The Library of Virginia (LVA) is pleased to announce that processing and
indexing of the Powhatan County chancery causes housed at the Library of
Virginia is now complete.  The updated index has been added to the
Library's on-line Chancery Records Index
<http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/chancery/index.htm>  and is
now available for searching through the LVA website. The Powhatan County
chancery collection covers the years 1783 through 1938 (bulk 1783-1913).
Powhatan County is one of a growing number of localities whose chancery
causes have been preserved and made available through the Library's
innovative Circuit Court Records Preservation Program, which seeks to
preserve the historic records of Virginia's Circuit Courts.  Please see
the Chancery Records Index for a listing of additional locality chancery
collections that are available. 

 

Chancery causes are cases that are decided on the basis of equity and
fairness as opposed to the strictly formulated rules of common law
cases.  Chancery cases are especially useful when researching local
history, genealogical information, and land or estate divisions.  They
are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and
serve as a primary source for understanding a locality's history.
Chancery causes often contain correspondence; property lists, including
slaves; lists of heirs; and vital statistics, along with many other
records.  Some of the more common types of chancery causes involve
divisions of the estate of a person who died intestate (without a will);
divorces; settlements of dissolved business partnerships; and
resolutions of land disputes.

 

The Powhatan County records are currently available in their original
format in the Library of Virginia's manuscript room.  Though no firm
timetable is currently available, future plans include the digital
reformatting of these records and making them accessible through the
Chancery Records Index
<http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/chancery/index.htm> .

 

 

Vincent T. Brooks

Senior Local Records Archivist

The Library of Virginia

800 E. Broad St.

Richmond, VA  23219

804/225-4452 (voice)

804/692-2277 (fax)

http://www.lva.virginia.gov <blocked::http://www.lva.virginia.gov/>
[note new address]

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<blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]>  [note new email]

 


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