Miscegenation – The UncommonWealth

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“She is supposed to be his daughter”: Making Historical Connections in Albemarle County

The Library of Virginia’s collections include a document titled “Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as ‘Indian’ or…

Caroline CollinsApril 25, 2025

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An “Express Intention:” Marriage and Divorce Before the Loving Decision

Looking up at the justices of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals sitting behind their dark paneled bench, Richard and Mildred Loving heard the words…

Library of VirginiaMarch 3, 2025

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Who Do You Love?: Race and Marriage in Virginia Before the Loving Decision

Virginia’s marriage license requirements recently made the national news, and the state’s complicated history with racial classification is part of that conversation. Various records held…

Vince BrooksSeptember 16, 2019

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"Tell the court that I love my wife…"

Commonwealth vs. Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Delores Jeter was the criminal case that began in 1958 in Caroline County and terminated in a landmark civil…

Sarah NerneyFebruary 8, 2012