xt7b5m627w6f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7b5m627w6f/data/mets.xml Virginia Historical Records Survey of Virginia 1938 Prepared by the Historical Records Survey, Division of Women's and Professional Projects, Work Progress Administration; Other contributors include: United States Works Progress Administration Division of Women's and Professional Projects; 229 pages: illustrations, charts, 23 cm; Mimeographed; Includes bibliographical references and index; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number Y 3.W 89/2:43 V819/21 books English Richmond, Virginia: University of Virginia This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Virginia Works Progress Administration Publications Inventory of the County Archives of Virginia: Number 21 Chesterfield County (Chesterfield Court House) text Inventory of the County Archives of Virginia: Number 21 Chesterfield County (Chesterfield Court House) 1938 1938 2015 true xt7b5m627w6f section xt7b5m627w6f    M \WH \\WW
  V V +5 / El DHE5 uaamasa u
  5* I?/CSU
V I     `Y?*T1;if ' f >’L"' Ti`;iiififi11‘5f:Ci`iTTiFT’TiTfI3f·f’Ti7T°?Zi‘j~·»-T ..» ,
A »     ‘°`         
1 i?    ’ £" M2
            *V               »~      
  4 > E . JAM  
                g    
    ` ‘  iz; — ;. ; ,%_*  _fA_a·;Wg’;r{z»"  
    ` A,      
    * [=~1·`»$`¥i’CE`H'_?M v(;<;;\yi\\Y  
      `‘'" I   —i `A     ’—‘=¥‘·»’            
I   H  ‘ lMl'°w`°;* **' `·F¥’~‘r;»¤~*<,=e¤·.<·J  
g Piiitej. g.1.fi;;_.;,.’;§;T. ...1,;; .i;.i;Q;.;;ii if Sip;   C; litfl  
5
§
 

 , V   -. V V · ·»r.·VV¤   V-  ""?r-~»;%   ‘   ?
__   VV_!____ _ v_  _ Q   _ .   V _ Y, -.2-1 ,,;,1 .:£_.V,C A .2 ,}  _  él,  V 4  ii,  X
¥;`*!’4`l` ‘   , '*°r`—f*  1   V- ‘ { 9.-     V=¢*?7‘-V‘.·, V    =   E
1__~ ,> - » ,__  g::,:_ an ¤ 5%  _   V _ V »- do »,·;·7¤_.;,_:_p,       Q -   ,  yr    g
>§’;*. .~L. V » .1, · ·>· —`*‘*¢· . °  "`¤ V‘ `»‘~:’V *‘é$>··"·`*·>P>Z. »·     1  »   ‘
 RF #5;- `°%»  .-,  - `  ‘ ··V-—    ~< 5;...-.: »-#1;;.;   #1;...    ~ *¢ · I V   
· . , I -  -  •. * ‘ ¤ , V  ·1>"g ’__ wi   ,,;·_’;···i,;2v. ‘.·r :V*:·£~,   ·;  · , ’ q 54
·( _  '\é'••¢;. Q Jgjv K v V ,  .¤»·     jx;]. >:2—_ · , . >   7*5,; _·'> 2— ,_ Q  _; V   M ' I `~
>¤      °’?-*4 V   =`·`5¥-l%€Y`·.»i??;€$€:   ‘ = V-iw;   -¤    ‘*. i ’  ‘
1-- 4 `— ,..».   - ~‘-J:-;‘§=i£j2·;¥€.;~·?`·,t-; ’-       ·   : ¥” 7%
»‘ 1* ,§     £j;,w;’V2yg§j;Vg§§;_·§‘_5]   `  55}    
t ,¤-W" {     ' I   & .
. .   ‘              
  (   -’ ,s->   Ve: Fi     V ·   -' L`
omw X         Z'€ ,. · V` ' " " ’ ' ` , Q, T **3;; ;" ‘4
    .,_   -¤=  ~  - -;-V___ . g ;·   V:
    ,  V   -V2?-· -, »:
  \ -», · ` \Q   1 " "¤’-¤P"" ·   » · , _ mv  ·
\ _ »   -: " z   _ ;_V H .. ..., . .V..V          
  ' 1     if   — V   »---· ·-·,,, , .V .v... A-- _ *52 ki;    
__   " V Jr     -V§,;1i..;<.:;- ~ A 3 k
V? cig'-  ·_ ‘ `.."}z  _-   / F-   V _ V · _ Main   4,; 
· ‘ _ ‘.:·v· .QV`_`{,Vé   ~ >   V * ;_ ‘ k V - /   V ·  H-)
`·»V—»» yl , ;—,.iV_&?§x   /      
V    1. , *’ ¤.nIq.\`·. V~—   ;; , ‘   - fx
  .     .   V- *-—;:    -~   ..   -~-sig;  
T    7°· °`·w-   ¥ A’·-  \   -··—   --—·   r   V--,’  -2;
I   — {—._ I . , { H7;.   i,_   V ·· ._-,, ._,,     25  
‘*·  ;-:,1%           \ V 1 · »»*§.‘¤-V-me-
2 M *"··· " ’-—! - * ·      V . = . , V ¤:§§i“.!3““ Q  
_, 2  ·__ ""$•3y ,. / _   S _;:  a V-V · V · j ·,-  . •s.a n .1i , V §;%§g .e _§
_ :5• .v~   _` V _   2} if  V 1:.: ‘_'z { V ..,. V .. !   WE i f  
3 ‘“   ‘ VV L /  {VV      \‘ ·;_,_ -   ’$? --—- ' i      
V     · `   ''`·     \ -   V  -4 J  
  --    5 ‘       ’  ,   ‘    " A "'?’*""'**’=   W *°I*’  
  ‘   V     V   p'1':‘ ’ 1* 's'¤‘r’o’¤'¤' ’¤ ¤"‘ *¤{?'¤' é V   %j?¢~i"j·V  ·
  ‘:E { \' V] `·     &*;%;f5{4'{{{fg{g;'{;5;§}5;§?5;§}{}§;§§§{;5f§;,§§§;    
‘         `=‘’   ¢`V  "¤’“*"’¤*’¥'*¤’#¤*, ' 
V- ¤ V   I   A.V. V   · 2   ----- -~  {    #
`·  A -2 -·-- i    ‘‘‘‘‘     ;-- · ’  j gyf fgy ?   I 2       I
` .,.. rf,-1.·.   V ......4.. .·_f·   3 g ; ,, ···~ . V _ -  www   ¤· V ·a ~V·· ` ¤
~· ¤ · , ':'Q‘-· J ,   ;   - -   - 2; _* 4 I I »· -—     · An y _
--  ’   I   ‘-~-¢ ; -’* vw-i~w#¤zw-"" "  V  , V ,4 AL   *      --·
 "'."»-1}. { I   ·   " V'! ` V   ;;| | "°  ;{_y~&·§3~;?;‘·;’ ..  1;:; 
" ·     * ‘    ··' i   ’ ¤  V V       gt
_,     VV Vix  A Q K ,4 ` V E I  VV.V _     _  
{ V ·$L$iz "*¥v  \ "».‘*x‘ ‘x ¤sY‘x‘x2 \“4§¤°¤°‘*?%§¤}% *  ,_.V . V-   Q         __-X.;
- °  »‘ .VV  "¥ " - - ¤V -:-‘·’-*Y*=¥~- 1-     ·  
In \ ~~ ~~V.* ¤` p u 5 \·~:,;`· ·¤;5¤e..,¢.1.sVSV: MLM V-,.L ;.;·,=,·    
M #5* ·   `  " ‘ ` s=‘°x§i‘=?· ` -.‘*s-¢;w§-MV-V  
V       V ------  V  ;~,g¤g-A  V1¥¥*mw·   ~  
" ,{/ IV `~q4:V_ \   _ K‘g2\\`\~‘; ‘-q _ .   3-9 ·V,   ‘  
·;;·       § Q._   _ ° =            
A   { ·:`€{`F* 3* ’ ,  V ¤ qv (  hx * ’* y: ;¤_·~ up-   5%.   i     `
Vxil V   x  V_gzmg¤y_E§¤; ,z.`• _\_ ,_y-V.V__;MV._,,gyV,.A-   ,»_, i _¤:J;,V%   V
  Z—t¤  < V ` A  wm ·   `V-Vw.-·xa·_=.;=V¤-amy;;       V.    `   _
 V * -2;. i  \    -· ‘       YY
     —, _,%=_;`:; ` \ »- ·  él  xv    _    EM ? ig;.  V    
V` `·  Mm ~ .... ¢= .· · ---.V _ - Z vt     L  -1
\ _   _ __ ._ Q. ..\` _ _ _  ..L. ,     V A,
\"` \ ~ ‘."Y V ` ·  '   \ ‘ qq ?’ EiE§€§§i‘§? ‘`‘. `-   * 1
—~  -\   \ V   V -,¥3J$*‘·*\\%-;5;x}·*»t11'¤.;-.§3};;;z e-1 -=·s|§!·$¥!~‘ @4;:  3%--V -— ;`  5]
`   M * ~·'·'. -‘ ·'V”-‘··-:··&\?`\¥$:-:·· :. ;:—: · .'°sY,·!n§”'     5 ·
" --   ·  " """ ‘`·‘`‘ e;     V - * 
" . M ` V ‘ ` -5.-s-za--1{·» ». ms \ 3 V '=!·* ? ’Z[§‘?:  ` * ,
  K  V'     
~ V. fg,   ’ Q  E1}.;   _   f    
I We-     =»   yu M   {
· ;   ,-       `V \` @Y9‘¥?*%*¥F¥?—‘€i¥W&i-E§;YE Z--???’°f    
V-"»"€ ,_<§* ’ -,·,   —    TT   lit:.   f*-·
· Q ’·. •. ·n. { Q`; x my  .\.V- ,,..·., · §§§{;V,&€C:-,E"· ·· t V .
. ;‘V   - • ·· *-‘» .   .V..   V,._V VVV,,. _ g;. A-s ··  
»‘ _ _ Mu! _ x`  L:ii;~;;Lm:»,V¤.—’l· A   Vgi,4 ¤.» V I
 r   s i;a¢•*·   ·   VV.V   V · V
 ,1, mw   V,;@I-»V   A   A.V,V   I: V   _
Q".  ’ U bd * . _ · ` fil;} ·  ,e _
-3 . V .Q.· *4 " " 24 V ' · ‘_      `
. ’ f`    »   V,   .»·   ¢ ;.-< wz; ,  V-
VV * x é" -  .*¤ ..~tV - .. ps /,»     r x. -·     . - ?
· ' {   - "’  A V’*IV7’ ·' · ~e -:=` ;   ,4.--¢ '· VV $-1   `*   V “‘    
  A V · Y:  *5* -*‘ -/"  ” ,· 44 ‘*'»;»·-·’ —‘-4 ;,·‘~»-Af? f¥` · ·   ‘ V.:   c
" ‘ ( ° F It ·’  ‘ ri  ¥'= if ··¥   -   -»··»<;-·    ·   ·  —       V _ \
:- ·%. , ,"¤'   _ _;¤_ ‘· · - .- ,‘ · ;" ' ' NS- ` __¢   Y '. j: <  V 2.  —_ ·   V .,
Y {gr} / 7 "*•',/J5  ¢”'—¢ f- ,’!’°ef(’ ' 'QP,   ‘V`   Ak JJ Q? ( \\  —         _ ·
,   lv »-··r ,~ . . M- •‘ ·V .. Y - ,· , V ..·* . , .· ·‘VV ·
’     V. ’ . , .r; V_ . , ,

 F 5 Inventory of the County Archives
  {E . . .
  of Virginia
  =€
  Q
  Cl Prepared by
  THE His·roR1cAL RECORDS SURVEY
  DIVISION or WoMEN’s AND PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS
  Wonxs PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
 
  No. 21. Chesterfield County (Chesterfield Court House)
  C;~   
 
 
E
M   Charlottesville, Virginia
   ·  The University of Virginia
   L  August 1938

 THE HISTORICAL RECORDS SURVEY
be
LUTHER H. EvANs, National Director U
ELIZABETH B. PARKER, State Director W
an
tht
19
err
cre
pil
gO`
liti
scr
Dmsxom OE W0MEN’s AND PR0EEss1oNAL PR0]EcTs ti0:
mcs
fm
tha
ELLEN S. WOODWARD, Assistant Administrator in _
ELLA G. AcNEw, State Director
ten
the
0f
ti0r
Thi
wilj
as ¤
Sur
. p0r·
VVORKS PROGRESS ADRIINISTRATION gI'O1
edg·
Eva
HARRY L. HOPKINS, Adininistrator
WILLIALI A. SMITH, State Administrator igg

 FOREVI/ORD
The Inventory of County Archives of Virginia is one of a num-
ber of bibliographies of historical materials prepared throughout the
United States by workers on the Historical Records Survey of the
Works Progress Administration. The publication herewith presented,
an inventory of the archives of Chesterfield County, is number 21 of
the Virginia series.
The Historical Records Survey was undertaken in the winter of
1935-36 for the purpose of providing useful employment to needy un-
employed historians, lawyers, teachers, and research and clerical work-
ers. In carrying out this objective, the project was organized to com-
pile inventories ofhistorical materials, particularly the unpublished
government documents and provide invaluable data for students of po-
litical, economic, and social history. The archival guide herewith pre-
sented is intended to meet the requirements of day—to-day administra-
tion by the officials of the county, and also the needs of lawyers, busi-
ness men and other citizens who require facts from the public records
for the proper conduct of their affairs. The volume is so designed
that it can be used by the historian in his research in unprinted sources
in the same way he uses the library card catalog for printed sources,
The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey at-
tempt to do more than give merely a list of records——they attempt fur-
ther to sketch in the historical background of the county or other unit
of government, and to describe precisely and in detail the organiza-
tion and functions of the government agencies whose records they list.
The county, town, and other local inventories for the entire country
will, when completed, constitute an encyclopedia of local government
as well as a bibliography of local archives.
The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records
Survey, even in a single county, would not be possible without the sup-
port of public officials, historical and legal specialists, and many other
groups in the community. Their cooperation is gratefully acknowl-
edged.
The Survey was organized and has been directed by Luther H.
Evans, and operates as a nation—wide project in the Division of VVomen’s
and Professional Projects, of which Mrs. Ellen S. `Woodward, Assist-
ant Administrator, is in charge.
HARRY L. HZOPKINS,
Administrator.
III

 W
tr;
sic
be;
J.
ve]
0f
0f
tm
rec
img
0ri`
ref
PU
fur
the
zmé
disi
ties
OH:11
far
dist
tric
Joh
M 1*.
vate
` sist;
visc
Fed
and
resi;
c0m

 1 PREFACE
The Historical Records Survey, a project of the Division of
Women’s and Professional Projects of the \Vorks Progress Adminis-
tration, was organized nationally in january 1936 under the supervi-
sion of Dr. Luther H. Evans, National Director. In March, work was
begun in Virginia as part of the Federal V\’riters’ Project with Dr. H.
j. Eckenrode as State Director and Dr. Lester   Cappon of the Uni-
versity of Virginia as part-time Assistant State Supervisor in charge
of the Survey.
The Survey in Virginia has had as its objective the preparation
of complete inventories of the records of the state, counties, cities, and
towns. Information in the entry is given as to the dates of all extant
records, the quantity, the contents of series, the arrangement, index-
ing, and location. Titles are arranged by subject under the ofhce of
origin. In the index they are arranged alphabetically and with cross
references. In the chronological index they are arranged by decades.
Preceding the entries for each office is a brief account of the history,
functions, and records of that office. Non—official records are listed in
the appendix.
Three district supervisors, Elizabeth B. Parker, Lois Gannaway,
and Adele Sterns, were appointed to supervise the work in VV. P. A.
districts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. l\’liss Parker, in addition to her du-
ties as supervisor, had charge of the administrative work in the state
office. Although an inventory of the records in districts 2 and 3 was
far from complete, it was necessary in September 1936 to close these
districts and release the supervisors in order to launch the work in dis-
tricts 4, 5, and 6. The supervisors employed for this territory were:
john D. Clothier, jr., Katherine \’\/atkins, and john T. V\/illiamson.
Mr. VVilliamson resigned from the project in july 1937 to accept pri-
vate employment. VVorl< in his territory was completed with the as-
sistance of his secretary, Katherine Harrington, and the general super-
visory staff of the state office.
In November 1936, when the Survey became independent of the
Federal VVriters’ Project, Dr. Cappon became part-time State Director
and Miss Parker, Assistant State Director. Following Dr. Cappon’s
resignation in june 1937, l\rIiss Parker was appointed State Director.
The Imzciztory of fha County /Ire/ziws of Virginirz will, when
completed, consist of a separate number for each county. The num-
v

 vi PREFACE v_
·bering will be according to the respective position of the county in an  
alphabetical list of counties. Thus Chesterfield County is number 21.  
The inventory of the state archives and municipal and other records ‘
will be issued separately.  
The field work was begun in Chesterfield County in ,March 1936 ,
by Celia L. Meyer under the supervision of Elizabeth B. Parker and ,
completed in September. Final checking was made by Mrs. Meyer y
and Harry H, Parker with some assistance from the supervisor.  
The inventory was edited in the Richmond office through the in
combined efforts of the State Director, two Supervisors—Katherine Pi
Watkins and john D. Clothier, ]r.——and the able assistance of Celia L_
L. Meyer and Frances Lewis who devoted most of their time to statu- .
tory research. Dr. Evans and his editor in chief in the Washington
office, Edythe VVeiner, examined and criticized the manuscript before `
it was printed, but responsibility for its completeness and accuracy lies .
with the Virginia staff. The Survey is indebted to Dr. George M. Mc-  
Farland of the Washington ofhce for his valuable service from time to  
time, to Dr. Cappon for his sketch of "The Evolution of County Gov-
ernment in Virginia," to the officials of the Division of Statutory Re-
search and Drafting for their assistance, and to the officials of Ches-
terfield County for their cooperation.
The Survey also acknowledges with appreciation the aid rendered li
by the University of Virginia in printing this volume.  
ELIZABETH B. PARKER,  
State Director,  
The Historical Records Survey. i
Richmond, Virginia,
]une 9, 1938.
D
l
f
 ‘
i
Vi
{J
if
l
l
l

   TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
  PART A. CH1;sT1:RI¢1E1,D COUNTY AND ITS RECORDS SYSTEM
  1. Historical Sketch .....,.,...............................................................4...........4....... 1
[ 2. The Evolution of County Government in Virginia. By Lester ].
5 Cappon, University of Virginia ...........................................,................ 5
  3. Charts .................................,............................................................................... 34
M 4. Uniformity of Records and Record Keeping .......................................... 36
5. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records .................................. 38
6. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes .............,...................... 40
PART B. COUNTY OFFICES AND THEIR RECORDS
I. Board of Supervisors .................................................................................... 43
Minutes. Warrants and Claims. Budgets. Accounts. Miscel-
laneous.
II. County Clerk ..i..........................................................................,.................... 48
Contracts. Fiduciary Records. Wills. Bonds. Fees. Fines.
l General Accounts. \Vitness and ]uror Accounts. Deeds. Maps.
  judgments and Executions. Licenses and Permits. Registers.
  Business Records. Vital Statistics. Delinquent Taxes. Mis-
cellaneous.
III. Circuit Court ........................................... . ....................................................... 67
Y Procedure. Court Papers. Judgments and Executions. VVar-
Q rants. Condemnation Proceedings. VVills. Naturalization. Ac-
'! counts.
lll IV. County Court ........,.......................................................................................... 77
  Procedure. Court Papers. Executions. Warrants. VVitnesses.
1 Processioners.
Q V. Commonwealth Attorney .........,.................................................................... 82
E VI. Trial justice Court ...................................,.................................................... 83
ti Procedure. VX/arrants. Fees and Fines. Receipts. Accounts.
Ig VII. Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court .,......................,........................... S8
4 VIII. justice of the Peace .................................................,.................................... 89
E Procedure. Warrants. Fines.
I IX. Sheriff ............................................................................................................... 93
I l Taxes. Land Sales. Voters’ Records. Miscellaneous.
E X. ]ailor ........................................................................,.............,.......................... 97
Q XI. Constable ........................................................................................................... 98
is XII. Coroner .............................................................................................................. 99
{1 XIII. Commissioner of Revenue ............................................................................ 100
· Land Records. Personal Property and Income. Capitation.
  Licenses. Interrogatories. Correspondence.
i XIV. Assessors ........................................................................................,.................. 105
I XV. Local Board of Review ......................................................................,......... 107
  XVI. County Treasurer ............................................................................................ 108
I Accounts. VVarrants and Checks. Taxes Paid. Capitation
Q Taxes. Taxes Delinquent—Capitation, Personal, and Land, Col-
X lections and Payments, Land Sales. Licenses. Correspondence.
l
l
I

 I
VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS I
PAGE ;
XVII. County Finance Board .................................................................................. 119 I
XVIII. County Electoral Board ................................................................................ 120 I
XIX. School Trustee Electoral Board ,.......... . ..................................................... 123 I
XX. County School Board .................................................................................... 124 I
Minutes and Business Procedure. Accounts. Requisitions, Bills,  
Receipts. \Varrants. Reports. Miscellaneous Papers.   ·
XXI. Division Superintendent of Schools .......................................................... 130
Personnel. Reports. Individual School Records. Census. I
XXII. County Superintendent of Public \IVclfare (Overseers of the Poor) 134  
Procedure. Financial Records. Surplus Commodities. W. P. ’
A. (VVorks Progress Administration) Records. II
XXIII. Parish Vestry .................................................................................................. 140  
XXIV. Local Board of Health .........................................................................,...... 141 Q
XXV. Sanitation Ofhcer ............................. U ............................................................ 143 Ii
XXVI. County Nurse ................................................................................................... 144  
Child Health. Family Cases.  
XXVII. County Superintendent of Roads ................................................................ 145
Road Records. Financial Records. _
XXVIII. Advisory Road Board .................................................................................... 148 I
XXIX. Counlty Surveyor ............................................................................................ 149 I
XXX. County Agricultural Agent ......................................................................... 151 A
XXXI. Home Demonstration Agent ...................................................................... 152  
XXXII. Townships ..........................................................................,.............................. 153 I
XXXIII. County Militia .................................................................................................. 154 I
Appendix ...,....................................................................................................... 155 I
Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 157
Chronological Index ......... . ..................................................... . ....................... 165 I
Subject Index ............................................................................,.................. 215  
 
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

  
I. HISTORICAL SKETCH
I With an extreme length of thirty-eight miles and a mean breadth of
  twelve, Chesterfield County constitutes a long narrow peninsula lying
I _ between the Iames and Appomattox rivers. Its total area (after a
I small southwestern corner was transferred to Powhatan County in
* 1850) is 469 square miles} It extends from the coastal plain well into
; the Piedmont region and thus includes one bank of the fall line of each
I, of these important rivers. These geographic facts have greatly affected
  the history of the county, for the earliest Virginia inland cities had
4 their beginnings at the fall lines, i. e., the point beyond which water
I. transport could not proceed. This accounts for the fact that Richmond
E, is just across the river from Chesterfield to the north and Petersburg
1 to the south. Proximity to these cities has conditioned the economic
  life of the county to an ever increasing degree.
I In 1749 Chesterfield County was created by an act of the Virginia
I House of Burgesses.2 It was named for Philip Doriner Stanhope, the
I celebrated Lord Chesterfield.3 However, the period of white settle-
  ment long antedated the legal creation. As early as 1613 a town was
founded at Bermuda Hundred, and in 1619, one year before the Pil-
  grims landed at Plymouth, an iron furnace was built at Falling Creek.
A proposed shipment of bar iron from this foundry to England was
_ frustrated by the Indian Massacre of 1622.4
I In the first Order Book of the county court it was recorded _Iuly 7,
  1749, that "_Iohn Booker shall build a Courthouse, prison and pillary
for the use of the said Count situated convenient to the S ring ad-
y p Z:
I jacent to the old Field commonly called Cold Water Run .... The
I Courthouse [is] to be of the same Dimensions and like material as the
I present Courthouse of Henrico County," then located at Varina.5 The
I oldest records of Chesterfield date from the first year of its existence,
I and a considerable number of unbound papers of the colonial period
1 have survived? Their existence is remarkable in view of the fact that,
I durin the Revolution, the British under General Philli s marched u
A g P P
I 1. Department of Agriculture and Immigration of the State of Virginia, Vir-
ginia (1937 ed.), p. 143; Acts 1849-50, p. 26.
2. M. P. Robinson, "Virginia C0unties," in Bulletin of the Virginia State Li-
brary, IX, nos. 1-3, p. 208.
3. Department of Agriculture and Immigration of the State of Virginia, op.
, cit., p. 143.
I 4. Ibid.; P. A. Bruce, Economic History of Virginia iu, tho Sowirtcmtli Century,
` II, pp. 448-49; P, A. Bruce, Iizstitutional History in the Scvmtceatlt Con-
I tary, I, p. 368; II, p. 288.
I 5. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, XIX, p. 427.
1 6. See entries 43, 56, 80, 204, 210, 212.
l 1
I
I
I
I

 2 I
Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 44)
the Appomattox, and captured the Chesterfield courthouse in April
1781. They destroyed the barracks, military supplies, tobacco in stor-
age, and every house in town. The courthouse building itself, which  
had been converted into a hospital, was burned inside, but the walls ,
were not seriously damaged.7 For a period it was evidently necessary
for the county justices to transact their business in such quarters as
they could procure, for we find the legislature passing an act to legalize
such a procedure.8
Since the Church of England was the established church in colonial I
Virginia it was natural that the first subdivisions of the county should _,
be parishes. These subdivisions have evolved into the contemporary I
“magisterial districts." The first, Dale, was established in 1735; and
the second, Manchester, in 1772.*1 ·Towns were of an earlier date; the
first, Pocahontas, having been legally created in 1752.10 Pocahontas
is now a lost town but Rocky Ridge, laid out at the falls of the Iames
by VVilliam Byrd, became the town of Manchester in 1769.11 By 1783 _
`\»Varwicl<, five miles from Chesterfield Court House, was a shipping
and inspection point with a larger population than Richmond, the new
capital of the state.12 Manchester, however, outstripped its rivals in
the county but it was destined to be annexed by its neighbor across
the james and became, in 1910, South Richmond.13 As in practically
all Virginia counties, agriculture has always been the chief industry of
Chesterfield.1* However, other industries that have arisen there have
fiourished and then disappeared. g
In 1835, when joseph Martin compiled his well-known Gazetteer  
of Virginia, he gave most of the space devoted to Chesterfield to a de- I
scription of its coal mining industry. Mining in the Richmond coal I
basin, a geological area of which Chesterfield constitutes a large sec-
tion, began shortly before the Revolution near Midlothian. Profitable I
mining continued until the end of the V\/`ar Between the States. In re- 5
7. Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Man·u.scripts, II, pp. 78, 93;
Virginia Magaaiize of Hilstory and Biography, XV, p. 86; XVIII, p. 199;
XIX, p. 427; Virginia Historical Register, . . ., IV, pp. 199-202.
8. Hen., XI., pp. 153-54; Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, XV,
9.   IV, p. 443; VIII, pp. 603-7.  
10. Ibid., VI. pp. 276-77.
11. Ibid., VIII, pp. 421-22; ]. B. `Watkins, Chesterfield County, Virginia; Its
History and Present Condition, p. 38.
12. Virginia Historical Register, VI, p. 133; Hen., XI, p. 98.
13. Acts 1910, pp. 6-8.
14. However, it is probable that, in the years since the census of 1930, manu-
facturing has taken the lead since the Du Pont rayon and cellophane enter-
prises have constructed three large factories there during this period.
I

 ‘ s
Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 44)
cent times, competition from the great coal fields of southwestern Vir-
ginia and West Virginia has resulted in a virtual suspension of opera-
wl tions.15 However, in 1835, the industry was so fiourishing that Mar-
t tin could claim that the Chesterfield and Manchester Railroad, which
i ran between the mines and Manchester, was the "most profitable rail-
road in the world." 16
i Another industry, unusual in the ante—bellum South, was the Bellona
1 Arsenal and the Bellona Foundry, located on the Chesterfield side of
i the James River, fourteen miles above Richmond. The arsenal was
., founded in 1816 and garrisoned by a company of United States Artil-
A lery ; there a number of "artificers" were engaged in manufacturing and
repairing small arms and other ordnance. The foundry, established
by John Clarke, cast cannon under an annual contract with the gov-
ernment—said to be the best made in the United States. However,
the isolation of the place, combined with the difficulty in securing
— {skilled mechanics, and the fear that an uprising of the many Negro
slaves employed in the neighboring coal pits might result in the capture
of the ordnance, resulted in the removal of the arsenal to Fortress
Monroe in 1835.17
° During the period between the Revolution and the VVar Between the
States, Chesterfield’s population advanced unspectacularly from 10,846 18
\ to 19,016.19 At the latter date nearly one-half the population was
slave. The disturbances of the decade of the War and Reconstruction
i (1860-70) resulted in an actual decrease of population. Since 1870,
1 however, the population has advanced steadily from 18,400 to 26,049
1 in 1930.20 Chesterfield’s proximity to three cities—Richmond, Peters-
i burg, and Hopewell—together with the extension of good roads and
I public utilities—has resulted in a great many real estate developments
I in the county since 1930 and the census of 1940 will doubtless reveal
an unprecedented population increase. This tendency is being accel-
  erated by the industrialization of the county. In 1900, eighty—three
15. J. B. Woodworth, "The Atlantic Coast Triassic Coal Field," in Annual Re-
port of the Dejmrtnient of Interior for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1901,
Twenty-Second Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, pt.
111, pp. 38-41; J. K. Roberts, The Geology of the Virginia Triassic, pp. 94-
96, 106; J. Martin, A New and Coinfzrehensizie Gazetteer of Virginia., and
the District of Columbia, pp. 151-52; Watkins, afi. cit., pp. 13-14, 35-36.
16. Martin, op. cit., p. 151.
17. Ibid., pp. 152-53.
18. Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Mianuscri/its, 111, p. 551.
19. Population of the U. S`. in 1860 . . . Eighth Census, p. 516.
Z0. The Statistics of the Population of the U. S .... Ninth Census, p. 279;
Fifteenth Census of the U. S`.: 1930, Population, 111, pt. 2, p. 1152.
1

 {
4 i
Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 44) i
industrial establishments in the county employed 546 persons; by 1930.
the number of establishments had fallen to twenty-nine but the num-
ber of employees increased to 2,085.21 However, the number of_ em- N
* ployees in the new Du Pont factories alone, constructed since 1930, is "
greater than the latter figure.
It is obvious from the above that Chesterfield County has been
changing rapidly during the past seventeen years. These changes have
had far-reaching effects not only in the social and economic life of the
people but in the county government as well. In 193222 the legislature
enacted that, upon petition of a sufficient number of voters, an election p
should be held in each county, to decide whether the county should
continue with the old form of government, attacked on the ground of
inefficiency, or substitute one of two more modern plans.23
It is significant that these new plans were adopted in counties near
urban areas where conditions are similar to those in Chesterfield.“*
In November 1937 there was sufficient support for the new plan to
bring the matter to a vote in Chesterfield. Despite a favorable ma-
jority in the districts adjacent to Richmond and Petersburg and the
efforts of the Chesterfield Better Government League, the voters re- _
jected the county “executive" plan, by a vote of 1707 to 1110.25 Agi- ·
tation continued, however, and during the 1938 session of the 1egisla—  
ture, the Chesterfield delegate, favorable to the present government,  
secured the passage of two bills designed to postpone action. The first  
of these so-called "Hobson" bills permitted the board of supervisors, ,
at their discretion, to appoint a county executive; the second would
limit a referendum on the reform measure to once in three years.2° ·j
Proponents of the executive plan immediately formed a Committee to
Save the Vote which obtained a sufficient number of signatures to a
petition to secure another referendum before the three-year law be-
came effective. However, the election, held May 12, 1938, was won
by the proponents of the present form of county government by a vote
of 2,169 to 1,743.27 _
21. Twclflhi Cmzsizs 0f the U. S., Mari/zifa-cfzevrcs, VIII, pt. 2, pp. 910-11; Fifteenth `
Census of thc U. S.: 1930, Manzofactuircs, 111, p. 532.
22. Acts 1932, pp. 727-S2.
23. Described on pp. 30-33.
24. Arlington, a suburb of Washington, D. C., under a special act, 1930 (Acts
1930, pp. 387-92), Albemarle, which includes Charlottesville and the Univer-
sity of Virginia, 1933, and Henrico, surrounding Richmond on three sides,
25. igihimoncl Tinxcs-Disfvafrli, November 3, 1937, p. 1.
26. Richmond News Leader, March 8, 1938, p. 1.
27. Richmond Tiirzcs-Dispatch, May 13, 1938, p. 1. \
1
1

 I
I
l
. 2. THE EVOLUTION OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN
VIRGINIA
BY
 I . LESTER I. CAPPON, UNIVERSITY or VIRGINIA
INTRODUCTION
In a very real sense democracy is the central theme in the develop-
ment of local institutions in America. So often has this idea been re-
iterated in Howing oratory and heated debate that on ordinary occa-
sions the public is apathetic to its significance. Being in the nature of
a truism, such is its fate; but, for the same reason, it will not down.
Some new turn of events which moves the student to reassess the idea
brings forth fresh evidence from the records. And some new chal-
lenge to democracy, such as we are conscious of today, leads him back
to a critical review of the basic political structure.
On first thought, this trend in modern scholarship may seem the
more remarkable in view of the wider interest in and the higher news
value of national, international, or state-wide events. Yet the