A Guide to the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts Overseer of the Poor Annual Reports and Checklists, 1800-1909
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number APA 739
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2015 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Renee M. Savits
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
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Preferred Citation
Virginia. Auditor of Public Accounts (1776-1928). Overseer of the Poor Annual Reports and Checklists, 1800-1909. Accession APA 739, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
Transferred from the Auditor of Public Accounts.
Biographical Information
In 1780 the Virginia General Assembly replaced the Anglican vestries and church wardens of the colonial period with elected bodies called Overseers of the Poor. The Overseers of the Poor made policy, levied taxes, distributed public money, and dealt with the underprivileged as they thought best. Some counties build poor houses while others did not. The Overseers provided food, clothing, shelter, and medical treatment for the persons who were too poor to support themselves or too ill to provide for their basic needs. The Overseers took over the supervision of the poorhouses and workhouses built by the vestries and built new poorhouses and workhouses where they were needed. On 20 February 1829 the General Assembly passed an act requiring that the local clerks or agents responsible for the records of the Overseers of the Poor, or the President of the County Board of the Overseers of the Poor, to report their proceedings annually to the auditor of public accounts. The reporting period was retroactive to 1 January 1800. On 14 March 1910 the General Assembly repealed the sections of the Code of Virginia that required that the reports be sent annually to the auditor of public accounts, and no more reports were submitted after 1909.
Scope and Content
The Overseer of the Poor Annual Reports and Checklists, 1800-1909, are housed in 36 boxes and are arranged alphabetically into two series. Series have been designated for Series I: Virginia Cities and Counties and Series II: West Virginia Cities and Counties . The Annual Reports and Checklists cover the years 1800-1864, 1871-1881, 1884-1907, and 1909.
The Annual Reports and Checklists include written reports and statistics on the number of poor whites and free blacks maintained at the public charge; the amount of poor rates levied annually for their support; the amount of donations for the use of the poor from individuals; number of poor maintained at poor or work houses with the annual expense of their maintenance; and sometimes minutes are included. Also noted are payments made for medical services, salaries of officers and clerks, midwives fees, and the building of coffins. Beginning in the late 1840s - early 1850s, more detailed information is included such as the names of the poor (white, free black, and slave), age, physical condition, length of time on assistance, reason for assistance needed, and morals. Reasons for the need of assistance ranged from being too old to work, health issues (blind, paralysis, tumors, rheumatism, consumption, deformities), mental illnesses, drug issues, children too young to work, single mothers with several children, and some were noted as just being 'lazy.' Sometimes notes are included if the person died, how they died and their death date. Of note, several counties wrote in-depth descriptions in their reports, such as Pittsylvania County in Virginia and Hardy County in West Virginia. Beginning in 1860 large oversize standard printed forms were provided and used by many of the counties , although several still created hand-written reports. The Overseer of the Poor Annual Reports and Checklists provides a wealth of information on the study of state and local social services, as well as providing genealogical information on a much under-represented group of people.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series:
Series I: Virginia Cities and Counties , 1800-1909 Series II: West Virginia Cities and Counties , 1800-1862Contents List
The Virginia Cities and Counties Series, 1800-1909, is housed in thirty boxes and arranged alphabetically by city or county name. Included are written reports and statistics on the number of poor whites and free blacks maintained at the public charge; the amount of poor rates levied annually for their support; the amount of donations for the use of the poor from individuals; number of poor maintained at poor or work houses with the annual expense of their maintenance; and sometimes minutes are included. Also noted are payments made for medical services, salaries of officers and clerks, midwives fees, and the building of coffins. Beginning in the late 1840s - early 1850s, more detailed information is included such as the names of the poor (white, free black, and slave), age, physical condition, length of time on assistance, reason for assistance needed, and morals. Beginning in 1860 large oversize standard printed forms were provided and used by many of the counties , although several still created hand-written reports. Many of these printed forms were gathered and bound into nine ledgers, dating from 1877 to 1907. A ledger, Receipt account for Various Counties , does not contain reports but rather just an administrative ledger noting if reports were received from the counties for the years 1846 to 1852.
Arranged alphabetically by city or county name and then chronological. Oversize materials were separated and placed in oversize boxes though everything is listed in chronological order in the finding aid. Researchers should pay special attention to note the box numbers.
- Box 1 Folder 1
- Box 1 Folder 2
- Box 20 Folder 1
- Box 1 Folder 3
- Box 20 Folder 2
- Box 20 Folder 3
- Box 1
Folder 4
Alexandria, 1849 .
- Box 20
Folder 4
Alexandria [oversize], 1851-1852 .
- Box 1 Folder 5
- Box 1 Folder 6
- Box 20 Folder 5
- Box 1 Folder 7
- Box 1 Folder 8
- Box 20 Folder 6
- Box 1 Folder 9
- Box 20 Folder 7
- Box 1 Folder 10
- Box 20 Folder 8
- Box 20 Folder 9
- Box 2 Folder 1
- Box 21 Folder 1
- Box 2 Folder 2
- Box 21 Folder 2
- Box 21 Folder 3
- Box 2 Folder 3
- Box 21 Folder 4
- Box 2 Folder 4
- Box 21 Folder 5
- Box 21 Folder 6
- Box 2 Folder 5
- Box 21 Folder 7
- Box 2 Folder 6
- Box 21 Folder 8
- Box 2 Folder 7
- Box 21 Folder 9
- Box 2 Folder 8
- Box 21 Folder 10
- Box 3 Folder 1
- Box 21 Folder 11
- Box 3 Folder 2
- Box 3 Folder 3
- Box 3 Folder 4
- Box 3 Folder 5
- Box 21 Folder 12
- Box 3 Folder 6
- Box 21 Folder 13
- Box 3 Folder 7
- Box 21 Folder 14
- Box 3 Folder 8
- Box 21 Folder 15
- Box 3 Folder 9
- Box 3 Folder 10
- Box 3
Folder 11
Danville, 1859-1860 .
- Box 3 Folder 12
- Box 3 Folder 13
- Box 22 Folder 1
- Box 4 Folder 1
- Box 22 Folder 2
- Box 4 Folder 2
- Box 22 Folder 3
- Box 4 Folder 3
- Box 22 Folder 4
- Box 4 Folder 4
- Box 22 Folder 5
- Box 4 Folder 5
- Box 4 Folder 6
- Box 22 Folder 6
- Box 4 Folder 7
- Box 22 Folder 7
- Box 4 Folder 8
- Box 22 Folder 8
- Box 4 Folder 9
- Box 22 Folder 9
- Box 4
Folder 10
Fredericksburg, 1830-1853 .
- Box 22
Folder 10
Fredericksburg [oversize], 1860 .
- Box 4 Folder 11
- Box 4 Folder 12
- Box 22 Folder 11
- Box 5 Folder 1
- Box 22 Folder 12
- Box 5 Folder 2
- Box 5 Folder 3
- Box 22 Folder 13
- Box 5 Folder 4
- Box 5 Folder 5
- Box 5 Folder 6
- Box 5 Folder 7
- Box 22 Folder 14
- Box 5 Folder 8
- Box 5 Folder 9
- Box 5 Folder 10
- Box 22 Folder 15
- Box 22 Folder 16
- Box 5 Folder 11
- Box 6 Folder 1
- Box 22 Folder 17
- Box 6 Folder 2
- Box 22 Folder 18
- Box 6 Folder 3
- Box 6 Folder 4
- Box 23 Folder 1
- Box 6 Folder 5
- Box 6 Folder 6
- Box 23 Folder 2
- Box 6 Folder 7
- Box 6 Folder 8
- Box 23 Folder 3
- Box 6 Folder 9
- Box 6 Folder 10
- Box 6 Folder 11
- Box 23 Folder 4
- Box 7 Folder 1
- Box 23 Folder 5
- Box 7 Folder 2
- Box 23 Folder 6
- Box 7 Folder 3
- Box 7 Folder 4
- Box 23 Folder 7
- Box 7 Folder 5
- Box 7 Folder 6
- Box 23 Folder 8
- Box 23
Folder 9
Lynchburg [oversize], 1800-1829 .
- Box 7
Folder 7
Lynchburg City, 1830-1856 .
- Box 7 Folder 8
- Box 23 Folder 10
- Box 8 Folder 1
- Box 23 Folder 11
- Box 23 Folder 12
- Box 8 Folder 2
- Box 8 Folder 3
- Box 23 Folder 13
- Box 8 Folder 4
- Box 23 Folder 14
- Box 8 Folder 5
- Box 8 Folder 6
- Box 23 Folder 15
- Box 8 Folder 7
- Box 8 Folder 8
- Box 23 Folder 16
- Box 8 Folder 9
- Box 23 Folder 17
- Box 8
Folder 10
Norfolk City, 1842-1851 .
- Box 9 Folder 1
- Box 9 Folder 2
- Box 23 Folder 18
- Box 9 Folder 3
- Box 9 Folder 4
- Box 23 Folder 19
- Box 9 Folder 5
- Box 9 Folder 6
- Box 23 Folder 20
- Box 23 Folder 21
- Box 9 Folder 7
- Box 9 Folder 8
- Box 10 Folder 1
- Box 10 Folder 2
- Box 24 Folder 1
- Box 10 Folder 3
- Box 24 Folder 2
- Box 10
Folder 4
Petersburg City, 1800-1854 .
- Box 10 Folder 5
- Box 24 Folder 3
- Box 24
Folder 4
Portsmouth [oversize], 1876 .
- Box 10 Folder 6
- Box 10 Folder 7
- Box 24 Folder 5
- Box 10 Folder 8
- Box 10 Folder 9
- Box 24 Folder 6
- Box 11 Folder 1
- Box 11 Folder 2
- Box 24 Folder 7
- Box 24 Folder 8
- Box 11 Folder 3
- Box 11 Folder 4
- Box 24 Folder 9
- Box 11 Folder 5
- Box 11 Folder 6
- Box 24 Folder 10
- Box 11 Folder 7
- Box 24 Folder 11
- Box 11 Folder 8
- Box 11 Folder 9
- Box 24 Folder 12
- Box 11
Folder 10
Richmond City, 1818-1849 .
- Box 11
Folder 11
Richmond City, 1850-1854 .
- Box 24
Folder 13
Richmond City [oversize], 1851-1860, 1894 .
- Box 12 Folder 1
- Box 12 Folder 2
- Box 24 Folder 14
- Box 12 Folder 3
- Box 24 Folder 15
- Box 12 Folder 4
- Box 12 Folder 5
- Box 25 Folder 1
- Box 25 Folder 2
- Box 12 Folder 6
- Box 25 Folder 3
- Box 12 Folder 7
- Box 12 Folder 8
- Box 25 Folder 4
- Box 12 Folder 9
- Box 12 Folder 10
- Box 25 Folder 5
- Box 25 Folder 6
- Box 13 Folder 1
- Box 13 Folder 2
- Box 25 Folder 7
- Box 13 Folder 3
- Box 13 Folder 4
- Box 25 Folder 8
- Box 13 Folder 5
- Box 13 Folder 6
- Box 25 Folder 9
- Box 13 Folder 7
- Box 13
Folder 8
Staunton, 1840-1861 .
- Box 13 Folder 9
- Box 13 Folder 10
- Box 26 Folder 1
- Box 14 Folder 1
- Box 26 Folder 2
- Box 14 Folder 2
- Box 26 Folder 3
- Box 14 Folder 3
- Box 14 Folder 4
- Box 26 Folder 4
- Box 14 Folder 5
- Box 14 Folder 6
- Box 14 Folder 7
- Box 14 Folder 8
- Box 26 Folder 5
- Box 14 Folder 9
- Box 14 Folder 10
- Box 26 Folder 6
- Box 14
Folder 11
Williamsburg City, 1821-1852 .
- Box 26
Folder 7
Williamsburg City [oversize], 1859-1861 .
- Box 14
Folder 12
Winchester City, 1844-1851 .
- Box 26 Folder 8
- Box 15 Folder 1
- Box 15 Folder 2
- Box 26 Folder 9
- Box 15
Folder 4
Reports, General, 1829-1830 .
- Box 15 Folder 5
- Box 28
- Box 29
- Box 30
- Box 31
- Box 32
- Box 33
- Box 34
- Box 35
- Box 36
The West Virginia Series, 1800-1862, is housed in seven archival boxes and is arranged alphabetically by city or county name. At the time the records were created the counties were part of Virginia, but since the state of West Virginia was created in 1861 the decision was made to maintain a separate series for West Virginia cities and counties . Included are written reports and statistics on the number of poor whites and free blacks maintained at the public charge; the amount of poor rates levied annually for their support; the amount of donations for the use of the poor from individuals; number of poor maintained at poor or work houses with the annual expense of their maintenance; and sometimes minutes are included. Also noted are payments made for medical services, salaries of officers and clerks, midwives fees, and the building of coffins. Beginning in the late 1840s - early 1850s, more detailed information is included such as the names of the poor (white, free black, and slave), age, physical condition, length of time on assistance, reason for assistance needed, and morals.
Arranged alphabetically by city or county name and then chronological. Oversize materials were separated and placed in oversize boxes though everything is listed in chronological order in the finding aid. Researchers should pay special attention to note the box numbers.
- Box 15 Folder 6
- Box 15 Folder 7
- Box 15 Folder 8
- Box 15 Folder 9
- Box 26 Folder 9
- Box 15 Folder 10
- Box 15 Folder 11
- Box 15 Folder 12
- Box 26 Folder 10
- Box 26 Folder 11
- Box 16 Folder 1
- Box 26 Folder 12
- Box 16 Folder 2
- Box 26 Folder 13
- Box 16 Folder 3
- Box 16 Folder 4
- Box 16 Folder 5
- Box 26 Folder 14
- Box 16 Folder 6
- Box 27 Folder 1
- Box 27 Folder 2
- Box 16 Folder 7
- Box 27 Folder 3
- Box 16 Folder 8
- Box 16 Folder 9
- Box 27 Folder 4
- Box 27 Folder 5
- Box 16 Folder 10
- Box 27 Folder 6
- Box 16 Folder 11
- Box 27 Folder 7
- Box 17 Folder 1
- Box 17 Folder 2
- Box 17 Folder 3
- Box 27 Folder 8
- Box 17 Folder 4
- Box 27 Folder 9
- Box 17 Folder 5
- Box 27 Folder 10
- Box 17 Folder 6
- Box 17 Folder 7
- Box 27 Folder 11
- Box 17 Folder 8
- Box 27 Folder 12
- Box 17 Folder 9
- Box 27 Folder 13
- Box 17 Folder 10
- Box 17 Folder 11
- Box 27 Folder 14
- Box 18 Folder 1
- Box 27 Folder 15
- Box 18 Folder 2
- Box 18 Folder 3
- Box 18 Folder 4
- Box 18 Folder 5
- Box 18 Folder 6
- Box 18 Folder 7
- Box 18 Folder 8
- Box 27 Folder 16
- Box 18 Folder 9
- Box 18 Folder 10
- Box 18 Folder 11
- Box 18 Folder 12
- Box 19 Folder 1
- Box 27 Folder 17
- Box 19 Folder 2
- Box 19 Folder 3
- Box 19 Folder 4
- Box 27 Folder 18
- Box 19 Folder 5
- Box 19 Folder 6
- Box 19 Folder 7
- Box 19 Folder 8
- Box 19 Folder 9
- Box 27 Folder 19
- Box 19 Folder 10
- Box 19
Folder 11
Wheeling, 1853-1855 .
- Box 19 Folder 12
- Box 27 Folder 20
- Box 19 Folder 13
- Box 27 Folder 21
- Box 19 Folder 14
- Box 27 Folder 22