Collections : [Library of Virginia]

These records contain Auditor's receipts for purchase by counties and cities of sets of standard weights and measures. Years covered are 1867; 1870-1876; 1879-1881; 1885-1886; 1888-1894. In some cases the receipt is made out to the superintendent of weights and measures or the register of the Land Office; in other cases it is made out to the treasurer of a city or county.

This collection contains records concerning the funding of the Restored Government of Virginia's agencies (expenses of the courts and General Assembly), the pay of its officers and employees (salaries of judges, commonwealth attorneys, civil employees), and the collection of revenues. Also included are warrants for the Constitutional Convention held in Alexandria in 1864, and various contingent funds.

Opinions, 1781-1875, of the Attorney General for the Auditor of Public Accounts. The opinions are often written into letters or on notes. Virginia Attorney Generals include Edmund Randolph (1776-1786), James Innes (1786-1796), Robert Brooke (1796-1800), Philip Norborne Nicholas (1800-1819), John Robertson (1819-1834), Sidney Smith Baxter (1834-1852), Willis Perry Bocock (1852-1857), John Randolph Tucker (1857-1865), James Craig Taylor (1870-1874), and Raleigh Travers Daniel (1874-1877). Topics include: pay for militia and military; salary of Penitentiary keeper; sale of delinquent lands; appropriations for Virginia Military Institute; court costs; right to tax persons employed and residing in Harpers Ferry; railroad taxes; acts regulating Life Insurance Companies; payment for slaves condemned to sale and transportation; tax exemptions of theatrical performances; taxation for the manufacturers of ale or beer; if merchants can sell apple or peach barndy without an additional license; taxing circus performers; interest on bank dividends; taxes on emancipated slaves; sale of liquor by physicians and apothecaries; taxation of penitentiary convicts; taxation of officers and employees of the Navy; taxation of Confederate officers; and funding of Treasury notes, among other topics.

Papers, 1774-1789, including letters, orders, and statements of Col. William Preston, relating to the defense of southwestern Virginia from the British loyalists and Indian allies of the British during the American Revolution. The bulk of the collection are letters detailing various aspects of the Revolutionary War. Topics include rumors of attacks in Botetourt and Montgomery Counties, Virginia; the Battle of Kings Mountain, S.C.; Lord Cornwallis' movements towards Virginia; the Battle of Camden, NJ; and requests for troops from Montgomery County, Va. Correspondents include Col. Martin Armstrong, Col. Arthur Campbell, General William Campbell, Col. William Christian, Col. Elijah Clarke, Ben Cook, Walter Crockett, William Davies, Dudley Diggs, Col. William Fleming, Governor Benjamin Harrison V, Governor Thomas Jefferson, Col. Charles Lewis, Patrick Lockhart, General Lachlan McIntosh, James McGavock, James Montgomery, Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr., General Andrew Perkins, Mayor Thomas Quirk, and Col. George Skillern, among others.

Records, 1786-1862 (bulk 1783-1820), including accounts, correspondence, executions, judgments, lists, motions, receipts, and returns of the Virginia General Court. The collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title into twenty-one boxes.

Records, 1783-1851, including accounts, claims, correspondence, and reports relating to half pay granted to Virginia officers who served in the Revolutionary War. The claims contain copies of court records that often include the name of heirs and the service record of the soldier. Some claims also include copies of wills, powers of attorney, bonds, judgements, and statements proving the claims. The claims are a good source of genealogical information and are listed alphabetically. The correspondence, 1831-1833, are another good source of information as they often relate to specific claims by soldiers. The correspondence is mainly between Louis McLane, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and James E. Heath, Auditor of Virginia, regarding claims and providing background of various claims. Also included are reports, 1832-1851, listing names of soldiers whose claims were settled or paid out.

This series consists of lists of claims against the militia fine fund, 1809-1865, that were allowed by regimental courts. Each list contains the names of the claimants, the amounts claimed, the regimental number and county, and the purposes of the expenditures. The series is arranged chronologically and by militia regiment within years.

Pay claims for witnesses, 1857-1880, consisting of lists of pay claims filed on behalf of witnesses attending for the Commonwealth in lawsuits. The lists contain the style of the case, name of witness, number of days attending, miles traveled, tolls paid, and aggregate amount of pay to which the witness was entitled. The lists contain the names of the defendants and offences, also including some suits in which the defendants were enslaved people.

Records, 1776-1789, including accounts, correspondence, receipts, and receipt books relating to the Public Ropewalk in Warwick, Chesterfield County, Virginia. Ropewalks were long covered walks, buildings, or rooms where ropes are manufactured. Hemp fiber was converted into yarn, which was then used to make rope, twine, cord, and sailcloth. The accounts and receipts detail items purchased to run the business as well as orders for cord and other materials manufactured at the ropewalk.

Returns to Auditor, 1815, reporting on the amounts of salt, lead, iron, and segars (cigars) manufactured and sold in Virginia counties. The returns list the names of manufacturers and the amounts produced. Includes correspondence, receipts, and returns.