Collections

A.D. Dickinson vs. Hampden-Sydney College, 1872, was a civil suit originally heard in the circuit court of Prince Edward County and transferred to the circuit court of Lynchburg. Dickinson sued Hampden-Sydney College for not paying him the proper amount of money for the services that his slave, David Ross, provided the college prior to and during the Civil War. Documents found in the suit include the plaintiff's declaration, summary of trial proceedings, deposition of Charles Martin, curator of Hampden-Sydney College, and subpoenas. From a letter written by Dickinson in August of 1872, it would seem that the court ruled in his favor with the College owing him $804.70 for Ross's work plus some interest tacked on.

Bedford County (Va.) Recorded and Unrecorded Deeds, 1751-1925, consist of deeds of bargain and sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, deeds of trust, and deeds of emancipation both recorded and unrecorded. Recorded deeds were proved and recorded in deed books. Unrecorded deeds were never proved and recorded in deed books. A few of the deeds include plats. Except for a few years early in the eighteenth century, slaves in Virginia were considered personal property and consequently were not usually sold by deed. However, they were often transferred in deeds of gift or were the property listed in mortgages and deeds of trust.

Botetourt County (Va.) Estate of George B. Skilren or Skillern, account of John Cartmill for boarding slaves, 1837 Nov 8, is an account of services rendered for the board, clothing, medical, and burial expenses incurred for various slaves who are named in the bill. John Moore, sheriff of Botetourt, was the administrator of the estate.

Brunswick County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes and Pardons, 1791-1806; 1898-1902. Commonwealth causes, 1791-1806, are criminal court cases. Most of the cases in this collection pertain to enslaved people, and many involve accusations of poisoning. One case, Commonwealth vs. Isaac, Phill, and Shaq, documents an alleged insurrection to "kill all white people." Pardons, 1898-1903, are pardons granted by Virginia Governors James Hoge Tyler and Andrew Jackson Montague to persons convicted of criminal offenses.

Charles Alexander Farm Ledger, 1801-1807, records the operation of and expenses incurred by his Arlington County plantation. Entries regarding expenses record wages for day laborers, payments for farm supplies and livestock, and sale or purchase of slaves. Other entries record the sale of agricultural produce (corn, wheat, clover) by Alexander to individuals. This volume also contains short passages pertaining to medicinal remedies, agricultural theory, and events occurring on the plantation.

Elizabeth City County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes Ended, 1826-1930, are criminal court cases and consist primarily of warrants, summons, indictments, and verdicts handed down by grand juries and other legal authorities in order to prosecute individuals who violated the penal code. These offenses ranged in severity from murder, rape, assault and battery, to fornication, adultery, selling spirits without a license, larceny, and tax evasion. Criminal offenders and victims who appear in cases prior to the abolition of slavery in Virginia in 1865 included both free and enslaved persons.

Frederick County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1860-1912, are indexed into the Chancery Records Index. Cases are identified by style of suit consisting of plaintiff and defendant names. Surnames of others involved in a suit, including secondary plaintiffs and defendants, witnesses, deponents and affiants, and family members with surnames different from the plaintiff or defendant are indexed. Chancery causes often involved the following: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, divorces, debt, and business disputes. Predominant documents found in chancery causes include bills (plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, wills, slave records, business records or vital statistics, among other items. Plats, if present, are noted, as are wills from localities with an incomplete record of wills or localities other than the one being indexed.

Goochland County (Va.) Fiduciary Records, 1728-1912, include miscellaneous records filed in a local court by trustees, administrators, executors, guardians, and committees that related to the performance of their duties managing a person's estate. These records typically include the following; bonds, appraisements, audits, inventories, accounts, estate divisions, settlements, dowery records, etc. Information related to enslaved people are commonly found in these records.

Henry County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1856-1859, consist of five commonwealth causes against slaves and a free negro for crimes including assault with the intent to maim, malicious stabbing, aid and abet a poisoning, and rape. All of the suits include extensive testimony and some deponents are slaves.

Inventory and appraisement of the estate of Colonel James White, 1839-1873, list the type and value of personal property owned by White at the time of his death on his plantations in Washington County, Virginia, and Jackson County, Alabama. The name of his Virginia plantation was Limestone and the name of his Alabama plantation was Bellefont. The inventory and appraisement include a lengthy list of slaves owned by White. Information recorded includes name, gender, age, and value of slaves. The volumes also record transactions made by White's administrators. Entries record date of transcation, form of transaction, and amount owed and paid. The smaller volume is located inside the front cover of the larger volume.