Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

None

Use Restrictions

Consult repository for information

Preferred Citation

Donald M. Sweig Manuscript Papers on “Registration of Free Negroes”, MSS 08-11, Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning

Processing Information

Lane Jones and Chris Barbuschak, July 2016
EAD generated by Ross Landis, 2024

Historical and Biographical Information

Donald M. Sweig was born in Arlington, Va. and graduated from William and Mary with a B. A. in 1973, M.A. from George Mason in 1975, and a Ph.D. in History from William and Mary in 1982. He was a historian for Fairfax County, Va. for 27 years from 1975 - 2002.

In January 1974 two long lost volumes of Registrations of Free Negroes, Volume II (1822-1835) and Volume III (1835-1861) were discovered in the attic of the Fairfax County Courthouse. Volume I has never been found. Sweig photocopied the volumes to insure against loss or damage and went on to transcribe, edit and index them in 1976. In July 1977 Fairfax County published the completed manuscript under the title “Registrations of free Negroes : commencing September court 1822, book no.2 and Register of free Blacks 1835, book 3 : Being the full text of the two extant volumes, 1822-1861, of registrations of free blacks now in the County Courthouse, Fairfax, Virginia”.

Scope and Content

The Donald M. Sweig Manuscript Papers on "Registration of Free Negroes" consists of .25 linear feet spanning the years 1976-1977 and consisting entirely of photocopies of original archival material of registrations of free African-Americans in Fairfax County and Fredericksburg, Virginia from 1790-1862. Sweig used the Fairfax County materials as sources for the book "Registrations of free Negroes : commencing September court 1822, book no.2 and Register of free Blacks 1835, book 3 : Being the full text of the two extant volumes, 1822-1861, of registrations of free blacks now in the County Courthouse, Fairfax, Virginia" published in 1977. The "Certificates and Registry of Free Negroes. City of Fredericksburg, Va. 1790-1862" are copied from original records in the Fredericksburg Court House and includes a typed compiled index. Subjects include African American history; emancipation; and court records in Fairfax County and Fredericksburg, Va.

Related Material

The original registration documents are located in the papers of the Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center, Fairfax, Va. and Fredericksburg Circuit Court, Fredericksburg, Va.

Donald M. Sweig Papers, 1976-1990, Special Collections Research Center, College of William and Mary

Separated Material

None

Index Terms

• African Americans - Virginia - Fairfax County
• African Americans - Virginia - Fredericksburg
• Court records- Virginia - Fairfax County
• Court records- Virginia - Fredericksburg
• Fairfax County (Va.) - Genealogy - Sources
• Slaves -- Emancipation -- Virginia - Fairfax County
• Slaves -- Emancipation -- Virginia - Fredericksburg

Adjunct Descriptive Data