The Library of Virginia (LVA) is pleased to announce the completion of another digital scanning project. The processing, indexing, and digital reformatting of the Cumberland County chancery causes is now complete. The images have been added to the existing index 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 Cumberland County chancery index covers the years 1750 through 1902. This locality joins 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 2.2 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-hist.html