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.

Washington County was named for George Washington who had been commander in chief of the Continental army for little more than a year when the county was formed from Fincastle County in 1776. At the time of its founding, Washington County included all or parts of present-day Russell, Lee, Scott, Tazewell, Smyth, Wise, Buchanan, and Dickenson counties, but it lost the bulk of its territory in 1786 with the formation of Russell County. The county court first met on 28 January 1777. A part of Montgomery County was added in 1777. The county seat is Abingdon.

Minute books for the periods 1787-1819 and 1821-1837 and many loose papers were lost in a courthouse fire set by Union soldier James Wyatt on 15 December 1864 during the Civil War. Wyatt, who was raised in Washington County, sought revenge for what he claimed was a wrong done against him by a county court judge before the war.