Albemarle County (Va.) Charlottesville Township Record Book, 1870-1871

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Extent:
1 v.
Creator:
Albemarle County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Albemarle County (Va.) Charlottesville Township Record Book, 1870-1871, records multiple lists related to the township. The list of lands in Charlottesville township in 1871 records in alphabetical order the names of owners, number of acres, description, distance from courthouse, value of acres, value of improvements, and total value. The list of town lots in Charlottesville township record in alphabetical order the names of owners, number of lots. and total value. The list of taxpayers in Charlottesville township records in alphabetical order the names of taxpayers, race, types of property taxed, and values. The list of births for 1870 records in alphabetical order the names of infants born, date of birth, race, names of parents, and names of informers or witnesses. The list of deaths for 1870 records in alphabetical order the names of deceased, date of death, race, age, occupation, where born, names of parents, and names of consorts, disease, names of informers or witnesses. The record book records additional miscellaneous information.

Biographical / historical:

Albemarle County was named for William Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle, and governor of Virginia from 1737 to 1754. It was created by a statute of 1744 and formed from Goochland County; part of Louisa County was added in 1761 and islands in the Fluvanna (now the James) River in 1770. The court met for the first time on 8 February 1745. The county seat is the city of Charlottesville.

The 1870 Virginia Constitution required that each county in the state be divided into no less than three townships (see Article VII, section 2). Based on the New England administrative organization of a county, each township would elect the administration officials for the offices of supervisor, clerk, assessor, collector, commissioner of the roads, overseer of the poor, justice of the peace, and constable. The supervisors of each township would comprise the board of supervisors for the county, and would be responsible for auditing the county accounts, examining the assessors' books, regulating property valuation, and fixing the county levies. The Acts of Assembly provided that each township be divided into school and electoral districts (see Acts of Assembly 1869-1870, Chapter 39). A constitutional amendment in 1874 changed the townships into magisterial districts and each district elected one supervisor, three justices of the peace, one constable, and one overseer of the poor. The supervisors of the districts made up the county board of supervisors whose duties were identical as those set out in 1870. The published Acts of Assembly appended a list of township names by county following the acts for every year that townships existed in Virginia.

Acquisition information:
This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Albemarle County.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by lists.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia