District 5, Montgomery County, Magistrate's Docket Book
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of a docket book that belonged to James H. Achey (aar·chr·ee). He served as magistrate of District 5 from 1878 through 1900 in Port Royal, TN. As a magistrate, Achey presided over minor civil law suits between citizens of District 5. This docket book documents the civil cases that he heard from October 14, 1882 through December 21, 1895. The docket book also includes a small number of criminal case proceedings presided over by Achey from May 24, 1887 through November 8, 1895. Although Achey referred some of these cases to criminal court, in many cases he levied fines and court costs against the defendants if he determined that they were guilty.
Although few of the cases recorded include an account of the particular circumstances, many of them appear to be connected to estate settlements. In some instances the judgements give financial accounts of tobacco crop transactions between citizens of District 5 of Montgomery County, Tennessee. The portion of the book that contains criminal cases reveals charges, fines and referral to higher court systems. There are small gaps in the record due to missing pages. This book contains some well-known familial names in the history of Montgomery County Tennessee, such as Northington, Moody and Rosson. Researchers interested in financial, mortgage and legal records will find this document useful.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1882-10-14 - 1895-12-21
- 1882-10-14 - 1929-10-01
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
While the Montgomery County Archives houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. It is the user’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Biographical / Historical
James H. Achey served as a magistrate of District 5 in Montgomery County from 1882 through around 1900. During this time frame District 5 encompassed Port Royal, Tennessee. Born in 1841, Achey was a native of Montgomery County. He was very active in local politics and the legal system. He began his career law in 1873 when he became sheriff of Montgomery County. He held that position for two terms and then served as a court administrator from 1877 to 1882. This was when he became a magistrate for District 5. This marked the height of his political life, and although the exact dates of his tenure are unclear, according to newspaper records he remained active within the political structure of District 5 to some degree until his death in 1915. He held other positions while serving as magistrate as well, including serving seven years as Jail Commissioner.
The docket book is a record of both civil cases and criminal cases presided over by Achey as magistrate of District 5 between 1882 and 1895. The book includes five hundred and fifty-two civil cases primarily pertaining to property and estate issues, including contestations over tobacco crops. The few criminal cases recorded in the book are situated at the end and date from 1887 through 1895.
Extent
1.3 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to the fragility of the original document, researchers will be limited to the use of digital surrogates.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donor wishes to remain annonymous.
Processing Information
During processing significant preservations issues were discovered, including brittle paper, damaged binding, water damage, and inactive mold. The surface of each page was cleaned, including the removal of all traces of inactive mold. While cleaning the document the page containing the first criminal docket was slightly torn. Loose items were removed from the book and placed in separate folders. The docket book is very fragile, and has been digitized to provide access without placing the original in danger of continued use.
The opening pages of the docket book include an index for the civil cases, and this has been transcribed. Although there was no index for the criminal cases, one has been created by the processor for the use of researchers.
- Title
- Guide to the District 5, Montgomery County Magistrate's Docket Book
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Elizabeth Wilcox
- Date
- 2022-05-24
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Montgomery County Archives Repository
350 Pageant Lane
Suite 101D
Clarksville Tennessee 30741 United States
931-553-5159
mcarchives@mcgtn.net