Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

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.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from the city of Petersburg under the accession number 43614.

Historical Information

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Related Material

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.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Petersburg (Va.) Circuit Court.
• Petersburg and Asylum Railway (Petersburg, Va.)

Subjects:

• Railroad companies -- Virginia -- Petersburg.

Geographical Names:

• Petersburg (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Account books -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Business records -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Cashbooks -- Virginia -- Petersburg.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Petersburg.

Adjunct Descriptive Data