Dawn Tinnell – The UncommonWealth

Archives

Spirits, Freeholders, and Aliens: Contested Elections in 18th Century Virginia

I recently came across the records of Contested Elections, and with the 2024 elections right around the corner, my interest was piqued. The cases span…

Dawn TinnellSeptember 2, 2024

Archives

18th Century Multifactor Authentication

In today’s society, we are all familiar with the concept of multifactor authentication to enhance security and to protect against fraud. Historically, this was also…

Dawn TinnellSeptember 18, 2023

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

Peter Francisco: The Man, the Myth, the Prenup?

Peter Francisco was a revered Revolutionary War soldier with mysterious origins. It is believed that his American story began in 1765, after being discovered abandoned…

Dawn TinnellJune 6, 2022

Archives The Stacks

Random Reference: What Happened to Uncle Harry?

The best thing about being a reference archivist is that every time you pick up the phone you have no idea what the question will…

Dawn TinnellJune 7, 2021

Archives

Signed, Sealed and Proved: The Last Will and Testament of Robert, 7th Lord Fairfax

This entry is part of our new "Random Reference" series, which features interesting discoveries made and reference questions answered by our Archives & Library Reference…

Dawn TinnellJune 1, 2020

Archives

Give Me That Old Time Music: WRVA’s Old Dominion Barn Dance

Since its creation in 1823, the Library of Virginia has been renowned for its vast collection of books, manuscripts, and maps. A closer look at…

Dawn TinnellSeptember 12, 2018