Virginia Untold – Page 3 – The UncommonWealth

‘Teaching a School of Negro Children’: The Story of Elizabeth McKennon

In August 1852, Elizabeth McKennon was accused of assembling with “fifteen negroes” at a house on Second Street in the City of Richmond with the…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 26, 2022

Archives Digital Projects

“That he is a ‘person of mixed blood’”: Being Biracial in Antebellum Virginia

William H. Pemberton’s father was a white man. His mother, Elizabeth Pleasants, had skin that was described as “very bright mulatto”, a term then in…

Lydia NeurothDecember 29, 2021

Archives Newspapers

“Gone in the First Boat”: Part 2

This month’s blog is a continuation of the story I posted last month of an enslaved man, Richard, who helped his nephew Tazewell seize his…

Lydia NeurothNovember 24, 2021

Archives

“Gone in the First Boat”: Part 1

On March 18, 1856, an enslaved man named Richard was charged in the City of Richmond for the crime of aiding and advising Tazewell, his…

Lydia NeurothOctober 27, 2021

Archives Conservation

Coming Soon to Virginia Untold: Free Black Registers from Arlington County

We’re excited to announce that we’ve just uploaded new Virginia Untold material to our transcription platform From the Page! This Saturday, October 23, from noon…

Lydia NeurothOctober 20, 2021

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

New Additions to Virginia Untold from Clarke County

Last month, I took my first road trip as project manager for Virginia Untold. I traveled to Clarke County courthouse, along with local records archivists…

Lydia NeurothSeptember 29, 2021

Archives

Freedom is Never Free: The Untold Story of Reubenetta Dandridge

On 30 March 1857, Joseph Elam and two other white men broke into the house of Reubenetta Dandridge, a free Black woman living in the…

Lydia NeurothAugust 25, 2021

Archives

Commonwealth v. Fanny

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Lydia NeurothJuly 28, 2021

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

Virginia Untold Hires Grant-Funded Project Manager

Hi, I’m Lydia, the new Project Manager for Virginia Untold. I’m using this blog post to introduce myself and my interest in this project. Going…

Lydia NeurothJune 30, 2021

Archives Digital Projects

Virginia Untold: Joe of Nottoway County

The “Runaway Slaves” Records, 1791-1863, available at Virginia Untold: the African American Narrative, include reports, accounts, correspondence, court records, and receipts concerning expenses incurred by…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 27, 2021

Archives Digital Projects

Early Albemarle County Judgments to be Transcribed and Placed on Virginia Untold

For those who enjoy the art and intricacy of transcribing historical documents, the Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that a selection of Albemarle…

Tracy HarterJune 24, 2020

Archives

Virginia Untold: Lancaster County Fiduciary Records 1657-1872

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Greg CrawfordAugust 29, 2019

Archives

The Man Who Killed Richard Whichello: A Henrico County Legend

At the end of the 1962 John Ford classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a reporter remarks, “When the legend becomes fact, print the…

Vince BrooksMay 22, 2019

Archives

From Lancaster to Lunenburg: Betty Chapman’s Story in Virginia Untold

In 1788, the Virginia General Assembly reformed the state judicial courts in order alleviate congestion in the General Court, which had caused unreasonable delays in…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 11, 2019

Newspapers

Virginia’s Lost Papers

As part of an ongoing effort to give voice to nineteenth-century African Americans through digital projects like Virginia Untold and Virginia Chronicle, the Virginia Newspaper…

Kyle RogersJune 26, 2018