VAAUGUST-L Archives

From: "Lynne Hundley" <>
Subject: [VAAUGUST-L] Counties and Courthouses
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 04:58:21 -0000

I'm new to Virginia (transplanted from S. Calif. 2 yrs ago at age 50) and
am still a little shocked to find the county government is in the middle of
"nowhere". In S. Calif, it's in the biggest city of the county. Isle of
Wight Courthouse is a place here, not just a building name. That's hard to
get into my head. But knowing that makes reading the records easier.

The small size of counties also surprises me. Los Angeles Co. takes 2-3
hours to drive across -- at freeway speeds. Here I can completely cross
three or four counties in an hour (if there's a freeway). On country roads
it takes much longer and reminds me they divided into small counties so
everyone could get to the courthouse and home again in one day -- by horse.

It also makes sense of the justices being sent out to take testimony from
wives giving up dower right instead of requiring them to come to the
courthouse. Imagine old women riding 3-4 hrs each way to the courthouse
over rough trails.

Unfortunately for those of us who live at a distance, there's no substitute
for actually seeing the place. Otherwise we assume it's like what we're
used to and don't even realize we're assuming. One of the my goals for this
year is to visit several of the counties where my people lived.

Meanwhile, thanks to all of you who give us glimpses of county geography
and terrain.

Lynne Hundley
----------
> From: Norma Lewis
>
> This explains a lot of things we didn't understand about Chalkley's...
> The baby days of our court system.

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• [VAAUGUST-L] Counties and Courthouses by "Lynne Hundley" <>