October 4, 2018 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham County’s Poor, 1805-1820: Part III

One of Roger G. Ward’s many Buckingham County-related publications: “Buckingham County Virginia Natives Who Died Elsewhere, 1853-1896.”

Roger G. Ward has abstracted images from the Buckingham County Virginia Loose Papers housed at the Huntington Library. This series shares tidbits from that cache. At the end of the series, there will be a link to a PDF of his complete document.

Click here to catch up:

Buckingham County’s Poor, 1805-1820: Part I

During the nineteenth century, slaves sometimes required care by someone other than their owner. Public charity might be involved in their upkeep. Here are some examples from the “Buckingham County Virginia Loose Papers.”

John M. Reynolds was paid 20 cents, per day, per person for keeping Caty, “a negro girl,” the property of [?] Burton from March 10-July 1823 and for keeping Fanny, also Burton’s property, from March 10, 1823 to March 24, 1824.

John “McRaynolds” [Is he John M. Reynolds above?] was paid 20 cents, per day, for keeping seven negroes who were the property of John P. Morriss, from January 10-February 9, 1824. He also kept Davey from the January 12-February 9, 1824. With Davey also Morriss’ property?

Bolling Branch boarded Wilcher, “a negro man,” who was the property of John Nicholas from August 20-September 25, 1818.

Is this Major Bolling Branch (1771-1829) who is buried in Richmond’s Shockoe Hill Cemetery and John Nicholas, the planter, who lived at Seven Islands at Buckingham County’s Horseshoe Bend? Can a Slate River Ramblings reader comment on the relationship between Bolling Branch and John Nicholas?

Learn much more about the history of Buckingham County’s poorhouses, in my essay “Stewards of the Poor: Buckingham County’s Poorhouses” in “At a Place Called Buckingham” Volume Two.

Coming next: Buckingham County’s Poor, 1805-1820: Part IV