Charles Lee Notebook of Virginia Cases(1783 [1793] 1855)

• MS 1976.7
• Microfilm: M-1264
• 1 vol. ([57] pp.)

Full title: “Cases Adjudged in the General Court from the Year 1783–. Compiled by Charles Lee, L.A.”

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. 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).

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