Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Health and Medical Records, 1843-1852 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.) Health and Medical Records, 1843-1852. 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: September 2023.

Health and Medical Records, 1843-1852 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: Mental Health Records may consist of a variety of documents that historically were referred to as "lunacy papers" in the courthouses of Virginia localities and municipalities.

In 1863, the Virginia General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation affecting persons committed to mental hospitals. In February, it passed legislation allowing for a committee to sell any stock and for any proceeds beyond that necessary for his/her care to be invested in any stock, to include Confederate bonds. In March, the General Assembly widened the scope of this by passing legislation authorizing any fiduciaries such as the committee or trustee of the estate of any person to petition their circuit court to allow them to invest any part of estate funds in Confederate bonds or certificates.

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

These records contain historical language and contents that by modern standards are insensitive to those living with mental health issues.

Greensville County (Va.) Health and Medical Records, 1843-1852, are comprised of various mental health, medical, and public health records produced by the actions of individuals, medical professionals, and local officials which were then filed in the local court. 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.

Health and Medical Records, 1843-1852 that have undergone minimal processing consist primarily of "lunacy papers," commitment papers which may include warrants, orders, petitions, depositions, reports, etc. for or by justices of the peace and others regarding the mental condition of individuals who were released to the recognizance of a family member or who were recommended to be committed to a mental hospital. Mental hospitals and facilities operating as such may be referenced throughout this collection, namely "Eastern Lunatic Asylum" [Eastern State Hospital], "Western Lunatic Asylum" [Western State Hospital], and "Central Lunatic Asylum" [Central State Hospital].

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