The release of the film 12 Years a Slave had us talking here at Out of the Box. Discussions on slavery are a common occurrence at the Library of…
Bari HelmsDecember 4, 2013
One day in 1898, A.M. Scales definitely did not have Georgia on his mind. While processing the Patrick County chancery records, I discovered a divorce case, Georgia L.…
Sherri BagleySeptember 25, 2013
Divorces reveal much about the inner-workings of a family, usually much more than outsiders should ever discover. While processing the Arlington County chancery causes, I…
Bari HelmsSeptember 18, 2013
Two types of immigrants came to America without paying their own passage—indentured servants and redemptioners. Indentured servants would sign a contract, called an indenture, before…
Louise JonesSeptember 11, 2013
The Surry County Chancery Causes, 1785-1922 (bulk 1806-1917), contain valuable biographical, genealogical, and historical information and document a broad spectrum of citizens of Surry County—rich and…
Bari HelmsSeptember 6, 2013
The romantic landscape may seem ambiguous in 2013, but courtship in 19th-century Virginia was no different. Think those text messages are hard to decipher? Try…
Bari HelmsAugust 28, 2013
Once a neglected subject, the role that African American slaves played in Southern colleges has become the focus of new research. Virginia being no exception,…
Laura CrouchAugust 14, 2013
Cornbread and cabbage turned lethal for one Petersburg woman, but it was another woman’s need for some chicken feed that exposed the death as something…
Mary Dean CarterAugust 7, 2013
The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that digital images for the Middlesex County Chancery Causes, 1754-1912, are now available online through the Chancery Records Index on…
Bari HelmsAugust 2, 2013
When creating a who’s who list of the early days of film, the list is dominated by men – Cecil B. De Mille, D. W.…
Joanne PorterJuly 31, 2013
Isaac D. Simkins, born on 13 January 1775, left Northampton County at age 21 to go to sea. Like many people leaving home on a…
Louise JonesJuly 17, 2013
Has this ever happened to you? You sit down to watch TV but cannot find the remote control, you need to go somewhere but cannot…
Greg CrawfordJune 26, 2013
The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce the addition of Scott County and Washington County to the cohabitation register digitization project. This project, via the Virginia…
Sarah NerneyJune 7, 2013
The Library of Virginia, in partnership with the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, is pleased to announce that the indexing and digitization of Rockingham County’s…
Bari HelmsMay 31, 2013
