Giles County (Va.) Organization Records, 1839-1866

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:

Giles County (Va.) Organization Records, 1839-1866 [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Giles County Organization Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Extent:
1 volume; 0.45 cubic feet (1 box)
Creator:
Giles County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Giles County (Va.) Organization Records, 1839-1866 [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Giles County Organization Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Giles County (Va.) Organization Records, 1839-1866 is comprised of various records created by groups in Giles County. The records consist of a minute book and unprocessed, loose records.

Scope and Content:The Pearisburg Academy Association Records consists of minutes. The minutes document the election of trustees, approval of a constitution and by-laws, sale of stock to subscribers, construction of a brick schoolhouse in Pearisburg, and agreements with teachers who contracted to use the building.

Scope and Content:The Pearisburg Academy Association Records consists of minutes. The minutes document the election of trustees, approval of a constitution and by-laws, sale of stock to subscribers, construction of a brick schoolhouse in Pearisburg, and agreements with teachers who contracted to use the building.

Historical Information: The Pearisburg Academy Association was established by Act of the General Assembly April 2, 1839, to raise money to build a more attractive schoolhouse in Pearisburg, with the intent of attracting "a more systematic plan of education" to the village. The Association contracted with schoolmasters to use the building for a school.

Includes boxes containing material identified as organization records. These records may be flat fliled or foldered but not fully processed.

Includes records from Giles Lodge No. 106.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Organization Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These organization records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, organization records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These organization record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debt suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History:Giles County was named for William Branch Giles, United States senator from Virginia in 1806 when the county was created from Montgomery, Monroe (now in West Virginia), and Tazewell Counties. Several subsequent additions were made from Wythe (1808), Monroe in 1829 and Mercer in 1841 (both now in West Virginia), Craig (1880), and Tazewell (1826 and 1836) counties. The county seat is Pearisburg.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from Giles County in 2010 under accession number 45263. Additional records came to the Library of Virginia under an undated accession.
Processing information:

Prior to 2025, the various organization records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large organization record for the locality. Since 2025, these records additionally include identified but not processed records.

Encoded by J. Taylor: December 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into one series:

  • Series I: Pearisburg Academy Association Records, 1839-1854
  • Series II: Giles County (Va.) Organization Records, 1866 [UNPROCESSED]

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
.