Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Albemarle County (Va.) Charlottesville Township Board Minutes, 1871-1875. Local government records collection, Albemarle County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Albemarle County.

Historical Information

Albemarle County was named for William Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle, and governor of Virginia from 1737 to 1754. It was created by a statute of 1744 and formed from Goochland County; part of Louisa County was added in 1761 and islands in the Fluvanna (now the James) River in 1770. The court met for the first time on 8 February 1745. The county seat is the city of Charlottesville.

The 1870 Virginia Constitution required that each county in the state be divided into no less than three townships (see Article VII, section 2). Based on the New England administrative organization of a county, each township would elect the administration officials for the offices of supervisor, clerk, assessor, collector, commissioner of the roads, overseer of the poor, justice of the peace, and constable. The supervisors of each township would comprise the board of supervisors for the county, and would be responsible for auditing the county accounts, examining the assessors' books, regulating property valuation, and fixing the county levies. The Acts of Assembly provided that each township be divided into school and electoral districts (see Acts of Assembly 1869-1870, Chapter 39). A constitutional amendment in 1874 changed the townships into magisterial districts and each district elected one supervisor, three justices of the peace, one constable, and one overseer of the poor. The supervisors of the districts made up the county board of supervisors whose duties were identical as those set out in 1870. The published Acts of Assembly appended a list of township names by county following the acts for every year that townships existed in Virginia.

Scope and Content

Albemarle County (Va.) Charlottesville Township Board Minutes, 1871-1875, consist of minutes and accounts. Information recorded includes the division of the township into road districts, the division of the township into election districts, the appointment of road overseers and other officials, road and bridge accounts, overseer of the poor accounts, township official accounts, and other nonspecified accounts allowed.

The second half of the volume is taken up by what appears to be accounts of fees related to deed recordation, chancery, and marriage licenses. Dates for these accounts are roughly 1871-1880. The accounts appear mostly to be from two men called H. B. Burnley and John W. Goss.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Albemarle County (Va.) Circuit Court.
• Albemarle County (Va.) Overseers of the Poor.

Subjects:

• County government -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Local finance-- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Local government -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Public records -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.

Geographical Names:

• Albemarle County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.
• Charlottesville (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Account books -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Accounts -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Minute books -- Virginia -- Albemarle County.
• Township records -- Virginia -- Albemarle County