Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

A small portion of the collection has been temporarily removed for conservation.

Preferred Citation

Greene County (Va.) Board of School Commissioner's Reports, 1839-1860. Local government records collection, Greene 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 records from the Greene County Circuit Court.

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 was 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, racially segregated public school system was established by the legislature in 1870. The system was racially segregated until the mid-twentieth century.

Greene County was named for Nathanael Greene, American commander of the Army of the South in the Revolutionary War. It was formed from Orange County in 1838.

The origins of the Orange Humane Society can be traced to an act passed by the Virginia legislature January 19, 1811, "appropriating the money arising from the sale of the glebe lands." On April 6, 1839, the legislature passed an act to appoint a board of commissioners with representatives from the Albemarle, Greene, and Orange county courts. The origins of the Orange Humane Society can be traced to an act passed by the Virginia legislature January 19, 1811, "appropriating the money arising from the sale of the glebe lands." On April 6, 1839, the legislature passed an act to appoint a board of commissioners with representatives from the Albemarle, Greene, and Orange county courts to appoint the Society's trustees.

Scope and Content

Greene County (Va.) Board of School Commissioners Reports, 1839-1860. These records contain treasurer's records (bonds and accounts), minutes, and annual reports documenting disbursement of the county allotment for public education from the state Literary Fund. The reports contain information on the number of schools in the county, the number of poor children in need of aid to education, the number of poor children educated with money from the Literary Fund, and salaries paid to teachers.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Greene County (Va.) Circuit Court.
• Orange Humane Society (Orange County, Va.)
• Virginia Literary Fund -- Appropriations and expenditures -- 19th century.

Subjects:

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

Geographical Names:

• Greene County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.
• Orange County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Accounts -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• Attendance records -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• Bonds (negotiable instruments) -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• Financial records -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• Reports -- Virginia -- Greene County.
• School records -- Virginia -- Greene County.