I think when doing research we need to use terminology which pertained to
the time frame in question.  I don't think African-American was a term used
during that period of time.  If a person was born in Pittsylvania County,
Virginia you wouldn't say he was born in Henry County, Virginia just because
the name changed.  Henry was formed out of Pittsylvania.

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Henry Wiencek
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2000 11:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cohabitation Registers


A researcher on the Afrigeneas list has asked about
Virginia's Cohabitation Registers, which were the
African-American marriage registers compiled by Freedman's
Bureau agents in 1866.  Although all Virginia FB agents
were ordered to compile CRs and send them to HQ, as far as
I know only four CRs today can be found in the FB records
in the National Archives.  Some VA agents made the records,
but never sent them in.         My question for the list
is: does anyone know how many of these marriage records
have surfaced in counties or towns?  For example, the Henry
County CR was made but never submitted. The register
somehow, at some unknown time, passed into the hands of the
county government and remained in county archives (in the
jail actually) until it was rediscovered in the 1970s.  The
Henry County CR is now in the county courthouse.  I have
heard that other CRs have surfaced in Rappahannock and
Hanover counties, and perhaps elsewhere.  Henry Wiencek
Charlottesville

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