Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Mathews   County   (Va.) Red Cross Records, 1933-1934, 1950-1970. Local government records collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to The Library of Virginia by the Mathews   County   (Va.) Circuit Court, on January 14, 1983.

Historical Information

Mathews   County   was named for Thomas Mathews  , of Norfolk, the Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1790 when the county   was formed from Gloucester County  .

Swiss businessman, Henri Dunant, founded the Red Cross after witnessing a battle in Northern Italy in 1859. Dunant wished to begin an organization which would care for the sick and wounded in battle. In 1864, the Geneva Convention established the International Committee of the Red Cross and in 1901 Dunant received the first Nobel Peace Prize. In 1881, Clara Barton established the American Red Cross to aid in domestic relief efforts due to disaster. The Mathews   County   (Va.) Red Cross Chapter was organized May 12, 1917 with Mrs. Robert Hoskins as chairman; Miss Alice Healy, Secretary; and W. B. Smith, Treasurer.

The Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane hit Mathews   County  , Virginia on August 23rd, 1933, causing catastrophic damage. The storm was first noticed when it was east of the Windward Islands. By August 18th, the tropical storm was 900 miles east of Puerto Rico and within 150 miles of Bermuda, on August 21st it became a hurricane. On August 23rd at 9:20AM, the storm changed track and passed over Norfolk, Virginia and moved north. A second hurricane hit the mid-Atlantic just over a week later. The 1933 hurricane season left a destructive path all the way into Pennsylvania and remained the worst series of storms on record until Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

Most records were burned in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.

Scope and Content

Mathews   County   (Va.) Red Cross Records, 1933-1934, 1950-1970, record the Mathews   County   Chapter's history through financial documentation, donation information, meeting notes and various records of relief distribution. The bulk of the records (1933-1934) relate to relief efforts after the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane hit Mathews   County  . Hurricane related records include merchant accounts and reimbursements, dwelling repairs - approved and disapproved, committee meeting minutes, a storm log, correspondence, warehouse invoices, dwelling repair plans, etc.

The bulk of the collection consists of disaster registration and redistribution cards, 1933-1934. The records are arranged alphabetically by surname of relief recipient. Information recorded in the disaster registration cards includes location of disaster relief operation; family surname; names and ages of family members; race; owner or renter of dwelling; predisaster address; current address; items needed (clothing, food, shelter, transportation, medical care, etc.) Should the request have been deemed valid by the Red Cross representative, a disaster redistribution card was filed with the disaster registration card listing the quantity and type of relief items the family received.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetical by surname.

Related Material

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

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Mathews   County   (Va.) Circuit Court
• Red Cross and Red Crescent-- Virginia -- Mathews   County  

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History -- 20th century
• Associations, institutions, etc. -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Disaster Relief
• Dry-goods -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• General stores -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Hurricanes -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Merchants -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Meteorology -- Observations -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Weather

Geographical Names:

• Mathews   County   (Va.) -- History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Accounts -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Letters (correspondence) -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Minutes -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Notes -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  
• Registration (information handling) -- Virginia -- Mathews   County  

Added Entry - Personal Name:

• Reverend C.E Otey

Adjunct Descriptive Data