Norfolk County – The UncommonWealth

Archives

The Remarkable Hodges Family of Princess Anne County and Norfolk

During the night of 23 April 1829, six African American men made a daring escape from the Norfolk County jail. One of them was William…

Brent TarterMarch 6, 2019

Archives

Early 20th Century Entertainment Comes to Virginia in a Most Unusual Way

In the spring of 1905, a half-mile from the Norfolk city limits, the Boer War Spectacle (also called the Transvaal Spectacle or Anglo-Boer War Historical…

Callie FreedOctober 24, 2018

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Bessie Miller’s Sad Summer Composition

The Library of Virginia recently acquired a family photograph collection identified as belonging to the Brooks/Ellis families. A composition book labeled “Bessie Miller December 1902”…

Vince BrooksJuly 4, 2018

Archives

Oh, You Classy Skirt: Valentine Cards in a Norfolk County Divorce Case

Happy Valentine’s Day from Out of the Box! Although today is meant to be a celebration of love and romance, not all valentine cards have…

Claire RadcliffeFebruary 14, 2018

Archives Digital Projects

"Persecuted By His Race": The Norfolk County Chancery Causes, 1718-1913

The information contained in the Norfolk County Chancery Cause 1893-022, Berkley Hebrew Cemetery Association v. Abraham Liebman, et. al., makes for a highly charged and…

Callie FreedDecember 13, 2017

Archives Education & Programming

First Freedom: The Great Sabbath Debate, Part 2

In last week’s blog post, we learned about the efforts of two Richmond businessmen who lobbied to add an exception for non-Christians to Virginia’s Sabbath…

Vince BrooksApril 27, 2016

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

Archives

Virginia Untold: Certificates of Importation

This is the second in a series of blog posts on the record types found in the forthcoming Library of Virginia research database: Virginia Untold: The…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 13, 2016

Archives

Not Black and White, But Different Shades of Gray

With examples dating back to the 1750s, Norfolk County chancery causes offer an interesting set of solutions to some of the myriad problems associated with…

Callie FreedJuly 22, 2015

Archives

A Wedding, a Death, and a Pension: Charles and Sarah Butler’s Story

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