Repositories—Greater Washington, DC

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library
6301 Montrose Avenue
P.O. Box 1614 (20849-1614)
Rockville, MD 20852

President@jgsgw.org
http://JGSGW.org/
No telephone

Repository

The JGSGW Library is located in the Media Center of B’nai Israel Congregation, 6301 Montrose Avenue in Rockville, MD. We are usually open the first Sunday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.by appointment, and after JGSGW meetings at B’nai Israel.  Our catalog and contact information are on the JGSGW website at http://JGSGW.org/ in the Library section.

Be Prepared

Our collection is entirely a reference collection, so all materials are always available.  You can view materials, make photocopies (no charge), or use a scanner and save it to your own flash drive. We also have access to Ancestry World edition, Fold3 and Genealogy Bank.  WIFI is available for your computer.

Holdings

Books such as Our Parents Lives and World of Our Fathers, Auswandererhafen Hamburg Emigration, and Attachments: Faces and Stories from America’s Gates can be used to gain insight into the lives of our ancestors, the difficulties of immigration and their Americanization.

Collections

The library is focused on Jewish genealogy: methodology, family histories, surname, and given name directories and gazetteers for Eastern European and Russian, histories of the Jews in European countries and major towns in the U.S.  The surname works on the Russian Empire, Galicia, the Kingdom of Poland and Prague by Alexander Beider are heavily used as is his Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names: Their Origins, Structure, Pronunciations, and Migrations.  Location guides to towns and shtetls are also well used. Guides and works on Sephardic genealogy are also included.

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library

Maps and Conference Recordings

You can pour over 50 historical maps, primarily from Europe, including countries that no longer exist—such as Galicia and Bukovina, the Suwalki area, and historical German Kingdoms. Recordings of many annual IAJGS conferences are available to use with headphones.

Vera Finberg
JGSGW Librarian
Vera.finberg@verizon.net

Repositories—Greater Washington, DC

Repositories—Washington, DC

Library of Congress
Local History & Genealogy Reference Services
Main Reading Room

Illuminated west façade view at night
Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540-4660

202-707-5537
http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/
E-mail: http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-genealogy.html (Ask a Librarian)

Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8:30 a.m.‒9:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Friday, Saturday: 8:30 a.m.‒5:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays & federal holidays

Repository

The Local History & Genealogy Reference Services is located in the Main Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building, Room 100. Reference librarians will help you to discover the collections, services, and resources available to you as a family history researcher in over 20 reading rooms at the Library of Congress.  The Library is open to anyone over the age of 16 years of age with a reader registration card http://www.loc.gov/rr/readerregistration.html. All Library materials are non-circulating.

Be Prepared

Before you visit the Library of Congress, please review Information for Researchers http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/inforeas/. Familiarity with this website will answer most of your questions and help you to know what you need to research in the world’s largest library. Cameras may be used in many of the reading rooms to create digital images, and the microfilm scanners allow for images to be saved for free to a USB drive. For photocopies, you will need to get a copy card.  From the Library’s Web site http://www.loc.gov/, you may search the online catalogs, browse digital collections, review special collections in over 20 reading rooms, or correspond electronically with Library reference staff.  Prior to your visit, we invite you to view an online research orientation to genealogical research at Library at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/tours.html and to browse the published guides to the genealogy collections of the Library of Congress at http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/bibguide.html, compiled by reference librarians and available in full text.

Main Reading Room
Library of Congress

Collections and Holdings

As one of the leading genealogical collections in the country, the Library has more than 60,000 genealogies and 100,000 U.S. local histories. You will want to consult the Library’s extensive U.S. City Directory Collection http://www.loc.gov/rr/microform/uscity/. While the Library is rich in collections of manuscripts, microfilms, newspapers, photographs, maps, and published material, it is not an archive or repository for unpublished or primary source county, state, or church records. If you are seeking county records, you will need to visit the courthouse or a library in the county of interest, the state archives, or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, or one of its Family History Centers.

Digital Collections

We invite you to visit the Library of Congress, but if you are not able to come to Washington, please take a look at American Memory at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/, a multimedia website of 9 million digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings.


Photo: Exterior view. Illuminated west façade view at night. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Main Reading Room, Library of Congress

Repositories—Washington, DC

Repositories—Greater Wasington, DC

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library
6301 Montrose Avenue
P.O. Box 1614 (20849-1614)
Rockville, MD 20852

President@jgsgw.org
http://JGSGW.org/
No telephone

Repository

The JGSGW Library is located in the Media Center of B’nai Israel Congregation, 6301 Montrose Avenue in Rockville, MD. We are usually open the first Sunday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.by appointment, and after JGSGW meetings at B’nai Israel.  Our catalog and contact information are on the JGSGW website at http://JGSGW.org/ in the Library section.

Be Prepared

Our collection is entirely a reference collection, so all materials are always available.  You can view materials, make photocopies (no charge), or use a scanner and save it to your own flash drive. We also have access to Ancestry World edition, Fold3 and Genealogy Bank.  WIFI is available for your computer.

Holdings

Books such as Our Parents Lives and World of Our Fathers, Auswandererhafen Hamburg Emigration, and Attachments: Faces and Stories from America’s Gates can be used to gain insight into the lives of our ancestors, the difficulties of immigration and their Americanization.

Collections

The library is focused on Jewish genealogy: methodology, family histories, surname, and given name directories and gazetteers for Eastern European and Russian, histories of the Jews in European countries and major towns in the U.S.  The surname works on the Russian Empire, Galicia, the Kingdom of Poland and Prague by Alexander Beider are heavily used as is his Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names: Their Origins, Structure, Pronunciations, and Migrations.  Location guides to towns and shtetls are also well used. Guides and works on Sephardic genealogy are also included.

Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington Library

Maps and Conference Recordings

You can pour over 50 historical maps, primarily from Europe, including countries that no longer exist—such as Galicia and Bukovina, the Suwalki area, and historical German Kingdoms. Recordings of many annual IAJGS conferences are available to use with headphones.

Vera Finberg
JGSGW Librarian
Vera.finberg@verizon.net

Repositories—Greater Wasington, DC

Repositories—Washington, DC

Archives I

National Archives Building (Archives I)
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20408

Mailing Address:  National Archives and Records Administration,
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20408-6001

National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC

Phone: 866-272-6272
E-mail: archives1reference@nara.gov.
E-mail is better than a telephone call because it allows our staff to more fully understand your question and formulate a useful answer.
Website: http://www.archives.gov



Web page for Archives I: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington
Genealogy home page: http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html
Researcher newsletter: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/newsletter

Open Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.‒ 5:00 p.m. Microfilmed and original records may be viewed during these hours. No original records are retrieved from the stacks on Saturdays, but may be viewed in the research room on Saturday if they were retrieved (“pulled”) from the stacks during Monday through Friday. Pull times are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.

National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
is located between Seventh and Ninth Streets, NW. The research entrance is on Pennsylvania Avenue.
For details, see the Building Entrance Map at http://www.archives.gov/nae/visit/archives-map.pdf.

Be Prepared

Free admission but photo identification is required. Upon arrival, first-time researchers apply for a researcher identification card, good for one year at both Archives I and Archives II.

A free shuttle bus runs between Archives I and Archives II, Monday through Friday, hourly from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Most copying is self-service. Each person’s researcher identification card also serves as a copy card. After obtaining the researcher identification card, it must be registered at copycard.archives.gov. Money then can be added to the card online or at a kiosk in the research room.

Paper to paper photocopies cost 25 cents; paper to USB cost 25 cents. Microfilm to paper copies cost 65 cents; microfilm to USB or CD is free. We supply CDs. Paper copies made on book scanner are 85 cents; no USB capability. Your own camera may be used without flash (free).

Repository

Laid end to end, the paper documents in the National Archives' holdings would circle the earth over 57 times! Most of them have not been digitized, so they’re not online.

The National Archives is the repository of the permanently valuable records of the United States Government. They are arranged by record group (federal agency) then in the manner the agency kept its records. There are billions of pages of records that are not on microfilm and not online, so make the most of your visit by getting access to records that aren’t online. Here are some suggestions.

Collections

Microfilm Readers
Archives I

War of 1812 compiled military service records (CMSRs) (Record Group 94) and pension files (Record Group 15) that aren’t digitized (some are online).

Civil War Union compiled military service records (CSMRs) (Record Group 94) and pension records (Record Group 15) that aren’t digitized (some are online). Pension files usually contain a great deal of information about the veteran’s war experience, life after the war, and family, particularly if his widow survived him. Every file is unique. CMSRs contain information from muster rolls and other records created during the war. For more information, visit “Civil War Pension Records,” http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/genealogy-fair/2013/handouts/S9_CivilWarPensions.pdf or
view the lecture at http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/genealogy-fair.

Civil War courts-martial records. For more information, read Trevor K. Plante, “The Shady Side of the Family Tree: Civil War Union Court-Martial Case Files” at http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/winter/union-court-martials.html.

Bounty Land Warrant application files (Record Group 15) and related surrendered warrants (Record Group 49) (none of which are online), for rewarding military service before 1855. The application files are like miniature pension files. A good place to determine whether a warrant was issued is the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office Records database at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx. Researchers who find entries showing that land was issued for military service can then locate a bounty land warrant application file and surrendered warrant file at the National Archives.

Homestead and Cash Entry Land Files (Record Group 49). These records document whether an ancestor obtained land directly from the federal government. A good place to start is the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office Records database at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx. Researchers who find “cash” or “homestead” entries can then locate the related file here at the National Archives.

Navy deck logs (1801-1940) and muster rolls (1861-79, 1898-1938) (Record Group 24). Deck logs usually only mention officers. Muster rolls include enlisted men. Researchers must know name of the ship as well as the date span during which the man was aboard. View the “Genealogy Through Navy Deck Logs” presentation and PowerPoint slides from NARA’s 2013 Virtual Genealogy Fair at http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/genealogy-fair.

Post Office Records about postmasters and other Post Office Department employee records (Record Group 28). Some of these are on microfilm, some are not. This web page will help you get started: http://www.archives.gov/research/post-offices.

Want to learn more about records at the National Archives?  View the presentations, PowerPoint slides, and handouts from NARA’s 2013 Virtual Genealogy Fair at http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/genealogy-fair.

For more information about military records, see “Research Military Records” at http://www.archives.gov/research/military and “Military Service Records at the National Archives” at http://www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/rip109.pdf.

For more information about civilian records, see “Using Civilian Records for Genealogical Research in the National Archives, Washington, D.C. Area” at  http://www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/110/using-civilian-records-for-genealogical-research-rip110.pdf.

Claire Prechtel-Kluskens
Reference and Projects Archivist
Archives I Research Support Branch (RDC1)
National Archives and Records Administration

Repositories—Washington, DC

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Tidewater Genealogical Society
Old Courthouse
Newport News, Virginia

Tidewater Genealogical Society                      
 14415 Old Courthouse Way
Newport News, VA  23608-3728

757-988-1055
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vatgs

Open Tuesday, Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; closed for holidays

Repository

The Tidewater Genealogical Society Library is located in the Warwick County Courthouse of 1884, on the first floor. It is open to anyone. All materials are non-circulating.

Be Prepared

Please bring information about your research with you. We help beginners but need to know your grandparents’ names and where they lived. Please bring an ancestral chart with the basic information filled.

A copier, scanners, and the ability to download to thumb drives are available. It costs 15 cents per page for copying or printing from a computer. Several computers are available for patron use for their research. The computers are not available for personal use. Laptops are permitted and wireless access is available.

Holdings

The Society has over 2,000 books available for patrons to consult. Most of the collection emphasizes Tidewater Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. There are a few books available for other areas.

There is a collection of genealogical journals that are available for use. They are from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and other areas.

Collections

The Society has several manuscript collections that have been given by several individuals. The manuscripts are indexed. There is a large collection on Isle of Wight County.

Society Publications

The Society has published a number of books, most of them on cemeteries. Two recent publications are James City County Virginia Cemeteries and Graveyards.

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

The following post will conclude the series on Virginia Repositories in the Tidewater.

Next week we will feature repositories in the greater Washington DC area. The last region of Virginia Repositories to be featured will be Richmond, Virginia the first week in March.

Family History Centers 

Bennetts Creek Virginia Family History Center
Bennetts Creek Rd.
Suffolk, VA 23435
757-538-3610

Chesapeake Virginia Family History Center
412 Scarborough Dr.
Chesapeake VA 23322
757-482-9612

Gloucester Virginia Family History Center
8381 George Washington Hwy.
Gloucester, VA 23061
804-693-5095
Notes: Shirley Smith, Director. If no answer at above number call 804-642-9165

Newport News Virginia Family History Center
902 Denbigh Blvd.
Newport News, VA 23602
757-874-2335

Portsmouth Virginia Family History Center
1115 Cherokee Rd.
Portsmouth, VA 23701
757-488-4207

Virginia Beach Virginia Family History Center
4760 Princess Anne Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
757-467-3302

va_virginiabeach@ldsmail.com
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia_Beach_Virginia_Family_History_Center
Open Monday, 10:00 a.m.‒1:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.‒2:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:30 p.m.; 2nd & 4th Saturday, 9:00 a.m.‒12 noon.
Entrance: Use the Edwin Drive facing parking lot and entrance

Williamsburg Virginia Family History Center
2017 Newman Road

Williamsburg, VA  23188
757-220-0266 during operating hours; 757-903-5706 when the center is not open

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Williamsburg_Virginia_Family_History_Center
Open Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.‒12:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.‒9:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.‒9:00 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m.‒12:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.‒12:30 p.m.

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Hampton Public Library

Hampton Public Library
Special Collections Department
4207 Victoria Blvd.
Hampton, VA 23669

757-727-1314
http://www.hampton.gov/index.aspx?nid=1216

Open Monday and Thursday, 1:00‒9:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m.; Friday, 9:00 a.m.‒1:00 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00‒5:00 p.m.

Repository

Special Collections Department is located on the second floor of the Main Library in historic downtown Hampton. The Virginiana Collection is rich in Hampton and Virginia history books and non-book materials that are very useful for local history and genealogical research.

Be Prepared

Special Collections is a research room and all materials are for reference use only.  Copies are 10 cents per page for photocopies, computer prints, and microfilm prints.  Digital cameras are welcome and USB-drive scanning is available on the photocopier.

We can do brief research requests. Please see the following link on our webpage for more information http://www.hampton.gov/index.aspx?nid=1277.

Holdings

The Virginiana Collection consists of books, maps, microfilm, pictures, postcards, vertical files and periodicals.  The map, picture, and postcard collections have printed guides found in the room, and all other materials can be found on the library’s online catalog: http://www.hampton.gov/index.aspx?NID=1217.

Small collections of genealogy books for the states of North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky are available.

Area Information

Other places of special interest in Hampton are: The Hampton History Museum, Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton University Museum, and the Fort Monroe Casemate Museum.  See more at http://www.hampton.gov/Index.aspx?NID=153.

Elizabeth Wilson
Special Collections Supervisor
Hampton Public Library

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Mobile Conference App

NGS Announces Release of Mobile Conference App 

NGS announces the release of the Mobile Conference App for the NGS 2014 Family History Conference, which will be held 7‒10 May 2014, in Richmond, Virginia.  To download the free NGS Conference App, go to http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/mobile-app/. 

The NGS Conference App is available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and web-enabled devices. Search your app store for NGS 2014.

New this year is a five-minute video that reviews highlights of the app and explains how to use the key features. The video can be found on the NGS conference website at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/mobile-app/, then click on the App Video Tutorial.

Some of the convenient features on the app:

• The Dashboard keeps you organized with up-to-the-minute information.
• About This Show keeps all conference information in one place.
• Alerts allow attendees to receive important real-time communications from NGS.
• The built-in Twitter feed allows you to follow and join in on the conference chatter.
        The Twitter hashtag is #NGS2014GEN.
• Sync your schedule across multiple devices.
• Attendees can locate exhibitors they plan to visit.
• Connect, message, and share schedules with your colleagues through the  
        Friends feature.
• Link to syllabus material for each lecture, which will be available about 22 April 2014.

We encourage you to begin using the app now so you can improve your conference experience in Richmond.

Mobile Conference App

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

The Sargeant Memorial Collection
Pretlow Branch Library
111 W. Ocean View Avenue

Pretlow Branch Library
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, VA 23503

757-441-1600
http://www.npl.lib.va.us
E-mail: robert.hitchings@norfolk.gov
troy.valos@norfolk.gov
william.inge@norfolk.gov
localhistory@norfolk.gov

Open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m.‒9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. ‒5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.‒5:00 p.m.

Repository

The Sargeant Memorial Collection is located at the new Pretlow Branch Library, 111 W. Ocean View Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. Phone (757) 441-1600.  Our website is http://www.npl.lib.va.us.

Our first librarian, William Henry Sargeant was hired by the City of Norfolk. He had a passion, he loved history, and he realized that Norfolk was changing; the old neighborhoods were becoming our new downtown. He quickly went to work collecting historical items for our room including old photographs and family genealogies. William Henry Sargeant passed away in 1917 and in 1927 the Henry Sargeant Memorial Room was created.  Since that date each historian/librarian over the years has added to the collection. Today we are one of the best genealogical repositories in our state.

Be Prepared

We have five microfilm machines and one public scanner; you can use your flash drive to make copies. We have one copier; copies are .15 cents each. You can make copies with your digital camera too.

Holdings

We offer on our online database, Norfolk city directories, 1850-1930, Sanborn (fire insurance) maps, the African American newspaper, The Norfolk Journal & Guide, and our picture collection, over 1500 images online. Also we have our eight cemeteries (interments). We have periodical files in cabinet files, newspaper clippings of the city of Norfolk, city of Portsmouth, city of Virginia Beach, and city of Chesapeake.

Collections

Due to the new construction of our Slover Library, we have had to split our collection due to limited space. We have the most valuable part of our collection, 25%, here at Pretlow, while the remaining 75% is stored in a nice warehouse. In our collection we have around 60,000 photographs and negatives that were given to us by the Virginian-Pilot newspaper that covers the years 1927 through the 1980s. Also in the collection are photographs that came from individual citizens of our area, like Harry Mann, Carroll Walker, just to name a few. We also have a wonderful postcard collection; school year books; historical diaries; historical maps of our area; old scrapbooks; newspaper microfilm of our local newspapers; court papers on microfilm for Norfolk city, Norfolk County, Princess Anne County, Portsmouth, Virginia; family trees; family genealogies; and our wonderful book collection on family genealogies. We are very proud of our collection and with donations, we are adding to it every month.

New Location in November 2014

This year in November 2014 will be an exciting new year for the city of Norfolk. We plan to open the new Samuel Slover Memorial Library that has been under construction for the last four years. The Sargeant Memorial Collection will have two floors to hold its valuable collection.

We look forward to your visit.

Robert B. Hitchings, Archivist/Historian
Head of the Sargeant Memorial Collection

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Wallace Memorial History Room                      

Wallace Memorial History Room
Norfolk County Historical Society

Norfolk County Historical Society
Chesapeake Central Library
298 Cedar Rd.
Chesapeake VA 23322

Open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m.‒6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.‒5:00 p.m.

Phone: 757-410-7100
Web: http://www.norfolkcountyvahistory.org/
Library web: http://www.infopeake.org/site-page/norfolk-county-historical-society
E-mail: nchs.wallaceroom@gmail.com

Open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m.‒6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.‒5:00 p.m.

The Norfolk County Historical Society of Chesapeake, Virginia, was organized on October 10, 1963, the same year that the City of Chesapeake was formed through the merger of Norfolk County and the City of South Norfolk. The Society is committed to the preservation and dissemination of the history of the City of Chesapeake and surrounding areas. It is a tax-exempt corporation chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Repository

The Norfolk County Historical Society collection resides in the Wallace Memorial History Room, located in the Chesapeake Central Library at 298 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, Virginia. The collection consists of historical and genealogical material with an emphasis on the City of Chesapeake and the surrounding areas of Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. The library and the Norfolk County Historical Society contribute to the continuing development of the collection.

The Wallace Room also houses a collection of over 100 family histories along with other genealogical information for use by patrons. An index is available and volunteers can assist in the research.

Local items of interest are on exhibit in the room including Indian artifacts, Revolutionary and Civil War items, and a large-scale map of Norfolk County (predecessor of the City of Chesapeake) dated 1887. The oldest item available in the Wallace Memorial History Room is a land grant from 1701.

Be Prepared

All materials in the Wallace Room are for reference use only, and therefore may not be checked out. Photocopiers are available for patrons using Wallace Room materials. The price is 20 cents per page. Library patrons are responsible for observing posted copyright laws.

Reference requests can be sent to the above-stated address via USPS. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with your request.

Volunteer staff will research questions using Wallace Room materials as time permits, but nothing extensive.

Holdings

On microfilm, a collection of magazines of historical and genealogical interest is maintained along with older newspapers from the area. A microfilm reader/printer is available.

Additional Collections

With the opening of the new Wallace Memorial History Room in November 2013, the Library proudly introduced the Virginia Regional History (VRH) Collection, a newly developed collection of materials provided by the Library. The Virginia Regional History Collection covers all aspects of Virginia’s history and includes items of interest in the Atlantic coastal region, centered on Virginia. A large variety of books have been assembled over the last year to launch this collection, including a number of rare books that are on display immediately outside of the Wallace Room.

They have some great information in the scrolling banner ad on their web page including photos: http://www.norfolkcountyvahistory.org/.

“The volunteers at NCHS are constantly reviewing donated materials and adding to the information available. I think we have a real gold mine for anyone researching early settlers of Norfolk County.”

Phyllis A. Schirle
Special Programs & Public Relations
Chesapeake Public Library

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library

John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
313 First Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185

757-565-8510
E-mail: libref@cwf.org

Open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m. (except major holidays)

Special Collections: To schedule an appointment call 757-565-8520 or e-mail  speccoll@cwf.org

http://research.history.org/JDRLibrary/Visit_The_Library.cfm
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/John-D-Rockefeller-Jr-Library-Colonial-Williamsburg-Foundation

The Repository

The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library is located in Colonial Williamsburg and serves scholars, advanced students, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation staff, and the general public.  The library is promotes knowledge of colonial British America, the American Revolution, and early United States.

Be Prepared

Self-service copiers (with free e-mail option) and printers are located on the main level and upper level.  Patrons will be charged 25 cents per page, payable at the circulation desk. Bring your flash drives and cameras to save copies.

The Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis must approve use of the microfilm printers.  Patrons will be charged 25 cents per page. Unfortunately our scanner is no longer working and we have not been able to replace it yet.

A small portion of the manuscripts have been digitized and can be viewed online:  http://research.history.org/JDRLibrary/Special_Collections/SCFindMS.cfm

The On-Line Resource Website provides a listing of the various resources either available only at the Library or online, including: Search the Library Catalog (which includes the holdings of the Swem Library at William and Mary), online access to the Virginia Gazette 1736‒1780; finding aids and more.
http://research.history.org/JDRLibrary/Online_Resources.cfm

Holdings

Their specialized collections of books, journals, manuscripts, and visual and online resources support and encourage research in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century colonial British America, the Chesapeake, African American studies, the decorative arts and material culture through 1830, and historical preservation.

Favorite historical topics include animals, Civil War, Christmas, eighteenth-century Christmas customs, food and drink from Colonial Virginia, Jamestown, the workaday world, pirates of Virginia, money and its value, health, and medicine.

Collections

The Library staff has developed special resources on individuals who lived in Williamsburg in the eighteenth century.  No genealogical research will be done by staff, but you can get an idea of our resources by looking at the bibliographies on the following page:
http://research.history.org/JDRLibrary/Online_Resources/GenealogicalResearch.cfm

A unique resource available at the Library is the York County Records Project, which was undertaken in the 1960s to index and abstract York County Records 1633-1815, by surname.  This project is a great resource for those researching individuals and families in the Williamsburg, York County, and James City County during the colonial period.  Part of Williamsburg was in York County during the eighteenth century. Many Inhabitants of Williamsburg were involved in York County court cases or filed their wills and inventories in York County.  The legal papers of James City County and the City of Williamsburg were burned during the Civil War.

The project includes wills, deeds, inventories, and court orders (civil suits and criminal cases). There is also a computer-generated plat map of York County that locates families on the land with which they are historically associated. The master biographical file is organized alphabetically, then chronologically. The file includes slave first names and surnames. The Library owns microfilmed copies of the biographical file, original York County records, and the plat/map in Special Collections.

The Library owns more than 50,000 manuscript pages. They are available by appointment only in Special Collections.  To schedule an appointment call 757-565-8520 or e-mail: speccoll@cwf.org.

So, if you are planning a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Busch Gardens, Virginia Beach, make sure that you add a visit to the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library.

Juleigh Muirhead Clark
Public Services Librarian
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Beach Public Library

Virginia Beach Library

4100 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA  23452

757-385-0150
http://www.vbgov.com/localhistory
E-mail: mswetnam@vbgov.com

Open 10:00 a.m.‒9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10:00 a.m.‒5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1:00 p.m.‒5:00 p.m. on Sundays through the end of May.

Repository

Two hours southeast of Richmond, the Meyera E. Oberndorf Virginia Beach Central Library is located at 4100 Virginia Beach Boulevard approximately eight miles from the oceanfront hotels.

Be Prepared

Copies are 20 cents per page and scanners, USB drives, and digital cameras may be used. Ask for a free computer-use card to access the public computers.

Holdings

The library houses genealogical research and extensive charts compiled on local families as well as local history books and information files. Check the catalog at http://vbplcat.vbgov.com.  Digital archives include photographs and historical maps of locales, military sites, the First Landing location, and the oceanfront. Connect at http://www.vbgov.com/localhistory.

For NGS Participants

On May 5th and 6th the library will offer NGS participants “One Hour with a Librarian” to assist in their search in Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach records. There is no fee, but please make an appointment at mswetnam@vbgov.com.

Area Information

Other sites of special interest in the Hampton Roads/ Tidewater/ Virginia Beach area are museums and military bases. Try www.museumsvb.org and http://www.norfolkvisitor.com/norfolknavy/ for information.
 
The City of Virginia Beach encompasses the former Virginia county of Princess Anne and was the site of the first landing of the English colonists who then continued on to Jamestown.  The City of Virginia Beach is 307 square miles and is greater in population than Atlanta! There are many military bases in the area, so “rush hour” can last longer than in cities without a military and tourist presence. Cars still remain the best way to access all Tidewater attractions.

Come walk through history in Virginia Beach!

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Swem Library at the College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

Swem Library at the College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
P.O. Box 8794 (23187-8794)
Williamsburg, VA 23185

757-221-INFO (4636)
http://www.Swem.wm.edu
E-mail: swem@wm.edu

Open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.‒2:00 a.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.‒2:00 a.m.

Repository

The College of William and Mary’s Earl Gregg Swem Library in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers a significant collection of genealogical materials and helpful librarians! As part of a public university, Swem Library is open to all, free of charge. We’d love for you to visit our beautiful facility, located at 400 Landrum Drive in Williamsburg.

Be Prepared

Several public computers are available for searching our catalog and databases. And if you want to capture information, there are options to photocopy, scan, photograph (no flash, please), and save to your laptop or your flash drive.

Holdings

At Swem Library, you’ll find standard genealogy reference sources, located in our Virginia Genealogy Resource Center, plus hundreds of published state and local sources, family papers, church records, and more. The collection is particularly strong in Virginia and Southern sources, but is also broad in scope. Our resources include genealogy collections such as Boddie’s Historical Southern Families and Pecquet du Bellet’s Some Prominent Virginia Families, as well as military records including the Roster of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 and Index to Revolutionary War Service Records.

Collections

For an overview of Swem’s genealogy resources, visit http://guides.swem.wm.edu/genealogy. We also have a helpful online guide to genealogy resources located in our Special Collections Research Center, such as the Tyree Collection, which includes more than 600 notebooks of research compiled by Young Tyree based largely on Virginia county records. You can access the guide at http://guides.swem.wm.edu/scrcgenandlocal.

Swem Library is open open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.‒2:00 a.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.‒2:00 a.m. Hours vary during semester breaks and in the summer. Please visit http://www.swem.wm.edu for full hours, directions, and parking information or contact us at swem@wm.edu.

Dr. Earl Gregg Swem

By the way, the library is named for Dr. Earl Gregg Swem, William & Mary’s college librarian in the 1920s‒1940s and editor of the Virginia Historical Index, a source familiar to many genealogists. Dr. Earl Gregg Swem was inducted into the National Genealogical Society Hall of Fame in 2013. A bio of Dr. Swem can be found on the NGS Hall of Fame at  http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/halloffame_winners. Scroll down to the 2013 winner.

Conference Tour to Colonial Williamsburg and Swem Library

If you are attending the conference and plan to do research at the Swem Library, one of the Richmond Discovery Tours on Monday 5 May 2014 will be a bus tour to the Swem Library and Colonial Williamsburg. More details about the Williamsburg tour and the other tours before the conference are available at http://www.richmonddiscoveries.com/ngs.php. The password is NGS2014. The coach tour to Williamsburg does not include the cost of admission to Colonial Williamsburg nor does it include lunch. Space at the Swem Library is limited for access to the special collections, so contact janalpert@aol.com if you are taking the coach on Monday, 5 May 2014, to reserve a seat at the Swem Library.

Virginia Repositories—Tidewater

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Family History Centers 

The following information about Family History Centers (FHC) in Central Virginia was taken from https://familysearch.org and verified and supplemented by telephone interviews with each center. For more on each center, call or go to the Family Search website. These centers are branches of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints’ Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The church provides microfilm or microfiche copies of records from many sources. Photocopying costs a nominal fee. Admission is free.

Although you can order films from the Family History Library through any Family History Center, most FHCs have a small permanent collection of films for their area. Others have a collection of family histories and genealogies for the region. So if you are doing research in Central Virginia and the Family History Center is open, you might want to stop and check out their collection.

Prepare to perform your own research. Microfilm or microfiche rental rates, $7.50 for film rentals, $4.75 for microfiche. Volunteer staff can answer questions and give advice when available. Call before you go to make sure this information has not changed.

These centers have access to the Family History Center Portal page, which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.


Culpeper Family History Center
420 Willow Lawn Dr.
Culpeper, VA 22701

540-825-2506
E-mail: va_culpeper@ldsmail.net
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Culpeper_Virginia_Family_History_Center

OpenTuesday 5:00‒8:00 p.m., Wednesday 10:00 a.m.‒8:00 p.m.

Equipment: five computers; two microfilm readers; digital camera hook-up & can save to flash drive.

Entrance: facing Willow Lawn Dr.  Ring bell for entrance.


Charlottesville Family History Center
1275 Timberwood Blvd.
Charlottesville, Virginia 22911-9095

434-964-1715
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Charlottesville_Virginia_Family_History_Center

Open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m.‒12:00 noon and 6:00 p.m.‒8:30 p.m.

Collection

Our permanent collection includes: donated books, magazines, and reference materials; hundreds of microfilms and microfiche, especially about Virginia and Germany and various other topics or locations.

Equipment: five computers, two printers, five microfilm readers, and two microfiche readers in two reading rooms. We also have an imager, but it is old and difficult to use. We suggest that you bring a digital camera.


Fredericksburg Family History Center
20 Boscobel Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

540 361-7494 (Call during Family History Center hours)
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Fredericksburg_Virginia_Family_History_Center
E-mail: va_fredericksburg@ldsmail.net

Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.‒8:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10:00 a.m.‒2:00 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m.‒3:00 p.m.

Entrance: The entrance to the Family History Center is at the back of the building across from the satellite dishes. Please ring the doorbell.

Collection

A collection of microfilm and microfiche; about 200 books. The list can be viewed at http://www.LibraryThing.com.

Equipment: Six computers for patron use; one microfilm / microfiche scanner / copier; one flatbed scanner; four microfilm readers; one microfiche reader.

Entrance: at the back of the building across from the satellite dishes. Please ring the doorbell.


Lynchburg Virginia Family History Center
110 Melinda Drive
Lynchburg, VA 245-3228

434-239-2735
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Lynchburg_Virginia_Family_History_Center

Open Tuesdays 9:00 a.m.‒9:00 p.m. or by appointment; closed month of July, Thanksgiving week, and the last two weeks of December


Waynesboro Family History Center
2825 Jefferson Lane
Waynesboro, VA 22980-1552

540-942-1036
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Waynesboro_Virginia_Family_History_Center#Center_Contacts_and_Hours

Open Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.; also by appointment

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Goochland County Historical Society
& Cabell Library

The Cabell Library
Goochland County Historical Society
2875 River Road West
Goochland, VA 23063

Phone: 804-556-3966
Web: http://www.goochlandhistory.org
Facebook: http://www.goochlandhistory.wordpress.com
E-mail: goochlandhistory@comcast.net

Open Wednesday‒Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Repository and Museum

The Cabell Library at the Goochland County Historical Society enables researchers, students, teachers and others to have access to the records of Goochland County’s past while preserving historical materials for future generations.

Be Prepared

The library is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We are located on a historic Virginia byway at 2875 River Road West, Goochland, Virginia, 23063. If you would like to request research or to check our hours, our Society website is the best place to go, please check us out at http://www.goochlandhistory.org and also follow us on Facebook and our blog, http://www.goochlandhistory.wordpress.com. Cameras can be used in the library and we also have a copying machine available for a small per copy charge.

Collections

It is a well-organized collection of various types of reference materials. The collection strengths include local history of Goochland pertaining to colonial history, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, religions and religious movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Anglo-American slave trade and conditions of slavery in the United States, American biography, and genealogy.

A partial list of the materials available are The Douglas Register, Marriage Records, Ministers Returns, Abstracts of Goochland Wills, Census Records, Graves and Cemeteries, St. James Northam Parish Vestry Book, Turff and Twigg, the French Lands, and many more too numerous to list.

For Sale

We have many books for sale including our new Cemeteries of Goochland book. We also have prints for sale of two historic maps: the 1820 John Wood map and the 1863 Gilmer map.

There is a lot to offer at the Goochland County Historical Society and Library. Take a ride into the country and explore our rich history.


Photos: The Goochland County Historical Society and Library, taken by James Richmond, archivist and photographer for the society.

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Fluvanna Historical Society
14 Stone Jail Street

Fluvanna Historical Society
Palmyra, Virginia

P.O. Box 8
Palmyra, VA 22963

Phone: 434-589-7910
Web: http://www.fluvannahistory.org
e-mail: fluvannahistory@gmail.com

Open: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1‒4 p.m. for archival research throughout the year.  However, we are always open to special appointments when necessary. We are closed during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Please call if you are coming from a distance to ensure an appointment and open times.

We are the Fluvanna Historical Society located on historic Court Square in Palmyra, Virginia, only 20 miles from Charlottesville and 35 miles from Richmond.

The Historical Society headquarters, lovingly called "Maggie's House" is located at 14 Stone Jail Street in Palmyra. Judith Mickelson, Executive Director, 434.589.7910

Be Prepared

Photography is allowed for the exterior of buildings, but not inside the Old Stone Jail Museum. We do allow photographs to be taken of archival material, but not to be published without historical society permission. We are happy to copy archival documents and photographs for you at a cost of 10 cents a copy. We accept e-mail requests for searches. Our Society is run with a staff of one, but with an excellent group of volunteers on a weekly basis.  

Collections

You will be amazed at the volume of archival material and artifacts we hold and preserve. We are trained in museum collections and archival collections and have an excellent reputation in the Historical Society world for maintaining a well-preserved and cared-for collection of documents, photographs, deeds, letters, etc. Many of our valued documents can go back to the 18th century. We continue to do outreach in the community and work with many groups to help them find the history they are researching.

Holdings and Publications for Sale

Our library is stocked with local history. We publish each year, and provide each member with a copy of the latest publication. To date, we have published 86 "bulletins" relating to aspects of Fluvanna history, beginning with the history in 1777. Look on our website, http://www.fluvannahistory.org on the bookstore link to see the number of books we have published at our society.

Services

The Fluvanna County Courthouse is next door to the Society and has hours of 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily for court records searches. Our archivists will research your inquiry within our collection as well as at the courthouse, for a small donation.

Museums

The Old Stone Jail Museum, built in 1828, and the Holland Page Place log cabin, built in 1865, are the two museums we operate in the county of Fluvanna. We are open by appointment throughout the year and open Wednesdays and Sundays from June to September. We will be happy to plan a tour for your school or history group or for a small group of individuals of any ages. Our guides are trained to interpret the vast history of this small county, which was established by Thomas Jefferson in 1777. Many of our historic homes are located along the Rivanna and the James Rivers. Admission by donation.

Old Stone Jail Museum

The Old Stone Jail Museum is a beguiling design by General John Hartwell Cocke, and houses 5 rooms (3 are jail cells) with special topics for each space.  The Holland Page Place is a restored 1865 log cabin with the interpretation focused on an agrarian life in the period following the Civil War. Both museums are charming and provide a true picture into the past of Fluvanna County.

Our “home” is a warm, inviting place to research and to learn more about the rich history of Fluvanna and its people.  We invite you to join us in membership (now over 550 members) and to support our local history.

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Louisa County Historical Society                                

Louisa County Historical Society

214 Fredericksburg Avenue
P.O. Box 1172
Louisa, VA 23093

Phone: 540-957-5975
Web: http://www.louisacountyhistoricalsociety.org/
E-mail: info@louisacountyhistoricalsociety.org

Open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; collections by appointment.

Repository

If you have time during your stay, we invite you out to Louisa County to browse the exhibits and genealogy research room resources at the Sargeant Museum to learn more about Central Virginia and your family's connection to this beautiful and history-packed place.

You will find the museum at 214 Fredericksburg Avenue, right in the heart of the town of Louisa, Virginia. Visit between Monday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Be Prepared

Visitors are encouraged to bring a flash drive and digital camera to easily take home their research.

Holdings and Collections

Contact by e-mail louisahistory@verizon.net and visit http://www.louisahistory.org to learn more about our exhibits and programs. For Louisa County, the index of the work of genealogist Janice L. Abercrombie is available on the digital archives website.

Services

With dedicated docents and volunteers, we are ready, willing and able to assist in your genealogical and historical research endeavors! Multiple genealogical and family collections have been added to the archives recently and can be available for research by appointment. Upon request, research assistance services are available for a fee.

Many of the smaller historical societies around Richmond have treasures in their archives and courthouses for genealogists. Best of all, many of the best of those items are available online at http://www.piedmontvahistory.org. The site is shared by several Central Virginia historical organizations and contains hundreds of items: historic photographs, slave bible records, the Free Black Registers from Fluvanna and Louisa counties, maps, tax records and more.

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Central Rappahannock
Heritage Center

Central Rappahannock Heritage Center
900 Barton Street, #111
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Phone: 540-373-3704
web: http://www.crhc@verizon.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/crhcarchives
e-mail: crhc@verizon.net

Open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., or by special appointment.

Reclaiming Local History One Page at A Time

If you have an interest in the Virginia counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford and the City of Fredericksburg, be sure to check out the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center.

Be Prepared

Please, no cameras or food/drinks.

Search our online database at http://www.crhcarchives.org; e-mail us at crhc@verizon.net; we are also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/crhcarchives.

Holdings and Collections

Our documents include court records, genealogies, family correspondence, church records, photos, and other historically valuable material. You can search our online PastPerfect database and e-mail us with any questions prior to coming to the Center where our knowledgeable archivists will assist you with your research and copying of documents.

Central Rappahannock Heritage Center

For Sale

Be sure to see our new book, The Circle Unbroken: Civil War Letters of the Knox Family

of Fredericksburg, for a fascinating close-up of the war in Fredericksburg and the strong ties of a local family with boys at the front. It can be purchased at the Center or through http://www.hffi.org. 

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia 

Manakin Huguenot Society 

Library and Headquarters

981 Huguenot Trail

Midlothian, VA 23113

Phone: 804-794-5702 (answering machine also)

Web: http://huguenot-manakin.org

E-mail: manakintown@yahoo.com

Open 10 hours per week (ordinarily Monday, 12:30‒2:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.‒11:00 a.m.; Friday,10:00 a.m.‒2:00 p.m. or by appointment)

Repository

This small library is housed in the headquarters of the Manakin Huguenot Society, and is staffed by certified librarian Miss Sarah Hudson during its open hours. Manakintown was established in 1700, centered on the Manakin Episcopal Church, the fifth church which is next door, is the 1898 church.

Manakin Episcopal Church
Fifth Church, circa 1898

Be Prepared

Although books and materials may not be taken from the library, we have a printer ($.25 per copy) and computer access (by phone), and cameras may be used. No entrance fees. The full index to The Huguenot magazine is online at the website.

Collections and Artifacts

Our collection of 700+ volumes focuses on Virginia genealogy and history and Huguenot history, with a catalog available on our website.  We also have considerable materials, often from our member applications, on Huguenots in colonial Virginia, especially at Manakintown. 

We have the vestry minutes of the church, a map of the early land grants, with the outstanding book on the land grants and families by Priscilla Cabell. We also have a number of artifacts on the Manakin Indians and our early years on the site.

Services 

Sarah's research carries a fee of $75 with additional $25 for non-members and applicants, and includes copying and mailing. She is quite happy to help visitors do research when they visit, but prefers to have some warning (e-mail or phone) of subjects and materials that will be needed so she can prepare in advance. We do appreciate appointments for visits, but do not require them.

For Sale

We sell books and Huguenot jewelry as listed on our website.

Submitted by Dr. Ann Woodlief, National Librarian

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

This post begins a series on repositories in Central Virginia excluding Richmond. The research repositories in Richmond, Virginia, will be reported in another series which will follow later in February.

University of Virginia, Albemarle County, Virginia

Catalog: http://search.lib.virginia.edu/

Alderman Library

Alderman Library
University of Virginia

Address: 160 McCormick Road
Charlottesville, VA 22904

Information: (434) 924-3021
E-mail: library@virginia.edu
Alderman Library’s website:  http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/alderman
Hours: http://www.library.virginia.edu/hours/

Spring semester ends 29 April 2014
Final Exams: 27 April‒10 May 2014: Monday‒Friday, 8 a.m.‒12 midnight, Saturday and Sunday: variable hours
Intersession: 11‒17 May 2014: Monday‒Friday, 8 a.m.‒6 p.m., Sat and Sun: variable hours

Small Special Collections Library

Small Special Collections Library
Harrison Institute
160 McCormick Road (next to Alderman Library)
Charlottesville, VA 22904





Information (no reference questions please): (434) 243-1776; (434) 924-3025
For planning a visit: http://small.library.virginia.edu/home/visit/
Reference Request Form:
Small Library’s website: http://small.library.virginia.edu/
Hours: http://www.library.virginia.edu/hours/
Spring semester ends 29 April 2014
Final Exams: 27 April 27‒10 May 2014: Monday‒Friday, 9 a.m.‒5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.‒5 p.m.; Sunday closed.
Intersession: May 11‒17, 2014: M‒F, 9 a.m.‒5 p.m.; Sat, 1 p.m.‒5 p.m.; Sun, closed.

Repository

The Library at the University of Virginia is a public institution and is open to all without charge.

For Virginia Genealogy: A Guide to Genealogical Resources at University of Virginia, a guide to genealogy research at U.Va. compiled by Jean L. Cooper between 2005 and 2009, go to http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/genealogy/.  This guide leads the user to resources of the 14 libraries on the grounds, but primarily at Alderman Library and the Small Special Collections Library. These are the two libraries that hold most of the genealogy-related materials. Residents of Virginia over the age of 16 may check out circulating material. Inter-library loan requests must be made through your local library or archives.

Be Prepared

• Before you arrive, we suggest that you search the Library’s online catalog, VIRGO, to find manuscript items in your area of interest. Catalog: http://search.lib.virginia.edu/
• Be sure to check hours online or call ahead to make sure the library is open.
• In general you may take digital photographs of documents (barring special cases), but in the Small Special Collections Library you must sign a form at the desk before you take any photos.
• The Library has microfilm scanners, so you can save scans of materials to your flash drive.
• University of Virginia Library is a participant in the Virginia Heritage Database, which offers detailed information about the special collections holdings of 30 Virginia libraries. Check the database for holdings information before you arrive: http://vaheritage.org/

Holdings and Collections

It has a wealth of resources for the genealogical researcher. In addition to digital sources of 19th century newspapers, HeritageQuestOnline.com for census records, extensive microform collections, and access to the LVA’s Chancery Court Records online, the Small Special Collections Library holds original manuscript materials from the 18th-20th centuries and Alderman Library holds a Government Documents Regional Repository.

Submitted by Jean L. Cooper

Virginia Repositories—Central Virginia

Update on Hotel Rooms and Discounted Car Rental

Additional Hotel Rooms Near the Richmond Airport

NGS has booked an additional block of rooms with the hotels listed below near the Richmond airport, which are less than ten miles from the convention center. Shuttle service is available from the airport to the hotel but shuttle service is not available from these hotels to downtown. 

• DoubleTree by Hilton, 5501 Eubank Rd., Sandston, VA 23150.  Reservations: 804-226-6400 or http://www.richmondairport.doubletree.com, reservation code NGS2014. King and double rooms are available for $89.00 per night plus tax. Accommodations include a refrigerator in every room and free Wi-Fi. A restaurant and lounge is on-site. On Friday evening a band plays in the restaurant until 11:00 p.m. which may be heard in some of the guest rooms.
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Richmond Airport, 5996 Audubon Drive, Sandston, VA 23150. Reservations: 804-737-1600 or http://www.richmondairport.homewoodsuites.com $119.00 per night plus tax. Enter NGS in the group field located by clicking on the “Add a Special Rate Code.” All rooms have a microwave, refrigerator, free Wi-Fi, and a complimentary breakfast. There is a Mexican restaurant in front of the hotel.
• Hampton Inn Richmond Airport, 421 International Center Drive, Sandston, VA 23150. Reservations 804-226-1888 or http://www.richmondairport.hamptonin.com, $119.00 per night plus tax. Enter NGS in the group field located by clicking on the “Add a Special Rate Code.” All rooms have a microwave, refrigerator, free Wi-Fi, and a complimentary breakfast. Adjacent hotel has a full service restaurant and bar.

For additional information about available hotels rooms in the suburbs around Richmond, go to http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/accommodations/.

Discounted Car Rental

The National Genealogical Society has made arrangements with Dollar Rent A Car, Inc. for discounted rental cars during the month of May for those attending the NGS 2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia. NGS encourages conference attendees to share a hotel room and/or rental car to drive to the Greater Richmond Convention Center downtown each day. Reservations can be made at http://www.dollar.com or by calling 800-800-4000. To obtain the discounted rate use the corporate account number NJ5009. For example an economy car is $37.00 per day and a full size car is $44.00 plus related fees and taxes.

For additional information about the rental car rates see http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/accommodations and scroll down to car rental rates.

Update on Hotel Rooms and Discounted Car Rental