Business Records – The UncommonWealth

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Identifying a Ledger: A Noteworthy Business Record at the Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia started accessioning business records in 1911. State Librarian Henry Read McIlwaine recognized the importance of such records. “From this source by…

Kenneth ForestJanuary 22, 2024

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Rise and Fall of the Five-and-Dime

Do you love a good Target run? The bright, poppy-red branding throughout the store, the practicality of picking up a few groceries, a prescription, a…

Kimberly WolfeJune 2, 2023

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

A Greensville County Fixer Upper

Greensville County Chancery Cause Pierce R. Farley VS Benjamin D. Tiller, etc., 1886–007 tells the tale of a business deal gone sour. With echoes of…

Louise JonesNovember 28, 2018

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

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Tin Can Tell-All: Revealing Virginia’s Role in the Canning Trade

Canned foods have become an everyday part of our lives. Most people have at least a few cans in their kitchen pantry, but far fewer…

Guest ContributorJanuary 10, 2018

Manuscripts & Special Collections

A morning not unlike any other morning

December 7th marked a “day that will live in infamy” for many Virginians. However, for one Richmond family, the crucial day fell not in 1941,…

Jim GreveFebruary 1, 2017

Archives

Are You Ready for Some Football?

This week marks the start of the NFL’s regular season. In honor of the return of football, this week’s blog post spotlights an unusual discovery…

Claire RadcliffeSeptember 9, 2015

Archives Education & Programming

Remaking Virginia: A New Labor System

This is the third in a series of four blog posts concerning post-Civil War Virginia and the lives of freedpeople after Emancipation. The posts precede…

Greg CrawfordJune 24, 2015

Archives

To Be Sold: The Williams and Ivy Slave Trade Scheme

This is the first in a series of four blog posts related to the “To Be Sold” exhibit which opens on October 27 at the…

Greg CrawfordOctober 1, 2014

Archives Virginia Authors

"You Say It’s Your Birthday:" Virginia’s Executive Mansion Turns 200

On 16 March 2013, Virginia’s Executive Mansion celebrated its 200th anniversary with a birthday party at the Library of Virginia. The highlight of the event was a…

Roger ChristmanMarch 20, 2013

Archives

Halifax Tax Ledger Turned Child’s Scrapbook

During a recent cataloging project, what at first seemed like a standard exercise revealed a nice surprise. From its exterior, the Halifax County (Va.) Capitation and…

Sarah NerneyOctober 10, 2012

Archives

The Business of Racism

Business letterhead can offer a fascinating snapshot of a place or time. A striking example appeared in the Rockingham County chancery causes recently. In the…

Vince BrooksFebruary 22, 2012

Archives

Is There A Doctor in the (Court) House?: A Doctor’s Account Book as Public Record

Robert Davidson (R.D.) Hufford was born in Wythe County in 1850. He studied medicine at the Medical College of Virginia and established a practice in…

Greg CrawfordOctober 12, 2011

Archives

Volumes Provide a Rare Glimpse Into the Life of Slaves at Furnaces

In July 1814, entrepreneur William Weaver made a chance investment in the Virginia iron industry along with his new partner, Thomas Mayberry. Weaver and Mayberry…

Bari HelmsApril 6, 2011