Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Virginia. Auditor of Public Accounts (1776-1928). General custodial records for state mental hospitals, 1802-1893. Accession APA 126. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Auditor of Public Accounts in 1913.

Biographical Information

During its session begun in November 1769 the House of Burgesses passed an act establishing a hospital in Williamsburg for the mentally ill. The Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital) was the first institution in America constructed as a mental hospital. In 1825 Central Lunatic Asylum (now Western State Hospital) was established in Staunton. In 1870 a hospital for African Americans was established near Richmond and called Central Lunatic Hospital; it was moved to Petersburg in 1882 and is known as Central State Hospital.

To commit a person to a mental hospital, the first step was to have him adjudged incompetent by his local court. The court then appointed a committee (often just one person) to take charge of the patient's property and affairs. Often, mentally ill or mentally retarded persons were confined in the local jail until space was available in a mental hospital; the locality was reimbursed by the state for expenses incurred.

Scope and Content

The General custodial records for state mental hospitals, 1802-1893, are housed in 5 boxes and one volume on shelf and arranged alphabetically by folder title. The records include accounts, bonds, ledgers, and returns detailing the costs to localities for caring for the mentally ill and reimbursement to them by the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts.

The accounts, 1833-1879, detail expenses incurred by localities for maintaining and caring for the mentally ill before they were sent to the state mental hospitals. Included is the name of the mentally ill person, details on boarding, clothing, medical, and transportation costs incurred by the local jails, name of jailer, and receipt of warrant by the Auditor of Public Accounts. The accounts were certified by the local court and then submitted to the Auditor of Public Accounts for repayment. The accounts are arranged chronologically and then within each folder alphabetically by county name.

The bonds, 1802-1893 (bulk 1802-1842), detail the appointment of a committee (often just one person), in the local courts, to take charge of the mentally ill persons property and affairs. The bonds list the name of the mentally ill person, name(s) of those appointed to oversee the property, the amount of the bond, and an inventory of the mentally ill persons estate (or noting if there was no estate). If the estate included slaves sometimes the slaves names and ages were listed. The bonds are arranged chronologically and then within each folder alphabetically by name.

Of note is the ledger, 1801-1844, of patient expenses for the hospitals in Staunton and Williamsburg. The ledger lists the name of the patient, county, and expenses which were paid for by the patients estate. The ledger, 1830-1847, includes various lists (returns of lunatics confined in jail received; lunatics certificates received; sales of land certificates) arranged alphabetically by county name. The ledgers, 1878-1880 and 1887-1888, list the expenses of transportation (by railroad) of patients to Central, Eastern, and Western State Lunatic Asylums. The ledgers also list the expenses for the counties in caring for the mentally ill.

The returns, 1831-1838, were reports made to the Auditor of Public Accounts from localities in response to an act passed 22 March 1831 requesting for a yearly update on the numbers and names of the mentally ill confined in local jails. The returns noted the name, age, how long confined, cause of condition, and amount of the estate. Some of the returns were filed on forms provided by the Auditor of Public Accounts.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title.