rss rss feed

HENRICO, Virginia in the 1830s: 1 through 10 of 12

Sort By:Chronology | Recently Written or Edited
  1. Upper-class Female Education in the Antebellum South
    date August 24, 1830map HENRICO, Virginiatags Arts/Leisure, Education, Women

    In the years prior to the Civil War, upper-class families in the South lived the good life. The Randolphs of Richmond were one such family. In 1830, William Randolph and his clan maintained several houses and a handful of slaves across the state, living prosperously in the antebellum Virginia. Judging by records left behind, Randolph provided very well for his family, feeding, clothing, and educating...

  2. The Wheat Economy in Antebellum Richmond
    date September 12, 1830map HENRICO, Virginiatags Agriculture, Migration/Transportation

    George Watson was a businessman in antebellum Richmond. With a profitable wheat farm and an advanced method of distribution in place, Watson regularly shipped hundreds of bushels of grain across the region from his base in Henrico County. Like any businessman, he also kept a tight eye on his bottom line - constantly setting and resetting the price of wheat once demand started to pick up. Watson was...

  3. James Barbour Retires from Politics
    date December 7, 1830map HENRICO, Virginiatags Government, Politics

    In a letter to his brother-in-law, Daniel Bryan, on December 7, 1830, James Barbour discussed his life and retirement from politics. Barbour had been a member of the House of Delegates in Virginia from 1793 to 1804 and again from 1808 to 1812, the governor of Virginia from 1812 to 1815, a Virginia senator from 1815 to 1825, and the U.S. Secretary of War from 1825 to 1828. Writing to Bryan, Barbour...

  4. Dueling: An Expression of Southern Honor
    date April 18, 1831map HENRICO, Virginiatags Urban-Life/Boosterism, War

    Dueling was a very important part of southern culture during the 1830s and displayed a major element of the personality and ideas of southern white men. On April 18, 1831, a duel took place in Richmond, Virginia, between a Mr. Prior and a Mr. Rae. Both gentleman resided in the central Virginia region and were of the wealthy class among their local communities. The fight began over a dispute about the...

  5. Southern Reaction to the Nullification Threat
    date June 28, 1832map HENRICO, Virginiatags Government, Law, Politics, War

    It was the summer of 1832, and tension hung over Richmond like a thick fog. National unrest had been building throughout the United States for quite some time, and sectional pressure between the North and South was nearing its boiling point. Those people living in Virginia's capital sensed the impending conflict more than most. Mere months before the South Carolina nullification crisis erupted, John...

  6. The Elite South are Immune
    date September 7, 1832map HENRICO, Virginiatags African-Americans, Health/Death, Race-Relations, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    A cholera epidemic struck the United States in 1834, affecting southerners in every social standing. However; elitism and negative racial attitudes ultimately influenced perceptions about the transmission of the disease. Todd Savitt, a historian specializing in nineteenth-century medicine and disease stated that white Virginians often related high morals, clean living and orthodoxy to immunity during...

  7. Cholera Outbreak in Richmond, Virginia
    date September 24, 1832map HENRICO, Virginiatags Health/Death

    When cholera swept through Richmond in the fall of 1832, it was an unfamiliar disease with no cure. Originating in India in 1826, the world's first cholera epidemic traveled over trade routes and down polluted waterways - spreading through Asia, Europe, Canada, and the northern United States in the span of just a few years. Unable to identify a cause much less a cure, doctors were powerless to stop...

  8. Slave Sale in Antebellum Richmond
    date January 9, 1835map HENRICO, Virginiatags African-Americans, Race-Relations, Slavery

    Thomas Harrison was a generous father. When the Virginia planter died in January 1835, he left his entire Henrico County plantation and all its contents to his son, Randolph, to deal with however he saw fit. As the executor of his father's estate, Randolph decided to turn his father's gift into a fresh start by selling off everything from farm machinery and supplies to animals and utensils. He also...

  9. Runaway Slave Advertisement in Richmond, Virginia
    date January 9, 1835map HENRICO, Virginiatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Race-Relations, Slavery

    Walk down the streets of any major city in America today and it is hard to miss the fliers. Leaflets advertising a lost dog or runaway cat grace lampposts and telephone poles on every street corner, many including descriptions, names, and last known whereabouts of beloved family pets. Like modern neighbors across America, slave owners in antebellum Richmond, Virginia advertised for the return of their...

  10. Virginia General Assembly Votes on Railroad
    date January 9, 1835map HENRICO, Virginiatags Agriculture, Government, Politics, Migration/Transportation

    By 1835, the Industrial Revolution had swept up Richmond in its wave of innovation and change. At a time when massive advancements were being made in the areas of agriculture, factory production, transportation, and communication, Richmond's General Assembly was still reeling from the logistics of such a massive overhaul. In early January, an advertisement was taken out in the Richmond Whig and Public...

1 | 2 | Next »