Archives – Page 15 – The UncommonWealth

Archives

Alias Smith and Morris: Shady Dealings in a Civil War Era Marriage & Divorce

Visiting John and Lucinda Smith at their home in Belton, South Carolina, could be a little complicated if one were traveling from out of town.…

Eddie WoodwardNovember 10, 2021

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

National Native American Heritage Month

As the original inhabitants and caretakers of the land known today as Virginia, the influence of indigenous communities on the land, history, and culture of…

Vince BrooksNovember 1, 2021

Archives

“Gone in the First Boat”: Part 1

On March 18, 1856, an enslaved man named Richard was charged in the City of Richmond for the crime of aiding and advising Tazewell, his…

Lydia NeurothOctober 27, 2021

Archives Conservation

Coming Soon to Virginia Untold: Free Black Registers from Arlington County

We’re excited to announce that we’ve just uploaded new Virginia Untold material to our transcription platform From the Page! This Saturday, October 23, from noon…

Lydia NeurothOctober 20, 2021

Archives

What’s Owed Lucy Wilson: A King and Queen County Chancery Cause

Lucy began her life in enslavement. The daughter of her enslaver, Edmund Littlepage, and enslaved mother Sophia Littlepage, Lucy lived on her father’s plantation in…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemOctober 6, 2021

Archives

The Last Vestiges of Hope

Several of my colleagues have shared the personal stories of enslaved individuals over the past nine years as we work our way through processing and…

Callie FreedOctober 4, 2021

Archives Newspapers

“Attractions and Amusements of Every Kind Will Be the Order of Things”: The History of the Virginia Colored State Fair

In late October 1910, thanks to the efforts of some of Richmond’s most prominent Black leaders, the “Colored State Fair” was held at the Virginia…

Kelley EwingOctober 1, 2021

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

New Additions to Virginia Untold from Clarke County

Last month, I took my first road trip as project manager for Virginia Untold. I traveled to Clarke County courthouse, along with local records archivists…

Lydia NeurothSeptember 29, 2021

Archives

A Marriage Divided: The Post-Civil War Divorce of Sarah and George Field

"I hate secession and all its hateful helpers. Cursed be the hand that raised its bloody flag to make desolate homes and wretched women,” wrote…

McKenzie LongSeptember 22, 2021

Archives

Random Reference: Riot in the Church!

Manakin Town, in present-day Powhatan County, was a unique community made up of Huguenot (French Protestant) refugees who settled there in 1700-1701. Although free from…

Bill BynumSeptember 15, 2021

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

Hazing on the High Seas

In 1823, Jacques Arago’s Voyage autour du Monde was published. After describing a line-crossing ceremony he had witnessed, he waxed philosophical, noting, “I have no…

Jessi BennettSeptember 1, 2021

Archives

Freedom is Never Free: The Untold Story of Reubenetta Dandridge

On 30 March 1857, Joseph Elam and two other white men broke into the house of Reubenetta Dandridge, a free Black woman living in the…

Lydia NeurothAugust 25, 2021

Archives

A Scandal in the Making: Ice Cream Saloons and the Unaccompanied Woman

This is an entry in our “Random Reference” series, which features interesting discoveries made and reference questions answered by our Archives & Library Reference Services…

Amanda MorrellAugust 16, 2021

Archives

“In the way that all slaves were married”: The Legal Legacy of Unjust Laws

To what lengths would you go to prove your identity if you had no documentation? One formerly enslaved woman was able to do so 150…

Tracy HarterAugust 11, 2021

Archives

Commonwealth v. Fanny

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Lydia NeurothJuly 28, 2021