Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Overseers of the Poor Records, 1833-1852 that were transferred in accession 53810 under the title “Greensville County Dead Papers” and in adjacent boxes have undergone minimal processing. All records remain tri-folded or in original bundles and may be fragile. Contact Archives Research services for availability.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Greensville County (Va.) Overseers of the Poor Records, 1833-1852. Local government records collection, Greensville County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a 2023 transfer of court papers from Greensville County under accession number 53810.

Processing Information

Encoded by M. Long: October 2023.

Overseers of the Poor Records, 1833-1852 that were transferred in accession 53810 under the title “Greensville County Dead Papers” and in adjacent boxes were processed using minimal processing standards: Locality records were organized by broad record category (election records, fiduciary records, etc.) with minimal other arrangement. These records have not been flattened, foldered, mended, or separated by individual record type (like summons, appraisements, etc.).

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: In 1780, the Virginia General Assembly replaced the Anglican vestries and churchwardens of the colonial period with elected bodies called Overseers of the Poor. The Overseers provided food, clothing, shelter, and medical treatment for the persons who were too poor to support themselves or too ill to provide for their basic needs. The cites built almshouses to board invalids and paupers and the Overseers obtained employment for those who were able to work. They also bound out orphans and children whose parents were determined to be unable to support them or to have failed to educate or instruct them as apprentices. The boys were assigned to a trade and the girls were placed in domestic service.

In 1844, the General Assembly enacted laws to create poor farms overseen by boards of directors for the maintenance and education of the poor. The boards bought farms and built buildings, appointed a superintendent for each poor farm, and chose a physician to attend the sick and teachers to educate the children. The adults and older children were required to work if they were able.

Locality History: Greensville County was named either for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, commanding general of the Continental army in the South during part of the Revolutionary War, or for Sir Richard Grenville, leader of the Roanoke Island settlement of 1585. The county was formed from Brunswick County on 28 November 1780.

Scope and Content

Greensville County (Va.) Overseers of the Poor Records, 1833-1852, document the work of the Overseers of the Poor in managing the welfare of the impoverished in the locality. The records have undergone minimal processing. This has allowed for the documentation of specific record types and various trends found in this set of records.

Overseers of the Poor Records, 1833-1852 that have undergone minimal processing consist of the following:

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

Additional Greensville County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data