Angelo J. Farnocchia came to the United States from Pedona, Italy, in December of 1909. By 1911, he was clerking for Richmond confectioner Achille Cipriani.…
Vince BrooksJune 22, 2022
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
We cover a lot of serious and heavy topics on the UncommonWealth blog but every once in a while we like to present something just…
Jessi BennettJune 1, 2022
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
Shortly after we published our story about William Pemberton, Lisa Denton from Henrico County Recreation and Parks reached out to me to share about her…
Guest ContributorMay 25, 2022
At 12:17 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2005, Governor Mark R. Warner left Richmond International Airport aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 5830 bound for Detroit. After…
Cara GriggsMay 18, 2022
Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in Broadside, the magazine of the Library of Virginia, Issue No. 1, 2022 Writer Barbara Diggs discovered…
Guest ContributorMay 4, 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
In view of thirty-nine of our free registers recently going live on the From the Page, we’re dedicating a series of blog posts to highlighting…
Lydia NeurothApril 27, 2022
Although many years have passed since Local Records staff completed the processing of Isle of Wight County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes Ended, 1774-1937 and the city…
Library of VirginiaApril 6, 2022
In 1793, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law requiring that all free Black and multiracial individuals of Black descent in the state of Virginia…
Lydia NeurothMarch 30, 2022
In the late 1840s, a flood of Irish refugees fleeing the Great Famine filled America’s cities. While most of these immigrants went to the Northeast,…
Bill BynumMarch 16, 2022
For hundreds of years, Virginians have had the right to petition their government. Unlike the right to vote or hold public office during the 18th…
Mari JulienneMarch 9, 2022
