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| Ker Place Onancock, Virginia |
Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society
P.O. Box 179
69 Market Street
Onancock, VA 23417
Phone: 757-787-8012
http://www.shorehistory.org
E-mail: collections@shorehistory.org
Open Monday‒Friday, 9:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m.
Repository
The Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society (ESVHS) holds a wide variety of artifacts rich in Eastern Shore history that spans from 1677 to the present and consists of over 600 decorative arts objects, a library, and an archival collection. They are housed in the second story of Ker Place, which is a 1799 federal style mansion on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a museum.Be Prepared
All materials are for reference use only and cannot be taken off the premises. You can schedule a visit to the Society’s collections in person. The fee for access is $15.00 for the public and free to members of the Historical Society.Research performed by the Historical Society staff will generate a fee of $35.00. The research service cannot exceed one hour of investigation. For best results provide as much information as possible in your inquiry including: names of people or locations and dates of occurrence. Research hours are by appointment only. Call 757-787-8012 or email collections@shorehistory.org ahead of time to make an appointment.
• Photocopies or Scans: $0.25 per page
• Shipping & Handling: UPS or Postal Service Rate
• Photographing Object: (By Permission Only) $5.00 per photograph
• Currently we don't offer the ability to save to a flash drive.
Holdings
The ESVHS archival holdings consist of manuscripts, ledgers, letters, diaries and photographs from Eastern Shore families. Currently, the Society does not have an on-line database.
Collections
Genealogy Collection. The Society has a wide collection of materials available for genealogy research. For example, the Rue Genealogy book tells the adventurous tales of Shore men and women. This particular book tells the story of the Rue (also known as Rew) family. Family legend has it that the wife of Wonney Rue II (Hester Hickman) was kidnapped along with her nurse as a child by pirates somewhere on the English coast. The ship was wrecked off of Chincoteague Island, Virginia. All she had were the clothes she had on, a locket and chain with her initials on it, and a silver cup bearing her name. Hester married Wonney in 1759.Diary Collection. The Diary Collection consists of pieces that demonstrate various aspects of the lives and economy of the men and women who wrote them. One diary in particular demonstrates the effects war has on a person’s social life. The diary of Mary Howard reveals her story about traveling to the Eastern Shore from Baltimore to take care of her ailing brother in the early 1860s. During her stay on the Shore, the Civil War broke out and Mrs. Howard was trapped in Eastville, Virginia separating her from her husband and children back home. This particular diary demonstrates the hardships people endured and the political ideals during the time of the separation between the North and the South.
Letter Collection. The Letter Collection consists of pieces that include letters from prominent people in American history. One letter is from Francis Scott Key to his mother written a about the social situation in 1814. He discusses the gossip that is being spread about the “operations and force of the Enemy.”
Area Information
Other sites of interest are: The Eastern Shore Public Library located in Accomac, Virginia, Accomac Roots: http://www.accomacroots.com/, and MilesFiles: http://www.espl-genealogy.org/.Brittany Haywood
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society
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