Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Commonwealth of Virginia documents signed by governors appointing justices of the peace and sheriffs for Loudoun County, C0377, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Jerry Showalter in April 2019.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Amanda Brent in January 2022. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in January 2022.

Historical Information

Loudoun County, Virginia was established in 1757 and was named for John Campbell, earl of Loudoun in Scotland. Originally a part of Fairfax County, Loudoun County was the most populous county in Virginia up to the American Revolution. Loudoun County's seat remains Leesburg, Virginia.

Scope and Content

Five official Commonwealth of Virginia documents signed by four Virginia governors, each appointing justices of the peace and sheriffs for Loudoun County, 1809 - 1849. Each document is partially printed and handwritten, and has a seal. All of them have handwriting on the verso.

The first document, dated July 6, 1809, was signed by Lieutenant Governor (or Acting Governor) and eventual Governor George William Smith appointing Charles Bunnett to the position of Sheriff.

The second document, dated October 14, 1811, was signed by Lieutenant Governor and eventual Governor George William Smith appointing a group of people to the Justices of the Peace.

The third document, dated February 26, 1833, was signed by Governor John Floyd, appointing a group of people to the Justices of the Peace.

The fourth document, dated December 8, 1844, was signed by Governor James McDowell appointing Abner Gibson to the position of Sheriff.

The fifth document, dated August 9, 1849, was signed by Governor John Buchanan Floyd (son of Governor John Floyd) appointing a group of people to the Justices of the Peace.

Arrangement

This collection was arranged chronologically.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Letter from Joseph Janney of Leesburg, Virginia, Indenture for a miller apprenticeship for Hugh Ogden in Loudoun County, Virginia, and the Cordelia Jones free papers issued by the Loudoun County, Virginia court.

The Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, VA collects "printed, manuscript, photographic, cartographic and genealogical documentation of Leesburg, Loudoun County and the surrounding region."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local government -- Virginia
• Loudoun County (Va.)