Hanover County, Virginia Record LossEdit This Page
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Virginia Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County, Virginia Record Loss
Writing in 1912, we learn: "There are only two old books in the Clerk's Office of Hanover county, Va. The oldest, designated the 'Small Book' in these notes, covers the years 1734 and 1735, and contains orders, wills, deeds, etc. The other, 'The Larger Book' of these notes, is a deed book for 1780-1790," according to "Records of Hanover County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jul., 1912):47. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
In 1916, Morgan P. Robinson, the Virginia State Archivist, had this to say about "the destruction of most of the records of Hanover, which occurred on April 3, 1865:
Richmond, Va.,
Dec. 24th, 1915
"Mr. Morgan P. Robinson,
State Library Bldg.,
CITY.
Dear Sir:-
Your letter of December 23rd, Just received, I note that you ask me to give my recollection or knowledge of the destruction
of our Court records during the War between the States, Responding to your inquiry, I have to say that I was raised in Hanover County, about eight miles east of Hanover C. H., but was rarely at Hanover C. H. until after the close of the war. The lower part of Hanover, reaching within a few miles of Hanover C. H, was occupied by the armies of McClellan and Grant, and was the subject of frequent cavalry raids, which took in Hanover C. H., and the Clerk of the County Court of Hanover County as a precaution against the destruction of the records of that Court removed them to Richmond and
they were deposited in the Court Bldg., which then stood on the Capitol Square Just in front of the Franklin Street entrance
from the east, Just about where the fountain now stands, which building was destroyed, and so far as I know no papers of value were taken or [saved, in conse]quence all of the records of the County Court of Hanover County were burned. The records of the Circuit Court (which Court then had its own clerk in the same building with the County Court Clerk) were allowed to remain in the Clerk's Office at Hanover C. H. and though that section was several times ralded and the Clerk's Office opened, and some few papers probably lost, I do not think any of the record books were destroyed, and, so far as I know, no papers of value were taken or destroyed. Among the records thus preserved two old books bound in raw hide dated about 1730, remained in the office and were not hurt. I do not know if this answers fully your inquiry, but if you desire any further information and I can obtain lt for you will be very glad to answer any inquiry you may make.
Yours very truly,
GEO. P. HAW."
(Source: Cocke, William Ronald. Hanover County Chancery Wills and Notes. A Compendium of Genealogical, Biographical and Historical Material as Contained in Cases of the Chancery Suits of Hanover County, Virginia. Columbia, Va.: W.R. Cocke, 1940. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Books Online . Reviewed by John M. Jennings in The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct., 1940):575-576. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($). Reviewed by R.A. Stewart in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Jul., 1940):284. Available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).)
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