Scott County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures 1815-1881

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:

Scott County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1815-1881. Local government records collection, Scott County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

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

Scott County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1815-1881. Local government records collection, Scott County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Scott County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1815-1881, 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.

Biographical / historical:

Scott County was named for Winfield Scott, a native of Virginia, in recognition of his victories during the War of 1812; he was later commanding general of the American army during the war with Mexico, 1846-1848. It was formed from Lee, Russell, and Washington Counties by a statute adopted on 24 November 1814. The county court first met on 14 February 1815. The county seat is Gate City.

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.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Scott County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.40 cu.ft.