Administrative Information

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1786-1837. Local government records collection, Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County.

Historical Information

Mecklenburg County was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort of King George III. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1764. The county court first met on 11 March 1765. The county seat is Boydton.

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

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1786-1837, 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 African Americans.

Related Material

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

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Mecklenburg County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--History.
• Apprentices--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.
• Free African Americans--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.

Geographical Names:

• Mecklenburg County (Va.)--History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Indentures--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Mecklenburg County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data