Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts. Public guard records, 1801-1868. Accession APA 199. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred prior to 1913.

Biographical Information

The public guard was established in 1802 for the protection of public property in Richmond, Virginia. From 1802 through 1822 the guard was quartered on Capitol Square in the Bell Tower; after 1822 the guard was stationed at the Virginia Manufactory of Arms. The public guard was abolished in 1869.

Scope and Content

Records, 1801-1868, including accounts, muster and payrolls, provision returns, receipt rolls, and vouchers of the Public Guard. The accounts and vouchers were for clothing (hats, shirts, shoes, vests), thread and cloth, monies paid to the guard, cords of wood, rations of spirits, food (tea, lamb, chicken, sugar, oysters, lamb, beef, veal), payments to the hospital to care for sick guards, and other miscellaneous costs. Of note are the muster and payrolls which list the name, rank, date of appointment, expiration of service, amount of pay, and number of days worked by the public guard.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into two series by size and then chronologically within each series.