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Cumberland County (Va.) School Records, 1822-1885. Local government records collection, Cumberland County (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from Cumberland County Circuit Court.
The collection is located at the State Records Center. Contact Archives Research Services staff for access information, directions, and hours.
On February 21, 1818, the Virginia legislature passed a school bill which appropriated $45,000 annually from the Literary Fund for the education of poor children. (The Literary Fund was established in 1810 with passage of a bill to appropriate "certain escheats, confiscated, and forfeited lands" for the "encouragement of learning.") Under the provisions of the 1818 School Act, each county court was required to appoint five to fifteen commissioners to establish and/or administer schools for children of the poor. A more comprehensive public school system was established by the legislature in 1870. The system was racially segregated until the mid-twentieth century.
Cumberland County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of George II. It was formed from Goochland County in 1749.
Cumberland County (Va.) School Records, 1822-1885, are comprised of records of the Board of School Commissioners, 1822-1860; a record of salaries paid to teachers in the Madison District, 1875-1881, a school census of children in the Madison District, 1885, and teacher's registers, 1871-1885.
Board of School Commissioners reports, 1820-1860, contain treasurer's records (bonds and accounts), minutes, and annual reports to the Commissioners of the Literary Fund documenting disbursement of the county allotment for public education from the state Literary Fund. The reports contain information on the number of schools in the county, the number of poor children in need of aid to education, the number of poor children educated with money from the Literary Fund, and salaries paid to teachers.
Madison District records, 1875-1885, is a single volume that contains a record of salaries paid to teachers in the district, 1875-1881, and a school census of families with school-age children taken between June and August of 1885. The census lists head of household, names of school-age children, as well as age, gender, degree of literacy (read, write, higher literacy), and record of school attendance (free, public, or never attended). There are separate lists for white and African American children, and a summary of statistics for the district on pages 116 and 117.
Teacher's registers, 1871-1885, are teacher's records of daily student attendance at schools in Madison County. Teacher and students names are included, and some registers contain information about the daily schedule of exercises and reports on average attendance. There are registers for Sugar Fork Colored School (school no. 2), Center School (no. 5), Benson Spring School (school no. 6), and school numbers 5, 7, 8.