For many entering the United States, bureaucratic paperwork is one of their first encounters with the United States government. Deepak Singh, author of How May…
Library of VirginiaApril 19, 2023
Unclaimed property from banks, estates, or other repositories often ends up in the possession of the Virginia Department of the Treasury. If they are not…
Cara GriggsDecember 4, 2019
From 1795 to 1952, the United States’ naturalization process required a declaration of intention followed by a petition for naturalization. On 9 May 1918, Congress…
Cara GriggsNovember 13, 2019
Editor’s Note: The Library of Virginia, in partnership with Virginia Humanities, sponsors residential fellows during the academic year to conduct in-depth research in the Library’s collections.…
Kim O'ConnellMay 20, 2019
Happy Valentine’s Day to our Out of the Box readers! Valentine’s Day is perhaps the most critiqued of any holiday for being “made-up,” but as…
Claire RadcliffeFebruary 14, 2019
A passport is both a highly practical and importantly symbolic item. It provides not only identification but also identity, allowing the bearer to travel to…
Claire RadcliffeMarch 7, 2018
It has been said that there is a thin line between love and hate, and apparently love and obsession. Or so appears to be the…
Joanne PorterNovember 13, 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
On November 3, a naturalization ceremony will be held at the Library of Virginia. A group of people from various nations will take an oath…
Greg CrawfordNovember 2, 2010
