A Guide to the Literary Fund Records of the Auditor of Public Accounts,1794-1869 (bulk 1811-1850)
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Numbers APA 146, APA 147, APA 148, APA 149, APA 150, APA 151, APA 152
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
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Processed by: LVA Staff
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
There are no use restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Virginia. Auditor of Public Accounts (1776-1928), Literary Fund Records, 1794-1869 (bulk 1811-1850), [Cite Specific Accession Number]. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
Details of acquisition unknown.
Biographical Information
The Commonwealth of Virginia set aside money for public education for the first time in its history in 1811. The General assembly passed the bill that formally established the literary fund for education, first on January 24, 1810 in the House, and in the Senate February 8, 1810: "Be it enacted; that all escheats, confiscations, fines, penalties and forfeitures, and all rights in personal property accruing to the Commonwealth, as derelict, and having no rightful proprietor, be, and the same are hereby appropriated to the encouragement of learning. That the aforesaid fund shall be appropriated to the sole benefit of a school or schools, to be kept in each and every county within this Commonwealth." (House Journal, Feb. 2, 1810, Chap. 14, p. 15). Revenues derived from fines (except milita fines) and the sale of land escheated for unpaid taxes were deposited in the Literary fund and the money was used to build schools and educate the lower income children in the state.
As such, this allowed for the Second Auditor of the State Treasury, at the time James Brown Jr., to open an account with the Treasurer to be known as the Literary Fund to, "..be divided and appropriated as to the next legislature sees best adapted to the promotion of literature … Its direction is cast into the "Act to provide for the education of the Poor," in which is made a "solemn protest" against any future legislature's misapplying the Literary Fund to any other purpose than that of the education of the Poor. The President and the Directors of the Fund shall, as soon as sufficient funds be provided, establish schools for the education of the poor in each and every county and shall appoint an agent in every county to look after the returns to the fund and to prevent misappropriation." (Acts of Virginia Assembly, Feb. 12, 1811, Chap. 8, pp. 8-9. ).
The directors of the Literary Fund were formally designated to include the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Attorney General, and the President of Court of Appeals.
In 1818, the state legislature passed an act to appropriate a portion of the fund annually for the support of a state university (the University of Virginia) as well as for the education of the poor. (Acts of Virginia Assembly, Feb. 21, 1818, p. 14). Some of the other higher education institutions that received funding from the act were the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, and the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.The literary fund is still in existence today and provides services such as low-interest loans for school construction, grants under the interest rate subsidy program, debt service for technology funding, and support for the state’s share of teacher retirement required by the Standards of Quality.
Scope and Content
This is an artificial collection of multiple accessions from the Auditor of Public Accounts concerning the Virginia Literary Fund. The collection consists of seven (7) series of records housed in various boxes and volumes. The collection includes ledgers for fines, various receipts and vouchers (including for cash, bonds, surety debts, and other judgment). Given that the Literary Fund was financed by money from fines, land and property forfeitures, penalties, confiscations, escheats, and repayment of the debt for the War of 1812, this collection documents the financial histories of Virginians across various localities.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the seven following Series:
Series I: Receipts and Vouchers, 1794-1851, 1854-1862, 1864 (APA 146) Series II: Cash Receipts and Disbursements Ledger, 2 February 1810-21 June 1811, 4 July 1818-4 April 1821 (APA 147) Series III: List of Lands Belonging or Escheated to the Commonwealth and Sold, 1814-1869 (APA 148) Series IV: List of Lands Forfeited to the Literary Fund in 1816, ca. 1816 (APA 149) Series V: Records of Cash Receipts, 1843-1847, 1850 (APA 150) Series VI: List of Fines Returned as Insolvent, Not Found, Etc., 1820 (APA 151) Series VII: Lists of Lands Vested in the President and Directors of the Literary Fund, 1832 (APA 152)Contents List
This series consists primarily of vouchers for disbursements from the fund and receipts issued by the second auditor and treasurer. This series includes the following types of records: Second Auditor's Receipts, Treasurer's Receipts, Redemption of Land, Vouchers for Disbursements, and General Records.
- General Records
- Box 1
Folder 1
Accounts and Vouchers, 1818 .
- Box 1
Folder 2
Accounts and Vouchers, January, 1819 .
- Box 1
Folder 3
Accounts and Vouchers, Jan-March, 1819 .
- Box 1
Folder 4
Accounts, 1819 .
- Box 1
Folder 5
Accounts, 1823-1824 .
- Box 1
Folder 6
Affidavit, 1816 .
- Box 1
Folder 7
Affidavit, 1864 .
- Box 1
Folder 8
Bonds for Escheated, 1822-1843 .
- Box 1
Folder 9
Checks, 1829 .
- Box 1
Folder 10
Certificates - James River and Kanawha Company, 1858 .
- Box 1
Folder 11
Delinquent Muster Fines List, 1819 .
- Box 1
Folder 12
Fines - List, 1820-1859 .
- Box 1
Folder 13
Memo of Bank Stock Held by the State (Bank of Virginia), undated .
- Box 1
Folder 14
Receipts - Auditors, 1824-1825 .
- Box 1
Folder 1
- Second Auditor's Receipts
- Box 2 Folder 1
- Box 2 Folder 2
- Box 2 Folder 3
- Box 2 Folder 4
- Box 2 Folder 5
- Box 2 Folder 6
- Box 2 Folder 7
- Box 3 Folder 1
- Box 3 Folder 2
- Box 3 Folder 2
- Box 3 Folder 3
- Box 3 Folder 3
- Box 3 Folder 4
- Box 3 Folder 5
- Box 3 Folder 6
- Box 3 Folder 7
- Box 3 Folder 8
- Box 3 Folder 9
- Box 3 Folder 10
- Box 3 Folder 11
- Box 3 Folder 12
- Box 3 Folder 13
- Box 3 Folder 14
- Box 3 Folder 15
- Box 3 Folder 16
- Box 3 Folder 17
- Box 3 Folder 18
- Box 3 Folder 19
- Box 3 Folder 20
- Box 3 Folder 21
- Box 3 Folder 22
- Box 3 Folder 23
- Box 4
Folder 1
Various Localities, 1823-1864 .
- Box 4 Folder 1
- Box 4 Folder 2
- Box 4 Folder 3
- Box 4 Folder 4
- Box 4 Folder 5
- Box 4 Folder 6
- Box 4 Folder 7
- Box 4 Folder 8
- Box 4 Folder 9
- Box 4 Folder 10
- Box 4 Folder 11
- Box 4 Folder 11
- Box 4 Folder 12
- Box 5 Folder 1
- Box 5 Folder 2
- Box 5 Folder 3
- Box 5
Folder 4
Various (Interest on Public Debt, Capitation Taxes), 1857-1861 .
- Box 6 Folder 1
- Box 6 Folder 2
- Box 6 Folder 3
- Box 6 Folder 4
- Box 6 Folder 5
- Box 6 Folder 6
- Box 6 Folder 7
- Box 6 Folder 8
- Box 6 Folder 9
- Box 6 Folder 10
- Box 6 Folder 11
- Box 6 Folder 12
- Box 6 Folder 13
- Box 6 Folder 14
- Box 6 Folder 15
- Box 6 Folder 16
- Box 6 Folder 17
- Box 6 Folder 18
- Box 6 Folder 19
- Box 6 Folder 20
- Box 7 Folder 1
- Box 7 Folder 2
- Box 7 Folder 3
- Box 7 Folder 4
- Box 7 Folder 5
- Box 7 Folder 6
- Box 7 Folder 7
- Box 7 Folder 8
- Box 7 Folder 9
- Box 7 Folder 10
- Box 7 Folder 11
- Box 7 Folder 12
- Box 7 Folder 13
- Box 7 Folder 14
- Box 7 Folder 15
- Box 7 Folder 16
- Box 7 Folder 17
- Box 7 Folder 17
- Box 7 Folder 18
- Box 7 Folder 19
- Box 7 Folder 20
- Box 8 Folder 1
- Box 8 Folder 2
- Box 8 Folder 3
- Box 8 Folder 4
- Box 8 Folder 5
- Box 8 Folder 6
- Box 8 Folder 7
- Box 8 Folder 8
- Box 8 Folder 9
- Box 8 Folder 10
- Box 8 Folder 11
- Box 8 Folder 12
- Box 8 Folder 13
- Box 8 Folder 14
- Box 8 Folder 15
- Box 8 Folder 16
- Box 8 Folder 17
- Box 8 Folder 18
- Box 9 Folder 1
- Box 9 Folder 2
- Box 9 Folder 3
- Box 9 Folder 4
- Box 9 Folder 5
- Box 9 Folder 6
- Box 9 Folder 7
- Box 9 Folder 8
- Box 9 Folder 9
- Box 9 Folder 10
- Box 9 Folder 11
- Box 9 Folder 12
- Box 9 Folder 13
- Box 9 Folder 14
- Box 9 Folder 15
- Box 9 Folder 16
- Box 9 Folder 17
- Box 9 Folder 18
- Box 9 Folder 19
- Box 9 Folder 20
- Box 10
Folder 1
Various Localities, 1794-1801 .
- Box 10
Folder 2
Various Localities, 1801-1809 .
- Box 10
Folder 3
Various Localities, 1810-1823 .
- Box 10
Folder 4
Various Localities, 1811-1822 .
- Box 10
Folder 5
City of Richmond, 1811-1822 .
- Box 10
Folder 6
Stock Interest, 1813-1817 .
- Box 10
Folder 7
Stock Interest, 1817-1820 .
- Box 10
Folder 8
Stock Interest, 1820-1823 .
- Redemption of Land
- Box 10 Folder 8
- Box 10
Folder 8
Randolph, 1816-1823 .
- Box 10
Folder 9
Various Localities, 1816-1819 .
- Box 10
Folder 10
Various Localities, 1817-1818 .
- Box 10
Folder 11
Various Localities, 1819-1823 .
- Vouchers for Disbursement
This subseries arranged chronologically.
- Box 11
Folder 1
Thomas Jefferson (University of Virginia), 1821-1822 .
- Box 11
Folder 2
1819 .
- Box 11
Folder 3
January-February, 1820 (1 of 2).
- Box 11
Folder 4
January-February, 1820 (2 of 2).
- Box 11
Folder 5
July, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 6
August, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 7
September, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 8
October, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 9
November, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 10
December, 1821.
- Box 11
Folder 10
January, 1822.
- Box 11
Folder 11
February 1-5, 1822.
- Box 11
Folder 12
February 6-14, 1822.
- Box 11
Folder 13
February 15-23, 1822.
- Box 11
Folder 1
This volume contains a variety of accounts as part of the ledger: list of cash receipts for the Literary Fund; accounts with school commissioners; other receipts, and disbursements ranging from February 1810 to April of 1821.
This volume contains names of landowners, quantities, and locations of land, when sold, and for what price, and to whom.
This series consists primarily of vouchers for disbursements from the fund and receipts issued by the second auditor and treasurer. This series consists of the following types of records: Second Auditor's Receipts, Treasurer's Receipts, Redemption of Land, Vouchers for Disbursements, and General Records.
-
Notices for Judgments
- Box 1
Folder 1
1843-1844 .
- Box 1
Folder 2
1845-1847 .
- Box 1
Folder 3
June, 1849 .
- Box 1
Folder 4
A-C, 1850 .
- Box 1
Folder 5
D-L, 1850 .
- Box 1
Folder 6
M-W, 1850 .
- Box 1
Folder 1
This volume contains the names of delinquent taxpayers, amounts owed, and dates of executions of court orders by sheriff.