Albemarle County (Va.) Election Records, 1902-1952

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Albemarle County (Va.) Election Records, 1902-1952. Local government records collection, Albemarle County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Extent:
8.55 cu. ft. (19 boxes); 1 vol.
Creator:
Albemarle County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Albemarle County (Va.) Election Records, 1902-1952. Local government records collection, Albemarle County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Albemarle County (Va.) Election Records,1902-1952, consists of Albemarle County lists of registered voters compiled in the individual county precincts and a general voter registration volume, as well as lists of registered voters from Charlottesville City (Va.). Albemarle County lists of registered voters consist of the individual rolls of registered voters, colored and white, for the following precincts: Albernine, Batesville, Blackwell, Carter's Bridge, Courthouse, Covesville, Crozet, Earlysville, Free Union, Hillsboro, Howardsville, Ivy, Keswick, Lindsay, Milton, Monticello, North Garden, Owensville, Porters, Proffit, Scottsville, Stony Point, White Hall and Wingfields. Also included are the individual rolls of registered voters, colored and white, for the following wards of Charlottesville City (Va.): 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Rolls also include names of women who registered following passage of Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Information found in the rolls includes date of registration; number of registered voter; name of registered voter; date of birth; age; occupation; residence; length of residence in state, county, and precinct; whether exempt from poll tax; if naturalized, and if so, date of papers and by what court issued; if transferred from another precinct, and if so, when and to what precinct. The information found in the 1902 rolls was transferred to the 1900-1903 general voter registration book also found in this collection. Various miscellaneous papers can also be found within the volumes of this collection including ballots, registration applications, correspondence and newspaper articles related to the poll tax.

City of Charlottesville

Stony Point (White), Milton (White), Monticello (White), Owensville (White), Carters Bridge (White), Howardsville (White)

Lindsay (White), Stony Point (White), Monticello (White), Free Union (White), Howardsville (White), Alberene (White), Howardsville (White), White Hall (White)

Monticello (White), Free Union (White, Colored), Alberene (White), Courthouse- Charlottesville (White), Batesville (White), Porters (White), Blackwell (White), Courthouse- Charlottesville (White)

Scottsville (White), Earlysville (White), North Garden (White), Keswick (White), Hillsboro (White), Lindsay (White)

Proffit (White), Ivy (White), White Hall (White), Crozet (White), Proffit (White), Hillsboro (White)

Milton (White), Batesville (White), Wingfield (White, Colored), Free Union (White), Owensville (White), Scottsville (White)

Stony Point (White), Howardsville (White), Covesville (White), Porters (White), North Garden (White), Wingfields (White), Carters Bridge (White)

Owensville (White), White Hall (White), Scottsville (White-Female), Keswick (White), Monticello (White), Ivy (White), Monticello (White)

Free Union (White, Colored), Covesville (White), Alberene (White), Free Union (White), Howardsville (White), Earlysville (White)

Folwers (White), Fourth Ward-Charlotteville (White), First Ward- Charlottesville (White), Lindsay (White), Courthouse-Charlottesville (White), Blackwell (White), Crozet (White)

Fourth Ward-Charlottesville (White), First Ward-Charlottesville (White), First Ward-Charlottesville (Colored), Third Ward-Charlottesville (Colored), Second Ward-Charlottesville (Colored), Fourth Ward-Charlottesville (Colored), First Ward-Charlottesville (Female-Colored), Third Ward-Charlottesville (White), First Ward-Charlottesville (Male-White)

Howardsville, Alberene, Courthouse-Charlottesville, Keswick, North Garden, Crozet, Howardsville, Carters Bridge, Owensville, Earlysville, Stony Point, Ivy, Keswick, Lindsay, Monticello, Batesville

Free Union, Scottsville, Free Union, Proffit, Hillsboro, White Hall, Porters, Milton, Coveville, White Hall, Crozet, Court House- Charlottesville, Carters Bridge, Wingfield

Milton, Alberene, Stony Point, Owenville, Proffit, Batesville, Milton, Alberene, Stony Point, Earlysville, Covesville, Hillsboro, North Garden, Porters

North Garden, Free Union, Monticello, Crozet, Scottsville, Howardsville, White Hall, Owensville, Ivy, Lindsay

First Ward- City of Charlottesville (White), Charlottesville (Colored), Hillsboro (Colored), Charlottesville (Colored), Earlysville (Colored), Monticello (Colored), Owensville (Colored), Milton- Scottsville (White), Owensville (Colored), Wingfield (White), Carter's Bridge (White)

Monticello (Colored), Lindsay (White), Earlysville (White), Keswick (Colored), Scottsville (Colored- Male), Fourth Ward-Charlottesville (Colored), Covesville (White), Howardsville (Colored), Carters Bridge (Colored), Batesville (Colored)

Stony Point (White), Proffit (White), Stony Point (Colored), Proffit (Colored), Balesville (White), Owensville (White), Owenville (White), Blackwell (White)

Courthouse- Charlotteville (White), Scottsville (White-Male), Carters Bridge (White)

Biographical / historical:

Context for Records:The election records group encompasses all of the documents dealing with public elections and is related to voters and voting. The franchise in Virginia has varied in its extent. Prior to the revolutionary war, white male freeholders (real property owners) over 21, were the only individuals entitled to vote. This condition was continued by the 1776 Constitution. Alterations in the extent of the franchise could only be made by constitutional change. There was an attempt in 1829-30 to extend the franchise as well as to reapportion the representation to the general assembly. The right to vote was extended to potential property owners (reversioners or remaindermen of freehold estates) and long term leaseholders, as well as white males over 21 who have resided in a locality for at least twelve months and paid taxes. The constitution of 1850-51 widely extended the suffrage. All white males aged 21, residents of Virginia for two years, and resident for one year in the locality in which they were living at the time of the election were now eligible to vote. The 1867-68 Constitution extended the vote to include newly emancipated black males.

Several attempts were made to restrict the suffrage by imposing educational requirements and making the ballot secret. These acts included the Anderson-McCormick law and the Walton law of 1893-94. The 1902 voter registration books were created following the passage of the 1902 Virginia state constitution. The purpose of the 1902 state constitution was to maintain white suffrage while eliminating African-American voters by means of literacy tests as well as property and poll tax requirements.

The Nineteenth Amendment was granted the right to vote to women. It was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920.

Locality History:Albemarle County was named for William Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle, and governor of Virginia from 1737 to 1754. It was created by a statute of 1744 and formed from Goochland County; part of Louisa County was added in 1761 and islands in the Fluvanna (now the James) River in 1770. The court met for the first time on 8 February 1745. The county seat is the city of Charlottesville.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Albemarle County under an undated accession.
Processing information:

These records were previously boxed and cataloged without specific information regarding precinct or race. Additional metadata was added to the finding aid to allow for more precise box retrival.

Encoded by V. Brooks: June 2026

Arrangement:

For descriptive purposes, the collection has been divided into one series:

  • Series I: Voter Registers, 1902-1952

Physical location:
State Records Center- Archives Annex