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Chesterfield County (Va.) Lists of Provisions for Confederate Soldiers' Families, 1863-1864. Local government records collection, Chesterfield County Court (Va.) Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Chesterfield County (Va.).
Chesterfield County was named for Philip Dormer Stanhope, forth earl of Chesterfield, British statesman and diplomat, and was formed from Henrico County in 1749.
Throughout the Civil War, the principal responsibility for Virginia's indigent soldiers' families lay with the locality. The Virginia State Convention in 1861 gave the responsibility entirely to counties and incorporated towns and authorized whatever actions had already been taken. Acts of Assembly in 1862 and 1863 expanded the localities' powers to provide for their needy, and in 1863 some minimal state assistance was added in. At first relief was provided as money, but as the monetary system collapsed, relief was distributed in kind. Agents of the court maintained lists of eligible families, gathered goods for distribution and paid for them, and impressed supplies if necessary. Virginia was unique amongst the southern states in that it assigned the provisioning of needy families almost solely to the locality.
The Chesterfield County (Va.) Lists of Provisions for Confederate Soldiers' Families, 1863-1864 is primarily made up of lists of individuals related to Confederate soldiers. These reports can include the names of soldiers, the name of their wives, mothers or other family members, the number of dependant individuals in each family, the condition of the soldier and his family, the amount of money or supplies provided to each family, and the use for which the money was intended. Also included are certifications for soldiers' families detailing their need for assistance. Information included in the accounts include number of children, economic state and health of family and details about the soldiers. The lists record that funds were to be used for specific foods such as bacon and flour.
Chronological.