Charlotte County (Va.) Board of Exemption Minutes, 1862-1865

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
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Charlotte County (Va.) Board of Exemption Minutes, 1862-1865. Charlotte County (Va.) Reel 151, Local government records collection, Charlotte County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Charlotte County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Charlotte County (Va.) Board of Exemption Minutes, 1862-1865. Charlotte County (Va.) Reel 151, Local government records collection, Charlotte County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Charlotte County (Va.) Board of Exemption Minutes, 1862-1865, consist mainly of lists of persons who applied to be exempt from military service. Names of the persons applying are given as well as the reason given for the exemption (mainly disease or injury). Lists of persons exempt because they were overseers, doctors, sheriffs, millers and farmers are also present. Arrangement is by date of meeting. Accompanying each meeting is a list of the present board members. There is no index. Information about military exemptions exists for the years 1862-1863.

The Board of Exemption in Charlotte County also handled the slave requisitions made by the state to work on fortifications and other public defense works. Lists of districts are given and the name of the person responsible for that district. Most of the minutes concern correspondence about the requisition and lists of slaveowners and the number of slaves they are to provide for each requisition. The minutes about the requisition cover the years 1862-1865. There is one list of free negroes detailed to work on the public defenses from 1863. Arrangement is by date of meeting. There is no index.

Biographical / historical:

Charlotte County was formed from Lunenburg County in 1764.

In accordance with an act passed by the General Assembly 1862 Feb. 18 and amended 1862 Oct. 1 providing a mode of exemption from military service, the county and corporation courts were directed to appoint a Board of Exemption. The board was charged with deciding all claims for military exemptions brought before it, "carefully and rigidly conforming to all the provisions of the Act of Assembly." On 1863 Feb. 13, the Governor issued an order directing that where no board had been appointed, the presiding justice of each county and corporation court, together with the two senior justices, constitute the board.

The General Assembly of Virginia passed a law as early as 1861 July 1, calling for the enrollment of free negroes to work in the public service. From 1862 to 1863, at the request of the president of the Confederate States, the General Assembly passed three more laws that requisitioned slaves to work on fortifications and other works of the public defense. Each county and city were alloted a certain number of slaves that had to be provided to the government under the requisition.

Acquisition information:
These items were microfilmed by the Library of Virginia's Imaging Services Division.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 microfilm reel.