Essex County, Virginia Order Books, Volume 15-16, 1747 to 1751, Executions

2026-03-18T11:39:00-04:00

Price: 57.00

This work presents a verbatim transcript of Essex County, Virginia Order Books 15 and 16, that runs from court terms 16 June 1747 to 17 October 1749 and 21 November 1749 to 22 May 1751.

An order book contains a variety of items that document the daily business of the county court. Entries include: adjudgements for age of negroes, slaves or servants; appointment of officials (including constable, sheriff, road overseer, or vestryman, etc.); appointments of estate administrators; apprenticeships; exemptions from levy; guardians (may be chosen by ward at age 14); ordinary licenses; periodic orders or county expenses for buildings, roads, repairs, salaries, etc.; presentments by churchwardens of drunkards, those not frequenting their parish church as the law required, swearing, or even women claimed to have produced a bastard child; probates of wills; status of court cases (civil and criminal); tithables; and more. In addition, one will find claims for taking up 50 acres of land, or “importation rights,” which indicates the likelihood of a foreign birth for the claimant — at least outside of Virginia. There is much activity about suits for debt, as the absence of banks left the court as the arena for settlement of many financial disputes.

Order book entries often provide detail not found in any other record. Oftentimes the age of a person can be estimated based on what the law allowed them to do. With little exception, one would be an adult to sue (unless otherwise stated), receive power of attorney, buy and sell land, witness documents, or administer an estate, etc. Copies of ordinary licenses granted are generally found in deed books, but the order book entry may provide additional details. Keep in mind that the name of the ordinary (or tavern) didn’t necessarily track to the name of the person granted the license.

Of interest is that the entries here frequently refer to Chancery court cases, but only seven case files survive previous to 1772. An index to full-names, places and subjects adds to the value of this work.

Wesley E. Pippenger

2026, 8.5" x 11", paper, index, 382 pp.

ISBN: 9780788454141

101-P5414