Chris Kolbe – The UncommonWealth

Archives

"I told you I had no money & therefore could not pay you"

In 1771, James Juhan, musical instrument maker, arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, from Boston, Massachusetts. From 1771 to 1772 he advertised in the Charleston newspapers…

Chris KolbeFebruary 19, 2014

Archives

Dueling potters

Benjamin DuVal’s pottery in Richmond, Virginia is one of the best-documented early Virginia pottery manufactories, with articles about it appearing in at least two scholarly…

Chris KolbeOctober 17, 2012

Archives

"The people here seem very fond of musick"

At first glance a chair maker, a musician, and a dancing master make a very strange trio. The June 1790 judgment papers for Capus vs. Kullin, found in…

Chris KolbeJuly 25, 2012

Manuscripts & Special Collections

A troubled slave makes his escape

In the fall of 1805, John Alcock, a Fredericksburg, Virginia, cabinetmaker, relocated to Richmond and opened a cabinetmaking shop. By 1807 he had expanded his…

Chris KolbeApril 11, 2012

Archives

"Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!"

The wool of Merino sheep was highly prized and for centuries the flocks were not allowed to be exported from their home in Spain. One…

Chris KolbeDecember 7, 2011

Archives

Building Furniture, Building Up the South

The Library of Virginia recently acquired business records of Ephraim Baker (1836-1919) of Mount Olive, Virginia (Accession 51052). Baker, born on 13 December 1836 in…

Chris KolbeOctober 26, 2011

Archives

A River Runs Through It.

Editor's Note: The two transcribed letters below are found in the Prince Edward Chancery case Gdns. of Jacob Michaux vs. William Smith, 1788-001. The case…

Chris KolbeJune 9, 2011