"This work documents the minutes of court records during the first few years following the inception of the county government (1743-1745), and may be useful to those interested in learning whether or not specific parties were in the Frederick County area at this time"--p. [4] of cover.

In 1862, General Sickles' Excelsior Brigade conducted two devastating raids on Stafford's courthouse and clerk's office. Few records were spared and what the vandals didn't destroy or ruin, they stole as souvenirs. Lost at this time was the court's colonial seal, the Bible used at the court bench, an unknown quantity of early loose papers, and a number of bound volumes of court records. After the peace, the Stafford magistrates endeavored to retrieve...