A Guide to the Staunton (Va.) List of Families of Indigent Soldiers, 1864
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Barcode number: 1050919
Library of Virginia
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Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
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© 2008 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Rachel Muse
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Staunton (Va.) List of Families of Indigent Soldiers, 1864. Local government records collection, Staunton (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
Acquisition Information
This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Staunton (Va.).
Historical Information
The City of Staunton, in Augusta County, was named, according to tradition, for Rebecca Staunton, wife of Sir William Gooch, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1727 to 1749. Staunton was laid out in 1748 at the site of the Augusta County courthouse and was established as a town in 1761. It was incorporated as a town in 1801 and as a city in 1871.
Throughout the Civil War, the principal responsibility for Virginia's indigent soldiers' families lay with the locality. The Virginia State Convention in 1861 gave the responsibility entirely to counties and incorporated towns and authorized whatever actions had already been taken. Acts of Assembly in 1862 and 1863 expanded the localities' powers to provide for their needy, and in 1863 some minimal state assistance was added in. At first relief was provided as money, but as the monetary system collapsed, relief was distributed in kind. Agents of the court maintained lists of eligible families, gathered goods for distribution and paid for them, and impressed supplies if necessary. Virginia was unique amongst the southern states in that it assigned the provisioning of needy families almost solely to the locality.
Scope and Content
The Staunton (Va.) List of Indigent Soldiers' Families is primarily made up of one list of indigent soldiers' families. This list includes the names of soldiers' wives, and the number of children in each family. Also included is a circular from Major R.C. Saunders detailing instructions for purchasing supplies for the families. Finally, there is also included a note detailing the amount and cost of the flour and bacon being purchased for the families. All items are dated 1864.
Arrangement
Chronological
Index Terms
- Staunton (Va.) Circuit Court
- Families of military personnel--Virginia--Staunton
- Poor--Virginia--Staunton
- Public welfare -- Virginia -- Staunton
- Staunton (Va.)--History--19th century
- Staunton (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- Lists -- Virginia -- Staunton
- Local government records--Virginia--Staunton
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Geographical Names:
Genre and Form Terms:
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Staunton (Va.)--History--19th century
- Staunton (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865