What is a chancery? Various court records, organized by the county it was filed in.

die without a will (intestate)

will isn’t being proved correctly

debts aren’t being paid

in VA, divorce cases

What kinds of things are in

Chanceries?

Plats

Copies of wills

Copies of marriage records or

date of marriage records

Women’s maiden names

Dates of death

Proof of relationships, under oath

Notations if family moved away

Depositions by relatives

Sale of their estate

Settle disputes

Where can I find chanceries?

In VA, Library of Virginia has an

Index online. Some digitized, online.

The rest, have to go to LVA to view.

http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

Select county of city.

Enter surname.

first part of chancery:

“complaint”

Next: “answer” from

Defendants

Language: siblings “sue”

eachother to divide the

estate, when really trying

to get the case to

chancery court & divided

equally.

Deposition of Newman Dortch- Taken Friday 1 Oct 1824

The deposition of Newman Dortch of lawful age taken at the store of Charles Baskerville & brothers in the

County of Mecklenburg on Friday the first day of October 1824. To be read as evidence in a suit in chancery

now depending in the county court aforesaid wherein Edmund Taylor Adm of Rebecca Taylor died, formerly

Rebecca Dortch are plaintiffs and Charles Baskerville & George Baskerville admin of David Dortch deceased

who was Executor of David Dortch the Elder are being defendants being duly sworn deposeth and saith-

That he after the death of David Dortch his father, understood from his mother Lucy Dortch also deceased

that the 50 pounds legacies left in the will of the said David Dortch (the Elder) was done with adieu (?) to cert.

(the several legateez to whom the said fifty pound legacies were bequeath) and from any further proportion

on his estate-having before the date of the said will given and delivered over to some of these this respective

proportions in negroes; to wit Noah Dortch, Rebecca Taylor & Hillica Moss, = Lucy Dortch, now Lucy Ryland to

the least of this deponents recollection were given her by the will together with the fifty pounds- land of

which will be more fully seen by a reference to the said will- That this deponent while he wrote in the clerk

office had after sealed those legacies by the scale of deprecation and to the last of his present recollection the

scale at the date of the said will was seventy five for one or thereabouts- That a suit was instituted by Jessie

Dortch one of the legateez of said David Dortch the older against David Dortch the younger in the said county

of Mecklenburg and a decree entered in his favour about the year of 1802, in which decision the court sealed

the said legaceez and entered a decree in his favour for the one twelfth part of the remaining part of the re-

maining part of the estate- the answer of the said David Dortch Excr having set forth those legacies for his

own safety and which answer being drawn by George Craghead Esq of Lunenburg reference being had to the

said last will fully appear-

That he this deponent has after heard David Dortch the Executer of his father say that David Taylor who was

the husband of said Rebecca had purchased to a large amount at the sale of his father’s estate & his depo-

nent thirty L. 150 for which he held said Taylor bond or bond & could not get payment and should have to

loose the amount as he had held up the bond or bonds to favour him tell said Taylor who together with the

security had become insolvent- That the said David Taylor died leaving the said Rebecca in loss and pecuniary

circumstances, -the he often heard this David Dortch say he had to aid and assist her to keep her from suffer-

ing- said that he had assisted her to the last of this deponents recollection with a Negro girl to aid & assist her

-the contracts of which statement this deponent has no right to doubt. –

Question by defendants- Were you not one of the twelve legatees mentioned in the above decree Jessie

Dortch apt said David Dortch Exr ?

Answer- Yes- I have long since received of said Exr my proportion of said decree

Question by same- Do you not know that David Taylor was insolvent some time previous to his death- And

had this pecuniary difficulty are such as to regrence any thing that might be due to him from the said David

Dortch as Exr aforesaid ?

Answer: I believe & have no doubt that they were as seen pretty certain that several executors were returned

against him by the sheriff “no effects aforesaid paid (?)” This deponent being appointed on deputy clerk from

Nov 1791 to Nov 1793 after which he acted in capacity of assistant Sheriff for several years.

Question by Plaintiff- Do you not know that these were a legacy due to my mother Rebecca Taylor (Question

would be by Edmund Taylor) from the said estate of David Dortch Sen. deceased of whom David Dortch

Adm the deft. was the Exr.

Answer: I know of no legacy or money due from the said Dortch only such as appears by the papers concern-

ing said estate. The said David Dortch Exr having often said that said Taylor was indebted to him as Executor

aforesaid which by his surety (?) to said Taylor he should loose- And this deponent believes constitutes a part

of the court placed on the administrator amount of the testators estate as settled & reported by the commis-

sioner , appointed for that purpose-

Question by defendants- Was not the said David Dortch at all times and at all times able & solvent to pay any

debts or legacees due from him in dep___ of executional bond?

Answer- The said David Dortch was at all times able as his estate since his death sufficiently testifies- and fur-

ther this agreement saith not only that the said suit Jesse Dortch against David Dortch Exr he always under-

stood from the parties was brought for the purpose of legally settling the point of the fifty pounds legaseez &

not from the unwillingness to settle the sum-lawfully with the parties concerned.-

Nm Dortch

Mecklenburg County Court

Sworn to & _entered by and before us justices of the peace for the said county by the above named by Newman Dortch this day and year aforesaid.

Thomas Taylor JP

EH Pute JP

Newman Dortch Deposition

Returned and presented in seal the 9th Oct 1824

Severe VA depression

Confederate dollar

Couldn’t prove wills

Couldn’t farm from battles in fields

Everyone calling in debts

Multi-generation debts

Blacks also in chancery, not notated

Says street on prop-

erty border is Nelly

Jones Rd

Field

stones

USGS maps

Free plug in to view maps

Known cemeteries marked

Note water changed,

when Kerr dam put in for

electricity.

Plat dividing up Frederick

Jones land after his death.