Virginia Untold – Page 2 – The UncommonWealth

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Making Connections with the Past

Tamika Y. Nunley’s new book The Demands of Justice: Enslaved Women, Capital Crime, and Clemency in Early Virginia explores the impact of Virginia’s judicial system…

Library of VirginiaJune 19, 2023

Archives Digital Projects

“Compelled to emigrate to & reside in the state of Ohio”

About a year ago, we learned about a project from the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) to document free people of color in Ohio.…

Lydia NeurothApril 26, 2023

Archives

Jane Connelly: A Story from the City of Richmond Hustings Court Exhibit

In last month’s Virginia Untold blog post, we shared about the exhibition currently on display in our pre-function hall to celebrate Black History Month: “I…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 15, 2023

Archives Education & Programming

“I have this day committed to jail…”: An exhibition from Virginia Untold

On February 1, in celebration of Black History Month, a new exhibit from Virginia Untold will open to the public. This exhibition represents a small…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 25, 2023

Archives Digital Projects

New Year, New Website for Virginia Untold!

It's a new year, and Virginia Untold has a new look!Starting today, when you go to www.virginiamemory.com/collections/aan, you’ll see our new landing page, which offers…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 4, 2023

Archives Digital Projects

“[His] claim to be free is clear & unquestionable” : Free Black Virginians at Large

We continue to process more records from the Richmond City Hustings Court as a part of our NHPRC grant for Virginia Untold. As we do…

Lydia NeurothNovember 30, 2022

Archives Digital Projects

Project Updates from Virginia Untold

The past few months have seen some great progress on our NHPRC grant for our Virginia Untold project so we thought we’d share a few…

Lydia NeurothOctober 26, 2022

Archives

The “art and mystery of [Black] cabinetmaking”

In 1832, seventeen men were brought to the Richmond City Hustings Court with a unique charge. These men were cabinetmakers. They had united themselves illegally…

Lydia NeurothSeptember 28, 2022

Archives

“Descendants of a Woman of Indian Extraction”: The Story of Rachel Findley

Rachel Findley was a mother. She was a grandmother. She was a Virginian. She was also enslaved. The law defined Rachel as property. Because Rachel…

Library of VirginiaAugust 31, 2022

Archives

“Enticing, Advising, and Aiding…a Slave…to Abscond”

In October 1842, Cora Ann Elizabeth Carter and her husband William Watt Hubbard boarded the steamboat Patrick Henry en route for New York. Earlier that…

Lydia NeurothJuly 27, 2022

Archives Digital Projects

A Case Study of Freedom: John Hopes

Nearly a week and a half ago, the country celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates emancipation from slavery in the United States. Juneteenth refers to the historic…

Lydia NeurothJune 29, 2022

Archives

19th-Century Henrico County Records Offer Clues on the Lives of Free Black Individuals

Shortly after we published our story about William Pemberton, Lisa Denton from Henrico County Recreation and Parks reached out to me to share about her…

Guest ContributorMay 25, 2022

Archives Digital Projects

Forthcoming Additions to Free Registers Collection in Virginia Untold

In view of thirty-nine of our free registers recently going live on the From the Page, we’re dedicating a series of blog posts to highlighting…

Lydia NeurothApril 27, 2022

Virginia Authors

“She still lives through those to whom she gave her life.”

For the majority of United States' existence as a nation, the focus of academic history has been on the actions and achievements of educated, well-to-do…

Library of VirginiaApril 20, 2022

Archives

Reopening the Case of the Petersburg and Isle of Wight Commonwealth Causes

Although many years have passed since Local Records staff completed the processing of Isle of Wight County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes Ended, 1774-1937 and the city…

Library of VirginiaApril 6, 2022