Slavery – Page 3 – The UncommonWealth

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“We Were Residents of Loudoun County”

Editors’ Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2019 Loudoun County Office of the Circuit Court Clerk Historic Records Newsletter, “Little Gems.” We are…

Guest ContributorMarch 20, 2019

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

Library of Virginia and Virginia Museum of History & Culture Merge Databases of Records of Enslaved Virginians

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) and the Library of Virginia are cooperating to provide greater access to African American history and genealogy…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 21, 2019

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From Lancaster to Lunenburg: Betty Chapman’s Story in Virginia Untold

In 1788, the Virginia General Assembly reformed the state judicial courts in order alleviate congestion in the General Court, which had caused unreasonable delays in…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 11, 2019

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The Cost of Freedom: A Campbell County Story

The Campbell County court ordered the sale of Louisa Alexander and her daughter, Eliza, because as enslaved persons, Virginia law considered them part of Louisa’s…

Mary Dean CarterFebruary 6, 2019

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What a Difference a Day Makes: Serendipity in the Reading Room

The Library of Virginia employs both reference archivists and processing archivists. Reference archivists work exclusively with the public—the Library’s front line. Processing archivists work behind-the-scenes…

Callie FreedJanuary 24, 2019

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A Colonial Cover-up: Lunenburg County Records Reveal New Information

Has researcher and author Cynthia Mattson uncovered a sordid, centuries-old murder conspiracy and cover-up? There’s good reason to believe she has. Reverend William Kay was…

Mike BinghamAugust 1, 2018

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"The Body of an Infant There and Then Laying Dead”: Infanticide in Coroner’s Inquisitions At The Library of Virginia

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…

Kristen GreenJune 27, 2018

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A Will without a Way: An Amherst County Freedom Suit

Sometimes a will is not worth the paper it’s written on. Too often, people go through the trouble of creating a formal last will and…

Sherri BagleyJune 20, 2018

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"Soon, the grievance will cease to exist": Chief Inspector of Vessels Reports

On 17 March 1856, the General Assembly adopted a law entitled, “An Act providing additional protection for the slave property of citizens of this commonwealth.”…

Tom CrewMay 16, 2018

Archives The Stacks

Warren County Chancery Causes Digitized

The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that digital images for Warren County chancery causes, 1837-1912, are now available online through the Chancery Records…

Greg CrawfordMay 7, 2018

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"No home defendant": Liberian Emigrants from Prince Edward County

Often, researchers will utilize several collections or sources housed at the Library in order to get to the truth of a matter, or to gain…

Tracy HarterApril 11, 2018

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Virginia Untold: The Cullins family of Powhatan County

Two years ago, the Library of Virginia launched Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative, a digital collection aimed at helping researchers break through the “roadblock”…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 7, 2018