Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Russell County (Va.) Smallpox Epidemic Records, 1904-1905. Local government records collection, Russell County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Russell County.

Historical Information

Russell County was named for William Russell, a Clinch Valley pioneer and the member of the House of Delegates who introduced the legislation forming the county from Washington County in 1786.

On March 7, 1900, the General Assembly voted to amend legislation providing for the appointment of a state board of health and local boards of health to allow a local board of supervisors chair, with the approval of two members of a local board of health, to make certain contracts for the removal and quarantine of parties suspected of smallpox , or for compulsory vaccination.

Scope and Content

Russell County (Va.) Smallpox Epidemic Records, 1904-1905, consists of three items in which the justice of the peace for Russell County ordered two doctors, R.C. Meade and L.F. Banner, to go to certain locations in Russell County to determine whether people there were infected with smallpox and thus required to be quarantined. Locations included: the house of John Ewens (African American) at Castlewood, Virginia, Fullar Bro. Store on Lick Creek, and various other households in Dante, Virginia: Dave Salyers, Nathan Blevins, Henry Cook, Sarah Counts, Tom Castle, Lee Jordon, John Salyers.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Russell County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans--Virginia--Russell County.
• Quarantine--Virginia--Russell County.
• Smallpox--Virginia--Russell County.

Geographical Names:

• Castlewood (Va.)--History.
• Dante (Va.)--History.
• Russell County--History--20th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Health and medical records--Virginia--Russell County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Russell County.