Category Archives: Research

Library of Virginia Services Available During the Public Health Emergency

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News Release | April 1, 2020

The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and community are top priorities at the Library of Virginia. To help contain the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19), the Library is closed to the public until further notice. Please check our website at lva.virginia.gov regularly for the most up-to-date information on our operating status. We are monitoring the developing situation closely and following directives from the Office of the Governor and guidelines from the Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Library has suspended all in-person public events, workshops, programs, and tours through May. We hope to reschedule as many events as possible—and we’ll be offering some webinars—so please check our News and Events calendar at lva.virginia.gov/news/ and follow us on social media.

Library users who have books or other materials checked out are asked not to return them until the Library reopens. Loan periods will be extended and no fines will accrue while the Library is closed.

Library staff members are working during this public health emergency from Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, and will respond to your questions and research inquiries. For Library Reference assistance, call 804.692.3777 or email refdesk@lva.virginia.gov. For Archives Reference assistance, call 804.692.3888 or email archdesk@lva.virginia.gov. For general inquiries, call 804.692.3535 or go to lva.virginia.gov/about/contact to find a staff directory. As many staff are teleworking at present, please leave a voice message and a staff member will get back to you promptly.

While our building is closed, researchers are encouraged to use our numerous online resources. Links to our most frequently used online collections can be found at
https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en.

Resources for students and teachers can be found at edu.lva.virginia.gov/dbva/ and
https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01LVA_INST:01LVA&lang=en.

For an online version of our current exhibition, We Demand: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia, see edu.lva.virginia.gov/wedemand/.

Services to state agencies through the State Records Center on Charles City Road are continuing as normal.

The research room at the State Records Center, however, is closed to the general public until further notice.

Virginia public libraries needing assistance can continue to call upon our staff in the Library Development and Networking Division. Library of Virginia resources for library professionals and trustees can be found at lva.virginia.gov/lib-edu/LDND/ and vpl.virginia.gov/.

Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this unprecedented situation together.

Central Virginia Heritage Spring 2020 (v.36, no.1) Now Available!

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Among other articles in this issue, we find: “The Jouett Family in Central Virginia”:

Albemarle County’s Jouett family is directly descended from Matthieu de Jouhet, the Lord of Leveignac and Master of the Horse to Louis XIII of France (reigned 1610-1643).

Matthieu de Jouhet’s grandson Daniel de Jouet emigrated from France to the Narragansett area (the British colony of Rhode Island) in 1686. Daniel moved around quite a bit, settling first in South Carolina, then New York, and in 1721, in Elizabethtown, New Jersey.

Daniel’s youngest son, Jean Jouett, who was also born in France, was the father of John Jouett, Sr. (1730-1802). John Sr. was the owner of the Swan Tavern next to the Albemarle County Courthouse, and the area north of Charlottesville that became the High Street neighborhood. He was a signer of the Albemarle County Declaration of Independence on 21 April 1779. He was buried on the lot of the Swan Tavern, but the exact site was lost. The building itself was destroyed in 1828; the building now on the site was built in the first half of the nineteenth century….

For the rest of this article, and several others, CVGA members should go to “Members Only” on the menu bar above, and choose “Central Virginia Heritage — Current Issue.” (Note: You have to be logged in to this website in order to see “Members Only.”)

If you have trouble logging in to the site to download your copy, please contact me at the webmaster link at the bottom of this page.

For those who are not members of CVGA, we offer the opportunity to purchase a printed copy of each issue. The Spring 2020 issue is available from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085K6JMFD/ for $6.50. Click on the Amazon.com link above or search for “Central Virginia Heritage” on Amazon.com.

Contents of the Spring 2020 issue:

  • Life In 1940s Earlysville, by Charles Conway Crenshaw…p.1-3
  • No Stone Left Unturned: The Papers of Walter Lloyd Fontaine, by Joanne L. Yeck… p.4-11
  • Marriage Announcements in the Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA) February 1895, transcribed by Diane Inman…p.11-12
  • Jack Jouett: Revolutionary Rider, by Judy Bloodgood Bander (Woodside Publishers, 2014). A review by Jean L. Cooper.. p. 13-14
  • The Jouett Family in Central Virginia, by Jean L. Cooper p.14-15
  • What Are Finding Aids? p. 15
  • No Worries, My Will Gives Away My Genealogy Stuff, by Michael John Neill…p.16
  • The Freshest Advices; Buckingham County, Virginia, Genealogical Records from Newspapers, 1736-1850, by Randy Crouse, A Review by Joanne L. Yeck, p. 17-18
  • Charles Wesley Lusk, Jr. (1914-2005), A distinguished University of Virginia alumnus, by Diane Inman… p. 18-21
  • Settlement of the Estate of Samuel Griffin of Bedford County, VA, died 1812. Transcribed by Jean L. Cooper…p.22-26
  • Letter from the Editor, by Jean L. Cooper … p.27
  • President’s Column, by Susan Lindsay…p.28

If you have any articles you’d like to share with CVGA members, please send an email to the editor, eleanordew at gmail dot com. — The Editor.

 

Can you help a fellow CVGA member?

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CVGA member Pat Wilczek would like to know if anyone can help her out.  She has a 1777 will written in German and is looking for someone who could translate it.

If you know someone with this ability, please email her at pat.wilczek@comcast.net.

 

November 9, 2019: Evernote for Cemetery Research

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Evernote is a web-based note taking app which you can use to find the graves of your ancestors. At the November 9, 2019 meeting of the CVGA, Patricia Lukas will share with us how to use this handy app to make the most of a cemetery visit.

NOTE: THE TIME OF THIS MEETING IS 10am to 12 noon.
The meeting will take place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The address of the Church is 1275 Timberwood Blvd., Charlottesville, VA. It is located on the corner of Airport Road and Timberwood. Coming from U.S. 29, the entrance is on the right (north) side of Airport Road immediately before you reach the church. Drive to the back of the building where you will see the entrance to the Family History Center.

Central Virginia Heritage Fall 2019 Now Available

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 In this issue, we have articles by Charles C. Crenshaw, Joanne L. Yeck, and Karen Lucas Williams, among several others!

Crenshaw’s article on Chestnut Grove Baptist Church of Earlysville begins:

“The Chestnut Grove Baptist Church in Earlysville, Virginia, was established on May
9, 1773, as Albemarle Baptist Church. Forty-six white and two black members met at the Lewis’s meeting house on Staunton Road, which we now know as Ivy Road and Route 250 West. The meeting house was located where people now enjoy playing on the Birdwood Golf Course. It was the first Baptist Church in Albemarle County. Andrew Tribble was ordained the first minister in June 1777. William “Billy” Woods, pastor of the church for many years after 1780, sent a petition to Virginia General Assembly Delegate Thomas Jefferson, requesting the Anglican Church be disestablished, to put every denomination on an equal footing.” …

For the rest of this article, and several others, CVGA members should go to “Members Only” on the menu bar above, and choose “Central Virginia Heritage — Current Issue.” (Note: You have to be logged in to this website in order to see “Members Only.”)

If you have trouble logging in to the site to download your copy, please contact me at the webmaster link at the bottom of this page.

For those who are not members of CVGA, we offer the opportunity to purchase a printed copy of each issue. The Fall 2019 issue is available from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1690639504 for $6.50. Click on the Amazon.com link above or search for “Central Virginia Heritage” on Amazon.com.

Contents of the Fall 2019 issue:

  • Chestnut Grove Baptist Church History, by Charles Conway Crenshaw
  • One Man’s Black Sheep … is Another Man’s Local Hero: Discovering Gene Harris and Chicago’s Club Alabam, by Joanne L. Yeck
  • The Spiller Family of Buckingham County, Virginia, by Karen Lucas Williams
  • Will of Mary “Polly” (Spears) Spiller, Buckingham County, Virginia (circa 1848)
  • Documents from the Case of James M. Spiller, etc. vs. Reuben Sorrell, Hanover County, Virginia, including the Will of James Spears (1833)
  • Henry Spiller & Wife vs. Mary Calvert, Culpeper County, VA, including the Will of Ralls Calvert, Culpeper County, VA
  • Marriage Announcements in the Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA), August-December, 1894, by Diane Inman
  • Gathering to Share African American History and Genealogy in Central VA, by Andi Cumbo-Floyd
  • The Tale of a Black Sheep: Stephen Price Maury, compiled and annotated by Richard L. Nicholas
  • Fluvanna Historical Society Preserves Court Records, by Tricia Johnson
  • Fluvanna County Circuit Court Awarded Grant to Preserve Local Records
  • President’s Column, by Patricia Lukas
  • August 2019 CVGA Field Trip

If you have any articles you’d like to share with CVGA members, please send an email to the editor, eleanordew@gmail.com. — The Editor.

Summer 2019 Issue of Central Virginia Heritage Available Online

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In this issue, we have a fascinating article by Karen Lucas Williams, presenting research and analysis of “a letter written by Margaret Donald of Aberdeen, Scotland, to her cousin Patrick Henry in Virginia, dated 13 April 1790. The original letter is housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C., in the personal correspondence of Patrick Henry.

“The letter is important to the descendants of Col. John Henry of Virginia, father of the famous orator, lawyer, and first post-colonial governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry, and also to the descendants of William Diuguid of Buckingham Co., Virginia. It allows us a glimpse into the family relationships of the Henry, Diuguid, and Donald lines in Virginia and helps us to find traces of their elusive common Henry ancestors and relatives in Scotland. It is my hope that other researchers will build upon these findings and share any new findings in the spirit of kinship with which I have presented this article. …”

For the rest of this article, and several others, CVGA members should go to “Members Only” on the menu bar above, and choose “Central Virginia Heritage — Current Issue.” (Note: You have to be logged in to this website in order to see “Members Only.”)

If you have trouble logging in to the site to download your copy, please contact me at the webmaster link at the bottom of this page.

For those who are not members of CVGA, we offer the opportunity to purchase a printed copy of each issue. The Summer 2019 issue is available from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1099658888/ for $6.50. Click on the Amazon.com link above or search for “Central Virginia Heritage” on Amazon.com.

Contents of the Summer 2019 issue:

  • Margaret’s Letter by Karen Lucas Williams
  • Diuguid Funeral Home Database, Lynchburg, VA
  • Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, by Charles C. Crenshaw
  • Armed Forces Medical Examiner System: The DNA Identification Laboratory, by Diane Inman
  • The Story of Bleak House, by Alice Cannon
  • President’s Column, by Patricia Lukas.

If you have any articles you’d like to share with CVGA members, please send an email to the editor, eleanordew@gmail.com. — The Editor.

June 8, 2019 – Making the Most of a Cemetery Visit

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For our June meeting we will discuss visiting the cemeteries where our ancestors are interred and taking care of their gravestones. We will hear from Amy Johnson Crow in her Ancestry Academy video, Written in Stone and talk about cleaning tombstones and markers. One question we hope to answer is: What’s best for cleaning a stone marker – a special cleaner or just plain water?

The meeting will take place from 1:30 pm-3:30 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The address of the Church is 1275 Timberwood Blvd., Charlottesville, VA. It is located on the corner of Airport Road and Timberwood. Coming from U.S. 29, the entrance is on the right (north) side of Airport Road immediately before you reach the church. Drive to the back of the building where you will see the entrance to the Family History Center.

Preservation of Revolutionary War Veteran Gravesites

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You never know where you are going to find useful information.

I was randomly searching on the Internet, and came across a JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit And Review Commission) Report on the Preservation of Revolutionary War Veterans Gravesites. Why would I be interested in a Virginia government audit? Because this audit just happens to have “Lists of the Revolutionary War Veterans Buried or Recognized at Specific Locations in Virginia” in its appendices. These reports give the first and last names, the birth and death dates (if known), and the location of burial (city/state) in various indexes.

  • Appendix B-1: Index of Revolutionary War veteran burials reported during this review, organized alphabetically by the last name of the veteran
  • Appendix B-2: Listing of veterans reportedly buried within the boundaries of Virginia’s counties, organized alphabetically by the name of the county
  • Appendix B-3: Listing of veterans reportedly buried within the boundaries of Virginia’s independent cities, organized alphabetically by the name of the city
  • Appendix B-4: Listing of the French veterans honored at the French Memorial Cemetery, organized alphabetically by the last name of the veteran
  • Appendix B-5: Listing of veterans honored by the Yorktown Victory Monument Tablet, organized alphabetically by the last name of the veteran
  • Appendix B-6: Inventory of the sources used in compiling these lists of veterans reportedly buried in Virginia

I was delighted to find this report! The link is http://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt264.pdf

I think I’m going to look through the JLARC files and find more historically useful reports!