A Guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1806-1868
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Barcode number: 0007748854
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Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Princess Anne County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1806-1868, of "free Blacks" and "free persons of color" are available at Virginia Untold: the African American Narrative digital collection .
Preferred Citation
Princess Anne County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1806-1868. Local government records collection, Princess Anne County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
Acquisition Information
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from city of Virginia Beach.
Historical Information
Princess Anne County (extinct) was named for Anne, daughter of King James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct on 1 January 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.
In 1780 the Virginia General Assembly replaced the Anglican vestries and churchwardens of the colonial period with elected bodies called Overseers of the Poor. 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. They also bound out children whose parents could not support them or who failed to educate or instruct them, as well as orphans to become apprentices. The boys learned a trade and the girls learned domestic skills.
Scope and Content
Princess Anne County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1806-1868, are bonds and contracts of apprenticeship given by the Overseers of the Poor, showing the names of master and apprentice, the trade to be taught, details of the contract, the amount of the bond and the names of sureties. Many of the apprentices bound out prior to 1866 were "free Blacks" and "free persons of color." Three Chinese and one native of India were apprenticed in 1860.
Related Material
Additional Princess Anne County Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm" found on the Library of Virginia's web site.