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Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia© 2010 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Bari Helms
Pulaski County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1841-1912 use digital images found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.
Pulaski County Chancery Causes,1841-1912 are unprocessed. Contact Archives Research Services for availability.
No restrictions on use.
Pulaski County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1841-1917. (Cite style of suit [and chancery index no. if available]). Local government records collection, [LOCALITY] Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.
These materials came to the Library of Virginia in transfer of court papers from Pulaski County in 2008 under accession number 43684.
Pulaski County Chancery Causes, 1841-1912 were processed in 2008-2012.At this time, there are currently no plans to process and index the 1913-1917 records.
Encoded by G. Crawford: 2010; Updated by E. Swain: April 2024.
Context of 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: Pulaski County was named for Count Casimir Pulaski, the Polish patriot who served in the American army during the Revolutionary War and who was killed during the siege of Savannah in 1779. It was formed from Montgomery and Wythe Counties in 1839. Part of Wythe County was added to Pulaski in 1862. The county seat is Pulaski.
Pulaski County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1841-1912, 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.
These records contain one box of "Orphan Chancery." These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes which could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.
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 is as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found.)
Pulaski County Chancery Causes, 1913-1917 are unprocessed.
Additional Pulaski 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."
Causes of Interest are identified by local records archivists during processing and indexing. These causes are generally selected based upon guiding principles of having historical, genealogical or sensational significance; however, determining what is "of interest" is subjective, and the individual perspective and experience of the describing archivist will affect the material identified.
Pryde and Jones sues the railroad for payment for gradation and masonry work performed on the railway. The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Co. Monthly Estimates Ledgers, 1850-1855 were entered as exhibits in the case and are available at the Library of Virginia.
Boyd successfully sues the railroad company for attempting to lay tracks within fifty feet of his home.
Darst and Cecil sue the Pulaski Development Company for misleading them in the purchase of a lot of land. The land was promised to be near the site of a future hotel and a depot for the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
Various contractors, carpenters, etc. sue the Virginia Company and Thomas N. Anderson for non-payment of work done building an addition to the Maple Shade Inn on a lot owned by the Virginia Company.
Case concerns land improvement and development in the county and includes a plat of the proposed developments.
Case involves construction on the Maple Shade Inn.
Railroad sues Koger for letting his cow wander onto the tracks.
Phillippe seeks the court to declare Moon's property liable in the payment of a judgment. Deposition of Seagle a furntiture dealer includes a discussion on whether or not white people would buy second hand furniture formerly owned by colored people.