Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847

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:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847. Local government records collection, Augusta County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

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

Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847. Local government records collection, Augusta County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847, documents the financial activities of Johnson's law firm. Transactions were entered in the accounts of individual clients. Information found in each entry includes date, type of transaction, and monies debited and credited to the account. Few details are provided as to the type of work performed for individual clients, but some accounts do contain a notation when a suit was filed in court. Scattered throughout the ledger are notations made by Johnson noting that he was to defend a client in court.

Johnson also used the ledger to record some of the law firm's expenses. Several account entries refer to the payment of rent for office space. There are also a few account entries for the hire of servants Peyton and Thomas. It is unclear if these servants were hired slaves or free laborers. The account for Thomas notes that his service was hired at the rate of one dollar per month, and his account balance notes that he worked for Johnson for over two years. The accounts of Thomas and Peyton also describe several expenditures of the two servants. Thomas received extra cash payments, but Peyton is documented as receiving a silk vest, a white beaver hat, and an old cloth coat in addition to his cash payments.

Biographical / historical:

Breeze Johnson, born in Virginia around 1811, was a lawyer in Staunton, Virginia.

Acquisition information:
This item came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Augusta County under the accession number 43658.
Physical location:
State Records Center - Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Physical description:
1 v.