Prince William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1804-1951 (bulk 1831-1921)

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

Prince William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1804-1951 use digital images found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.

Terms of access:

No restrictions on use.

Preferred citation:

Prince William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1804-1951. (Cite style of suit). Local government records collection, Prince William County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Prince William County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Prince William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1804-1951. (Cite style of suit). Local government records collection, Prince William County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Prince William County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1804-1951, 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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Locality History: Prince William County was named for William Augustus, duke of Cumberland and third son of King George II. It was formed from Stafford and King George Counties by a statute adopted in 1730. The county courthouse is in the city of Manassas, Virginia and the county administrative offices are in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Acquisition information:

These materials came to the Library of Virginia in transfer of court papers from Prince William County in an undated accession.

Original Records returned to the locality in 2006 by request of the clerk of the Circuit Court.

Processing information:

A portion of this collection was field processed prior to 2006. Additional records were identified, processed and indexed while processing miscellaneous court records in 2005-2010.

Digital images were generated by PTFS and Library of Virginia through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program in 2006 and in 2005-2010.

Encoded by G. Crawford: 2008; updated by E. Swain: April 2024

Arrangement:

Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the latest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.

Records were scanned with the bills, answers, and decrees at the end of the case file.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:

Digital images

2.7 cubic feet (6 boxes)