Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Washington County (Va.) Commissioners' Report, 1859 Dec. 14. Local government records collection, Local Government Records Replevin Collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in 2007 under accession number 43477.

Historical Information

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.

Washington County is the first locality in the United States known to have been named for George Washington. It was formed from Fincastle County in 1776, and a part of Montgomery County was added later.

Created by an act of 1776. Court first met on January 18, 1777. Minute books for the periods 1787–1819 and 1821–1837 and many loose papers were lost on December 15, 1864, when the courthouse was burned during Stoneman’s Raid. The fire was set by Union captain James B. Wyatt of the 13th Tennessee Cavalry. 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.

Scope and Content

Washington County (Va.) Commissioners' Report, 1858 Dec. 14. This document is a commissioners' report from an unidentified Washington County chancery cause. It contains the court-appointed commissioners' valuation of the slaves in the estate of James E. Sathim and their recommendation for the division of this property among Sathim's heirs.

Related Material

For additional information concerning the replevin of these items see Larry I. Vass Case records, 1781-1973, found at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Washingtin County court records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm" and The Chancery Records Index .

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Washington County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Equity--Virginia--Washington County.
• Estates--Virginia--Washington County.
• Slavery--History--Washington County (Va.)--19th century.

Geographical Names:

• Washington County (Va.)--Genealogy--19th century.
• Washington County (Va.)--History--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Chancery causes--Virginia--Washington County.
• Judicial records--Virginia--Washington County.
• Local government records--Virginia-Washington County.
• Reports--Virginia-Washington County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data