Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research .

Use Restrictions

Physical characteristics and conditions affect use of this material. Photocopying not permitted.

Preferred Citation

Teacher's Register for Virginia Public Schools, Broad Run Magisterial District, Kavanaugh Colored School #E, 1886-1899 (SC 0057), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA..

Acquisition Information

Martha Rust Hummer, Sterling, VA.

Alternative Form Available

None.

Accruals

1992.0001

Processing Information

Elizabeth Preston, 27 August 2011

Historical Information

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Commonwealth of Virginia passed a new constitution, popularly called the Underwood Constitution after the president of the state constitutional convention, John Curtiss Underwood (1809-1873). The new constitution mandated a "uniform system of public free schools," and encouraged its introduction in all counties of Virginia as soon as possible. Though the Underwood Constitution was reviled by many in Virginia as "carpet bag" legislation, the mandate led to significant progress in the education of the citizens of Virginia. The constitution established the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to oversee county management of schools. Part of the office's oversight included a requirement that teachers fill out and maintain a register for each school. The registers included the names of students, their attendance, a record of visitors to the schools, brief descriptions of the schools, and lists of text books used.

The new constitution did not end the segregation of schools in Virginia, though that had been one of the goals of Underwood. In Loudoun County, most schools for white children were given identifying numbers, while schools for African Americans were given letters. Generally, Loudoun County employed African American men to teach in the colored schools.

Scope and Content

This collection contains one public school register for the Kavanaugh Colored School #E, located in the Broad Run Magisterial District of Loudoun County, south of Brambleton. The first part of the register covers the years 1886-1891; Harvey Johnson (b. 1858), an African American resident of Loudoun County, was the teacher during these years. The register includes lists of students and their attendance records, as well as end-of-term statistics and lists of subjects taught. The second part of the register covers the years 1898-1899. During that time, the school was called Royville Colored School #3. While it was usual to identify colored schools with a letter, this school was designated by the number 3 for some time. It is unclear whether Royville and Kavanaugh were run in the same building, but they served the same community of African Americans in Loudoun County. The teacher of Royville Colored School was John H. H. Bush (b. 1870), another African American from Loudoun County.

Arrangement

Folder

Related Material

None

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Ancestry Library Edition, United States Census, United States Census and Voter Lists. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com (accessed 27 August 2011).
Buck, J. L. Blair. The Development of Public Schools in Virginia, 1607-1952 . Commonwealth of Virginia. 1952.
Di Zerega, Philip. History of Secondary Education in Loudoun County, Virginia . University Archives. University of Virginia. 1948.
Scheel, Eugene M. " . . . to the Colored people of Waterford and vicinity, a Study of the Architecture and History of Their One-Room School, Waterford, Loudoun County, Virginia." S tudies in Vernacular Architecture SVA-48. 1979.
Teacher's Register for Virginia Public Schools, Broad Run Magisterial District, Kavanaugh Colored School #E, 1886-1899 (SC 0057), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

---

Other Finding Aid

None

---

Technical Requirements

None