Valley of the Shadow

Augusta and Franklin Counties: 1870 Education and Literacy


School attendance in 1870 was much higher in Franklin than in Augusta among whites and blacks, although few African-Americans attended school in either county. African-Americans also made up the majority of illiterate people in both counties, although it was a lower percentage of the population in Franklin.

School Attendance
Total # of Persons Attending # of Native-Born Attending # of Foreign-Born Attending # of White Males Attending # of White Females Attending # of Colored Males Attending # of Colored Females Attending
Augusta County 2453 2452 1 1178 1222 24 29
Franklin County 9627 9620 7 5054 4259 170 144




White Literacy Rates
Total # of Illiterate Persons in the County # of Illiterate Persons in the County: 10 years old and over # of Illiterate White Males: 10-14 years old # of Illiterate White Females: 10-14 years old # of Illiterate White Males: 15-20 years old # of Illiterate White Females: 15-20 years old # of Illiterate White Males: 21 years old and over # of Illiterate White Females: 21 years old and over
Augusta County 4,928 3,993 245 174 127 94 304 423
Franklin County 2,634 1,802 48 37 75 95 522 932




African-American Literacy Rates
Total # of Illiterate Persons in the County # of Illiterate Persons in the County: 10 years old and over # of Illiterate Black Males: 10-14 years old # of Illiterate Black Females: 10-14 years old # of Illiterate Black Males: 15-20 years old # of Illiterate Black Females: 15-20 years old # of Illiterate Black Males: 21 years old and over # of Illiterate Black Females: 21 years old and over
Augusta County 4,928 3,993 332 296 304 328 1,113 1,188
Franklin County 2,634 1,802 24 28 55 80 343 395


Source: University of Virginia Geospatial and Statistical Data Center. United States Historical Census Data Browser. ONLINE. 1998. University of Virginia. Available: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/.