Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Cumberland County (Va.) Lists of Indigent Soldiers' Families, 1863. Local government records collection, Cumberland County (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Cumberland County.

Historical Information

Cumberland County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of King George II. It was formed from Goochland County in 1749.

Throughout the Civil War, the principal responsibility for Virginia's indigent soldiers' families lay with the locality. The Virginia State Convention in 1861 gave the responsibility entirely to counties and incorporated towns and authorized whatever actions had already been taken. Acts of Assembly in 1862 and 1863 expanded the localities' powers to provide for their needy, and in 1863 some minimal state assistance was added in. At first relief was provided as money, but as the monetary system collapsed, relief was distributed in kind. Agents of the court maintained lists of eligible families, gathered goods for distribution and paid for them, and impressed supplies if necessary. Virginia was unique amongst the southern states in that it assigned the provisioning of needy families almost solely to the locality.

Scope and Content

The Cumberland County (Va.) Lists of Indigent Soldiers' Families includes names individuals, number of children per family, status of soldier in the Confederate army, and the amount of provisions provided to each family.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Cumberland County (Va.) Circuit Court

Subjects:

• Families of military personnel--Virginia--Cumberland County
• Poor--Virginia--Cumberland County
• Tax collection--Virginia--Cumberland County

Geographical Names:

• Cumberland County (Va.)--History--19th century
• Cumberland County (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Genre and Form Terms:

• Accounts--Virginia--Cumberland County
• Lists--Virginia--Cumberland County
• Local government records--Virginia--Cumberland County