Virginia History: Difference between revisions

The following important events in the history of [[Virginia Genealogy|Virginia]] affected political jurisdictions, family movements, and record keeping. The following important events affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movements.  

*'''1964–1972:''' Over 8.7 million American men and women served in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War Vietnam War]

Throughout most of its history, parts of the territory that old [[Virginia Genealogy|Virginia]] once claimed were carved off to form parts of other states:  

*1863 part of Virginia became West Virginia

Histories are great sources of genealogical information. Many contain biographical information about individuals who lived in the area, including:  

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Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain accounts of families. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You can also find lists of pioneers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating your ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search. Local histories are extensively collected by the [[Family History Library|Family History Library]], public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. The United States Research "[[United States History|History]]" page cites nationwide bibliographies of local histories which include histories of Virginia.  

*Kaminkow, Marion J. ''United States Local Histories in the Library of Congress''. 5 vols. Baltimore: Magna Charta Book, 1975-76. {{WorldCat|315166|At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|252458|item|disp=FHL book 973 A3ka}}

Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful. But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the laudatory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. Some examples for the State of Virginia are:  

*Campbell, Charles. ''History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia.'' Philadelphia, Pa.: J.B. Lippincott and Co., 1860. Digitized by [http://archive.org/details/historycolonyan02campgoog Internet Archive].

The following are only a few of the many sources that are available:  

'''Draper Manuscript Collection.''' Look for ancestors from Virginia 1740-1830 in the '''[[Draper Manuscript Collection]]'''. These manuscripts cover the history of the "trans-Allegheny West," a region including the west Carolinas and Virginia, all the Ohio River Valley, and part of the upper Mississippi Valley. There are 491 volumes of partially-indexed manuscripts, papers, and books.  

To access histories available through the FamilySearch Catalog, use the Place-names Search for:  

::VIRGINIA , BIBLIOGRAPHY

*{{RecordSearch|1932510|Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007}} Images of collections from the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. The collection includes bible records, genealogy papers, and miscellaneous records.  

*[http://books.google.com/books?id=0RlL0mHKyH8C&pg=PA140&lpg=PA140&dq=African-american+research+resources+genealogy+forum&source=bl&ots=3O9_6__0kD&sig=tvDTtLc8xSkXhRaVF1m46k_twMs&hl=en&ei=_ONTS_-MB4-YtgeqyvmmCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBUQ6AEwBTgo#v=onepage&q&f=false Virginia genealogy: sources &amp; resources] By Carol McGinnis<br>

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