October and Archives Month are finally here! This year’s theme, “Homegrown: Celebrating Virginia’s Cultural Heritage in its Archives and Special Collections,” celebrates the diverse culture in…
Please note that Chronicling America is down until further notice due to the US government shutdown.But don’t’ let that stop you from delving into historical…
One day in 1898, A.M. Scales definitely did not have Georgia on his mind. While processing the Patrick County chancery records, I discovered a divorce case, Georgia L.…
This is the latest entry in a series of posts highlighting inmate photographs in the records of the Virginia Penitentiary. Walter E. Stiars, the subject of…
The American Antiquarian Society recently donated two miniature amateur newspapers to the Library of Virginia from its large and impressive collection of early amateur publications. …
Divorces reveal much about the inner-workings of a family, usually much more than outsiders should ever discover. While processing the Arlington County chancery causes, I…
Two types of immigrants came to America without paying their own passage—indentured servants and redemptioners. Indentured servants would sign a contract, called an indenture, before…
With the “Importance of Being Cute, Pet Photography in Virginia 1840-2013″ exhibit currently at the Library of Virginia, the Virginia Newspaper Project thought it a pertinent…
The Surry County Chancery Causes, 1785-1922 (bulk 1806-1917), contain valuable biographical, genealogical, and historical information and document a broad spectrum of citizens of Surry County—rich and…
As public schools across Virginia open this week, Out of the Box would like to spotlight the records of the Virginia Pupil Placement Board, a state agency created…
JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSUyRm1hcHMlMkZkJTJGZW1iZWQlM0ZtaWQlM0QxLWxVZUxVbE02LWM5UVg0RVI4SUh6T3dNNVpZJTI2aGwlM0RlbiUyMiUyMHdpZHRoJTNEJTIyNjQwJTIyJTIwaGVpZ2h0JTNEJTIyNDgwJTIyJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNFWe just updated the map above to show the locations throughout the Commonwealth where we have digitized newspapers. Click on the blue marker and it…
The romantic landscape may seem ambiguous in 2013, but courtship in 19th-century Virginia was no different. Think those text messages are hard to decipher? Try…
Craig Moore, State Records Appraisal Archivist, died on August 13 after a lengthy battle with cancer. While long time readers of Out of the Box will know Craig from…