State of VA, Henry Co. Cohabitation Register

The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that digitization of the Henry 
County Cohabitation Register is complete. Compiled in 1866, cohabitation 
registers imparted legal legitimacy to African American marriages and children. 
It was also the first time many African Americans appeared in public record 
under their own names. In honor of the release of the Henry Co. register, 
today's Out of the Box post examines African American naming practices.

http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2014/02/26/henry-co-cohabitation-register-and-african-american-naming-practices/