Land Records – The UncommonWealth

Archives

“Operating for Gold”: Gold Mining in Nineteenth-Century Virginia

The California Gold Rush of 1849 is a universal topic of study in courses surveying U.S. history, but what is commonly known about gold mining…

Caroline CollinsJune 14, 2023

Archives

Updated Page County Chancery, 1831-1867, Available Now in the Chancery Records Index

This northern Shenandoah Valley county is named for John Page, Governor of Virginia from 1802-1805. Land from Rockingham and Shenandoah counties created the county in…

Callie FreedJanuary 19, 2022

Archives

Misspellings and Misnomers in the Archives: The Case of Simon Kratzer

T he Virginia Land Office patents and grants comprise an invaluable grouping of original landownership records for the Commonwealth. The Library of Virginia has indexed…

Amanda MorrellJanuary 29, 2020

Archives

Beachhead Revisited: Parramore’s Island on the Eastern Shore

In the late 1800s, land speculators became interested in selling islands along the Atlantic Coast to be used as summer resorts. “Parramore’s Island,” a barrier…

Louise JonesAugust 9, 2017

Archives

A Collection Within A Collection: Bounty Warrants Found In Chancery Causes

Military bounty land warrants, given by individual states or the Federal Government to reward military service or encourage enlistment, have long been a useful resource…

Callie FreedMarch 9, 2016

Digital Projects

"I speak for the trees!"

Flora of Virginia, the Library of Virginia’s latest exhibition, highlights the botanical exploration of Virginia from the colonial days to the present. Curated in partnership…

Louise JonesMarch 19, 2014

Archives

The Gingaskins of Virginia

November is Native American Heritage Month, a month set aside to recognize the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the…

Sarah NerneyNovember 16, 2011