The Library of Virginia (LVA) is pleased to announce that processing and indexing of the Lynchburg County chancery causes housed at the Library of Virginia is now complete. The 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 Lynchburg County chancery collection covers the years 1807 through 1945 and totals over 300 cubic feet of records. Lynchburg County joins the growing list 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. Additionally, information on the extent of this collection can be found in the Library's online Archives and Manuscript Catalog <http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/> (search = Lynchburg chancery). 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 Lynchburg 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. 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.lib.va.us