Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Washington County (Va.) Court Records, 1800-1831. Local government records collection, Local Government Records Replevin Collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in 2004 in a transfer.

Historical Information

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.

These records were replevined by the Library of Virginia following the trial entitled Commonwealth of Virginia vs. Larry I. Vass heard in Henrico County Circuit Court in November 1972.

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.) Court Records, 1800-1831. The collection contains various documents removed from Washington County court records: a land grant to John Preston, Assignee of Job Crabtree, 1800; a letter from James Fulton to William King, 1806; a letter from Henry Thompson to David Pierce, 1816; a letter from Alexander Fulton to William King, 1802; a land grant to Job Crabtree, 1830; two letters from William Morgan to his father Captain Alexander Morgan, 1815; a letter from Peter Mayo to L L. Henderson concerning a possible suit against the estate of William Trigg, 1815; three letters from John Morgan to William Carpenter, 1820, pertaining to a decree to sell Morgan's slaves; a letter pertaining to a deposition from the case McHenry vs. Mitchell, 1821; a letter from Franklin Smith to Congressman Alexander Smyth, 1824; and a letter from John Thompson to his wife in Woodford County, Kentucky, 1831.

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 Washington 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 The Chancery Records Index .

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

Index Terms

Persons:

• Smyth, Alexander, 1765-1830.

Corporate Names:

• Washington County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Equity--Virginia--Washington County.
• Replevin--Virginia.
• Slavery--Virginia--Washington County.

Geographical Names:

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

Genre and Form Terms:

• Chancery Causes--Virginia--Washington County.
• Envelopes--Virginia--Washington County.
• Judicial records--Virginia--Washington County.
• Land grants--Virginia--Washington County.
• Letters (correspondence)--Virginia--Washington County.
• Local government records--Virginia-Washington County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data