Collections

Winchester (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1787-1936, 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.

Winchester (Va.) Convict Register, 1874-1906, is a "descriptive list of persons convicted of a felony, or other infamous offences, in the Corporation Court of Winchester, Virginia, since 20 July 1874." Based on a set form, the listings of each conviction include the individual's name in full and any aliases, the present and last known residence of the accused, the color or race of the individual (including white, black, mulatto, brown, copper, light mulatto, yellow, dark brown, dark complexion, ginger cake colored, ginger cake, light ginger cake, bright mulatto, ginger or colored), the individual's height, eye color, hair color and any identifying marks, the apparent or known age of the accused, his or her occupation, the offence, the court in which convicted, the date of conviction and page of record and whether the judgment was reversed or pardon granted and date thereof. The volume has 147 leaves but only a small portion of the volume was actually used. The entries include the convict's full name and are arranged by date of conviction. There are 3 loose pages in the beginning of the volume with additional information and an unrelated copy of court executions from 1797 which may have been used as a page marker. At the beginning, the volume contains an index.

Winchester (Va.) Free Negro and Slave Records, 1814-1857. The collection contains free negro registrations, 1814-1857; a certificate of non-importation, 1814; and two deeds of emancipation, 1824 and 1856. Registrations include age, a brief physical description, and information documenting the person's free birth or circumstances of emancipation. The collection contains regisrations for Berkeley Allen, 1814; Thomas Cook, 1826; Rosanna Robinson, 1841; Kitty Brown, 1842; James and Sarah Elizabeth Weaver, 1846; Robert Webb, 1857; and Robert Mason, undated. Also included in the collection is a deed of emancipation for Lewis, from James Little, 1824; a deed of emancipation for Elizabeth, ("who is also my wife") from Griffin Taylor, 1856 Dec. 31; and a certificate of non-importation from Samuel Smith for Charles, an enslaved person he inherited from his father, and brought to Winchester from Prince George County, Maryland.

Winchester (Va.) Marriage Records and Vital Statistics, 1790-1976 bulk (1932-1976) consist of boxes of Marriage Records, Marriage Registers Nos. 1-35, an Index to Marriage Register No. 1, a Register of Deaths and an undated Index to a Register of Births.