Lists taken in 1782/1783 were authorized by Acts of the Assembly, May 1782, Chap. XXII. [Hening 11: 40-41] The law was extended at the Oct. 1782 session, Chap. II [Hening 11: 108]; and at the May 1783 session, Chap. IV [Hening 11: 193], to end 1 Dec. 1783. http://vagenweb.org/hening/ It apparently took that long for all counties to complete the survey.
The lists taken in 1784/1785 were authorized by Acts of the Assembly, May 1784, Chap. XXXVIII [Hening 11: 415-417]
The known lists surviving in 1908 were published in _Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Records of the State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785: Virginia._ Since that time several additional lists have turned up, including Fauquier County 1785 and Botetourt County 1785.
The 1782 law as to purpose says "whereas congress have recommended it to the several states to ascertain the number of people therein ..." It directs the court of each county to "take a list of the number of people, both white and black, therein."
"In November, 1781, a resolution was introduced in Congress recommending to the several states that they make an enumeration of their white inhabitants pursuant to the ninth article of the Confederation. The resolution failed to pass and the article was inoperative. Several of the states, however, made an enumeration about this time. The question of a settlement of the national debt became continually more serious, and the unwillingness of some of the states to order a general census and assume their equitable proportion made it apparent that a complete enumeration of the inhabitants of the country could never be made except by a central directing authority." [_A Century of Population Growth_ , 4] http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00165897.pdf
The 1784 Virginia law says: "Whereas by the eighth of the articles of confederation and perpetual union, it is agreed and declared, that all charges of war, and all other expences for the common defence or general welfare, allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of the common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states in proportion to the value of all land within each state as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated, ... whereas also, ... [Congress] by their act of February the seventeenth, 1783, called upon the legislature of each state for a just and accurate account of the quantity of land therein, granted to or surveyed for any person, the number of buildings thereon, distinguishing dwelling houses from other buildings, and the number of inhabitants, distinguishing white from black: And whereas, by the laws now in force, the quantity of land and the number of black inhabitants within this commonwealth are already ascertained [i.e. by the land and personal property tax lists]: Be it therefore enacted, That the courts of each county ... take a list from each person within the same [i.e. each family head] of the number of white persons in each family therein, and the number of buildings, distinguishing dwelling-houses from other buildings." There is some detail about the method of collecting the information.
I would infer from the wording of the law, that any family that does not have a separate dwelling must be living with one of their neighbors who is charged with the dwelling.
Donald L. Wilson, Virginiana Librarian
The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center
for Genealogy and Local History (RELIC)
Prince William Public Library System
Bull Run Regional Library
8051 Ashton Avenue, Manassas, VA 20109-2892
703-792-4540
www.pwcgov.org/library/RELIC
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Kilby
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 9:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Statutory Authority for 1783 and 1785 List of Inhabitants
> Can anyone direct me to the relevant statutes authorizing/requiring the two lists above? The 1783 list includes head of household, number of white inhabitants, and number of black inhabitants. The 1785 list is for whites only, and includes head of household, number of whites, number of dwelling houses, and number of "other houses" (buildings). I have the lists for Lancaster County. The 1785 list is headed with notation "per Act of Assembly." I'm curious as to why these lists were made, and what exactly was considered a dwelling house and "other houses." Some people on the list have no dwelling house, nor any other buildings.
>
> Craig Kilby
______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
|
