Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Gloucester County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1866-1931, use digital images found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions on use.

Preferred Citation

Gloucester County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1866-1931 (bulk 1880-1915). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local government records collection, Franklin County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

A portion of these records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Gloucester County (Va.) in 2000 under accession number 37138. Additional records were transferred to the library as part of an undated accession.

Processing Information

A portion of the Gloucester County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1866-1931, were processed in the field before 2000. Additional chancery causes were processed by C. L. Freed and completed in 2001.

Digital images were generated by OCLC through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program in 2008.

Encoded by C. L. Freed: June 2007; updated by C. Collins: February 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: 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.

Locality History: Gloucester County was named probably to honor Henry, duke of Gloucester, the third son of King Charles I, or it may also have been named for the English county. It was formed from York County in 1651. The county seat is Gloucester.

Lost Locality Note: All records were destroyed by an 1820 fire, and most of the records created after 1820 were destroyed by fire in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.

Scope and Content

Gloucester County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1866-1931, 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.

Commonly found surnames among the plaintiffs and defendants include Ash, Bland, Bonnywell (also spelled Bonnewell, Bonneyville, and Bonneywell), Bright, Bristow, Brown, Burwell, Carter, Catlett, Chapman, Cooke, Davenport, Elliott, Fary, Gayle, Hall, Heywood, Hogg, Hughes, Jones, Kemp, Leigh, Lewis, Page, Pointer, Richardson, Rilee, Roane, Robins, Robinson, Rowe, Seawell, Smith, Soles, Stubblefield, Stubbs, Tabb, Taliaferro, Thomas, Thornton, Walker, Ware, Weaver, Whiting, and Williams. The Gloucester Charity School is involved in 7 suits between 1868 and 1910.

Arrangement

Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the latest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.

Arrangement of documents within each folder are generally as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found.)

Related Material

Additional Gloucester County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.

Gloucester County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Gloucester County Records may be found in the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available the Library of Virginia website.

See also: “A Guide to the John R. Cary Records, 1832-1869,” exhibits in Gloucester County Chancery Cause 1874-004: Exr. of John R. Cary vs. Widow of John R. Cary, etc.

See also: “A Guide to the Wyndham Kemp Cashbook and Ledger, 1854-1860,” exhibits in Gloucester County Chancery Cause 1886-005: Admx. of Thomas S. Harwood vs. Rep. of Susan Enos &c by etc., Mary E. Harwood &c by etc. vs. Wyndham Kemp, etc.

Adjunct Descriptive Data