Posts – Page 58 – The UncommonWealth

Newspapers

Wendell Scott: Racing’s Minority of One

"I was a race driver before I ever hit the track,” said Wendell Scott, the first African American to race NASCAR’s Grand National circuit, in a…

Kelley EwingFebruary 28, 2017

Newspapers

Researching African American Newspapers

The Virginia Newspaper Project loves promoting the Virginia Chronicle newspaper database, but if you need to expand your research from Virginia to other U.S. states,…

Errol SomayFebruary 22, 2017

Archives

“Down in the shadow of the penitentiary:” the Closing of the Virginia Penitentiary

On Friday, 24 February, a new historical highway marker will be unveiled at the site of the former Virginia Penitentiary at the intersection of Belvidere…

Roger ChristmanFebruary 22, 2017

Archives

Virginia Untold: Petitions to Remain

As told in an earlier blog, James Dunlop of Petersburg emancipated his slave, John Brown, in April 1822 through a deed of manumission. One would…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 15, 2017

Newspapers

A Valentine’s Day Search Uncovers a West Virginia Love Grump: The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, February 1856-1859

The Newspaper Project observes Valentine’s Day with a reminder of the search capacity within Virginia Chronicle and the felicities of discovery (spend a morning reading mid…

Henry MorseFebruary 14, 2017

Archives

It’s A Virginia Thing: Helping One Native Colleague at a Time

Back in 2010 when I was processing the Nelson County chancery suits, I found a remarkable genealogical chart of the prominent Carter family. From that…

Callie FreedFebruary 8, 2017

Archives

Mug Shot Monday: Michael Bertone, No. 18654 and No. 21579

This is the latest entry in a series of posts highlighting inmate photographs in the records of the Virginia Penitentiary. Michael Bertone, the subject of this…

Roger ChristmanFebruary 6, 2017

Manuscripts & Special Collections

A morning not unlike any other morning

December 7th marked a “day that will live in infamy” for many Virginians. However, for one Richmond family, the crucial day fell not in 1941,…

Jim GreveFebruary 1, 2017

Archives

York County’s Forgotten Founder

York County, originally named Charles River County for King Charles I, was one of the eight Virginia shires (counties) first enumerated in 1634. A document…

Callie FreedJanuary 25, 2017

Archives Conservation The Stacks

Court Records Preservation Pioneers: Martha Woodroof Hiden

The naming of the local history and genealogy reading room at Newport News Public Library after Martha Woodroof Hiden is well deserved. Born in Orange…

Eddie WoodwardJanuary 18, 2017

Newspapers

Forged in Print: The Shenandoah Iron Works’ Riverside

"Who hath despised the day of small things?” read the motto of the Riverside, a company newspaper published in Shenandoah Iron Works (SIW), located in…

Kelley EwingJanuary 12, 2017

Archives

A Last Resort: Madison County Reenslavement Petitions

In 1856, the General Assembly decided that free African Americans could petition their county or city court to be enslaved. These individuals had to be…

Cara GriggsJanuary 11, 2017

Archives

Mug Shot Monday: Willie Williams, No. 17280

This is the latest entry in a series of posts highlighting inmate photographs in the records of the Virginia Penitentiary. Willie Williams’, the subject of this week’s post,…

Roger ChristmanJanuary 9, 2017

Archives Conservation The Stacks

Westmoreland County Cohabitation Registers Now Online

Last summer, the Westmoreland County Circuit Court Clerk Gwynne Chatham contacted the Library of Virginia concerning old marriage records that staff discovered in her office.…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 4, 2017

Newspapers

Happy New Year from the VNP!

The Virginia Newspaper Project hopes everyone had a happy New Year. The end of January 2017 marks the beginning of the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese…

Kelley EwingJanuary 3, 2017