A Guide to the New Kent County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1848-1956 (bulk 1898-1950) New Kent County Chancery Causes, 1848-1956 (bulk 1898-1950)

A Guide to the New Kent County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1848-1956 (bulk 1898-1950)

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia


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Library of Virginia

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© 2008 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.

Processed by: Field Processors

Repository
The Library of Virginia
Title
New Kent County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1848-1956 (bulk 1898-1950)
Physical Characteristics
Digital images; 54 cubic feet (116 boxes).
Collector
New Kent County (Va.) Circuit Court
Location
State Records Center
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

New Kent County (Va.) 1898-1956, 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.

Preferred Citation

New Kent County Chancery Causes, 1848-1956 (bulk 1898-1950). (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local government records collection, New Kent County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from New Kent County (Va.) in 2007 under the accession number 43285.

Processing Information

Chancery Causes were processed in the locality by field processors prior to 2007.

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

Encoded by G. Crawford: 2007; Updated by J. Taylor: September 2023.

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: New Kent County may have been named either for the English county of Kent or for Kent Island, in the upper waters of the Chesapeake Bay. William Claiborne, a native of Kent who had been driven from Kent Island by Lord Baltimore, was a prominent resident of the New Kent area about 1654 when the county was formed from York County. Part of James City County was added in 1767. The county seat is New Kent.

Lost Locality Notes: Records were destroyed when John Posey set fire to the courthouse on 15 July 1787. Many records were lost when the courthouse was partially destroyed by fire during Civil War hostilities in 1862. Additional records were burned in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.

Scope and Content

New Kent County Chancery Causes, 1848-1956, 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.

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.

The records in each case are arranged in no particular order.

Related Material

Additional New Kent County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. See A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm

New Kent County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional New Kent County Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

See also: "A Guide to the Marion C. Barnes General Merchandise Daybook and Ledger, 1902-1903." An exhibit used in the New Kent County Chancery Cause 1908-001: Admr. of Marion C. Barnes vs. John A. Barnes, etc.

Selected Suits of Interest

Since the processing of this locality, information gathering standards have changed. At this time there are no suits of interest available for this locality.