The U.S. census population schedules provide a glimpse into the Asian American population over time. As is so often the case, the questions asked and…
Cara GriggsMay 30, 2022
Author's Note: The spellings of names evolved over time. In order to be consistent, names were spelled as they appeared in government records.1 On Tuesday,…
Cara GriggsMay 2, 2022
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Please join the Library of Virginia as we recognize this month. According to the 2020 United…
Cara GriggsApril 29, 2022
Tobacco has been an important part of Virginia’s economy for centuries, starting with the Virginia Indians who cultivated native plants and John Rolfe’s attempts in…
Cara GriggsMay 26, 2021
On 19 January 2001, Rep. Leo C. Wardrup, Jr. (R-83) introduced HB 2859, which called for the creation of the Virginia-Asian Advisory Board (VAAB) “to…
Cara GriggsMay 12, 2021
Want to learn another language? The Library of Virginia’s archival collections could be a place to start! Virginians learn new languages for a variety of…
Cara GriggsMay 3, 2021
Circa 1844-1845, Ah Man was born in China to Adock Arman and Elanhoi Arman. Around 1857, he made his way to the United States, eventually…
Cara GriggsMay 29, 2020
What can a handful of documents left behind in a safe deposit box reveal? In the case of Kuy So, it is the story of…
Cara GriggsMay 15, 2020
The Library of Virginia is closed to the public, but we can still observe Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month virtually! Let’s explore the…
Cara GriggsMay 4, 2020
Unclaimed property from banks, estates, or other repositories often ends up in the possession of the Virginia Department of the Treasury. If they are not…
Cara GriggsDecember 4, 2019
From 1795 to 1952, the United States’ naturalization process required a declaration of intention followed by a petition for naturalization. On 9 May 1918, Congress…
Cara GriggsNovember 13, 2019
One afternoon in the Archives Research Room, senior reference librarian Zach Vickery requested several of the questionnaires that the Virginia War History Commission collected to…
Cara GriggsJuly 18, 2018
Beginning in 1795, the United States required individuals who wished to become United States citizens to file a declaration of intent, followed by a petition…
Cara GriggsNovember 8, 2017
In 1856, the General Assembly decided that free African Americans could petition their county or city court to be enslaved. These individuals had to be…
Cara GriggsJanuary 11, 2017
