Help the Library of Virginia

If you have not heard funding and access to the Library of Virginia is in jeopardy thanks to the Legal Genealogists blog post yesterday.  Today I received an email spelling out exactly what needs to be done.  If you want to help, PLEASE do.  The Library of Virginia needs your help this week to get its budget amendments through the Senate Finance Committee.  It is a repository beyond compare and one which is need for research from a variety of fields.  

To be clear, without full funding, this is how the LVA will be effect:

....  Without a private papers specialist, new private papers (from newly donated bible records to private historical documents collected from the public and scanned as part of the CW150 or WWI centennial projects) will remain unavailable to researchers.  LVA has been unable to put Virginia’s vital records from 1853-1896 (and some to the 1930’s) online, largely because it has not had the staff to prepare and issue RFPs or negotiate and manage a contract with a vendor like Ancestry to scan, digitize and index the records.

Senate Finance will be coming out with its budget by Sunday of this week (February 5).  Please send a letter TODAY if possible, to Senate Finance Members asking them to fully fund LVA’s two relatively modest budget requests...

You do not need to be a resident of the state of Virginia to help.  Write, call, send a carrier pigeon, but let the legislature know that we need this funding for the library to go through.  

Please concentrate messages to Senator Tommy Norment (Williamsburg/James City County), Dick Saslaw (Falls Church/Alexandria), Emmett Hanger (Augusta/Staunton/Waynesboro) and Frank Ruff (Mecklenburg-Danville) becasue they have not came out in support.  Also, the Education Subcommittee of Senate Finance are the key people to contact.  Those persons are Senators Norment, Newman, Howell, Saslaw, Hanger, Ruff and Dunnavant. 

Please preserve Virginia’s history and make it accessible to researchers!


The members of the Senate Finance Committee in block email are as follows:
district03@senate.virginia.gov; district24@senate.virginia.gov; district32@senate.virginia.gov;district35@senate.virginia.gov; district18@senate.virginia.gov; district23@senate.virginia.gov; district15@senate.virginia.gov; district07@senate.virginia.gov; district04@senate.virginia.gov; district27@senate.virginia.gov; district40@senate.virginia.gov; district26@senate.virginia.gov; district39@senate.virginia.gov; district12@senate.virginia.gov
   
Senator Thomas K. Norment Jr: (804) 698-7503 district03@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr: (804) 698-7524 district24@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Janet D. Howell: (804) 698-7532 district32@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Richard L. Saslaw: (804) 698-7535 district35@senate.virginia.gov
Senator L. Louise Lucas: (804) 698-7518 district18@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Stephen D. Newman: (804) 698-7523 district23@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr: (804) 698-7515 district15@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Frank W. Wagner: (804) 698-7507 district07@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Ryan T. McDougle: (804) 698-7504 district04@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel: (804) 698-7527 district27@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Charles W. Carrico, Sr.: (804) 698-7540 district40@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Mark D. Obenshain: (804) 698-7526 district26@senate.virginia.gov
Senator George L. Barker: (804) 698-7539 district39@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Siobhan S. Dunnavant: (804) 698-7512 district12@senate.virginia.go

Fun at OGS

This weekend I am speaking, and hanging out, at the Ohio Genealogical Society annual conference.
 It is being held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio which, let's face it, genealogy and swimsuits are an interesting combination.  At least no one has attended (that I know of) a lecture in their swimsuit.

Yesterday I gave a workshop about preparing your papers for a lineage society application. My take away, wow... I can talk for 2 hours straight.  Oh, and that audience participation, while scary for the presenter, makes long lectures more entertaining. It is something that I will have to do again.

On Saturday, I will be talking about one of my favorite places to research, The Library of Virginia.  Such a great place, with so many wonderful resources.

If you are at the conference make sure to say hi!  I am at The In-Depth Genealogist booth and would be happy to see you.

NGS: Are you ready to research at the Library of Virginia?

View of Downtown Richmond over the falls of the James,
taken from the Manchester Floodwall. By Morgan Riley

Whew!  We are in the final countdown to the NGS conference and I am growing more excited each day.  My next few posts are going to be focused on repositories in the city and my tips, hints, and tricks to navigating them.  Trust me, all locals know something that you aren’t going to learn about anywhere else!

Today, I want to talk about the Library of Virginia (LVA) of course.  Who doesn’t want to visit the library while they are in Richmond?  If you said no it is only because you don’t know the amazing stuff you can find there!  Most importantly, make sure you do some pre-research.  The website for the LVA can be a bit confusing, but here are some things to keep in mind while hunting around on there.

For anyone who wants to do research at LVA, please be aware you will have to get a library card.  Without it you cannot request books or make copies (more on these below).  I suggest you read and understand the Library of Virginia Visitors Guide and Library Cards and Circulation Procedures before you come.  The visitors guide gives you a great general overview of the library, where it is, and its services.  However, pay particular attention to the one on library cards.

In state residents may request a library card via mail or email, but be sure to leave 2 weeks for processing.  Out of state residents must do it in person, and in state resident can choose this option too.  Thankfully you can prefill out your application and bring it along with ID to the circulation desk.  Virginia residents must provide proof of residency.  These cards are for people 18 and older, so if you have a child coming with you to do research they will need a parental permission form filled out as well if they want their own card.  Note: if you lose your card there is a $5 replacement fee.

While you are at LVA I am sure you will want to make copies and here are a few things to keep in mind.  Like I mentioned above, you will need a library card to do this, even if you are going to copy it to a thumb drive! Unless they are bringing in more copiers for NGS, expect long lines.  There are only a handful in the library and 2 book scanners.  You can put money on your library card for copies ($0.25 per copy) but note that the machine which puts money on your card will only take Visa or Mastercard and NOT debit cards.  Yeah, that threw me the first time when it wouldn’t take my bank card. 

The search box on the home page is your friend!  Type in your keywords here to pull up information on collections, records, and finding aids.  When you type in GENEALOGY your results will be full of finding aids and articles about genealogical research there.  One article of note is Published Materials for Genealogists.  Make sure you read this, you will thank me later!

Search the LVA catalog is a link under the “For The Public” section.  This is the LVA catalog.  Search it from the comfort of your own home, the terminals at the library, or over the library Wi-Fi when you get there from the LVA page.  Via keyword search you can look for books, records, manuscripts, images, and more.

When you receive results from your searches take note of the format and location for each item.  This will be important when you arrive on site, particularly the location.  Much of the LVA collection is not accessible by the public.  Unless it tells you which reading room, or section of the 2^nd floor the item is located, you will need to request the item. This will take a library card.

The books you will need to request will be labeled as located in the “Closed Stacks.”  This is upstairs only accessible to staff.  If you would like to look at a book from the closed stacks you will need to request the book, or books, from one of the two reference desks.  The librarians will send the request upstairs, and depending on how busy the library is, you will have a 10+ minute wait.  How do you know your books are ready to be picked up?  Glad you asked!  There are TV screens around the 2^nd floor that show the queue for requested books.  When your books are ready, your name will appear, and you can go to the circulation desk to pick them up. 

You may check out 15 books at one time and you must present your library card to pick up the materials.  Out of state residents may only look at books in the library, but in-state residents will actually have circulating books check out to them for 28 days at the time of pick up.  Just return them to the circulation desk when you are finished.

If your item is a manuscript in the “Archives and Manuscript Room” you will need to go there and request the time from the archivist on duty.  The item may not leave that room, so be prepared to stay.  You can read about the policies for the archives and map research rooms in this PDF from the LVA website.

Microfilm and Microfiche are located on the west side of the library next to the archives reference desk. There are banks and banks of film.  They are very well labeled and the staff is always friendly so don’t be afraid to ask for help.  They have about 30 readers and you will have to register to use one (clock in and clock out).  The readers are digital thankfully so no hand cranking!  You can record images directly to a thumb drive on these as well.

Finding a listing for “Online Material” however is very good.  That is information you can research at home and not have to worry about doing it there.  By simply clicking on the title link for the item it will take you to its details page.  This page contains the link to viewing the image online.

Virginia Memory is an online collection of digital images you should check out before you get to Richmond.  Not only are there some amazing exhibits and historical items there, but A LOT of useful ones too.  This would be a blog post by itself, but here are a few collections you might find interesting:

·         Broadside collection

·         Chancery records

·         Civil War map project

·         Cohabitation registers

·         Confederate Pension Rolls

·         Dunmore’s War Payroll/Claims

·         Legislative Petitions

·         And so on….

If you need a break or a quick snack, there is a small café on the first floor.  The food always smells so good when you are upstairs, it really is unfair at times.  Also, the Virginia Shop is on the west side of the main entrance to the library.  Here you can pick up some great Virginia specific publications (and others) that the LVA has produced.  Check them out online too so you don’t have to cart a whole bunch of stuff home!

Like I said, there is a lot to do there, and a lot you can do at home to prepare for your trip!  I would start now if I was you.  Good luck!

Map to the 2nd floor of the Library of Virginia.
Floor plans are available at the library from the 1st floor information desk.

Chancery records are so cool!

Alright, I am a slacker.  Seriously, I am.  This week I sat on my couch letting my brains run out of ears far more than I have in the past few months.  You know what, it felt great.  However, that feeling has to go away because it is time to get back to the grindstone if you know what I mean.

Once I got off the couch, I found an interesting little nugget while delving into a family chancery record.  Virginia Chancery Records, for those of you who don’t know, are simply put courts that were involved with disputes where something needed to be divided equally.  These were not criminal cases and most instances they simply needed a mediator between two parties that were in dispute. 

Recently I was looking into the Chancery Records concerning the estate of my 6^th great grandfather James Drake.  His third oldest son William was the executor of the will and, well, it seems his siblings were a bit miffed at the way the estate was settled.  So much so that they were suing him for $6,000 which in 1799 was a pretty penny.  Yeah, I bet that made holiday gatherings awkward since the suit went on for several years and there were another 4 cases I have found so far dealing with this estate.

To me the most amazing document in the initial case file was on the last page.  Here on page 27 was an

inventory accounting for everything that William did with his father’s estate.  Who received what, how much, and when.  I am currently comparing this to the will I copied from the Library of Virginia this time last year.  It will be interesting to see where the items from the original inventory ended up.

Page 27 of File 1800-006, Powhatan County Chancery Records, Library of Virginia.

As with the will, I did find a mention of a slave transfer as well as provisions purchased for them.  It is fascinating actually.  One listing states the estate purchased “1 gallon of Rum for sick negroes” another reads “paid for a hat for a negro of the Estate.”  Was rum a common medicine purchased for ailments?  Cough syrup or something to be infused with herbs?  I really need to look into that.

Finally there was the purchase of “a negro woman Nell and her child Jacob” for the sum of £30.  In the past I have told you I feel the need to publish the names of these people when I find them, so I am.  Maybe, just maybe, it will help someone find the answers to their family history.

Blow up of page 27

There were also two others cases that dealt with the division of the plantation.  Originally 800 acres, it was carved up into pieces for the children with a large portion given to James’s wife Mary.  I could not believe my luck when these files contained plats with the land divisions!  Now I get to start the process of trying to use the roads, waterways, and landmarks on the plat to see if I can find the land today.  

Plat 2 from file 1806-015, Powhatan County, Library of Virginia.  Tarlton Drake was James Drake's son, and my 5th great grandfather.

Adventures in Genealogy: Finding James Drake

Richmond, Virginia
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you decide to have an adventure.  Of course, if you have a particularly ingenious spouse, they may suggest the adventure.  So let me tell you a story...about what I did today.

One night, a few weeks back, I was out poking around on Find-a-Grave, as I am sure many of you have done.  This particular night I got a hit for the possible burial location of James Drake, my 6^th great grandfather.  It gave me a lead that he was at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.  He died in Powhatan County but who knows, he could have been buried here since he was a prominent figure.  Also, this church is a national historic site because it was where Patrick Henry gave his “give me liberty or give me death” speech.  All I could think was how exciting it would be to stroll around the grounds, take some pictures, and if I was really lucky see his tombstone.

Days passed and I was getting ready to go to Richmond for an errand this morning when my husband suggested that I stop by the church.  I was going to be in the area after all, why didn’t I just pop on over there and see what I could find.  Yeah, that sounded like a plan, how hard could it be?  Just a few minutes, maybe an hour, perusing the area and then I would drive home.  Well, best laid plans and all that, this is not quite what happened.

St. Johns Church
From wikimedia commons

I strolled up to the visitor’s center and boldly asked for help.  Enthusiastically I explained that I was looking for information on internments and that I thought I had an ancestor located in the cemetery.  A very nice woman, dressed in colonial attire, gave me a very fat old book to look through.  It was the index of the internments, and James was not in it.  I was crushed.  Another member of the church staff gave me the number for the church office and said I should talk to them.  Maybe they could give me a lead or I could talk to their archivist.  It was at this point that I realized I had only put half of my new found knowledge of cemetery research into practice.  However, I was doing this on a whim and not nicely planned out.  Next time I would be on top of my game.

After perusing the bookstore (I couldn’t help myself) I went out to the street and called the number written on the piece of paper.  I repeated my story to the lady on the phone and she asked me if I was standing outside on the corner.  Well, they could have told me the office was just across the street.  In I went, and sadly they had no information for me either.  However, she suggested I drive over to the Virginia Historical Society.  They had the early parish records there and maybe, just maybe, they could help me locate him. 

15 minutes later I was there, checked in, and asking my questions to the reference librarian.  She was stumped too.  There were no parish death records for the time frame I was looking for.  However, we found him listed in the “VirginiaWills and Administrations 1632-1800.”  I was told this was a good thing, but that the Historical Society could not help me.  To get this information I would need to go to the Virginia State Library, back the way I had come. Yes, I had already driven by it…twice.  Well, off I went.

To be honest, I have been meaning to go to the Library of Virginia for, well, a couple years but I have just never got around to it.  Since I was there I went ahead and got my library card so I can do more research there and from home.  I was giddy!  Looking at the clock I had an hour, just an hour, until I had to leave so that I would make it home in time to get my kids from school.  No pressure.

Once again the research librarian pointed me to the microfilm for the wills of Powhatan County, Virginia.  Those from 1797 were on book 2 of the reel.  Great!  This will take no time.  30 minutes later I still hadn’t found him.  Back to the desk to ask for more help, and I get taken to the index.  THE INDEX!  I could have saved 30 minutes of my life because it told us…he didn’t have a will.  Perplexing a librarian seems to be the name of the game today, however after a quick computer search he found that James Drake was listed in the deed books for that year.  Lesson:  don’t assume that your record is where it should be.  There wasn’t a will, but an inventory of the estate at the time of his death on page 375-7 of deed book 2.

I downloaded the three ledger pages to my thumb drive and got the heck out of dodge.  Best of all, I made it home in time to meet the school bus.  Whew!  Now to go through what I saved since there was no time to look through it then.  Wonder what I will find?  Also, I still need to find out about the James Drake who is now MIA from the cemetery.