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Library of Virginia
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Processed by: Field Processors
Rappahannock County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1833-1940 digital images can be found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia. Please use digital images.
There are no restrictions.
Rappahannock County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1833-1940. (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local government records collection, Rappahannock County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Records transferred to the Library of Virginia from the Circuit Court of Rappahannock County in 1994 for the purposes of microfilming. Original Records returned to the locailty by request of the clerk of the Circuit Court on a later date.
These records were processed in the field from 1993 to 1994.
Digital images were generated from microfilm by Backstage Library Works through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program in 2019.
Encoded by G. Crawford: 2020; Updated by E. Swain: October 2024.
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: Rappahannock County, the second Virginia county of that name, was named for the Rappahannock River, which in turn received its name from an Indian tribe that lived along its banks. It was formed from Culpeper County in 1833. The county seat is Washington.
Rappahannock County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1833-1940 (bulk 1833-1920), 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.
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 is as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found).
Additional Rappahannock County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."
Original Rappahannock County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1833-1940, are retained in the locality. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for access.