![]() The Chancery Records Index allows researchers to locate cases regardless of court, and regardless of the original arrangement (chronological or numerical by file number). This is the original drawer or case number previously assigned to the record by the locality. Original Local Case Number, if applicable. Scanned images linked to the Chancery Records Indexħ. If available on microfilm, Library of Virginia microfilm reel number, locality reel number and image number Original, housed at the Library of Virginia or circuit court clerk's office Surnames of others involved in a case, including secondary plaintiffs and defendants, deponents, family members, and others, if applicable. The names of the primary plaintiff(s) and defendant(s).Ĥ. For example, an index number of 1932-012 indicates the case ended in 1932 and was the 12th case from that year indexed by the processor.ģ. An index number based on the 4-digit year in which the case was ended (or the latest known year) and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases are found. The locality where the case was recorded.Ģ. What type of information can I find in the Chancery Records Index?ġ. Headlee, The Virginia State Court System (1969). After 1870, chancery cases were heard exclusively in the circuit court. With the creation of the Circuit Court in 1852, chancery cases were heard in that court and in the county court up to 1870. After its formation in 1831, the Superior Court of Law and Chancery heard the majority of the chancery cases, although some were still heard in the county court. Prior to 1832, chancery cases are generally found in the county court and the Superior Court of Chancery. The end of primogeniture in Virginia in 1786 and the creation of general inheritance laws caused an increase in chancery cases as a result, additional courts were created in which cases could be heard, including District Courts (1789–1808), Superior Courts of Chancery (1802–1831), Circuit Superior Courts of Law and Chancery (1831–1851), and Circuit Courts (1852–present). The earliest extant Virginia court records are those of the county courts. Cases in chancery could be heard in any court. ![]() The court’s decision or final decree was the last step in the proceedings of a chancery case. ![]() Court appointed commissioners decided a fair and equitable settlement of the case based on the evidence presented and reported their findings to the court. Cases in chancery often address estate and business disputes, debt, the resolution of land disputes, and divorce.Ī chancery case began with the bill of complaint, explaining the background of the action, followed by an answer from the parties being sued. These types of court documents are useful when researching genealogical information and land or estate divisions and may contain correspondence, lists of heirs, or vital statistics, among other items. A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a chancery cause is a case of equity where “Justice is administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law.” In layman’s terms, a chancery case was one that could not be readily decided by existing written laws.
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