Arlington County – The UncommonWealth

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“Being Southern in Position” : The Division of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Alexandria

Picture a church with the front doors firmly locked, and the keys kept away from the congregation. Then picture a part of the congregation illegally…

McKenzie LongMarch 2, 2022

Archives Conservation

Coming Soon to Virginia Untold: Free Black Registers from Arlington County

We’re excited to announce that we’ve just uploaded new Virginia Untold material to our transcription platform From the Page! This Saturday, October 23, from noon…

Lydia NeurothOctober 20, 2021

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A Marriage Divided: The Post-Civil War Divorce of Sarah and George Field

"I hate secession and all its hateful helpers. Cursed be the hand that raised its bloody flag to make desolate homes and wretched women,” wrote…

McKenzie LongSeptember 22, 2021

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Virginia Untold: Certificates of Importation

This is the second in a series of blog posts on the record types found in the forthcoming Library of Virginia research database: Virginia Untold: The…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 13, 2016

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A Monument of Debt

The Washington Monument is finally reopening on 12 May 2014 after undergoing restoration for damage caused by an earthquake in August 2011. I was curious what the…

Bari HelmsMay 12, 2014

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12 Years a Slave

The release of the film 12 Years a Slave had us talking here at Out of the Box. Discussions on slavery are a common occurrence at the Library of…

Bari HelmsDecember 4, 2013

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Anatomy of a Marriage

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…

Bari HelmsSeptember 18, 2013

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Mr. Christmas and his Flights of Fancy

Former Local Records archivist Catherine OBrion was given the task of processing the chancery causes of Arlington (formerly Alexandria) County. Perhaps the most interesting case…

Callie FreedDecember 21, 2011

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CSI: Old Virginia: Coroners Edition

At one o’clock in the morning on 1 September 1859, Milly T. King arrived at the home of James Clary and found his slave Hannah…

Bari HelmsNovember 7, 2011

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Mapping segregation in Virginia’s early public schools

Before the Civil War, Virginia did not have a comprehensive public school system. Lawmakers passed various measures to fund public schools, but these measures were…

Catherine OBrionMay 18, 2011