Sussex County (Va.) Circuit Court

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Marriage Records and Vital Statistics, 1754-1890, (The Library of Virginia (Some records in this collection may be located at the State Records Center. Contact Archives Research Services for access information, directions, and hours.)

Sussex County was formed in 1753 from Surry County.

The deed books of Sussex County in this collection were created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Deed Books, 1754-1786, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County in 1753.

The legislature passed a law in 1782 authorizing slaveholders to free enslaved people without explicit legislative approval.

An act passed by the Virginia legislature in 1793 required every free negro or mulatto to register with the city or county clerk and obtain at a cost of twenty-three cents certificates confirming their status. These laws, and subsequent registration laws passed by the legislature, led to the creation of free negro registers.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Records, 1787-1850, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Road and Bridge Records, 1820, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was formed in 1753 from Surry County.

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 "Colonial tithables" found on the Library of Virginia's web site.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Lists of Tithables, 1777, 1779, 1780, and 1782., (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County in 1753.

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 Sussex County (Va.) Township Records, 1871-1875, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county was named for the English county.

The original court papers, from which these volumes were compiled, were created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Rule Docket Books, 1785-1807, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Fiduciary Records, 1754-1914, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was formed in 1753 from Surry County. This county was named for the English county.

During the 1869-1870 session, the General Assembly passed an "Act to Secure Identification of Persons Convicted of Criminal Offences." On 2 November 1870, the act was approved. The act specified that "every clerk of the court of each county and corporation shall keep a register of full and accurate descriptive lists of every person convicted in his own or any other court of record of his county or corporation, of felony or other infamous offence, and a duly certified and attested copy of any such descriptive list may be used as prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated in any question of identity. Such registers shall be kept written up, well indexed, and shall be open to public inspection at reasonable hours. The register shall follow a set form and each descriptive list shall be attested by said clerk."

In addition, "the clerk of every court of record of each county or corporation, other than the county or corporation court, shall within ten days from the date of conviction of any person in his court of any offence mentioned in the first section of this act, deliver to the clerk of the county or corporation court, for record in said register, an attested descriptive list of the person so convicted, in the form hereinbefore prescribed." The judges of the respective courts are responsible for seeing that the provisions of the act are "punctually and properly carried out" by their respective clerks. The act was amended on 18 January 1871 and outlined the following: "For the services mentioned in this or the first section of this act, the clerk shall be entitled to a fee of fifty cents, to be paid out of the state treasury." By and large, the county and circuit court clerks went about compiling these registers throughout the counties of Virginia as late as the 1960s.

Order books record all matters brought before the court when it was in session and may contain important information not found anywhere else. A wide variety of information is found in order books--including individuals convicted of felonies.

This original register was created by the County and Circuit Courts.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Register of Convicts, 1871-1932, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Tax and Fiscal Records, 1777-1911, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Organization Records, 1902-1905, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

The board of supervisors has been the chief administrative body of the county since its establishment in 1869. Board members were originally elected by township voters; since abolition of the township system they have been elected from districts. The board's duties are fixed by statute and are primarily concerned with maintenance and construction of county buildings and fiscal matters.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Board of Supervisors Records, 1875-1929, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Land Records, 1754-1921, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

Sheriffs appeared in Virginia when the original shires were formed in 1634. They originally had three functions: law enforcement, conduct of elections, and financial officer. The sheriff's duties have been curtailed over the years, but he is still the major law enforcing agent in a county.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Sheriff Records, 1807-1916, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

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 Sussex County (Va.) Treasurer Records, 1871-1912, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

First known as commissions, the Justice of the Peace office originated with the county quarterly court in 1623. Commanders of Plantations (1607-1629) were predecessors of the commissioners, who since 1662 have been called justices of the peace. They have traditionally had both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and have served other functions, including performing coroners' and lunacy inquisitions. Until 1869 justices served both as judges of the county court and as individual justices; since then they have had only the latter function.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1916-1920, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex was formed in 1753 from Surry County.

The will books of Sussex in this collection were created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Will Books, 1754-1796, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

The records in this collection were created by the County Court, Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery, and Circuit Court.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Court Records, 1754-1915, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was formed in 1753 from Surry County. This county was named for the English county.

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 marriage register of Sussex County (Va.) described in this collection was created by the County Court.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Marriage Register and Index, 1754-1858 (bulk 1754-1850), (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Post Office Account Book, 1846, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Circuit Court Records, 1866-1941, (Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Records, 1754-1940, (Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Miscellaneous Records, 1872-1893, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County in 1753.

In 1748 the General Assembly passed "An Act directing the Trial of Slaves committing Capital Crimes, and for the more effectual Punishing Conspiracies and Insurrections of, and for the better Government of, Negroes, Mulattoes, and Indians, Bond or Free."

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) Commission of Oyer and Terminer for the Trial of Sinner, a Negro Slave, Sussex County, 1754 May 22, (The Library of Virginia)

Sussex County was named for the English county, and was formed from Surry County by a statute adopted in 1753. The county court first met on 30 May 1754. The county seat is Sussex.

From the guide to the Sussex County (Va.) County Court Records, 1754-1904, (The Library of Virginia)