Orange County Notes, No. 1

"Orange County, Be it remembered . . . " With those very important sounding words as the first entry in the records, Orange County, Virginia began.

At the first meeting of the Orange County Court, held January 21, 1734 (Old Style), there was much business to be taken care to organize the new county. Much of that is contained in the continuation of that first entry below. We thought it appropriate that the first entry of Orange County Courthouse Notes on our new web site should look back to the very beginnings of the County's rich history.

. . . that on the 21st day of January In the Year 1734 A Commission of the Peace directed to Augustine Smith, Goodrich Lightfoot, John Taliaferro, Thos Chew, Robert Slaughter, Abraham Field, Robert Green, James Barber, John Finlason, Richard Maudlin, Samuel Ball, Francis Slaughter, Zachary Taylor, John Lightfoot, James Pollard, Robert Eastham, Benjamin Cave, Charles Curtis, Joist Hite, Morgan Morgan, Benjamin Borden, John Smith & George Hobson & a dedimus for administering the Oaths &c to the said Justices being read the said John Finlason & Samuel Ball pursuant to the said Dedimus for administred the Oaths appointed by Act of Parliament to be taken instead of the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy the Oath appointed to be taken by an Act of Parliament made in the first year of the Reign of his late majesty King George the first, entituled an Act for the further Security of his Majesties person & Government and the Succession of the Crown in the Heirs of the late Princess Sophia being Protestant and for extinguishing the hopes of the pretended Prince of Wales & his open & Secret Abettors unto Augustine Smith and John Taliaferro who Severally Subscribed the Test and then the said John Finlason and Samuel Ball administred the Oaths of a Justice of the Peace of a Justice of the County Court in Chancery unto the said Augustine Smith and John Taliaferro And afterwards the said Augustine Smith & John Taliaferro pursuant to the said Dedimus administered all & every of the said Oaths unto Thos Chew, Robert Slaughter, Abraham Fields, Robert Green, James Barber, John Finlason, Samuel Ball, Frances Slaughter John Lightfoot James Pollard & Benjamin Cave who Severally Subscribed the Test.