Commonwealth Causes – The UncommonWealth

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Inclusive Indexing: Gabriel’s Conspiracy Documents in Virginia Untold

Editor's Note: This summer, Transforming the Future of Libraries and Archives intern Kade McGrail assisted in several different projects for the Library’s Virginia Untold project.…

Lydia NeurothAugust 28, 2024

Archives

Stolen Coats, Stolen Freedom

In July 1813, a Black man named Roger was charged in the Richmond City Hustings Court with stealing a “Sourtaurt great coat.” I was not…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 28, 2024

Archives

“Arrest of A Yankee Kidnapper”

On the morning of July 23, 1856, ship mate Joseph Chadwick was sitting on the rail of the schooner Danville when he heard a strange…

Lydia NeurothDecember 20, 2023

Archives

The Crime of Going at Large

In June 1800, an enslaved man named Bob was apprehended and jailed in the city of Richmond. Bob was not from the capital city. He…

Lydia NeurothAugust 30, 2023

Archives Conservation Digital Projects

Virginia Untold: Looking Back and Moving Forward

Editor's Note: Neither Virginia Untold nor Virginia Untold Project Manager Lydia Neuroth is going anywhere, but as we transition out of our two-year NHPRC grant…

Lydia NeurothJune 28, 2023

Archives Education & Programming

“I have this day committed to jail…”: An exhibition from Virginia Untold

On February 1, in celebration of Black History Month, a new exhibit from Virginia Untold will open to the public. This exhibition represents a small…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 25, 2023

Archives

Reopening the Case of the Petersburg and Isle of Wight Commonwealth Causes

Although many years have passed since Local Records staff completed the processing of Isle of Wight County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes Ended, 1774-1937 and the city…

Library of VirginiaApril 6, 2022

Archives

Commonwealth of Virginia versus Abolitionism

During the 1820s and 1830s, northern antislavery groups that demanded the immediate abolition of slavery began to emerge. Led by abolitionists such as William Lloyd…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 30, 2013

Archives

Lawless!

On 29 August, the movie Lawless, starring Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman, and Jessica Chastain, opens around the country. Based on the bestselling novel The Wettest County in…

Greg CrawfordAugust 29, 2012

Archives

Freedmen’s Bureau in the Local Courts

In the years following the Civil War, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (commonly referred to as simply the Freedmen’s Bureau) provided assistance…

Bari HelmsMay 30, 2012

Archives

"This is a bad fix I am in…"

Three Highland County Commonwealth Causes (Barcode 0007281802) reveal a tangled web of conspiracy, murder, and secret affairs. The cast of players includes Elizabeth Sheridan, wife of the…

Joanne PorterMarch 21, 2012

Archives

"Tell the court that I love my wife…"

Commonwealth vs. Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Delores Jeter was the criminal case that began in 1958 in Caroline County and terminated in a landmark civil…

Sarah NerneyFebruary 8, 2012

Archives

Hey, We Drink Out Of There!

On the morning of 14 March 1885, Lysander Rose, caretaker of the Old Reservoir in Richmond, went about his normal duties, but this morning would…

Bari HelmsJanuary 11, 2012

Archives

Drunkenness is no excuse…

Ever want to claim you were too drunk to be responsible for committing a criminal act? In Virginia in 1915, you would have been out…

Sarah NerneyOctober 19, 2011

Archives

Mayhem and Skull Fragments in Rockbridge Co.

At the October 1903 session of Rockbridge County court, Oliver R. Bane, called “Dock” Bane (alternately spelled Bain), was convicted of unlawful assault against Lone…

Sarah NerneyOctober 5, 2011