{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Rockingham+County+%28Va.%29+Chancery+Causes%2C+%0A1781-1946+%28bulk+1873-1913%29\u0026view=compact","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Rockingham+County+%28Va.%29+Chancery+Causes%2C+%0A1781-1946+%28bulk+1873-1913%29\u0026page=1\u0026view=compact"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":null,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":1,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":6,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":true}},"data":[{"id":"vi_vi03933_c01","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc.","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c01#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vi_vi03933_c01","ref_ssm":["vi_vi03933_c01"],"id":"vi_vi03933_c01","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssi":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n"],"title_filing_ssi":"1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc. ","title_ssm":["1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc."],"title_tesim":["1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1850-002: John R. Plecker vs. Peachy Harrison, etc."],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":1,"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n"],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c01"}},{"id":"vi_vi03933_c02","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc.","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c02#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c02#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vi_vi03933_c02","ref_ssm":["vi_vi03933_c02"],"id":"vi_vi03933_c02","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssi":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc.","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n"],"title_filing_ssi":"1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc.","title_ssm":["1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc."],"title_tesim":["1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1854-020: Henry Phillips vs. Admr. of Andrew Newman, etc."],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":2,"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1","timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c02"}},{"id":"vi_vi03933_c03","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc.","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c03#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c03#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vi_vi03933_c03","ref_ssm":["vi_vi03933_c03"],"id":"vi_vi03933_c03","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssi":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc.","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n"],"title_filing_ssi":"1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc.","title_ssm":["1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc."],"title_tesim":["1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1874-007: Jacob Whitesel, etc. vs. Admr. of Peter Whitesel, etc."],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":3,"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2","timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c03"}},{"id":"vi_vi03933_c04","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c04#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c04#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vi_vi03933_c04","ref_ssm":["vi_vi03933_c04"],"id":"vi_vi03933_c04","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssi":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n"],"title_filing_ssi":"1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook ","title_ssm":["1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook"],"title_tesim":["1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook"],"normalized_title_ssm":["1894-005: Abraham J. Eddins, etc.  vs. Adms. of John Cook and Henry Lingle, etc. vs. Adms. of John Cook"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":4,"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n"],"_nest_path_":"/components#3","timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c04"}},{"id":"vi_vi03933_c05","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c05#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c05#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vi_vi03933_c05","ref_ssm":["vi_vi03933_c05"],"id":"vi_vi03933_c05","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssi":"vi_vi03933","parent_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vi_vi03933"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"title_filing_ssi":"1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler","title_ssm":["1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler"],"title_tesim":["1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler"],"normalized_title_ssm":["1907-073: Franklin L. Shuler v. Allie Ella Shuler"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":5,"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"_nest_path_":"/components#4","timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933_c05"}},{"id":"vi_vi03933","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vi_vi03933","ead_ssi":"vi_vi03933","_root_":"vi_vi03933","_nest_parent_":"vi_vi03933","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/lva/vi03933.xml","title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"text":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)","Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes).","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. ","Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).","Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n","Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n","Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n","Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.","The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.","Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n","There are no restrictions.\n","Library of Virginia\n","English\n"],"collection_title_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"collection_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, \n1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913)"],"repository_ssm":["Library of Virginia"],"repository_ssim":["Library of Virginia"],"creator_ssm":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"creator_ssim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Circuit Court.\n"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Rockingham County (Va.) in 2003 under the accession number 40981, in 2010 under the accession numbers 44735 and 45809, in 2014 under the accession number 51264, and in 2018 under accession number 52431."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["Digital images; 250.28 cubic feet (542 boxes)."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/\"\u003eChancery Records Index\u003c/extref\u003e available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions\n"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1913, use digital images found on the  Chancery Records Index  available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.\n","Chancery Causes 1914-1946 are processed and indexed information is available on the Chancery Records Index, but digital images are not available at thsi time. Contact Archives Research Services for availability. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement\n"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the earliest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.\n","Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eContext of Record type:\u003c/emph\u003e Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLocality History:\u003c/emph\u003e Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003eLost Locality Notes:\u003c/emph\u003e A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information\n"],"bioghist_tesim":["Context of Record type:  Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are \"administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.\" A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are 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 document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories. \n","Locality History:  Rockingham County was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second marquis of Rockingham, who supported the colonies during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. The county was formed from Augusta County in 1778. The county seat is the city of Harrisonburg.\n","Lost Locality Notes:  A courthouse fire in 1787 destroyed primarily wills and estate records. In June 1864 during the Civil War, court records (mostly volumes) were removed from the courthouse and loaded on a wagon to be taken to place of safety on or beyond the Blue Ridge. The wagon was overtaken by Union troops near Port Republic and set afire, which was put out by local citizens. Many order books, deed books, will books, and fiduciary books, however, were lost or severely damaged by the fire. The loose records that remained at the courthouse were undamaged. Pre-1865 records including deeds and wills were rerecorded following an act of assembly passed in November 1884.\n"],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eChancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History\n"],"custodhist_tesim":["Chancery Causes, 1914-1940s, as part of accession number 51264 returned to the locality in 2016 at the request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.\n"],"originalsloc_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMajority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"originalsloc_heading_ssm":["Location of Originals\n"],"originalsloc_tesim":["Majority of Chancery Causes 1914-1946 retained in locality. Rockingham County Circuit Court; 80 Court Square Harrisonburg, VA 22802.\n"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1781-1946 (bulk 1873-1913). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Rockingham County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.\n"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEncoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDigital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePost-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information\n"],"processinfo_tesim":["Rockingham County was largely processed by a field processing archivist and Library of Virginia archivists completed processing and reindexed the records in 2013. \n","Encoded by G. Crawford: 2013; Updated by J. Taylor: June 2023.","Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2012 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.\n","Post-1913 Chancery previously described separately under the title Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1914-1946. Records are now described together."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAdditional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/local/results_all.asp?CountyID=VA149\"\u003e\"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"\u003c/extref\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/lost\"\u003eLost Records Localities Digital Collection\u003c/extref\u003e found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSee also:\u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi05564.xml\"\u003e\"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"\u003c/extref\u003e An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material\n"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The bulk of Rockingham County (Va.) Chancery Causes post-1913 are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access. ","Additional Rockingham County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult  \"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.\"","Rockingham County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Rockingham County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the  Lost Records Localities Digital Collection  found at the Library of Virginia web site.\n","See also: \"A Guide to the Commercial Bank (Harrisonburg, VA) Ledger No. 2, 1890-1891.\"  An exhibit used in the Rockingham County Chancery Cause 1911-025: Rockingham Bank etc. vs. Commercial Bank."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThese records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMost of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content\n"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Rockingham County Chancery Causes, 1781-1946, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics. \n","One box of of records, which contains the chancery cause \"Kitchen vs. Duvall\" from 1916 is unprocessed.","These records contain one box of \"Orphan Chancery\" which is unprocessed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.","The case revolves around the relationship between the Methodist Episcopal Church and slavery. During the years leading up to the Civil War, the church was divided on the issue of slavery, leading to a division into two denominations: the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. This case in particular focuses on which sect (the northern anti-slavery or the southern pro-slavery) had the right to use the church in Harrisonburg. The suit provides a detailed background on the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and numerous depositions discuss the split.\n","Bill, an enslaved man, was purchased by Henry Phillips from Andrew Newman shortly before his untimely death. The suit includes depositions from the doctor that detail Bill's illness and death as well as other depositions which illustrate the poor treatment of Bill, all related to his value to his enslavers.\n","Most of the Whitesel family resided in Indiana, but Peter Whitesel, the father, and Simon Whitesel, one of his sons, were living in Rockingham County. Simon convinced his father that his existing will at the time of the Civil War would be confiscated by the Confederate government because the Confederates viewed his family as alien enemies and would take over his estate. He convinced Peter to hand over the rights to all his estate to him by promising he would divide it equally after the war. Simon insisted that his father did intend for him to have the bulk of the estate, as he was the one who cared for him in his decline. \n","The suit includes a petition to the District Court of the Confederate States of America in the Western District of Virginia seeking the seizure of property from \"alien enemies\" residing in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois based in the Sequestration Act of 1861.\n","Allie Ella Shuler left Franklin L. Shuler, her husband after a longstanding affair with Robert Sampson. Sampson and Allie ran away to Erie, PA, at which point Franklin sued for a divorce. Included with the casefile are letters from Allie to her eldest son which recount everyday life and her regrets. \n"],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions\n"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions.\n"],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc label=\"Location\"\u003eLibrary of Virginia\n\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Library of Virginia\n"],"language_ssim":["English\n"],"total_component_count_is":5,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-21T08:42:13.347Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vi_vi03933"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Library of Virginia","value":"Library of Virginia","hits":6},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Rockingham+County+%28Va.%29+Chancery+Causes%2C+%0A1781-1946+%28bulk+1873-1913%29\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Library+of+Virginia\u0026view=compact"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/repository_ssim.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Rockingham+County+%28Va.%29+Chancery+Causes%2C+%0A1781-1946+%28bulk+1873-1913%29\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"facet","id":"collection_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Collection","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Rockingham County (Va.) 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