Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Louisa County (Va.) Township Records, 1870-1872. Local government records collection, Louisa County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Louisa County.

Historical Information

Louisa County was named for Louisa, a daughter of George II. It was formed from Hanover County in 1742.

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

Louisa County (Va.) Township Records, 1870-1872, consist of papers related to the creation of the townships of the county. Papers include bonds of commissioners appointed to lay off the county into townships, report of commissioners appointed to lay off the county into townships, and three pages of minutes from Green Springs and Cuckoo townships concerning district line changes. Townships named in the report include Green Springs, Louisa Court House, Cuckoo, and Jackson. The election places for each township are also named.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Louisa County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• County government -- Records and correspondence -- Virginia -- Louisa County.
• Local government -- Virginia -- Louisa County.
• Public records -- Virginia -- Louisa County.

Geographical Names:

• Louisa County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Louisa County.
• Minutes -- Virginia -- Louisa County.
• Township records -- Virginia -- Louisa County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Township of Cuckoo (Louisa County, VA)
• Township of Green Springs (Louisa County, VA)
• Township of Jackson (Louisa County, VA)
• Township of Louisa Court House (Louisa County, VA)