Rockbridge County (Va.) Court Records, 1822-1846, consist of one civil suit and two commonwealth causes.

Commonwealth versus Trustees of Washington College, 1822 August, includes information, bill of exceptions, subpoenas and other documents. The trustees were accused and found guilty of harboring a slave named Tamer, the property of Robert Douthat, without his consent and to the great detriment and annoyance of people in the neighborhood. The trustees were fined three dollars.

Commonwealth versus Polly Watkins (alias Dolly Freeman), 1827 April, includes two indictments, copy of record, recognizance, subpoenas, list of jurors, and other documents. Watkins was indicted for harboring a runaway slave named Rachel, the property of Christianna Holmes, and for feloniously carrying the same slave from Rockbridge County to Botetourt County. The copy of record includes depostions from witnesses on behalf of the Commonwealth, including the slave Rachel, who testified to how Watkins transported the slave to Boteourt County. She forged free papers for the slave and passed her off as a family member. Watkins was found not guilty for feloniously carrying the slave from Rockbridge County to Botetourt County, but was found guilty of harboring a slave. Watkins was fined ten dollars, but if she was unable to pay the fine, she was to be punished with ten lashes on her bare back at the public whipping post.

Peter Jordan vs. Thomas Gardner, 1846 September, was a civil suit in which Jordan sued Gardner for damages from an assault and battery. Gardner asked the court to dismiss the suit because Jordan was a slave and under the laws of Virginia could not sue a white man. The court ruled against Gardner and allowed the suit to continue. The suit originated out of a previous civil suit in which Gardner sued Jordan for slander and assault and battery. Jordan was found guilty and sentenced to ten lashes.

Court Records are useful when researching local history and genealogical information, particularly for African Americans. They are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and serve as a primary source for understanding a locality's history.