Virginia Legislative Petitions
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 Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed in these petitions. The petitions often contain hundreds of signatures and are a useful tool in genealogical research. Frequently, the petitions contain supplementary support documents useful in research, including maps, wills, naturalizations, deeds, resolutions, affidavits, judgments, and other items.This database provides a calendar of Legislative Petitions submitted to the General Assembly between 1776 and 1865. The database lists the name of the petitioner, locality, date of presentation, description, reel number, box number, and folder number. In addition, each petition has been assigned one or more topics for indexing purposes. There are four ways to search the database: By Petitioner, By Locality, By Description, or By Topic. The petitions are on microfilm in the West Reading Room and available through interlibrary loan at the Library of Virginia. The collection is organized in boxes by county, then chronologically with a separate petition in each folder. In order to locate the petitions on microfilm or request copies of originals, please be specific and note the exact box, folder, and reel number. Over 25,000 petitions, representing the counties between Accomack and York, and cities Alexandria through Winchester, have been entered into the database. In addition, there are petitions with unidentified localities filed as Miscellaneous (Chronological) and Miscellaneous (Alphabetical).
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| Petitioner | Date | Description | Reel# | Box | Folder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens | 1852/03/02 | Ask for a law granting petitioners a charter for a savings bank in the town of New Castle. | 41 | 57 | 75 |
| Citizens | 1852/05/04 | Ask for authority from the County Court to erect one or more toll gates on the Prices & Cumberland Gap Road to keep the road in repair. | 41 | 57 | 77 |
| Citizens | 1852/05/11 | Ask for authority from the County Court to erect one or more toll gates on the Prices & Cumberland Gap Road to keep the road in repair. | 41 | 57 | 78 |
| Citizens | 1854/02/06 | Protest against the petition of the Commissioners of Price's Road asking for changes in its location. | 41 | 57 | 80 |
| Citizens | 1855/12/04 | Ask for the construction of a turnpike road from a point on the Cumberland Gap road on the land of Jacob Huppman to the main road leading to the town of Union in Monroe County Includes letter. | 41 | 57 | 81 |
| Citizens | 1855/12/11 | Ask for an amendment to the act passed 8 February 1853 in relation to Price's Turnpike Road. | 41 | 57 | 82 |
| Citizens | 1856/02/15 | Ask that James R. Bowen be exempted from the payment of a license tax. | 41 | 57 | 84 |
| Citizens of Craig & Alleghany | 1855/12/15 | Charter upon the three and two-fifths principle for a turnpike from a point on the Fincastle & Covington Turnpike in Alleghany County to a point on the Price's Mountain & Sweet Springs Turnpike road near Scott's Tavern in Craig County (See Alleghany Co.) | 41 | 57 | 83 |
| Citizens of Craig & Monroe | 1852/12/23 | Ask for an act incorporating a company to construct a turnpike from the Gap Mills in Monroe County to New Castle in Craig County. | 41 | 57 | 79 |
| Rowan, William A. | 1858/03/13 | Ask that a portion of Craig County be annexed to Monroe County. | 41 | 57 | 85 |
| Smith, Thomas | 1852/05/01 | School Commissioner's account for Thomas Smith, teacher in School District No. 9, for tuition of indigent children. (See Oversized) | 41 | 317 | 3 |
| Trustees of the Union Church | 1852/02/19 | Ask for an act authorizing them to dispose of the property of the Union Church in the town of New Castle. | 41 | 57 | 74 |
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