Henrico County (Va.) Brookland Township Minutes, 1871-1874

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

Creator:
Henrico County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Henrico County (Va.) Brookland Township Minutes, 1870-1875, consists of minutes and accounts relating to township activities and duties. Information recorded includes duties of township officers, division of the township into road districts, establishment of levies and levy rates, discussion of acquiring property for a town hall, appointment of road overseers and surveyors, levies for school support, levies for the support of township officers and duties including road upkeep, reports of road overseers, account settlements of the collector, account settlements of the treasurer, a copy of the 1871 deed and plat for property purchased from Frances Bruns for a town hall along the Brook Turnpike (p. 16-20), discussion of allowing the school board to temporarily use the township hall for a free white school, setting of elections for road overseers, reviews of bids from road and bridge contractors, and accounts allowed against the township for such services as inquests, burial of strangers and paupers, other services provided the township's paupers, construction of the township hall, road accounts, and stationery.

Biographical / historical:

Henrico County was named for Henry, Prince of Wales, the oldest son of James I. It was one of the eight original shires established in 1634.

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 Henrico County. The microfilm was generated by OCLC through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.
Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia/ Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v. and 1 microfilm reel