Botetourt County (Va.) Organization Records, circa 1824-1930, undated

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:

Botetourt County (Va.) Organization Records, circa 1824-1930, undated [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Botetourt County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

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

Botetourt County (Va.) Organization Records, circa 1824-1930, undated [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Botetourt County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Botetourt County (Va.) Organization Records, circa 1824-1930, undated, is comprised of various records created by groups in Botetourt County. Represented records largely consist of an account book, and loose records.

Scope and Content:The records from the Unknown Masonic Lodge, 1824-1830 consist of an account book.

Includes boxes containing material identified as organization records. These records may be flat filed or foldered but not fully processed.

Organization records includes Mount Olivet Lodge bylaws and newspaper clippings about a national masonic convention; records are from 1862 as well as some undated records.

Organization records includes a list of organization trustees from 1920 and 1930.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Organization Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These organization records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, organization records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These organization record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debt suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History: Botetourt County was named for Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt, the royal governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1769 and part of Rockbridge County was added in 1785.

Lost Locality Notes:Created by an act of 1769 to take effect on 13 February 1770. Many of the loose records including pre-1830 chancery and pre-1854 judgments suffered tremendous water damage as a result of a courthouse fire on 15 December 1970. Because of the near loss of records, the General Assembly passed the Virginia Public Records Act in 1975 for the purpose of preserving local records. Volumes that record deeds, court orders, and wills exist.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers under an undated accession.
Processing information:

Prior to 2025, the various organization records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large organization record for the locality. Since 2025, these records additionally include identified but not processed records.

Encoded by E. Woodward: 2020; Updated by J. Taylor: July 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into two series:

  • Series I: Records of an Unknown Masonic Lodge, 1824-1830
  • Series II: Botetourt County (Va.) Organization Records, 1862-1930, undated [UNPROCESSED]

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 volume; 0.9 cubic feet (2 boxes).