue is the act of issuing or promulgating; e.g. to issue an order or writ. An issue docket is the record of issuance, showing parties' names, actions, and remarks.

Fee Books are volumes showing the date of a duty performed by the clerk, the name of the person paying the fees, and the amount. It includes the fees charged attorneys, cash accounts, and the clerk's fees in common law and chancery cause.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Circuit Court Records, 1836-1924, (The Library of Virginia)

Warren County was formed in 1836 from Shenandoah and Frederick counties.

Article II of the 1902 Constitution of Virginia was designed to maintain white suffrage while eliminating Afircan-American voters by means of literacy tests, and property and poll tax requirements. Section 19 of Article II specifically mentions the requirement that a person applying to register must be able to read a section of the Constitution and explain its meaning to the registrar.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) List of Colored Applicants Refused Registration, 1902-1903, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The 1870 Virginia Constitution required that each county in the state be divided into no less than three townships (see Article VII, section 2). Based on the New England administrative organization of a county, each township would elect the administration officials for the offices of supervisor, clerk, assessor, collector, commissioner of the roads, overseer of the poor, justice of the peace, and constable. The supervisors of each township would comprise the board of supervisors for the county, and would be responsible for auditing the county accounts, examining the assessors' books, regulating property valuation, and fixing the county levies. The Acts of Assembly provided that each township be divided into school and electoral districts (see Acts of Assembly 1869-1870, Chapter 39). A constitutional amendment in 1874 changed the townships into magisterial districts and each district elected one supervisor, three justices of the peace, one constable, and one overseer of the poor. The supervisors of the districts made up the county board of supervisors whose duties were identical as those set out in 1870. The published Acts of Assembly appended a list of township names by county following the acts for every year that townships existed in Virginia.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Township Records, 1870-1875, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Trustees of Lexington and Front Royal Investment Company Account Book, 1894-1903, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

In 1865 the Virginia General Assembly passed an act for the relief of indigent soldiers and sailors of Virginia who have been disabled in military service and the widows and minor children of soldiers and sailors who have died in the service. The act required county and corporation courts of the commonwealth to make and maintain lists of indigent solidiers and sailors in their localities and to make an allowance in money or supplies to provide for the indigent soldiers or their families. Counties charged with this task levied taxes to raise funds, appointed overseers to create lists of soldiers and families and maintained reports on the money and supplies provided to eligible individuals and families.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Reports of Indigent Soldiers' Families, 1862-1864, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The 1902 voter registration books were created following the passage of the 1902 Virginia state constitution. The purpose of the 1902 state constitution was to maintain white suffrage while eliminating African-American voters by means of literacy tests as well as property and poll tax requirements.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Permanent Roll of Voters, 1902-1903, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

A Writ is a written judicial order to perform a specified act, or giving authority to have it done. A written court order of a judicial process, directing that a sheriff or other judicial officer do what is commanded by the writ; or giving authority and commission to hav it done. The Writ Docket is a book that have brief entries concerning writs that are being enforced.

An executions is a court order directing a sheriff or other officer to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property. An execution shows notices of process, names of all parties, amount of judgment, date of execution, return date and sheriff's return.

An issue is the act of issuing or promulgating; e.g. to issue an order or writ. An issue docket is the record of issuance, showing parties' names, actions, and remarks.

A Memorandum Book is used for notations of entries to be made in other books.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery Records, 1836-1852, (The Library of Virginia)

A law passed in 1782 by the state legislature made it lawful to emancipate slaves, and also stipulated that liberated slaves neglecting to pay tax levies might be hired out by the sheriff long enough to raise the taxes.

An act passed in 1793 by the Virginia legislature in 1793 required every free Negro or Mulatto to be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the county clerk. Emancipated slaves may have been registered with the court at an earlier date in some localities. Registrations were to be renewed annually at a cost of 25 cents.

An act passed in 1801 by the Virginia legislature required commissioners of the revenue annually to return a complete list of all free African Americans within their districts, with their names, sex, place of abode, and trades, and a copy of the list to be fixed at the courthouse door.

In 1806, the General Assembly moved to remove the free Negro population from Virginia with a law that stated that all emancipated slaves, freed after May 1, 1806, who remained in the Commonwealth more than a year, would forfeit their right to freedom and be sold by the Overseers of the Poor for the benefit of the parish. Families wishing to stay were to petition the legislature through the local county court. Beginning in 1837, freed slaves could petition the local courts for permission to remain.

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.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Records, 1836-1861, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Before the Bird Road Act of 1932, counties were responsible for the control, construction, alteration, and maintenance of the roads and bridges in their locale. People living along sections of the road were responsible for its maintenance. An individual Surveyor of the Road was appointed from among the residents in each section of the road, to oversee the work for that section of the road.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Road and Bridge Records, Volume 1, 1836-1875, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

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 Warren County (Va.) Local Physicians' Birth Records, 1914-1938, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) General Index to Wills, 1835-1935, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

Justices of the Peace were first known as Commissions of the Peace when they were formed in 1623. The Commissioners of the Peace replaced the Commanders of Plantations who served from 1607 to 1629. The name Justices of the Peace was used from 1662 through 1974, when they were replaced by Magistrates. They traditionally had both civil and criminal jurisdictions. They served other functions, including performing coroners' and lunacy inquisitions, and performing civil marriages. Until 1869 justices served as both judges of the county court and as individual justices; since then they have only served as justices.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1850-1907 (bulk 1882-1907), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Deeds, 1788-1937 Nov. (bulk 1899-1930), (The Library of Virginia)

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

Minutes/Orders record all matters brought before the court when it was in session and may contain important information not found anywhere else.

In accordance with an act passed by the General Assembly 1862 Feb. 18 and amended 1862, October 1 providing a mode of exemption from military service, the county and corporation courts were directed to appoint a Board of Exemption. The board was charged with deciding all claims for military exemptions brought before it, "carefully and rigidly conforming to all the provisions of the Act of Assembly." On 1863 Feb. 13, the Governor issued an order directing that where no board has been appointed, the presiding justice of each county and corporation court, together with the two senior justices, constitute the board.

On 9 May 1862, the General Assembly stated that "the courts of the several counties of this Commonwealth are hereby authorized and empowered to order the purchase, for the use of the people of said counties, such quantities of salt as the said courts may deem necessary and to provide for the payment of the same by county levies. The said courts shall have the power and authority to distribute the salt thus purchased amongst people of their counties." On 30 March 1863, the General Assembly had created the office of "Superintendent of Salt Works."

Around the time of the Civil War, salt was necessary for curing meat, tanning leather, fertilizing fields as well as, for farm animals to survive. Prior to the war, a significant amount of salt was imported from Europe, but when the war started, the Union blockaded delivery of salt to the Confederate states. The most important saltworks for the Confederacy were at Saltville, Virginia. When alternate sources failed to produce a sufficient supply of salt, the southern states began a rationing process to ensure fair distributions. Many of the states handed rationing responsibility to the county courts, which created lists of eligible families and the amounts of salt they could receive.

This original volume was created by the County, Circuit and Corporation Courts.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Various Record Series, 1836-1865 (bulk 1861-1865), (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Tax and Fiscal Records, 1837-1912, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

The County Courts were responsible for the creation and maintenance of the road and bridges in their county. The Court accepted or rejected petitions to create new roads, alter existing roads, or to discontinue roads. They accepted or rejected petitions to build new bridges, replace old bridges, or make repair to existing bridges. The County Government paid for the creation, the alterations, the repairs or replacement of the roads and bridges.

During the Colonial Period and to 1866, the people, owning or renting property on a road or their hands, were responsible for maintaining the road. The County Court appointed "Overseers of the Road" to supervise the work on the road. In an Act of Assembly Passed on February 28, 1866, a County Commission of the Road was appointed to make contracts with contractors to construct roads or bridges and to make the repairs to the roads or bridges. The county was allowed to collect specific levies to pay the contractors for their work.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Board of Supervisors Records, 1871-1924, (The Library of Virginia)

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 Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1836.

From the guide to the Warren County (Va.) Records, 1818-1990 circa, (The Library of Virginia)