Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868

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:

This collection is open for research. Document is fragile due to water damage.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868. Local government records collection, Botetourt County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

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

Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868. Local government records collection, Botetourt County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868, consist of a letter written to Virginia Governor H. H. Wells by O. Brown regarding the transfer of marriage registers kept by the Bureau to the clerks of the county courts. Due to its impending dissolution, the Bureau sought to rehouse the registers per "an Act entitled 'an Act for receiving United States Registers of Marriages between colored persons'" passed in April 1867. In response, Governor Wells instructed the clerks to "receive such Registers of Marriages...and safely keep the same for future reference and use, as prescribed by the terms of the said Act."

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: On March 3, 1865, the federal government created The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands using the Freedmen's Bureau Bill. Also known as the "Freedmen's Bureau," this agency was responsible for aiding refugees of the Civil War, especially formerly enslaved people in the areas of education, employment, and health care. Meant to last for only one year after the war, the Bureau was largely operational from June 1865 to December 1868. It was officially abolished in 1872.

Locality History: Botetourt County was named for Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt, the royal governor from 1768 to 1770. It was formed from Augusta County in 1769, and a part of Rockbridge County was added in 1785. The county court first met on 13 February 1770. The county seat is Fincastle.

Lost Locality Note: 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 records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Botetourt County (Va.) as part of an undated accession.
Processing information:

Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records were originally described as part of the Botetourt County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1801-1862, but were removed to the present Botetourt County (Va.) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868, record to enhance discoverability in July 2025.

These records were processed and indexed by LVA staff at an unknown date.

Encoded by C. Collins: July 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Records, 1868, arranged chronologically.

Arranged chronologically

Physical location:
Library of Virginia