Download or read book Spotsylvania County Road Orders, 1722-1734 written by Nathaniel Mason Pawlett and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The establishment and maintenance of public roads were among the most important functions of the county court during the colonial period in Virginia. Each road was opened and maintained by an overseer (or surveyor) of the highways, who was appointed each year by the Gentlemen Justices. The overseer was usually assigned all the able-bodied men (the "Labouring Male Tithables") living on or near the road. These laborers then furnished their own tools, wagons, and teams and were required to work on the roads for six days each year. County court records relating to roads and transportation are collectively known as "road orders." The Virginia Transportation Research Council's published volumes of road orders and related materials contain not only information on early roads, but also the names of inhabitants who lived and worked along the roadways, plantations, farms, landmarks, landforms, and bodies of water. The road orders contained in this volume cover the period from Spotsylvania's creation to the creation of Orange County in 1734. As such, they are the principal extant evidence concerning the early road development of a major proportion of the northern Virginia Piedmont.