Alice -- > In February 1777 one of the first acts of Maryland's General Assembly was > to require all men not serving in a military capacity, over the age of 18 > years, to sign an Oath of Fidelity or Allegiance. This was prepared at > the > county level and reported to the General Assembly beginning in February > 1778. The Oath requirement resulted from a resolve of the Continental Congress on 14 March 1776 requiring "the several Assemblies, Conventions, and Councils, or Committees of Safety of the United Colonies, immediately to cause all Persons to be disarmed, within their Respective Colonies, who are notoriously disaffected to the Cause of AMERICA, Or who have not associated, or refuse to associate, to defend by ARMS, the United Colonies, against the Hostile Attempts of the British Fleets and Armies." The Colony of New Hampshire Committee of Safety on 12 April 1776 required "all Males above Twenty One Years of Age (Lunatcks, Idiots, and Negroes excepted) to sign to the DECLARATION...." and the Seletmen "to make Return hereof, together with the Name or Names of all who shall refuse ti sign the same...." The Oath comprised a short preamble followed by the Oath, viz-- "In Consequence of the above Resolution, of the Hon, Continental CONGRESS, and to shew our Determination in joining our American Brethen, in defending the Lives, Liberties, and Properties of the Inhabitants of the UNITED COLONIES : We the Subscribers. do hereby solomnly engage, and promise, that we will, to the utmost of our Power, at the Risque of our Lives and Fortunes, with ARMS, oppose the Hostile Proceedings of the British Fleets, and Armies, against the United American Colonies." The New Hampshire originals are preserved at the NH Archives in Concord and transcriptions of the signatures have been published in the NH State Pappers series (34 volumes). I have failed to find a citation to similar collection in either the Massachuseets or Rhode Island Archives. > Does anyone know of a similar Oath of Fidelity required by Virginia? If > so, > where would the records be found? I would start looking at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. "The Bedford County signers of "Oath of affirmation," 1777-1778.." is call number 27675. The "List of Powhatan County oaths of allegiance, 1777.." is call number 24760. "Patriots who took the oath of allegiance, 1777, Pittsylvania County, Virginia.." is call number 28356. There are a few other call numbers which look interesting. http://ajax.lva.lib.va.us/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas05&local_base=CLAS05 This is the type of Material which may have been published in Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine (33 volumes, 1919-1952) and reprinted 1967-1968 by Kraus. For Libraries with Tyler's check: http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/f4d1aa62e471159b.html And don't forget the manuscript collection at UVA. Bob Brooks