Prince George County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures 1816-1838

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:

Prince George County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1816-1838. Local government records collection, Prince George County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

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

Prince George County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1816-1838. Local government records collection, Prince George County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Prince George County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1816-1838, 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:

Prince George County was named for Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne of England. It was formed from Charles City County by a statute adopted on 28 August 1702 to take effect on 23 April 1703. The county seat is Prince George.

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.

Most court records were destroyed in 1782 by British troops during the Revolutionary War and again in 1864 by Union troops during the Civil War. A few volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills exist.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Prince George County under the accession number 44500.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.10 cu.ft.