Virginia

It has been a busy late spring/early summer planning and making our move to Virginia. Cory and I are now settling into our new home in Roanoke – we made our move from Nashville earlier this month. The Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains surround Roanoke Valley, which is located at the southern tip of the Shenandoah Valley. Aside from what I have seen in paintings, the cloud formations are like nothing I have seen. I’m not if it’s because I have deep ancestral roots in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia, but for some reason I feel like I am “home.”

Virginia is rich in history as it was one of the original thirteen colonies and is considered one of the epicenters for American Genealogy. The Roanoke Public Library’s Virginia Room – a portion of the library strictly dedicated to genealogy and local history – holds one of the most extensive collections for Southwest Virginia genealogical research.

Not too far away in Richmond is the Library of Virginia (LVA). Established in 1823 to manage the Commonwealth’s official records, the Library’s collection dates back to the colonial period. The Library holds 125 million archival items and fifty thousand reels of microfilm. LVA houses the Local History and Genealogy Room, the Archives Research Room, and the Special Collections Department. The Library’s digital collection offers Virginia residents a multitude of genealogy treasures to discover.

Virginia’s Historical Society (VHS), also located in Richmond, has gathered and maintained the Commonwealth’s history since 1831. The society’s library holds extensive published, cartographic, photograph, and manuscript collections. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, published by VHS, remains the premier journal for genealogical writing.

West Virginia’s Department of Arts, Culture, and History’s Culture Center located in Charleston is a short trip, as are the state’s southeastern county courthouses – Mercer, Wyoming, McDowell, and Logan. All of which offer the researcher great opportunities.

Does your ancestry trace back to Virginia? Or West Virginia? Let me help you find out more about your ancestors that lived in this region of the United States.