Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Rockingham County (Va.) Board of School Commissioners Records, 1835-1840. Local government records collection, Rockingham County (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County, accession number 40981.

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

Historical Information

On February 21, 1818, the Virginia legislature passed a school bill which appropriated $45,000 annually from the Literary Fund for the education of poor children. (The Literary Fund had been established in 1810 with passage of a bill to appropriate "certain escheats, confiscated, and forfeited lands" for the "encouragement of learning.") Under the provisions of the 1818 School Act, each county court was required to appoint five to fifteen commissioners to establish and/or administer schools for children of the poor. A more comprehensive public school system was established by the legislature in 1870. Prior to 1818, county courts were given the option of whether to appoint a Board of School Commissioners.

Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonists in their disputes with Great Britain. It was formed from Augusta County in 1778.

Scope and Content

Rockingham County (Va.) Board of School Commissioners Records, 1835-1840, contain treasurer's accounts, annual reports, minutes, orders, and bonds documenting the disbursement of the county's allotment, from the state Literary Fund, for the education of indigent children.

Treasurer's accounts, 1835-1840, record the amount of money drawn from the state Literary Fund each year, money paid to individual schoolmasters, number of children taught, number of days taught, price per day, per pupil; and money spent on books. Reports and minutes also record the number of schools operating in the county, estimates of the number of children who qualified to attend them, the number attending, names of schoolmasters and schoolmistresses teaching in the schools, salaries paid to teachers, and elementary books principally used.

Related Material

Additional Rockingham County School Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Rockingham County (Va.). Board of School Commissioners for Indigent Children.
• Rockingham County (Va.). Circuit Court.
• Virginia Literary Fund -- Appropriations and expenditures -- 19th century.

Subjects:

• Government aid to education -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Poor children -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Public schools -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• School reports -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Schools -- records and correspondence -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Teachers -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.

Geographical Names:

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

Genre and Form Terms:

• Accounts -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Annual reports -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Attendance reports -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Bonds (negotiable instruments) -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Financial records -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• Minutes -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.
• School records -- Virginia -- Rockingham County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data