Lydia Neuroth – The UncommonWealth

Archives

Finding Peter Crippen’s People

Back in January, we made a new connection with the Huntington African American Museum in New York. Executive Director & Chief Curator Tiarra Brown reached…

Lydia NeurothApril 29, 2026

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming

A Moment of Reflection for Black History Month

One hundred years ago this month, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week which, decades later, became Black History Month. Since 1968, February has…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 25, 2026

Archives Digital Projects

“Inquiring of a family by the name of King”: Seeking Family after the Civil War

On June 18th, 1882, a woman from wrote from Corinth, Mississippi to the sheriff in Mecklenburg County, Virginia requesting the man’s “kined atenchen ” to…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 7, 2026

Archives

“Who is the mother of said Catherine”: Finding Families in Virginia Untold

This past summer, I was asked to present at the Lemon Project Summer Sankofa Genealogy Workshop held at William & Mary’s Swem Library. As I…

Lydia NeurothNovember 12, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

A Virginia Untold Update

In today’s blog post, I want to share some new material available in Virginia Untold, the Library’s digital project featuring records of enslaved and free…

Lydia NeurothAugust 27, 2025

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

Searching for Nelly, Harriet, and Juno – Part 2

In my February blog post I promised to follow-up with a particular discovery in the case of three women who self-liberated from their enslavers in…

Lydia NeurothApril 30, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

“Getting no intelligence of them”: Stories of Fugitives from Slavery

In the summer of 1826, Nelly and her two daughters Harriet and Juno took advantage of a rare opportunity. While their enslavers, Notley Williams and…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 26, 2025

Archives Conservation Digital Projects

Hittin’ the Road, Virginia Untold Style

In early December, I traveled to Southwest Virginia to continue our work digitizing “Free Negro Registers” for Virginia Untold. We’ve previously written about our digitization…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 22, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

“Tenths of an Inch”: Examining a 19th-Century Object on the Eastern Shore

African American Genealogist Selma Stewart can remember the time she came to the Library of Virginia to view the “Free Negro Registers” in person in…

Lydia NeurothOctober 30, 2024

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming The Stacks

Inclusive Indexing: Gabriel’s Conspiracy Documents in Virginia Untold

Editor's Note: This summer, Transforming the Future of Libraries and Archives intern Kade McGrail assisted in several different projects for the Library’s Virginia Untold project.…

Lydia NeurothAugust 28, 2024

Archives

Stolen Coats, Stolen Freedom

In July 1813, a Black man named Roger was charged in the Richmond City Hustings Court with stealing a “Sourtaurt great coat.” I was not…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 28, 2024

Archives

“Arrest of A Yankee Kidnapper”

On the morning of July 23, 1856, ship mate Joseph Chadwick was sitting on the rail of the schooner Danville when he heard a strange…

Lydia NeurothDecember 20, 2023

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

Celebrating 10 Years of Access to Records about Slavery in the Library’s Collections

In the excitement of completing our National Archives awarded NHPRC grant, securing a full-time project manager, not to mention participating the Library's 200th year anniversary, we…

Lydia NeurothOctober 25, 2023

Archives

The Crime of Going at Large

In June 1800, an enslaved man named Bob was apprehended and jailed in the city of Richmond. Bob was not from the capital city. He…

Lydia NeurothAugust 30, 2023

Archives Conservation Digital Projects

Virginia Untold: Looking Back and Moving Forward

Editor's Note: Neither Virginia Untold nor Virginia Untold Project Manager Lydia Neuroth is going anywhere, but as we transition out of our two-year NHPRC grant…

Lydia NeurothJune 28, 2023