Amelia County (Va.) Judgments, 1733-1938 (bulk 1800-1860)

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Creator:
Amelia County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Amelia County (Va.) Judgments, 1733-1938 contains civil cases in which justice was administered on the strictly formulated rules of common law. The majority of these cases in this record series relate to matters of debt. The records consist of processed loose records and several volumes.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Judgments are identified as civil suits, often involving debt, heard by a jury on the "law" side of the court as opposed to the "chancery" (or equity) side. Should the defendant not have funds to repay the debt, the court ordered their property (including enslaved people) to be seized and sold to repay the debt owed to the plaintiff. Judgments also contain suits brought by enslaved people seeking to gain their freedom.

In Judgments, an assumpsit or declaration (sometimes referred to as a narratio) lays out the plaintiff's grievance as a petition acted as a formal application to the court requesting judicial action. Judgment suits also generally included record types like subpoenas, summons, and exhibit. Judgments may also include additional documentations such as executions, bonds, and various kinds of writs.

Judgment suits make up a large quantity of a locality's records; consequently, they provide a great deal of information concerning the activities and interests of the people who lived in the locality. Since the vast majority of judgment suits relate to financial matters, they are a valuable resource in studying the economic and social history of Virginia localities and are the impotence for many chancery suits.

Locality History: Amelia County was named for Amelia Sophia Eleanora, daughter of King George II. It was formed from Prince George and Brunswick Counties by an act passed in 1734 to take effect on 25 March 1735. The county court first met on 9 May 1735. The county seat is Amelia.

Types of Courts

The County Court was the original colonial court of adjudication and recordation, and it was the principal tribunal for the administration of local justice. The individual justices could act on small claims matters as well as criminal matters where imminent bodily harm was a possibility, there being an appeal to the full County Court, which met monthly. This court ceased to exist in 1875 and the recordation function was transferred to the circuit court.

The Superior Court of Law was created in 1808. It met twice a year in each county, presided over by a circuit-riding General Court judge. Records were filed with the County Court. It had civil and criminal jurisdiction. The court ceased to exist in 1831.

The Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery, established in 1831, were the upper courts on the local level. Sessions were held twice a year in each county, presided over by a General Court judge. The counties were grouped into districts for the convenience of the judge. The court ceased to exist in 1851.

Additional Judgment Types

Office Judgments are ruled on outside of a traditional court hearing by a court clerk, rather than a judge and usually occurs when a defendant failed to file a timely response.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in multiple transfers of court papers from Amelia County, including in 2003 under accession number 40724, in 2004 under accession number 41507, and in 2007 under accession number 43189, under accession number 34741 at an unidentified date, as well as in an undated accession.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into two series:

  • Series I: Judgments, 1733-1938
  • Series II: Judgment Volumes, 1786-1908

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
146 cu. ft. (300 boxes); 15 volumes