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Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Librarian/ Associate Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, and the holder of the copyright, if not the Rockefeller Library at Colonial Williamsburg.

Preferred Citation

Charles Lee Notebook of Virginia Cases, Manuscript MS 76.7, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Acquisition Information

Gift, 1976.

Alternative Form

Also available on microfilm M-1264.

Biographical/Historical Information

Lee (1758-1815) was the second son of Henry Lee (1729-1787) and Lucy Grymes Lee. He attended the College of New Jersey [Princeton], 1770-1775, was admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1781 and in Philadelphia in 1794, and was attorney general under Washington and Adams, 1795-1801.

Scope and Content Information

"Cases Adjudged in the General Court from the Year 1783- . Compiled by Charles Lee, L.A." The volume consists of forty-nine pages of brief notes, 1783-1793, from various appellate courts, followed by about one hundred blank pages and then eight pages of notes, 1789-1790 [1855], at the end. Cases concern debt, fraud, slaves, paper money, a deserted ship found adrift, 1793, and a chart of the profits of slaves. Cases include Turner v. Turner, Finnie v. Gilbert (appealed from Williamsburg Hustings Court), Gault and Ux v. Hornsby, et al., Dade v. Dade, Cocke's Exec v. Linton, Downman v. Downman's Exec., Vaughan v. Moss, Smith v. Harmonson, and James Norvel v. David Ross. Several pages at the end of the volume concern shares in the Potomac Company (founded to open the Potomac River to navigation). The notebook is written in approximately six different hands.

Names appearing in the collection are J. Baker, Chief Justice Paul Carrington, Judge Heming, Thomas Hewitt, Wm. Hunter, Jr., Richard Lee, Sarah Lee, Robert Lyle, Judge Lyons, T. Mason, Judge Mercer, Ed. Randolph, Capt. Salsbury, Philip R. Tendall, H. Tazewell, Andrew Wales, and the Fair Virginian (ship).

Index Terms

Persons:

• Baker, J.
• Carrrington, Paul, 1733-1818.
• Hewitt, Thomas.
• Hunter, William, Jr.
• Lee, Charles, 1758-1815.
• Lee, Richard.
• Lee, Sarah.
• Lyle, Robert.
• Lyons, Peter, 1734 or 5- 1809.
• Mason, T.
• Mercer, James, 1736-1793.
• Randolph, Edmund, 1753-1813.
• Tazewell, Henry, 1753-1799.
• Tendall, Philip R.
• Wates, Andrew.

Subjects:

• Fraud--Virginia.
• Law--Virginia--Cases.
• Appellate courts--Virginia.
• Courts-- Virginia.
• Justice, Administration of--Virginia.
• Maritime law--Virginia.
• Paper money--Law and legislation-- Virginia.
• Slavery--Law and legislation--Virginia.

Corporate Names:

• Potomac Company.