Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia© 2008 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Greg Crawford
There are no restrictions.
There are no restrictions.
Petersburg and Asylum Railway Account Book and Cashbook, 1894-1896. Local government records collection, Petersburg (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from the city of Petersburg under the accession number 43614.
Petersburg and Asylum Railway conducted business in Petersburg during the late nineteenth century. It was sold at public auction by a decree of the Hustings Court of Petersburg in 1896. Petersburg Circuit Court Clerk Robert Gilliam was receiver for the railroad.
The account book and cashbook were used as exhibits in the chancery suit Trustees of Farmers Loan and Trust Company versus Petersburg and Asylum Railway Company heard in the City of Petersburg Circuit Court.
Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established in 1645 on the site of the Indian village of Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd II, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie counties in 1972.
Petersburg and Asylum Railway Account Book and Cashbook, 1894-1896, records business activities of the railroad. The account book records the railroad's controlling acounts including cash account, repairs, operating expenses, passenger account, and payroll account. Each account records date of transaction, form of payment or receipt, page number found in corresponding cashbook, and amount paid and received. Cashbook records cash paid out and cash received on a monthly basis. The entries record date of transaction, names of controlling accounts, amount of cash received and cash paid.
For additional information see the City of Petersburg Chancery Cause, Trustees of Farmers Loan and Trust Company versus Petersburg and Asylum Railway Company. It can be found in the Chancery Records Index at the Library of Virginia web site. The index number is 1910-008.