Acc. 2013.112 was picked up from the donor by Special Collections on 6/14/2013.
The collection was accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in July 2013. It was further processed by Del Moore, SCRC volunteer, in 2014. The material was received originally in four banker's boxes: Box 1, Deeds and other legal documents; Box 2, Miscellaneous documents and abstracts of title prepared for Colonial Williamsburg; Boxes 3 and 4, Abstracts of title.
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Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Geddy-Harris Archive Records, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
This collection is arranged in six series: Series 1, Deeds and other legal documents, 1773-1958; Series 2, Abstracts of title, circa 1902-1959; Series 3, Other real estate documents, 1850-1958 and undated; Series 4, Correspondence, 1899-1953 and undated; Series 5, Administrative documents, 1902-1955 and undated; Series 6, Financial documents, 1909-1953.
This collection contains deeds, abstracts of title, wills, and other legal documents from the law firm of Geddy, Harris, Franck Hickman in Williamsburg, Virginia. The bulk of the material consists of abstracts of title to real property located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and nearby counties, including the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg, from the 1920s to the 1950s, as well as deeds to properties in Williamsburg and nearby counties from the 1880s to the 1950s.
Stephen D. Harris described this collection as "deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, leases and other legal documents prepared by Ashton Dovell, Vernon M. Geddy, B. D. Peachy and numerous other attorneys then practicing in the area." He wrote that "the total number of legal documents . . . is Five Hundred Forty Nine of which Forty are handwritten either entirely or primarily and the remaining are typographic."
Only 512 documents were found in the box. Numbers from 1x to 512x have been penciled on the outside of each folded document, the 'x' to distinguish the numbers from numbers on the Abstracts of Title in another series. A spreadsheet https://wm1693.box.com/s/1v78ugniltighwiexej9ncfar7knq63e has been created with entries for each of the 512 documents, giving number, date, grantor, grantee, type of document, trustee for deeds of trust, location, and Deed Book citation when applicable. More than half of the documents are deeds, about a third are deeds of trust, and the remainder are release deeds, quit-claims, purchase agreements, mortgages, lease agreements, etc. Most of the properties were located in James City County (232), Williamsburg (121), or York County (108). Other locations represented are New Kent (33), King William (6), Warwick (5), and Norfolk (4) counties, Hopewell (2), and Dallas County, Texas (1). The date range is 1881 to 1958. Several other documents were found in the box. These have not been given numbers and are not included in the spreadsheet.
"Copy of the Will of William Brown, Dec'd of James City County, Virginia dated October 23, 1773 which is of historical interest because it contains numerous provisions making disposition of his extensive land and negro slave holdings." [The document is dated "1776" on the outside.]
"Copy of the Will of William Browne, Dec'd of James City County, dated January 31, 1808 which is of historical interest for the same reason as the aforesaid."
A handwritten undated letter enclosing a clipping from the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot dated March 25, 1941 from Leopold M. Brown of Norfolk, Virginia to Ashton Dovell.
Abstracts of title, wills, powers of attorney, a petition, and a memorandum of agreement.
The Abstract of Title for a tract known as "Cappahoosie" (1125 acres) in Bruton District, York County, was prepared by attorney B. D. Peachy and dated 1902 November 26. Included is a handwritten Supplement also prepared by B. D. Peachy, dated 1903 May 23.
The Abstract of Title is for a parcel (463 acres) sold to Hugh E. Jones and containing two adjoining tracts knows as "New Hope and College Land" in James City County, lying immediately west of the College; it was prepared by attorney Robert Armistead.
The report was filed by receiver W. S. Hitchens.
The petition was filed by Steve Sacalis et ux., asking the Court to appoint B. D. Peachy trustee in place of Ashton Dovell, deceased.
This subseries contains Abstracts of Title that are separate from the Abstracts prepared for Colonial Williamsburg (Box 4) and the collection of Abstracts listed in the ledger book in Box 2, Folder 8.
These two lists were attached to, or inside, an original folder containing this collection of Abstracts of Title. The list that was attached to the outside of the folder is headed "B. D. PEACHY'S ABSTRACTS OF TITLE"; it has twenty-two items. The dates on these Abstracts range from 1916 to 1952. The properties were in James City County, York County, and Williamsburg. The preparers were B. D. Peachy, T. H. Geddy, V. M. Geddy, Frank Armistead, and the firms Hall, Hall Peachy; Henley, Hall, Hall Peachy; and T. H. Geddy Sons. The Charles L. Rogers Estate document is actually a copy of a deed, with notes for a title search attached. A second list, found inside the folder attached to a piece of cardboard, is headed "ABSTRACTS OF TITLE – (too large for file cabinet)"; it contains eleven items. Most of these are in the form of summaries of property records typewritten on the back of stationery sheets. The stationery sheets all indicate an association with Ashton Dovell. Abstracts of Title among the 11 items on this list were prepared by B. D. Peachy, Ashton Dovell, T. H. Geddy, and V. M. Geddy. The dates range from 1921 to 1950. The properties were in James City County, New Kent County, York County, and Williamsburg. All Abstracts noted on both lists were found inside the original folder. The 22 on the first list were filed in the order of the list. The 11 on the second list were filed in front of the 22 and in reverse order of the list. The Abstracts from both lists have been alphabetized in one sequence, and five or six are filed in each of the following folders.
Abstracts of title, in alphabetical order from Lot 55 to Rich Neck Farm.
Following is Stephen D. Harris's description of the ledger book and the collection of folded Abstracts listed in it: "An alphabetically tabbed (A-Z) ledger file with handwritten notation[s] which appear to be in the handwriting of Mary Inman. There are entries at each tab with a numerical reference by the entry (For example at Tab A '1 Amblers – Babcock, J. A.') From perusing the entries, the highest numerical reference appears to be '479'. In both of the boxes [Box 2 and Box 3] there are folded Abstracts of Title with a handwritten numerical reference on each and from perusing them they appear to run from '1 to 479'. Total number of abstracts is Four Hundred Seventy Nine (479). "The abstracts of title are mostly in typewritten form although there are several which are handwritten only. They were made in the 1920s to 1950s and the certifying attorneys include those noted above. [T. H. Geddy, Frank Armistead, V. M. Geddy, Ashton Dovell, B. D. Peachy and others] The real properties certified are located in James City County, City of Williamsburg, County of York and other jurisdictions adjoining to the west."
The folded Abstracts in the two boxes were not in numerical order, but they now have been filed in numerical order. Box 2 has numbers 1-199. Box 3 has numbers 200-479. The following numbers were not present in the boxes: 17, 23, 43, 59, 75, 89, 99, 127, 132, 145, 183, 186, 190, 195, 196, 197, 198, 202, 204, 233, 249, 257, 260, 270, 271, 278, 292, 302, 313, 315, 355, 396, 403, 405, 406, 411, 413, 414, 416, 427, 439, 441, 445, 446, 453, 454, 455, 457, and 461 The following numbers appear on more than one Abstract in the collection: 3, 6, 8, 9, 14, 35, 69, 76, 80, 108, 110, 119, 134, 136, 181, 192, 217, 252, 262, 276, 301, 326, and 388
This "Cash" ledger book has an added label on the front: ABSTRACT OF TITLE. Most Abstracts appear to be entered in the ledger twice – under a personal name, presumably indicating the owner or the person requesting the Abstract, and under a property name or location. A spreadsheet https://wm1693.box.com/s/uvbb7uvby9gfnv08bx49g6zxifj5addl has been created with entries for each of the entries in the ledger, giving Abstract number, primary and secondary entry text, and number of acres, when applicable. A note on the top of the page at Tab A indicates "See List in back of book for Titles from 1 to 32". This page had been torn from the book and stapled to the page opposite Tab A. A folded document labeled "Shellbank restrictive covenants" is inserted in the ledger book after the S entries. There is an unnumbered entry near the end of the S entries for "Shellbank – restrictive covenants".
These two Abstracts of Title were among the collection of numbered Abstracts, but they do not have numbers and do not appear to have entries in the ledger book.
This tract contained 80½ acres in Bruton District, York County. The Abstract was prepared by Sydney Smith, Attorney, for the owner W. L. Schenck.
This tract contained 122.61 acres in Bruton District, York County. The Abstract was prepared by Henley Henley, Attorneys, for Julius Heier. It was signed on April 7, 1911.
These are mainly onionskin copies of Abstracts of Title prepared by Vernon M. Geddy for W. A. R. Goodwin and the Williamsburg Restoration in the late 1920s.
These four lists were attached to the four original folders containing the Abstracts of Title prepared for the Restoration. The folder lists use either the name of the last owner prior to acquisition by Goodwin or a property name such as Hospital or Theater. The lists are not in any particular order, and the abstracts were not filed in the folders in the order of the lists. The lists are deteriorating; a couple of names have worn away: 'Durfey', at the top of the second section of the list on the first folder; and 'Fowler', the first name on the list for the fourth folder. There are a total of 131 properties named on the four folder lists. Abstracts for fifteen of the listed properties were not present in the four original folders: First folder – Mayo, Cash, Freeman, Brhyn, Graves, Sadie Mahone, and Wolfe; Second folder – Julia W. B. Drew; Third folder – Jackson, Fannie H. Epps, Neale, and Potts; Fourth folder – Shultice, Luttrell–Bourbon, and Casey. There were five Abstracts in the folders that are not listed separately on the folder lists: 1) A second version of the 'Garage: Bland and Beaston' Abstract in the first folder, here alphabetized under 'Bland and Bleasten Garage'; 2) A second property under the name 'Esther R. Davis' in the second folder; 3) A second property under the name 'Lane' in the third folder, owned by Lane, Jr.; 4) An unlisted Abstract dated August 11, 1923, in the third folder, prepared by B. D. Peachy for a property he owned; and, 5) A copy of a 'Theater' Abstract in the fourth folder that is a different version of the 'Theater Property' Abstract. Also filed in this folder (Folder 1) is a single detached sheet that appears to be the last page of an Abstract of Title, with the date 8 February 1928. It was in the second of the original folders. The 121 Abstracts from the four original folders have been alphabetized in one sequence, and six to eight are filed in each of the following folders.
These are documents other than deeds or abstracts of title. They include notes on property records, sale posters, and survey plats.
These notes on deeds, etc., are typewritten on the back of approximately thirty sheets of stationery. The stationery has printed headings for Ashton Dovell, Candidate for Governor of Virginia, 1941; Ashton Dovell, member or speaker of the House of Delegates; or the Roosevelt-Garner-Montague Democratic Club of Williamsburg and Vicinity (Ashton Dovell, President).
These are trustees' and special commissioners' sale posters.
This was the sale of lots 67 and 68 in West Williamsburg, V. M. Geddy, special commissioner.
This was the sale of numerous lots, with improvements, in "Forest Heights", Ashton Dovell, trustee.
This was the sale of lot 74 in west Williamsburg and a parcel of land in Jamestown District, James City County, V. M. Geddy, B. D. Peachy, and James T. Carter, special commissioners.
This was the sale of two tracts in Jamestown District, B. I. Jenson, trustee.
This was the sale of a lot and the buildings thereon, including the brick theatre building, frame beer parlor, and frame cleaning and pressing shop, on By-Pass Road, C. M. Hall, trustee.
Ashton Dovell was the special commissioner for this sale.
This was the sale of a portion of lot 45 on Scotland Street in West Williamsburg, Ashton Dovell, special commissioner.
The plat shows parts of "Powhatan Park" and the "Lycoming" tract in James City County. It was drawn by Vincent D. McManus, Surveying Mapping, Williamsburg, Virginia.
The tract was formerly owned by B. C. Howard; the owner in 1920 was Mrs. Cora B. Cole. It was surveyed for the owner by Sydney Smith.
Drawn by Arthur C. Freeman Jr., CE.
The surveyor was V. D. McManus.
The tract, containing 126.72 acres, was conveyed to S. R. Curtis by B. D. Peachy, special commissioner, by deed dated Aug. 30, 1906, and recorded in Deed Book 10, page 370, records of James City County, Dec. 25, 1934. The plat was signed by J. M. Cochran, certified civil engineer.
The plat shows a proposed division of the Mrs. C. F. Thompson estate located on Centerville Road in James City County. It was drawn by W. D. Thomas, C.L.S. 579.
The interior lines were sketched from aerial map and survey control. The total acres are approximately 376. The sketch was drawn by J. H. Rock.
The land was conveyed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and John D. Rockefeller III. It was situated in Williamsburg on the south side of York Street. The plat was signed by Randolph V. Carter, certified land surveyor.
The tract was 2½ miles west of Talleysville and contained 232 acres. The name Hugh P. Fisher appears on the back in pencil.
The correspondence references deeds and other land matters, probate estates, taxes, investments, debts, court cases, etc. The approximately eighty items have dates ranging from 1899 to 1953, but most are from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Much of the correspondence is addressed to Ashton Dovell, but other local figures are represented as well, including T. H. Geddy, V. M. Geddy, B. D. Peachy, B. I. Jenson, and G. T. Brooks.
There are approximately twenty empty envelopes, most with postage cancellation stamps.
These include estate documents, insurance policies, blank forms, notes, and other ephemera.
This folder contains correspondence, other documents, and a newspaper article relating to the life, death, family, and estate of Walter E. Flanders, including divorce decrees ending three of his marriages. Much of the correspondence is addressed to Ashton Dovell. Flanders was an automobile entrepreneur who owned property near Williamsburg and died in 1923. His son George was a student at William and Mary.
There are fifteen insurance policies, one with seven accompanying receipt books and other miscellaneous items. Most policies were written by agent Gardiner T. Brooks of Williamsburg. The insured include William A. Ashlock, John and Katie Ashlock, Mrs. Mattie P. Geddy, and the Williamsburg Golf and Country Club, Inc.
There are three printed booklets.
Scope and Contents
This 8-page "Bulletin No. 1" was published by the Co-Operative Education Association of Virginia.
This 16-page booklet was published by Whittet Shepperson in Richmond.
This 32-page booklet was published in Richmond by the Securities Division of the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.
There are nine tax, court, and insurance forms, and a 1928 "Manual for Approved Attorneys".
This is a Circuit Court of Williamsburg and James City County document certifying the executors of the estate of T. H. Geddy.
There are seven various printed forms with scribbled notes.
There are approximately ninety Chesapeake Corporation pulp wood load measure tickets, with dates in September or October 1935, and with owner's name R. W. Bowmer, B. S. Bowmer, or E. L. Bowmer, or their corresponding initials.
This is a printed invitation to the Annual Home Show Dinner of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, 1 April 1938, with speaker Kenneth Chorley, President of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc.
This series includes promissory notes, bank account books, invoices, receipts, checkbooks, and gold notes.
These include promissory notes, other bank statements, and five small account books. Many of the documents involve V. M. Geddy as executor of the estate of M. L. Slater. The account books belonged to Francis Jerdone, for the period 1909-1930; John A. Barnes, 1919-1936; H. D. Cole, 1931-1936; Mary Lola Barnes, 1933-1936; and T. F. Rogers and B. D. Peachy, executors of Virginia Peachy Rogers, 1946.
There are approximately thirty-five (35) items, many involving Ashton Dovell or V. M. Geddy, either directly or as executor of an estate. Other persons represented include B. I. Jenson, H. D. Cole, and G. T. Brooks. Services invoiced or receipted include poster printing, newspaper advertising, insurance premiums, court fees, taxes, coal delivery, funeral costs, property sales, and legal fees.
These include cancelled checks, blank checks, and checkbooks with both filled-in stubs and blank checks. One large checkbook apparently was used for the account of Martin Thompson's estate, with dates from August 1926 to October 1927; among the documents enclosed in it are a bank statement, a citizenship document (1887), and two stock certificates (1923). A second large checkbook, with the Peninsula Bank and Trust Company of Williamsburg, has dates from September to November 1946.
These are First Mortgage Real Estate gold notes, eight for $1000 each and four for $500 each, all signed by Robert P. Wallace at Williamsburg on June 2, 1930. The gold notes are accompanied by eight groups of cancelled interest payment coupons dated from June 1931 to June 1935.