A Guide to the Loudoun County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1758-1912
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
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Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
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Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2011 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Field processors
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Loudoun County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1758-1912, use digital images found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Loudoun County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1758-1912.(Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local Government Records Collection, Loudoun County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
The records came to the Library of Virginia in 2010; the physical records were not accessioned into the collection.
Digital images were generated by Backstage Library Works in 2011.
Custodial History
Records transferred to the Library of Virginia from the Circuit Court of Loudoun County for reformatting. Original records returned to the locality by request of the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Processing Information
Loudoun County was processed in the locality by field processors.
Digital images were generated in 2011 by Backstage Library Works through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.
Encoded by G. Crawford: 2011; Updated by J. Taylor: October 2023.
Historical Information
Context for 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: Loudoun County was named for John Campbell, fourth earl of Loudoun, who was commander of British forces in North America during the early part of the French and Indian War and governor of Virginia from 1756 to 1759. It was formed from Fairfax County in 1757. The county seat is Leesburg.
Scope and Content
Loudoun County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1758-1912 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.
Before the Civil War, a number of Loudoun County Chancery Causes dealt with emancipation and anti-slavery advocacy on the part of both Black and white southerners, as well as both free and enslaved people. The cases document anti-slavery work as well as the push back against the movement. The cases also demonstrate the varied perspectives on what emancipation looked like to the different groups of people.
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
Additional Loudoun 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.
Adjunct Descriptive Data
Location of OriginalsOriginal Loudoun County (Va.) Chancery Causes are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access.
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.
The case was a dispute over the amount owed to James Nesbitt for medical services he provided to William Hancock’s wife.
The children of Augustine G. Monroe filed suit to have a group of enslaved people sold, the proceeds divided among them and invested.
This chancery case disputed the distribution of Gustavus Moran's estate, especially the people he enslaved. Gustavus stipulated in his will that the enslaved people were not to be sold to southern slave dealers.
Per last will and testament of Archibald Mains, the people he enslaved were to be emancipated on the advice of the Agents and Officers of the American Society for Colonizing Free People of Colour.
Jarret was formerly enslaved by Verlinda Perry. In 1839, he was convicted and found guilty for distributing anti-slavery materials. He was sentenced to 20 lashes and sold for 800 dollars outside the boundaries of the United States. The executor of Charles Binns requested 800 dollars in this chancery case from Verlinda Perry.
The suit involved members of a local Methodist Episcopal church, who were split ideologically on the issue of slavery; the split of the local level parishioners reflected the larger problem within the national church. The plaintiffs were pro-North and defendants were pro-South.