This diary by Vinyard Gal could lead to some fun and informative gumshoe fruit!
Read her diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
And if you live in Charlottesville...
(from the comments...)
If any of you live in Charlottesville, get to the Ambemarle Courthouse and get the records for the case numbers supplied by Vinyard Gal.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Albemarle County Courthouse
Location: 501 East Jefferson Street, Court Square, Charlottesville. Historical records are available in Room 225 in the Historical Record Vault Room.
Hours: 8:30-4:30, M-F
Photocopy Prices: $0.50/page
Law Order Books
Whenever the Circuit Court for Albemarle County issued any legal decision, the county clerk recorded it and transcribed his notes into law order books. The kinds of materials available in these books vary, as the circuit court had at least some jurisdiction over a wide-ranging set of legal matters. Most orders deal with instances when individuals were brought into court to face criminal or civil prosecution. Orders therefore most commonly deal with felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, from indictments to continuances to pleas to sentencing, and with lawsuits for debt. But the court dealt sometimes with other civil matters as well, such as individual tax adjustments and matters related to wills (many civil matters had been turned over to other local government agencies by the late nineteenth century, such as the Board of Supervisors). It is important to remember that law order books simply record the procedure and outcome of such matters, and the final decisions of the court. They do not contain trial transcripts, jury and witness lists, or detailed descriptions of crimes and other lawsuits.
Beginning in 1938, Albemarle County (but not Charlottesville city) began keeping separate law order books for criminal cases. All law order books are indexed at the front of each volume alphabetically by the last name of the plaintiff (or in criminal cases, by "Commonwealth v. __"). Some books have multiple indexes, so be sure to look carefully. A cumulative index of law order books is available beginning in 1904, also indexed alphabetically by plaintiff. The races of individuals involved in civil and criminal cases are occasionally, but rarely, indicated.