A Guide to the Cumberland County (Va.) Organizational Records, 1856-1896
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
![[logo]](http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/logos/lva.jpg)
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2006 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Greg Crawford
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896, is digitized and available through Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Cumberland County (Va.) Organizational Records, 1856-1896, [cite volume title]. Local government records collection, Cumberland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
Acquisition Information
The Cumberland Baptist Church Record book came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Cumberland County in 2005 under the accession number 41989.
Alternative Form Available
Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896 is available as microfilm Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 88.
Processing Information
Conservation was performed by the Library of Virginia Conservation Lab in 2020 and funded by a donation made by Georga S. Williams to the Library of Virginia Foundation's Adopt Virginia History Program.
Encoded by G. Crawford, 2007; Updated by M. Mason, May 2024
Historical Information
Context for Record Type: Organizational Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These business records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by officers/ leaders in the organization. In other cases, Organizational records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. This organizational records appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for debut suits, and contract disputes.
Locality History: Cumberland County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, third son of King George II. It was formed from Goochland County in 1749.
Scope and Content
Cumberland County (Va.) Organizational Records, 1836-1856, currently consists of one record. This is the Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896, which records the church's monthly and quarterly meetings as well as additional church related activities.
Related Material
See also: Cumberland Baptist Church Minute Book, 1836-1856, at the Library of Virginia under the accession number 24200 [negative photostats] and accession number 43813 [original volume].
See also: Cumberland County (Va.) Free and Enslaved Records, 1753-1865
Records related to free and enslaved people of Cumberland County (Va.) and other localities are available through the Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website.
Additional Cumberland County (Va.) court records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia.Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."
Contents List
Historical Information: Cumberland Baptist Church was founded in 1810 by Joseph Jenkins. The church first met in a log building. Members of Cumberland Baptist church met alternately at Booker's Meeting House and Tar Wallet Meeting House between 1836 and 1843 when the congregation divided. The members living near Tar Wallet formed a separate church and the remaining members constituted Cumberland Baptist Church. The congregation met at Booker's Meeting House from 1856 until 1858 when the congregation began meeting at Jenkins' Meeting House.
Scope and Content: Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896, kept by various members of the church, consists of 286 pages and largely records the church's monthly and quarterly meetings and additional church business.
Church business activities documented in the volume includes: date and location of meetings; names of members attending meetings; election of church officers; reports of church officers; reports to James River Association providing the number of both white and Black members; resolutions passed by church membership; and decisions made by the church membership related to the activities of the church such as excommunication of members, reconciliation of church members, and baptism of new church members.
The church's membership included Black and multiracial individuals, most of whom were enslaved by white church members. The record book lists the names of enslaved individuals baptized and their enslaver. The volume also records the withdrawal of Black and multiracial members from the church in 1866 for the purpose of forming a Baptist church for the Black community.
The record book includes an index that lists in alphabetical order the names of church members. The index includes additional information such as the year the individual joined the church, the year they were removed from the membership roll, and the reason for their removal (excommunication, death, transfer of membership, etc.)
Families indicated as members of Cumberland Baptist Church include: Jenkins family, Anderson family, Reynolds family, Dowdy family, Dunkum family, Meador family, Nunnally family, Parker family, Sanderson family, and Talley family.
Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896, is digitized and available through the Virginia Untold Digital Collection. Please use Digitial Images
-
Barcode number 1177638: Cumberland Baptist Church record book, 1856-1896