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RARE 1863 CONFEDERATE VIRGINIA POLITICAL ELECTION POLLS
FOUR extremely unusual old manuscript Political Election documents recorded in Confederate Virginia in the middle of the Civil War. These polling / voting records were taken & recorded at HORSE PASTURE STORE in HENRY COUNTY VIRIGNIA. There is also an affidavit signed by the Henry County Justice of the Peace, certifying oaths taken by the several election commissioners.
Each of the four voting records are written out in legible dark ink on a special POLLING PAPER apparently designed specifically for recording political election results. The paper has both horizontal & vertical printed lines, almost like a large graph paper. These pages do not appear to have been “detached” from any bound volume or ledger, but rather to have always been a “stand alone” record.
The 5 old documents that comprise this lot are as follows:
1--A POLL HELD AT HORSE PASTURE STORE IN HENRY COUNTY on Thursday, the 28th day of May 1863 for the office of LIEUTENANT GOVERNER OF VIRGINIA, 3 pages, about 7 x 16” long. The two listed candidates for the office are CSA GENERAL JOHN IMBODEN & Samuel Price. This old document records the full names & votes of about EIGHTY citizens of Henry County, who apparently appeared on that day to register and record their votes at the Horse Pasture Store polling place. Document is signed off as “A TRUE POLL” by the conductor / commissioners of the polling.
[“The war and his military command apparently did not dampen Imboden’s desire for political office. In the fall of 1863 he paired with gubernatorial candidate Thomas S. Flournoy to run for lieutenant governor of Virginia on the Whig ticket. Although Imboden won the military vote for his office, the election went to Democrats William “Extra Billy” Smith and Samuel Price.”]
2--A POLL HELD AT HORSE PASTURE STORE IN HENRY COUNTY on Thursday, the 28th day of May 1863 for a DELEGATE TO THE NEXT LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA, 4 pages, about 7 x 14” long. There are SEVEN candidates listed for the office as follows: Samuel J. Mullins, James M. Smith, Jesse M. Richardson, Haiden(?) Dyer, William H. Davis, Peyton B. Gravely & Dr. Joseph H. Wade. This old document records the full names & votes of about 130 different citizens of Henry County, who apparently appeared on that day to register and record their votes at the Horse Pasture Store polling place. Document is signed off as “A TRUE POLL” by the conductor / commissioners of the polling. Most citizens appear to have voted for Samuel J. Mullins who was one of Henry County’s prominent citizens who organized Company A of the 42nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. As Captain of the company he served for some time with Jackson in the Valley, but resigned to accept a seat in the Legislature of Virginia. He was later appointed a Judge for Henry County.
3--A POLL HELD AT HORSE PASTURE STORE IN HENRY COUNTY on Thursday, the 28th day of May 1863 for a member TO THE NEXT SENATE OF VIRGINIA, 4 pages, about 7 x 16” long. There are TWO candidates listed for the office, Peter Saunders and William A. Burwell. This old document records the full names & votes of about 140 different citizens of Henry County, who apparently appeared on that day to register and record their votes at the Horse Pasture Store polling place. Document is signed off as “A TRUE POLL” by the conductor / commissioners of the polling. Most citizens appear to have voted for Peter Saunders who was from Rocky Mount in Franklin County and who had been a delegate to the Virginia Convention that voted to secede from the Union in 1861.
4--A POLL HELD AT HORSE PASTURE STORE IN HENRY COUNTY on Thursday, the 28th day of May 1863 for a person to fill the office of ATTORNEY GENERAL OF VIRGINIA, 2 pages, about 7 x 16” long. There is just ONE CANDIDATE listed for the office, J. Randolph Tucker. This old document records the full names & votes of about 68 different citizens of Henry County, who apparently appeared on that day to register and record their votes at the Horse Pasture Store polling place. Document is signed off as “A TRUE POLL” by the conductor / commissioners of the polling. Of course, all citizens voted for Tucker who was the son of Henry St. George Tucker and born in Winchester, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1844. He served as the Attorney General of Virginia from 1857 to 1865. He later served in the United States House of Representatives. This poll is more damaged than any of the others as it is nearly TORN IN HALF along the center horizontal fold line (see scan).
5—The final document in this lot of Confederate Civil War political papers, is a 1-page (5.75 x 6.5”) document written in legible dark ink as follows: “Henry County to with. I Geo. W. Booker a Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid do certify that Wm A. Campbell Conductor, Peter Shelton, Adsford Dove, John H. Pedigo Commissioners, John A. Hardee, H. C. Wootton, Jas. H. Dyer, Martin H. Hereford, Jno. H. Schoolfield, D. F. Pedigo (?) personally appeared before at Horse Pasture Precinct in the County aforesaid, and took the oaths prescribed by law on this 28th May 1863. Signed George W. Booker J. P.” [George W. Booker was born in 1822, married Maria Philpott, studied law and represented Henry County in the State Legislature just after the Civil War. In 1868, he was elected to the Congress of the United States from the Fifth District of Virginia. He died in 1884.]
All 5 documents are written on old period paper with excellent rag content. There are a few small splits along fold lines, rough edges, stains, etc., on all of the documents but only one is rather severely damaged as it has separated across much of its center horizontal fold line (could be easily repaired using document tape) as described above. Otherwise, all are in generally good condition (see scan). Scan shows both sides of one of the poll documents opened up, and the rest folded & laid on top of each other.
Price= $950.00
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