Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures 1786-1837

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:

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1786-1837. Local government records collection, Mecklenburg County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

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

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1786-1837. Local government records collection, Mecklenburg County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Mecklenburg County (Va.) Apprenticeship Indentures, 1786-1837, 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:

Mecklenburg County was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort of King George III. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1764. The county court first met on 11 March 1765. The county seat is Boydton.

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 Mecklenburg County.
Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.35 cu.ft.