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Collection Guide

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Guide to the Board of Supervisors Records

2006-008, 2006-014, 2012-003, 2012-008, and 2012-009

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Table of contents

Container List

Series: I Financial records, 1861-1910

Physical Description: 7.75 linear feet

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of various financial records of the Board of Supervisors. See the subseries descriptions for the scope and content.

Subseries: I Certified Claims Allowed by Board of Supervisors, 1883-1910

Physical Description: 3.5 linear feet.

Subseries Scope and Content Summary

These nineteen volumes record payments approved by the Board of Supervisors. The volumes were divided into separate funds, for example "Current Expense Fund" and "Hall of Records Fund". Within each fund, each claim for payment was numbered and the claims entered in order. The claims considered at each Board of Superisors meeting were alphabetized before being numbered, so entries through the year appeared in numerical order but also went A-Z each month. Information on individual claims may include the name of the claimant, the nature of the service provided the county, the amount and date of the claim, and the date of county payment.

Arrangement

The volumes are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries: II Supervisors Allowance Books, 1873-1896

Physical Description: 2 linear feet.

Subseries Scope and Content Summary

These six volumes complement the "Certified Claims Allowed by Board of Supervisors". The subseries, for which volumes are missing, covers 1873-1875, 1883-1886, and 1890-1896. Each volume lists claimants in alphabetical order and then under each letter, entries are made chronologically. Entries may include the name of the claimant requesting county payment, nature of service performed for the county, amount of claim, claim number, fund charged, and the date the claim was allowed.

Arrangement

The volumes are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries: III Miscellaneous financial records, 1861-1883

Physical Description: .33 linear feet.

Subseries Scope and Content Summary

This subseries contains three volumes. The "Ledger" covers 1861-1876 and contains balance sheets for various county accounts, including, for example, the School Fund, Funded Debt, and Railroad Interest Fund. The volume provides information on overall county expenses but does not record specific expenditures. It includes an index. The "Journal" also covers 1861-1876. It lists credits and debits in chronological order. Normally, it indicates the category for each credit or debit (e.g., hospital, school) or the general nature of the credit or debit (e.g., "tax list uncollected returned"). The third volume, "S. T. Ayer Supervisor Dist. No. 5" covers 1876-1883. It lists claims approved at each Board of Supervisors meeting, probably for supervisorial district 5 only. Each entry includes the name of the claimant and the amount allowed. For 1882, the general nature of the claim is sometimes indicated. The names entered for each meeting date are not in alphabetical order.

Series: II Minutes, 1857-1992

Physical Description: 144 bound volumes and 8 boxes of microfilm

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of orignal, bound photographic copies, and microfilm of minutes of Board of Supervisors meetings and of indexes to minutes. Both the original minutes and indexes that ranged from 1850 to 1930 were damaged in the 1931 courthouse fire, photographed, and subsequently destroyed. The five photographic volumes of minutes cover 1857-1862, 1891-1892, and 1926-1928. The eight volumes of indexes cover 1850-1881, 1883-1905, and 1921-1930. The index to "Book 1 Book 2 Book 3" appears to index actions taken in regard to roads only. The eight boxes of microfilm cover minutes and indexes from 1857 to 1905.

Arrangement

The volumes are arranged in chronological order.

Series: III Ordinances, 1901-1965

Physical Description: 2.25 linear feet

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series includes ten volumes containing ordinances adopted by the Board of Supervisors, entered largely in chronological order. Until the early 1950s, the ordinances were numbered sequentially. There also are three indexes to the ordinances covering 1947 to 1956.

Arrangement

The volumes are arranged in chronological order.

Series: IV Record of Boundaries of School Districts, circa 1870

Physical Description: .25 linear feet.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This volume contains handwritten descriptions of the boundaries of over fifty school districts in Santa Clara County. The volume is not dated but appears to be circa 1870 (there is one reference to the Southern Pacific Railroad).

Series: V Record of Franchises, 1883-1952

Physical Description: .25 linear feet.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This volume, which was part of a series, contains the text of franchises granted by the county, entered in chronological order. The volume appears to have been created at a later date (possibly 1950s); the text of each franchise is typed with the exception of the final entries, which are the pasted-in text of newspaper publication of the ordinance granting the franchise. The franchises are numbered, first by franchise number and later by the number of the ordinance granting the franchise.

Series: VI Road Registers, 1853-1955

Physical Description: 1 linear foot.

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains four registers recording Board of Supervisor actions in regard to county roads, the actions listed in chronological order under the name of the road. Examples of actions include accepting a petition for creation of a road and issuing an invitation for bids to construct a road. For each action listed, there is a reference to the Board of Supervisors minutes in which the action also is reported. The volumes cover 1853-1878 and 1931-1955. The series also includes an index, apparently covering the years 1931-1955 and possibly earlier. The index lists roads in alphabetical order and within each letter section, the entries appear to be chronological by date of action.

Series: VII Administration Files, 1961-1992

Physical Description: 2 boxes

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of administrative files.

Arrangement

This series is arranged by subject.

Box/Folder : 1/1

Clerk of the Board of Supervisors: Annual Report, 1968

Physical Description: 2 documents

Box/Folder : 1/2-1/4

Correspondence, 197-1981

Physical Description: 3 folders

Box/Folder : 1/5-1/7

Correspondence & Meeting Minutes, 1975-1980

Physical Description: 3 folders

Box/Folder : 1/8

County Service: Collaboration for Excellence, Final Report 1991

Physical Description: 1 document

Box/Folder : 1/9

Managing by Objectives, 1974

Physical Description: 7 documents

Box/Folder : 1/10

Meeting Minutes, 1977

Physical Description: 9 documents

Box/Folder : 1/11-1/13

Miscellaneous, 1978-1979

Physical Description: 3 folders

Box/Folder : 1/14

Organization & Functions Handbook and Correspondence, 1973

Physical Description: 3 documents

Box/Folder : 1/15-1/16

Procedures Manuals, 1966-1969

Physical Description: 2 volumes

Box/Folder : 1/17

The Woman Manager in a Rapidly Changing Environment: Developing Executive Skills, 1979

Physical Description: 1 document

Series: VIII Memorabilia, 1980-1993

Scope and Content Note

This series contains ephemera collected by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Arrangement

This series is arranged chronologically.

Box: unboxed

In the Chips: The Local Investment Game of Silicon Valley 1980

Physical Description: 1 board game

Box: 1

1 conductor's hat which belonged to Ron Diridon 1993

Physical Description: 1 hat

Container List

Financial records,

Certified Claims Allowed by Board of Supervisors,

Supervisors Allowance Books,

Miscellaneous financial records,

Minutes,

Ordinances,

Record of Boundaries of School Districts,

Record of Franchises,

Road Registers,

Administration Files,

Memorabilia,