Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847. Local government records collection, Augusta County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Augusta County under the accession number 43658.

Historical Information

Breeze Johnson, born in Virginia around 1811, was a lawyer in Staunton, Virginia.

Scope and Content

Breeze Johnson Ledger, 1839-1847, documents the financial activities of Johnson's law firm. Transactions were entered in the accounts of individual clients. Information found in each entry includes date, type of transaction, and monies debited and credited to the account. Few details are provided as to the type of work performed for individual clients, but some accounts do contain a notation when a suit was filed in court. Scattered throughout the ledger are notations made by Johnson noting that he was to defend a client in court.

Johnson also used the ledger to record some of the law firm's expenses. Several account entries refer to the payment of rent for office space. There are also a few account entries for the hire of servants Peyton and Thomas. It is unclear if these servants were hired slaves or free laborers. The account for Thomas notes that his service was hired at the rate of one dollar per month, and his account balance notes that he worked for Johnson for over two years. The accounts of Thomas and Peyton also describe several expenditures of the two servants. Thomas received extra cash payments, but Peyton is documented as receiving a silk vest, a white beaver hat, and an old cloth coat in addition to his cash payments.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Johnson, Breeze.

Subjects:

• Law firms--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Lawyers--Virginia--Augusta County.

Geographical Names:

• Augusta County (Va.)--History--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Business records--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Ledgers (account books)--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Augusta County.