Chancery Causes – Page 3 – The UncommonWealth

Archives

Out of Character: A Middlesex County Divorce Suit

Inviting a man of the cloth to live in your home seems like it should be a good idea. You might expect a resident clergyman…

Sherri BagleyJuly 24, 2019

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The Kindness of Strangers: A Story From the Montgomery County Chancery Causes

The bedrock of the Library of Virginia’s chancery causes collection is the personal story. While most causes share similar documents, topics, and resolutions, each story…

Callie FreedJuly 3, 2019

Archives

Big Top or Crops?

Traveling circuses, with their daring performers and ferocious animals, drew considerable crowds in the 19th century. The incredible feats of courage exhilarated the minds of…

Sherri BagleyMay 15, 2019

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Beachhead Revisited: Parramore’s Island on the Eastern Shore

In the late 1800s, land speculators became interested in selling islands along the Atlantic Coast to be used as summer resorts. “Parramore’s Island,” a barrier…

Louise JonesAugust 9, 2017

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Ibby Jane Smith: U.S. Pensioner

Ibby Jane Smith was born in January 1864 in Northampton County, Virginia, the daughter of Leah Smith, also called Leah Jacob, and Seth Smith, also…

Louise JonesMarch 29, 2017

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It’s A Virginia Thing: Helping One Native Colleague at a Time

Back in 2010 when I was processing the Nelson County chancery suits, I found a remarkable genealogical chart of the prominent Carter family. From that…

Callie FreedFebruary 8, 2017

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A Disregard of Freedom: Burwell versus Pilson’s Administrators

What does it mean to be free? Some might define freedom as having no obligations to a particular thing or person. A free person cannot…

Sherri BagleyDecember 2, 2015

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The Mystic Chords of Memory: The Payne Family of Frederick County

It’s often repeated that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”1 I’m starting to think I misunderstood that quote. It seems to…

Vince BrooksOctober 28, 2015

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If The Dead Could Talk: A Patrick County Estate Dispute

In 1999, the horror film The Sixth Sense introduced the iconic phrase, “I see dead people,” into pop culture. The film followed the progression from a young…

Sherri BagleyOctober 14, 2015

Archives

Love Letters in the Archives

While working on a project involving the Middlesex County Chancery Causes, I noticed a case that was filled with scandal and intrigue. Middlesex Chancery Cause,…

Mary Dean CarterSeptember 30, 2015

Archives Conservation

Montgomery County in the Civil War

Editor’s note: This blog post marks the close of the grant-funded Montgomery County chancery processing project (in Civil War terms, the “Last Dispatch”). Thanks to generous support by…

Scott GardnerAugust 5, 2015

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Not Black and White, But Different Shades of Gray

With examples dating back to the 1750s, Norfolk County chancery causes offer an interesting set of solutions to some of the myriad problems associated with…

Callie FreedJuly 22, 2015

Archives Digital Projects

Education Is A Virtue: Patrick County Chancery Causes

A lack of education and a trusting heart caused many minorities to lose their property in the early 20th century. A perfect example is the case…

Sherri BagleyJuly 15, 2015

Archives Digital Projects

Spotsylvania County Chancery Causes Online

The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that digital images for Spotsylvania County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1812-1913, are now available online through the Chancery…

Joanne PorterApril 24, 2015

Archives Digital Projects

Stafford County Chancery Goes Digital

2014 has been a special year filled with special events for Stafford County. Celebrating its 350th anniversary, the county held numerous community-based historical celebrations to mark the…

Callie FreedNovember 26, 2014