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The Resource Norfolk County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits)

Norfolk County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits)

Creator
Summary
  • Norfolk County (Va.) County Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1819, consist of one suit: Peter, a slave vs. John Shipp. Suits initiated by slaves seeking to gain their freedom on the law side of the court. Cases are identified by style of suit consisting of plaintiff and defendant names. Surnames of others involved in a suit, including secondary plaintiffs and defendants, witnesses, deponents and affiants, and family members with surnames different from the plaintiff or defendant are indexed. Also identified are names of slaves and slaveowners found in suit as well as whether slave(s) won their freedom. Predominant documents found in freedom suits include petitions, records of suits, depositions, affidavits, wills, among other items. Information found in documents include slave's argument for freedom, acquisition of slaves by slaveowners, slave ancestry, and relationship between slaves and slaveowners
  • Judgments (Freedom Suits) are useful when researching local history and genealogical information, particularly for African Americans. They are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and serve as a primary source for understanding a locality’s history
Language
eng
Work
Extent
.010
Instance
Label
Norfolk County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1819
Title
Norfolk County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits)
Inclusive dates
1819
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • Norfolk County (Va.) County Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1819, consist of one suit: Peter, a slave vs. John Shipp. Suits initiated by slaves seeking to gain their freedom on the law side of the court. Cases are identified by style of suit consisting of plaintiff and defendant names. Surnames of others involved in a suit, including secondary plaintiffs and defendants, witnesses, deponents and affiants, and family members with surnames different from the plaintiff or defendant are indexed. Also identified are names of slaves and slaveowners found in suit as well as whether slave(s) won their freedom. Predominant documents found in freedom suits include petitions, records of suits, depositions, affidavits, wills, among other items. Information found in documents include slave's argument for freedom, acquisition of slaves by slaveowners, slave ancestry, and relationship between slaves and slaveowners
  • Judgments (Freedom Suits) are useful when researching local history and genealogical information, particularly for African Americans. They are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and serve as a primary source for understanding a locality’s history
Note
Agency history record describes the history and functions of the Virginia Circuit Court (Norfolk County). Browse search: Norfolk County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Member of
Action
Described
Biographical or historical data
  • Slaves sued for emancipation in freedom suits based on the following: they were descendant(s) of a free female ancestor, typically a Native American (Hening Statutes, volume 2, p.170); failure of slaveowner(s) to abide by the 1778 slave nonimportation act (Henings Statutes, volume 9, pp. 471-472); or claimed to have been freed by slaveowner(s) by deed of emancipation or last will and testament (Henings Statutes volume 11, pp. 39-40)
  • Norfolk County was created in 1691 when Lower Norfolk County was divided into Norfolk County and Princess Anne County. Norfolk County became extinct on 1 January 1963, when it was consolidated with the city of South Norfolk to form the city of Chesapeake. The county seat was Portsmouth.
Cataloging source
Vi
Location of other archival material
  • Additional Norfolk County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."
  • Additional Norfolk County Judgments are found at the Library of Virginia.
Label
Norfolk County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits)
http://library.link/vocab/branchCode
  • The Library of Virginia
Extent
.010
Governing access note
There are no restrictions
Immediate source of acquisition
Norfolk County (Va.) Circuit Court
Organization method
Arranged chronologically.
http://library.link/vocab/recordID
001716214
Terms governing use
There are no restrictions.
Type of unit
cu. ft.
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    • Library of VirginiaBorrow it
      800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, US
      37.5415632 -77.4360805

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