The Library of Virginia (LVA) is pleased to announce the completion of
two digital scanning projects. The processing, indexing, and digital
reformatting of the Campbell County and Winchester City chancery causes
is now complete.  The images have been added to the existing indices on
the newly redesigned Chancery Records Index
<http://beta.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/>  (CRI) which is now located on
the Library's home for digital collections, Virginia Memory
<http://www.virginiamemory.com/> .  The Campbell County chancery index
covers the years 1793 through 1946 (with digital images posted through
1914). The Winchester City chancery collection spans the years 1787
through 1936. These localities join twenty-two counties and cities whose
chancery causes have been digitally reformatted 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.  

 

To date, The Library of Virginia has posted over 2.4 million digital
chancery images. Eight localities are presently being scanned and will
be posted in the coming months. Please see the Chancery Records Index
for a listing of the available locality chancery collections. 

 

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.

 

If you have any comments, questions, or corrections regarding the CRI or
scanned images, please contact [log in to unmask]

 


To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html