Archives – Page 17 – The UncommonWealth

“Her prospects of election”: Virginia Women Run for Office

"The political woman will be a menace," warned anti-suffragists during the campaign for women's voting rights. Not only would women in politics threaten the family…

Mari JulienneMarch 3, 2021

Archives

Random Reference: Scrapbooking Anyone?

A few years ago, my mother and I were cleaning out some closets and I ran across a scrapbook she made as a college freshman.…

Ginny DunnMarch 1, 2021

Archives

Colley’s Calling: Reconstruction-Era Richmonders in Africa

On 13 September 1886, an ill W. W. Colley returned to Richmond, Virginia, from Liberia, trying once again to outrun scandal. However, the month-long boat…

Jessi BennettFebruary 17, 2021

Archives

Seeking Justice for The Martinsville Seven

Editor's Note: The Governor issued a posthumous pardon for the Martinsville Seven on 31 August 2021. Last week marked the 70th anniversary of the February…

Roger ChristmanFebruary 10, 2021

Archives Newspapers

‘Recreational warriors’ of the Gridiron: The Olympia Football Squad

Since 1967, Americans have been gathering around their televisions at this time of year to watch the pugnacity and pageantry that is the National Football…

Vince BrooksFebruary 3, 2021

Archives Newspapers

Random Reference: Bicycling in the Time of Pandemics and Wars

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have noticed a steady increase in the number of people cycling in my neighborhood. Cycling has always…

Jennifer HuffFebruary 1, 2021

Archives Digital Projects

Virginia Untold: Joe of Nottoway County

The “Runaway Slaves” Records, 1791-1863, available at Virginia Untold: the African American Narrative, include reports, accounts, correspondence, court records, and receipts concerning expenses incurred by…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 27, 2021

Archives

Short Stories from the Updated Hanover County Chancery Causes, 1831-1868.

For Local Records staff at the Library of Virginia, one of the few positive effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic has been the ability to…

Callie FreedJanuary 20, 2021

Archives

Records of the Revolution: John Todd and the George Rogers Clark Illinois Expedition

As I was creating a finding aid for the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts - George Rogers Clark Papers, Western Expedition Quartermaster Records, 1778-1784 (LVA…

Renee SavitsJanuary 6, 2021

Archives

Drooping, Slapping, and Clapping: Exercises from the Past

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

Lisa WehrmannJanuary 4, 2021

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

Dear Santa: Using Library Collections to Explore a Life Well-Lived

Every year, as the air turns cold and memories of Thanksgiving turkey fade away, children begin the age-old tradition of penning a letter to Santa…

Vince BrooksDecember 23, 2020

Archives

Circuit Court Preservation Grants Awarded

The Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Grant Review Board met on 8 December 2020 at the Library of Virginia to consider records preservation grant requests…

Vince BrooksDecember 18, 2020

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Banded together for civic betterment” : The Virginia League of Women Voters

With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the achievement of woman suffrage, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia closed down its operations in the…

Mari JulienneDecember 16, 2020

Archives

Random Reference: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition Files

I have written about a specific exhibition in the past, but for this post, I wanted to delve into the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts…

Nathan VerillaDecember 7, 2020

Archives

Random Reference: The Adventures of Bruce, the Canine Archaeologist.

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

Annie HattonNovember 23, 2020