Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Prince Edward County (Va.) Judgments and Commonwealth Causes, 1814-1847. Local government records collection, Prince Edward County (Va.) County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Prince Edward County.

Historical Information

Prince Edward County was named in honor of Edward Augustus, a son of Prince Frederick Louis, a grandson of George II, and a younger brother of George III. The county was formed from Amelia County in 1753. The county seat is Farmville.

The General Assembly of Virginia had jurisdiction over granting divorces between 1803 and 1850.

Scope and Content

Prince Edward County (Va.) County Judgments and Commonwealth Causes, 1814-1847, consist of three civil suits and two commonwealth causes heard in the County Court, Superior Court of Law, and the Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery of Prince Edward County.

Nelson Freeland versus Robert Wright, 1822 April, is a slander suit in which Freeland sued Wright for damages for falsely asserting in public that Freeland was a black man. Freeland vehemently defended the fact that he was a white man. The case was orignially filed in Buckingham County Superior Court of Law and transferrd to Prince Edward County Superior Court of Law.

Elizabeth Watson versus Richard P. Watson, 1838 September, and Janetta P. Allen versus Robert S. Allen are civil suits in which the plaintiffs sought the court's support in their efforts to petition the General Assembly for a divorce.

Commonwealth versus H.G. Richardson and Commonwealth versus Bennet Moss, 1847 August, are two commonwealth causes heard in the County Court of Prince Edward. Richardson was accused and found guilty of trespassing on a burial ground owned by the corporation of Farmville. A diagram of the burial ground is found on the back of a bill of exceptions filed with commonwealth cause Commonwealth versus Bennet Moss. The diagram shows where rich whites, poor whites, and African Americans were buried in the cemetery. Both commonwealth causes were originally filed in County Court records, 1847 June-August.

Related Material

Additional unprocessed Prince Edward County judgments and commonwealth causes can be found at the Library of Virginia.

For information on Watson versus Watson and Allen versus Allen search the Legislative Petition database.

For more information on Freeland versus Wright search the Chancery Records Index for Henrico County Chancery Cause 1823-027, Christian Allen versus Nelson Freeland.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Cemeteries -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Divorce -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Free African Americans -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Libel and slander -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.

Geographical Names:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) -- History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Civil actions -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Criminal records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Judicial records -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Prince Edward County (Va.) Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery.
• Prince Edward County (Va.) Superior Court of Law.

Adjunct Descriptive Data