Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Amherst County (Va.) Public School Register, 1886-1903. Local government records collection, Amherst County (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Amherst County.

The collection is located at the State Records Center. Contact Archives Research Services staff for access information, directions, and hours.

Historical Information

Public schools in Virginia were established during Reconstruction, and they were racially segregated from the outset.

Amherst County was named for Major General Jeffery Amherst, British commander in North America during the latter part of the French and Indian War and governor of Virginia from 1759 to 1768. It was formed from Albemarle County in 1761.

Scope and Content

Amherst County (Va.) Public School Register, 1886-1903, contains daily attendance records, statistical information, and physical descriptions of four public schools in the Temperance District and one public school (School No. 24) in the Courthouse District. There are records for the Mt. Geddes School No. 14 (White), 1886-1890; the Wesleyan School No. 7 (White), 1890-1891; School No. 19 (Colored), and School No. 24 (white, Courthouse District), 1902-1903. The attendance records include name of teacher, names of pupils (surname, given name, and middle initial), age of pupils, and total days present for each pupil. Also included are monthly statistics: number of boys and girls on the roll, average daily attendance for boys and girls, average percent of boys and girls attending, average days present for boys and girls, average age of boy and girl pupils, number of boys and girls entered and dropped, number of boys and girls over 21 years of age, and the number of students studying spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, grammar, history and higher branches. Also included is a summary of the number of visits to school by the County Superintendent, District Trustees, and others.

The register also contains yearly summaries of statistics for each school, a list of text books used, and information about the school buildings such as style of school house, rented or owned by district, number of rooms, size and pitch of rooms, how heated, how ventilated, quality of ground attached, and list of furniture and apparatus belonging to the school.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Amherst County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African American students--Virginia--Amherst County.
• African American teachers--Virginia--Amherst County.
• American students--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Education--curricula--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Education--statistics--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Rural schools--Virginia--Amherst County.
• School buildings--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Schools--records and correspondence--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Segregation in education--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Teachers--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Textbooks--Virginia--Amherst County.

Geographical Names:

• Amherst County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Attendance records--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Monthly reports--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Registers (lists)--Virginia--Amherst County.
• School records--Virginia--Amherst County.
• Statistics--Virginia--Amherst County.