Archives – Page 19 – The UncommonWealth

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Banded together for civic betterment” : The Virginia League of Women Voters

With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the achievement of woman suffrage, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia closed down its operations in the…

Mari JulienneDecember 16, 2020

Archives

Random Reference: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition Files

I have written about a specific exhibition in the past, but for this post, I wanted to delve into the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts…

Nathan VerillaDecember 7, 2020

Archives

Random Reference: The Adventures of Bruce, the Canine Archaeologist.

This is an entry in our “Random Reference” series, which features interesting discoveries made and reference questions answered by our Archives & Library Reference Services…

Annie HattonNovember 23, 2020

Archives

Alien Lands: Land Ownership and Inheritance Laws for Immigrants in Virginia

“Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of Anglify…

Vince BrooksNovember 18, 2020

Archives

Election Daze: How Long Do Our Elections Really Take?

In this year's election, nearly 2.8 million of the commonwealth’s approximately 5.9 million registered voters voted early or by mail-in ballot. Having voted before the…

Vince BrooksNovember 6, 2020

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A day of triumph and dignity”: Virginia Women Vote in 1920

Virginia women went to the polls for the first time on 2 November 1920, a cool and cloudy day across the commonwealth. After the Nineteenth…

Mari JulienneNovember 2, 2020

Archives

What’s Your Excuse? : 1793 Mecklenburg County Election Excuses

With election season upon us, a recent find in Local Records seems particularly timely. While exploring a box of unprocessed Mecklenburg County records, archivists noticed…

Tracy HarterOctober 29, 2020

Archives Education & Programming

“Really and truly a citizen”: Virginia Women Register to Vote in 1920

After Tennessee ratified the Nineteenth Amendment in August 1920, Virginia women began registering to vote. As a result of the "Machinery Bill" passed by the…

Mari JulienneSeptember 16, 2020

Archives Education & Programming

“On Account of Race”: Disenfranchisement of Black Voters in Virginia

The history of African American disenfranchisement and exclusion in Virginia is a lengthy one. This blog post is meant to serve as an introduction and…

Jessi BennettSeptember 9, 2020

Archives

Stay Away From That Port!

Though we have become more aware of it recently, with quarantines imposed on cruise ships and naval vessels, ships throughout history have faced similar issues.…

Ginny DunnAugust 31, 2020

Archives

Checking in on Virginia clerks

The Commonwealth of Virginia, the Library of Virginia, and the 120 circuit court clerks’ offices across the state can document the history of their collaborative…

Eddie WoodwardAugust 12, 2020

Archives Conservation

Untying an Archival Knot: Determining Dates in an 18th-century Minute Book

Archivists enjoy creating order out of apparent disorder. Much like untying a stubborn knot, the process itself can be very satisfying. Archivists are familiar with…

Tracy HarterAugust 5, 2020

Archives The Stacks

Hunger Amidst Plenty: Congress, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Transformation of the Food Stamp Program

Editor's Note: The Library of Virginia, in partnership with Virginia Humanities, sponsors residential fellows during the academic year to conduct in-depth research in the Library's…

Tracy RoofJuly 29, 2020

Archives

Black Businesses in Antebellum Virginia

During the antebellum period in Virginia, enslaved men and women who gained their freedom did have the potential to enter into their own business and…

Robert HinesJuly 15, 2020

Archives

Finding Family in Transcribe

This is an entry in our “Random Reference” series, which features interesting discoveries made and reference questions answered by our Archives & Library Reference Services…

Bill BynumJuly 6, 2020