![[logo]](https://www.law.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1_scale_large/public/images/uva_law_centered_K.png)
Arthur J. Morris Law Library Special Collections
Arthur J. Morris Law LibraryThe Commonwealth of Virginia may own the intellectual property in some of these records, and there may be restrictions on their reuse and republication.
The commitment records in this collection are closed to researchers for 125 years after their creation. There are no access restrictions on the rest of the materials.
Microfilm copies of some records in this collection may exist at the Library of Virginia.
On January 3, 2019, the Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Circuit Court transferred the records in this collection to the University of Virginia Law Library.
An Act of the Assembly of Albemarle County created Charlottesville, Virginia in 1762. The Commonwealth of Virginia incorporated Charlottesville as a town in 1801, and then as a city in 1888.
Before 1888, the Albemarle County courts had jurisdiction over Charlottesville and managed the town's public records. With its incorporation as a city, Charlottesville gained the authority to establish its own courts and manage public records independent of the county.
In 1889, Charlottesville exercised its new authority by creating a "Corporation Court." The city granted it the powers of both a circuit court and a municipal court as defined by the state government. The Corporation Court had original jurisdiction over misdemeanor and felony cases involving city ordinances and state law. It also had the authority to hear civil cases.
In 1973, the Corporation Court of Charlottesville was dissolved as part of a statewide reorganization of the court system in Virginia. This reorganization led to the creation of the Charlottesville Circuit Court and the Charlottesville District Court, with the powers of the former Corporation Court being divided between these two new entities.
The Clerk's Office of the Corporation Court was responsible for preserving the court's records and other public records as mandated by law. When the Commonwealth of Virginia dissolved the Corporation Court, these responsibilities were transferred to the Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Circuit Court.
This collection consists of public records initially filed at the Clerk's Offices of the Charlottesville Corporation and Circuit Courts. They include, but are not limited to the following: corporate charter books, docket books, court memorandum books, liens books, alcohol inventories, commitment records, writs of execution, local election certifications, and property assessment books.
Researchers may find related records at the Clerk's Office for the Charlottesville Circuit Court. They may also access related records at the Library of Virginia, which manages original and microfilm copies of some documents originally filed with the Clerk of the Corporation Court.
This series consists of loose public records from the first years of the Charlottesville Corporation Court. They include written judgments, summonses, writs of execution, license applications, election certifications, and affidavits.
The arrangement of the items in this series remains unchanged from when they were transferred to the University of Virginia Law Library.
The Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Corporation Court created this index to facilitate the discovery of deeds under their care. Deeds are listed in alphabetical order by the name of the parties involved. Each index entry includes the date of the deed, the names of the parties, a brief description of the property, and the location of the record in the Clerk's deed books.
The clerks of the Charlottesville Corporation and Circuit Courts arranged the records in the books chronologically. In this series, the books are also arranged chronologically.
The charter books contain bound legal records documenting the creation, alteration, and dissolution of corporations and business partnerships in Charlottesville. These include charters, articles of incorporation, certificates, and statements of change.
The forms in this series document the commitment of individuals that the Commonwealth of Virginia classified as "mentally ill" to public institutions and private facilities.
The records in this series are closed to researchers for 125 years after their creation. The commitment records contain sensitive health information about the subjects involved. Access restrictions exist to protect their privacy.
This series consists of a small amount of records documenting elections in Charlottesvile.
This ledger book records personal property contracts registered with the Clerk of the Charlottesville Corporation Court. At the front of the book, the Clerk's Office indexed the names of the contract parties recorded in the book. After the index, contract entries are recorded in chronological order and include the date of the contract, a description of the contract, and amounts of money related to it.
This book records mechanic's liens filed in the Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Corporation Court. The Clerk's Office created an index at the front of the book to facilitate discovery.
The Corporation and Circuit Courts of Charlottesville registered their cases in these docket books. Each book entry records a docket number, the attorneys' names, the parties involved, actions, and trial dates.
These books record fees issued by and paid to Charlottesville's Corporation Court.
This book records writs of execution issued by the Corporation Court of Charlottesville and returned by the constable. Entries in the book include the title of the writ, the dates of its issue and return, the amount of money involved, interest, and fees. A writ of execution is a court order directing law enforcement officers to transfer property from one party to another as a result of a legal judgment.
This series contains books that record liens filed in the Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Corporation Court. The books include a copy of the written lien, court acknowledgment of the lien, and notes about resulting payments and deliveries. This series also contains an index to facilitate the discovery of records in the books.
This ledger lists in chronlogical order indictments and appealed cases in the Charlottesville Corporation Court. Entries include the docket number, term dates, and the names of plaintiffs and defendants. The ledger book was initially published to record registered land titles, but the court clerk repurposed it to document indictments and appealed cases.
During the Prohibition Era, the Commonwealth of Virginia allowed pharmacists and drug stores to sell alcohol as a medicine. In Charlottesville, these licensed merchants were required to report their complete alcohol inventory to the Clerk of the Corporation Court monthly. This file contains some reports that the Clerk's Office preserved after the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In these books, the Clerk's Office for the Charlottesville Corporation Court made brief notes about various actions involving the Court, including summonses, subpoenas, and petitions. The Office entered the notes in chronological order.
This ledger book records fines and costs due to the Clerk of the Charlottesville Corporation Court. The entries in this book are titled by the name of the person or entity that owes the Clerk's Office and are arranged alphabetically.
The ledgers in this series contain records of delinquent real estate taxes in Charlottesville and the sale of delinquent properties to the Comptroller. Ledger entries include the following information: name of the person assessed, location of the property, a history of tax payments, and the date of sale to the Comptroller.
This file has resources that list delinquent real estate taxes in Charlottesville and the sale of delinquent properties to the Comptroller during the Great Depression. List entries include the following information: names of the persons assessed, the delinquent property, history of tax payments, and property sale dates.
The items in this file document the application and certification of alcohol licenses in Charlottesville, Virginia, a few months before the ratification of the twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This is a list of delinquent tax payments made to the Charlottesville City Treasurer and filed at the Clerk's Office of the Charlottesville Corporation Court.
This book lists civil papers issued by the Corporation Court of Charlottesville. Each entry in the list includes the following information: the date of issue, names of the parties involved, and the corresponding file number.
The entries in this ledger list the date of the transaction, the trustee, the place of business, the entruster, and the file number.
This series consists of personal property assessment tables for the City of Charlottesville. The tables are bound into books and contain the following data: name and address of person assessed, values of various kinds of personal property, tax amounts, and tax penalties. The Office of the Commissioner of Revenue for the City of Charlottesville produced the tables and filed them with the Clerk of the Charlottesville Circuit Court.