John M. Woolsey collection of legal documentsMSS.78.6Arthur J. Morris Law Library Special Collections

Arthur J. Morris Law Library580 Massie RoadUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia 22903archives@law.virginia.eduURL:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-04-29 11:02:36 +0000.Description is written in: English, Latin script.Describing Archives: A Content Standard Arthur J. Morris Law Library Special Collections John M. Woolsey collection of legal documents Woolsey, John M., 1877-1945 MSS.78.6 Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key /repositories/4/resources/493 .3 Linear Feet 1 box 1790-1844 English Scope and Contents

The John M. Woolsey collection is comprised of fifteen historically significant legal documents from 1790 to 1844.

The papers contain the records of two cases signed by Samuel Chase, justice of the United States Supreme Court and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. This information was recorded when Justice Chase presided over the Supreme Court of Maryland. Six papers are entirely in James Monroe's handwriting and form an agreement of arbitration between James Monroe (fifth president of the United States) and Nathan Skinner.

George Wythe is the author of several of the early documents in this collection. An appeal written by John Marshall and signed by George Wythe is included, as is an April 30, 1790, letter signed by Charles Lee, brother of Light Horse Harry. Edmund Randolph wrote an opinion, dated April 14, 1805, which is included in this collection and written entirely in Randolph's hand.

There are also documents signed by John Marsharll, Charles Lee, Edmund Randolph, John Quincy Adams, Henry St. George Tucker, and John B. Minor.

 Immediate Source of Acquisition

Judge John W. Woolsey donated this collection to the UVA Law Library in honor of T. Catesby Jones (UVA Law Alumni, Class of 1903), who was Chairman of the Alumni Fund for the Department of Law "in 1941 or ealier."

 Virginia -- History -- 19th Century lawyers Legal documents Chase, Samuel, 1741-1811 Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 Lee, Charles Carter, 1798-1871 Marshall, John, 1755-1835 Monroe, James, 1758-1831 Randolph, Edmund, 1753-1813 Tucker, Henry St. George, 1780-1848 Whythe, George, 1726-1806