FEATURED COLLECTION

CHANCERY RECORDS INDEX

The Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index (CRI) offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Virginians over the centuries. While originally envisioned as a boon to genealogists, this unique indexing and reformatting effort has proven to be a wonderful resource for other types of researchers as well. Chancery court records are primarily testamentary and present a snapshot of the commonwealth, sometimes literally, that can inform how we view our ancestors. Plaintiffs, defendants, and deponents provided testimony in order to persuade the judge and these can provide a wealth of information on topics as varied as business partnerships; the slave trade; the rights of women; and marriage.

The practical importance of these records in our modern day lives should not be underestimated either. Present-day surveyors and title researchers sometimes need to refer to deeds or plats created as a result of a historical chancery suit to determine current legal boundaries. This reality highlights the fact that we are rarely very far removed from the past.

The CRI has also brought to light some very personal stories of our predecessors. In some cases, plaintiffs or defendants would submit personal letters, photographs, and other ephemera as evidence in a suit. Letters written from an army camp during the Civil War or a note from a former slave removed to Liberia simultaneously provide us with insight about the individual and his or her larger historical context.

While the CRI project has achieved its original objective of opening up a formerly underutilized resource for genealogists, it has also accomplished the unintended goal of providing a new resource to social and business historians, surveyors, and the casual researcher interested in the life experience of those who came before them.