Slave Marriages in Northern Virginia

A list of former enslaved couples in Northern Virginia whose marriages were documented by the Freedmen's Bureau after the Civil War, drawn from the Register of Marriages, 1866–1867.

Freedmen's Bureau Marriage — *Marriage of a Colored Soldier at Vicksburg by Chaplain Warren of the Freedmen's Bureau,* by Alfred Waud, published in the June 30, 1866 Harper's Weekly. Image Courtesy Library of Congress

After the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau issued marriage certificates to former slaves to document marriages entered into during enslavement. Laws were enacted in Virginia in 1866 that legalized these marriages. Following is a list of couples who were married, for the most part, during enslavement in northern Virginia.

Northern Virginia Slave Marriages

Husband	Wife	Residence	Marriage Date	Clergy	No. Children
George Shilton	Susan Jasper	Alexandria	1860	Rev. Dr. Porter	3
Robert Dent	Anna Willis	Alexandria	1863		1
Geroge Primrose	Silvia Williams	Fairfax CH	1857	No marriage ceremony	5
Thomas Blackburn	Harriet Masterson	Fairfax Co.	1852	Rev. Mr. Morgan	6
Andrew Mann	Emerline Bertis	Fairfax Co.	1858		0
Douglas Jones	Rena Jones	Fairfax Co.	1859	Mr. Shepherd	1
Vincent Garner	Julia Clark	Fairfax Co.	1855	George Lomax	2
Simpson Williams	Joanna Hawley	Fairfax Co.	1838	No marriage ceremony	6
William Stewart	Melvina Fox	Fairfax Co.	1857	No marriage ceremony	9
William Parker	Octavo Smith	Fairfax Co.	1854	No marriage ceremony	6
Charles Payton	Georganna White	Fairfax Co.	1860	No marriage ceremony	2
George Sueus	Adaline Whaley	Fairfax Co.	1861	No marriage ceremony	0
John Lucket	Amanda Williams	Fairfax Co.	1857	Mr. Brown	5
Bryant Sonn	Ann Harris	Fairfax Co.	1862	William Hamilton	2
John Gorden	Jane Holland	Fairfax Co.	1867	Mr. Wright	0
Lewis Richardson	Harriet Jones	Fairfax Co.	1837	No marriage ceremony	6
Ben Whitaker	Kate Jones	Fairfax Co.	1847	Mr. Clark	7
Albert Jackson	Henrietta Ward	Loudoun Co.	1845	Rev. Mr. Grover	6
Joseph McPherson	Adalade Tremble	Loudoun Co.	1846	Rev. Mr. Grover	0
Samuel Countee	Eliza Hunt	Loudoun Co.	1845	Rev. Mr. Martin	3
Isaac Diggs	Letty Smith	Loudoun Co.	1825		1
Henry Sweney	Ella Buxton	Loudoun Co.	1862		1
Charles Grant	Anna Watson	Loudoun Co.	1863	No marriage ceremony	0
James Robinson	Kate Williams	Prince William Co.	1841	unknown	4
Phil Davis	Betty Warner	Prince William Co.	1821		7
John Webb	Harriett Jackson	Prince William Co.	1841		6
Thomal Mills	Cal. Richardson	Prince William Co.	1860		3
Edward James	Emily Fitchew	Prince William Co.	1855		4
Thomas Clark	Sarah Fitchew	Prince William Co.	1854		4

Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, Entry 536, Register of Marriages, Nov 1866-July 1867. Roll 12, Target 3, Offices of Staff Officers, Superintendent of Marriages, Register of Marriages. Information obtained from Ancestry.com: Freedmen Bureau Records of Field Offices, 1863-1878, DC, Other Documents>1866-1867>Other Documents.