The Library of Virginia maintains the most comprehensive collection of information about Virginia’s history, culture, and government. We hold more than 200 million manuscript items, digital images, and records in our archives that tell countless stories of Virginians and our collective past. In addition to state and local government records, LVA has an unparalleled collection of private papers that includes records of businesses, organizations, churches, and individuals. These archival collections continue to grow, and archivists are constantly acquiring and processing records to make them accessible to the public. Four times a year, we publish reports of newly accessioned records. The reports can be found by visiting LVA’s News & Press Center.
Here are a couple highlights from our most recent accessioned collections:
Virginia Train Collectors Association
Records, 1976-2018, of the Virginia Train Collectors Association (VTCA) containing by-laws, membership lists and rosters, magazines, and newsletters documenting the organization, history, and activities of the association and its interests in tinplate model trains. Includes club car models issued annually to members of the association. Gift of the Virginia Train Collectors Association, Richmond. (53579)
Hebron Lutheran Church
Records, 1735-1905, of Hebron Lutheran Church in Madison County, Virginia, containing a ledger, 1735-1737, of German subscribers for the church; three ledgers, 1775-1855, containing information on membership, births, marriages, and deaths, as well as confirmands and other information; history, compiled about 1905, of Hebron Lutheran Church, as well as information on Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations in Virginia; and loose papers containing information on Hebron Lutheran Church. Lent for copying by Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison. (53202)
Reverend John Caspar Stoever and two members of the congregation of Hebron Lutheran Church travelled to Germany in 1734 to raise funds for the construction of a church building. Stoever died on the return trip in 1739. Hebron is the oldest continuously used Lutheran church in Virginia.
Lorenzo J. Bell
Journal, 3 September 1855, of Lorenzo J. Bell (1827-1861) of Accomack County, Virginia, which chronicles his travels over a one-month period from Baltimore, Maryland to Montreal, Quebec. Bell’s journal covers his observations, from traveling by passenger train and steamships to interactions with freed Black men who had become attorneys. The collection includes Bell’s last will and testament, marriage registry, the censuses for 1850 and 1860, a news article, and a photograph of Roseland, the family home of Lorenzo Bell’s son, William Parramore Bell (1860-1934). Gift of Fran Redic, Charlotte, North Carolina. (54006)
Bell writes of being ill while on his travels and being appreciative of the strangers who took care of him. He records his perceptions of the people and the places he sees while on his journey.
