I am not only a reference archivist, but also a U.S. Army veteran. I served as an M1A1 Abrams and M551 Sheridan armor crewman in…
Kenneth ForestDecember 2, 2024
Why didn’t men fight in the Civil War? It’s not the most popular question that gets brought up during discussions of America’s bloodiest war, but…
McKenzie LongJune 7, 2023
True Sons of Freedom, a photographic exhibition at the Library of Virginia, explores the stories of Virginia's African American World War I soldiers. More than…
Claire RadcliffeJanuary 17, 2018
Ibby Jane Smith was born in January 1864 in Northampton County, Virginia, the daughter of Leah Smith, also called Leah Jacob, and Seth Smith, also…
Louise JonesMarch 29, 2017
In observance of Veteran’s Day, Out of the Box would like to spotlight the Virginia World War II Separation Notices (accession 23573). Part of the records of…
Roger ChristmanNovember 11, 2015
Portsmouth, Virginia, occupied by the Union army, was the scene of a wedding in November 1863. The happy couple was Charles “Charley” Butler, a private…
Bill BynumJune 3, 2015
In keeping with Out of the Box’s recent anniversary theme, today’s post spotlights Lynchburg native Desmond T. Doss (1919-2006), the first conscientious objector to receive…
Roger ChristmanMay 21, 2015
While examining Prince Edward County court records for chancery suits, former Local Records Archivist Catherine OBrion found a group of declarations to the justices of the…
Greg CrawfordJanuary 18, 2012
Recent efforts by the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission to digitize Virginia’s Civil War legacy is reminiscent of a similar, yet very different, endeavor by the state…
Craig MooreAugust 17, 2011
For this week’s Veterans’ Day-themed post, I am going to depart from our usual practice of focusing on images, documents, and stories that Library of…
Roger ChristmanNovember 10, 2010
John Salling of Slant, Virginia, in Scott County, was long recognized as Virginia’s last surviving Confederate veteran. In recognition of his service, the state of…
Craig MooreOctober 6, 2010
During the Civil War, the scarcity and high cost of writing paper often led people to reuse it. They wrote new letters across existing ones,…
Renee SavitsMay 19, 2010
