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AN ACT

FOR THE

Relief of Families of Soldiers and Sailors

FROM VIRGINIA,

WITHIN THE LINES OF THE ENEMY.

AND

REGULATIONS

FOR THE

GOVERNMENT OF AGENTS IN DISTRIBUTING THF, fUHD,

1864.

7*«v

A. 1ST AC

For ths Relief of Fanrlie3 of Soldiers living in Countiea within
Lines or urder the Control of the Enemy.

Passed February 20, L864

J. Be it enacted by the general assembly, that the sum of one million

dollars be aud the same is hereby appropriated for* the relief of the needy
families of soldiers and Bailors in the confederate service from the state ©f
Virginia, residing in counties within the lines or the power of the enemy,
as herein after provided.

#, The auditor, second auditor and secretary of the commonwealth are
hereby appointed commissioners, to act without compensation, to ■
to the apportionment and expenditure of said money; and they are h

authorized to appoint agents for the several counties, to expend such
sums as the commissioners may allot to them, for the relief of the needj
families of such soldiers and sailors residing in their respective counties
I •■rations, and for the needy families of those who have been \.~
ahled or honorably discharged, and of the needy widows and minoi
dren of such as may have died or may hereafter die; and shall take bond
and security from such agents, payable to the commonwealth, in a snfh-
cient penalty, for the performance of the trust reposed in them; and shall
require said agents to return an account of such expenditure, showing
• amount expended for each family: and shall make such regulations
as they may think proper, to prevent fraud and secure a faithful, just
and equitable distribution of said funds among the several counties, and
among the families in such county : provided, that the widowed mother
.and her family shall be considered as the family ol' a son who has been
killed or disabled, or who has died in the service: and provided further,
that lhe provisions of this act shall also be extended to the classes of
persons named therein who may not reside within the lines of the enemy,
hut upon neutral ground, or in such relation thereto as that, in the opinion
of said commissioners, the count} courts of the counties in which they
reside cannot afford them relief under existing laws: and provided fur-
ther, that the agents appointed for the several counties shall be residents
of the couuty for which thej nxa appointed, and are over forty-five years

<rf age, or not subject to military service: and provided further, that
where fche money cannot be distributed on account of the enemy, it shall
be retailed in the hands of the proper agents until such time as it can be
go distributed.

.1 hi order to raise funds available for the purposes of this act, the
a*?d commissioners are hereby empowered to direct the issue of coupon
o* registered bonds of this commonwealth, bearing six per centum inte-
nse t per annum, authenticated in the manner prescribed in the second
junction of the sixty-seventh chapter of the Code of Virginia (edition of
eighteen hundred and sixty), to such an amount as may be necessary,
uoi; exceeding the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ; and said com-
muisiomeis are directed fro effect an exchange of said bonds for at least an
eqnajl amount of the notes of the ba.nks of this commonwealth, with said
bftnkl or others ; and the notes thus obtained are to be applied exclusively
t<o (the support of needy families in those counties where, from the pre-
aeoicse of the public enemy, confederate treasury notes cannot be used.
T%tb said commissioners shall use confederate or Virginia treasury notes
wherever they can, and shall draw orders on the auditor of publie
accounts, who shall issue his warrant on the treasurer therefor: provided
the whole amount of bonds issued and treasury notes paid shall not
together exceed the amount appropriated in the first section of this act.

4 The commissioners shall report their proceedings under this act to
:be waati session of the general assembly.

b This act shall be in force from its passage.

A copy from the rolls — Teste,

WM F GORDON, Jut

C. H. D.tiK. •/ R.

REGULATIONS

Ita the Government of the Agents appointed by the Commissioners,
the Act passed February 20, 1864, for the Belief of Needy Families «£
Soldiers and Sailors of the State of Virginia.

1. The agents must be residents of the counties for which they are
appointed; must be over forty-five years of age, or not. subject to mil;
tary service.

2. They must each execute a bond with security, payable to the com
raonwealth, in a penalty of ten thousand dollars, for the faithful perform
ance of the trust reposed in them.

3. The said agents shall keep regular accounts, showing the amount
received under the act, and the amount expended, specifying to whom
paid; the sum paid for each member of a family; how many persons
constitute the family, and whose family it is or was ; and shall return to
the board at Richmond, quarterly, the full statements herein required.

4. As soon as any agent shall be appointed, it shall be his duty to
ascertain the number of persons in his county who may be entitled to
relief under the act, and to apportion the amount of money allotted to
such agent among the persons entitled, ascertaining the amount which
should be assigned to each grown person, and how much to each child,
and then giving to each individual not having a family the amount allot
ted to him or her, and to the head of each family the amount due to each
grown person in the family, and to each child therein. Where the agent
cannot ascertain in any county the whole number of families entitled, he
shall retain in the distribution a sufficient amount in his hands to b*
applied to such person or persons as he may thereafter ascertain to be
entitled I

5. When any sum of money is paid to any person or to any head of a
Cwnily, a proper receipt shall be taken; which shall be preserved by the
agent, and shall constitute a voucher to sustain and settle his accounts,
and shall be returned by him to the board, with their quarterly state .

b\ The persona entitled to the fund assigned to each county shall bo
the following :

The needy widow, and the minor children of such soldiers or sailors as
may have been killed in battle, or may have otherwise died, or may here-
after be killed in battle, or may hereafter otherwise die.

Any needy female adult child of such deceased party having no hus-
band, or who may have been dependent upon such deceased parly, and
unable to obtain her own support.

The needy family of soldiers or sailors in service, where the families
are residing in the county or corporation which is in the hands of the.
enemy.

The needy families of those who have been disabled or honorably dis-
charged.

The widowed mother and her family are to be considered as a part of
the family of a son who has been killed, disabled, discharged, or who has
died, even though the son may have a family of his own.

Persons who do not reside within the lines of the enemy, but upon
neutral ground, are to be entitled to relief as well as those within the
said lines ; but no person is to receive relief under the act, if the county
courts of the counties in which they reside can afford them relief under
< \is ting laws.

7. Agents, after executing their bonds, and after they have been ap-
proved, must return the same to the second auditor of Virginia, to be
preserved by him, with authority to sue, and compel a proper account
and a full settlement of all balances remaining on hand, when thereto
required.

The following form and authentication of bond is to be used:

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That we
of the county of , axe held and firmly bound unto the com-

monwealth of Virginia in the just and full sum of ten thousand dollars;
to the payment whereof, well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves,
our heirs and personal representatives, jointly and severally, firmly by
these presents.

Witness our hands and seals this daj of 18

The condition of the above obligation is such, That wherean
the above has been appointed, by the commissioners appointed

by the act passed 20th February 1864, for the relief of soldiers, Ac., agent
to expend the amount that may be allotted to the county of

Now, if the said shall faithfully discharge the duties of his

appointment according to law, then this obligation shall be void ; other-
wise to remain in full force and virtue.

[Seal.]
[Seal.]
County .

personally appeared befoTe me.
and acknowledged the above bond to be their act and deed ; and the said
surety made oath that he (or they) are worth the penalty
of the bond, after bis (or their) debts, or those for which he (or they) are
bound, are paid.

Given under my hand this * day of

The acknowledgment may be taken by a justice or notary public.

9. County agents may appoint sub-agents within their respective
counties, to aid in the distribution of the fund; but in all such cases, the
county agent will be held responsible upon his official bond for the
faithful performance of the duties of such sub-agent.

J. M. BENNETT,
H. W. THOMAS,
G. W MUNFORD.

Commissioners.

Hollinger Corp.
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