Collection Summary

Creator: Woolsey, John M.
Title: The John M. Woolsey Collection of Legal Documents
Accession: MSS 78-6
Description: 15 folders containing 14 legal documents.
Location: Special Collections
Photograph Collection: View 0 digitized photographs
Digitized Content: 15 objects
Use Restrictions: There are no restrictions.

Collection Description & Arrangement

The John M. Woolsey Collection is comprised of 15 folders containing historically significant legal documents from 1790 to 1844.  Judge John W. Woolsey donated this collection to the UVA Law Library in honor of T. Catesby Jones (UVA Law Alumni, Class of 1903) who was Chairman of the Alumni Fund for the Department of Law. 

Biographical & Historical Information

John W. Woolsey donated this collection of legal documents to the Law Library. The papers contain the records of two cases signed by Samuel Chase, Justice of the United States Supreme Court and signer of the Declaration of Independence.  This information was recorded when Justice Chase presided over the Supreme Court of Maryland.  Six papers are entirely in James Monroe’s handwriting and form an agreement of arbitration between James Monroe (5th president of the United States) and Nathan Skinner.  George Wythe is the author of several of the early documents in this collection.  An appeal written by John Marshall and signed by George Wythe is included in the collection.  Charles Lee autographed a letter in this collection, dated April 30, 1790.  Lee was the brother of Light Horse Harry.  Edmund Randolph wrote an opinion, dated April 14, 1805, and this document is included in this collection written entirely in Randolph’s handwriting.

Acquisition Information

Date Received 1940
Donor Information Collection is a gift of John M. Woolsey.

Content List

Legal Documents:

  • Charles Lee to Col. John Smith, April 30, 1790.
  • Documents in the case of Orandorf v. Welch with signatures of George Wythe and John Marshall, February 18, 1791 and May 13, 1795
  • Transcript of Mantz v. Thomas, presented before the General Court of the state of Maryland, Chief Justice Samuel Chase, presiding, 1792-1794.
  • Transcript of Lockland v. Dorsey presented before General Court of Maryland, Chief Justice Samuel Chase presiding, June 6, 1794.
  • Plea for injunction in Holliday v. Lauck signed by George Wythe, November 6 and 14, 1801.
  • Memorandum from Edmund Randolph to Mr. Throckmorton, April 14, 1805.
  • Documents in the case of Monroe v. Skinner with signatures of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Henry St. George Tucker, 1823-1826.
  • John B. Minor to Clerk of the Superior Court of Tappahanock, Virginia re a suit involving property belonging to Staige Davis, January 13, 1844.

Associated People

Use Policy

Access There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation

The John M. Woolsey Collection of Legal Documents, University of Virginia School of Law Library Special Collections.
Unless otherwise stated, digital materials in our collections are available for use under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 License (CC-BY-4.0). For Use and Citation guidelines, see Special Collections Use Policy.