Caroline County Health and Medical Records, 1802-1888

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:

Caroline County (Va.). Health and Medical Records, 1802-1888. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
1 folder
Creator:
Caroline County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Caroline County (Va.). Health and Medical Records, 1802-1888. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Caroline County (Va.) Health and Medical Records, 1802-1888, consist of one folder of Mental Health Records. These include warrants, orders, petitions, depositions, reports, etc. for or by justices of the peace and others regarding the mental condition of individuals who were released to the recognizance of a family member or who were committed to a mental hospital. Fiduciary records such as estate inventories of a person judged insane may also be present.

Cases of interest: William Redd (1802) Estate inventory references 22 unnamed enslaved people, and the hospital in Williamsburg; James West (1808) Estate inventory references seven-year-old enslaved boy, whose name is illegible.

Biographical / historical:

Mental Health Records may consist of a variety of documents that historically were referred to as lunacy papers in the courthouses of Virginia localities and municipalities.

During its session begun in November 1769, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed an act establishing a hospital in Williamsburg for the mentally ill. The Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital) was the first institution in America constructed as a mental hospital. The first patients were admitted in October 1773.

Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen County were added in 1742 and in 1763. The county seat is Bowling Green.

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

Chronological by entry date.