Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Charles City County (Va.) Tyler Township Board Minute Book, 1870-1874. Local government records collection, Charles City 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 Charles City County.

Historical Information

Charles City County was named for Charles I of England and was one of the eight shires established in 1634.

Records have been destroyed at various times. The most damage occurred during the Civil War when the records were strewn through the woods in a rainstorm. A few pre-Civil War volumes such as deed books, will books, minute books, and order books exist.

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

Charles City County (Va.) Tyler Township Board Minute Book, 1870-1874, consists of minutes and accounts related to the administrative functions of the township board. Information recorded includes names of board members; division of the township into road districts; establishment of rates for road work; tax and levy rates; road overseer appointments; calling of elections; accounts claimed against the township for road work and officials' payments; and the settlement of treasurer, collector, and clerk accounts. Inserted at the front of the volume are several loose papers that relate to accounts allowable and taxes.

Related Material

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Charles City County (Va.). Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• County government -- Records and correspondence -- Virginia -- Charles City County.
• Local finance -- Virginia -- Charles City County.
• Local government -- Virginia -- Charles City County.
• Public records -- Virginia -- Charles City County.

Geographical Names:

• Charles City County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

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

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Township of Tyler (Charles City County, VA)

Adjunct Descriptive Data