A Guide to the Princess Anne County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1913
Princess Anne County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1935 (bulk 1752-1912)
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Processed by: J. Hopewell, J. Wilkinson and S. Walters
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Patrons are to use digital images of Princess Anne County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1935, digital images can be found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Princess Anne County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1935. (Cite style of suit [and chancery index no. if available]). Local government records collection, Princess Anne (Va.) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.
Acquisition Information
These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Virginia Beach, City of/ Princess Anne County (Va.) under an undated accession.
Processing Information
Princess Ann County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1935 were processed in two separate groups. The first group was processed prior to 2004 and the second group was processed in 2007. At this time, there are currently no plans to process and index post-1913 records.
Encoded by G. Crawford: 2007; Updated by E. Swain: October 2024.
Historical Information
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: Princess Anne County was named for Anne, daughter of King James II, who became queen of England in 1702. The county was formed from Lower Norfolk County in 1691 and became extinct on 1 January 1963, after its consolidation with the city of Virginia Beach. The county seat was Princess Anne.
Scope and Content
Princess Anne County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1752-1935, 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.
Arrangement
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 are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).
Related Material
See also: Norfolk County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1718-1938 (bulk 1875-1914)
Additional Princess Anne 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."
Additional unindexed post-1913 records may be available at the Princess Anne County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.
Selected Suits of Interest
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.
Separate maintenance cause. Plaintiff accused defendant of spousal abuse. Defendant accused plaintiff of leaving him forty-eight times and he had to retrieve her twenty-seven times.
Plaintiff was captain of sloop Industry. The ship ran into a French schooner in the Caribbean and sank. Includes documents written in Dutch.
Plaintiff purchased Lewis, an enslaved man, for repayment of debt owed him by Cannon's estate. Weeks sold Lewis to Ree Land. Soon afterwards, Lewis filed suit for his freedom from Land on the basis that he was never enslaved, "but that he is by Nature free." Plaintiff sued Cannon's estate to pay him his loss for what he paid for Lewis should he win his freedom.
Deposition discusses the whereabouts of Thomas Lovitt-"who left the port of Portsmouth in an American Brig, called the Portsmouth Hero, destined for the West Indies." He was then captured by the British during the American Revolution.
According to the bill of complaint, some of the enslaved people of John Lovett, Sr. went with the British during the War of 1812. Under the Treaty of Ghent with Great Britain, John Lovett's,Sr. committee received "considerable" sums of money for the loss of the enslaved people.
Husband filed for divorce because wife was unfaithful while he was serving in the Civil War.
Seeking partition of land, but includes list of medical expenditures for operation on fractured skull of Edward Diggs or Digges, 1861, and medicine and advice for him and his wife.
Bill of complaint references plaintiff's service as surgeon during Civil War, and evacuation of Norfolk in 1862. References plaintiff's claim of pardon and amnesty, and his seeking to locate his bonds and papers regarding defendant's debt. Defendant argues that plaintiff's pardon has not been fully proved. Bill also references defendant having paid plaintiff in 1859 for "services of one certain negro, hired by your orator from the said James S. Garrison, Jr." [See also: Princess Anne County (Va.) chancery cause 1874-001].
Plaintiff's mother had omitted him in her will. Father's will left everything to wife to help prevent confiscation by U.S. Government since sons had served in the Confederate Army. Plaintiff thus disputes the validity of his father's previous will.
Plsintiff seeking partition of property referenced as Dam Neck. Orphan account references 1862 hiring of enslaved people. Also includes account from Jan-Nov. 1863 "when they [enslaved people] left" to cross over to Union army.
Cause references the deaths of Abel and James E. Belanga. Both worked in Lifesaving Stations, a precursor to Coast Guard, responsible for rescuing passengers and sailors on sinking or shipwrecked vessels. According to chancery cause, both died during wreck of German ship Elizabeth on 9 January 1887.
Contract dispute over title of land. Plaintiff placed a schoolhouse on one acre of land. Defendants claimed land belonged to them. Built a wire fence around the school building. When teacher and students showed up at schoolhouse, the defendants scared them off with guns.
Parties in cause agreed to cohabit as husband and wife in 1863 or 1864. Deponent Sally Jenkins was born in North Carolina to plaintiff and Phebe Lang. She did not learn she was Willis' daughter until her twenties. Depositions detail the confusing aspect of marriage relationship experienced by formerly enslaved people. [See also: Princess Anne County (Va.) chancery cause 1892-004].