Freedom on Paper: An Exhibition of “Free Negro Registers” from the Virginia Untold Project

In celebration of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States, visitors to the Library of Virginia will have the rare opportunity to view a selection of “Free Negro Registers” displayed in the lobby and to learn about the Library’s efforts to digitize, preserve, and make them more accessible. These records demonstrate Virginia’s efforts to control and regulate its growing free Black population from the late 18th century to the Civil War. The registers provide the names, ages, and physical descriptions of free Black and multiracial individuals who were required to register in their Virginia locality.

Lydia Neuroth, project manager for Virginia Untold, will be on hand to discuss the records and answer questions. The Virginia Untold project provides digital access to collections from Virginia localities relating to enslaved and free Black individuals prior to 1866.

The exhibition of records runs through Monday, June 27, 2022.