Do you enjoy listening to and telling stories? Solving mysteries or making discoveries? Then you'll enjoy genealogical research. The documents you're likely to encounter in your searches include birth, marriage, and death records; census records; legal and financial records; historic maps; immigration records; military records; church records; historic newspapers; and personal items like letters, diaries, photographs, and family bibles. Consider conducting interviews too - to capture the stories of your living family members and how their story is part of yours.
Historical Societies/Museums Charles City Archives - among the best online resources from local archives Chesterfield County Goochland County Hanover County Henrico County King and Queen County King William County (Historic) Petersburg Fndtn Powhatan County Prince George County Virginia Historical Society Decipher Virginia Historic Documents as a Volunteer! Do you like decoding handwriting from decades or even centuries ago? Consider volunteering to transcribe records digitized for the Library of Virginia's "Making History - Transcribe" project. See Ms. DeGroat for contact information. Studying Frederick Douglass, Slavery, and Slave Narratives Ads for Runaway Slaves - browse, detailed search, full-text search Unknown No Longer - browse by doc by type - view Commonplace book entry for Sambo, certificate for Peggy Jones. Note: You may wish to download image from pop-up and then zoom in/out using photo viewing application. | Key Databases Family Search (by LDS) - before creating an account or uploading family artifacts, please read their privacy policy and consult with a parent/guardian Heritage Quest - accessible with a public library card number from Heritage (Charles City and New Kent), Henrico, Pamunkey (Hanover, Goochland, King and Queen, and King William), or Powhatan. Ancestry.com - Appomattox (incl. Hopewell and Prince George), Chesterfield, Heritage, Pamunkey, and Petersburg patrons have access from inside their local library branch(es). Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) - requires school login off-campus State/Regional Resources 1940 Virginia Census - in April 2012, VA was 6th state to finish indexing its 1940 census records Chancery Records (LVA) - docs from disputes about land, inheritance, debt, etc. See FAQ's for abbreviations. There's also a list of what's been digitized. VA Freedmen's Bureau (1865-72) Library of Virginia - digital collections by topic Unknown No Longer - (VHS) database of VA slave names National/Global Resources 1940 U.S. Census - find ancestor's enumeration district to browse images; not searchable by name Archival Research Catalog (NARA) Cyndi's List (directory of web sites) Ellis Island Foundation (register) Family Medical History (tips and forms from the AMA) Genealogical Web Guide (JMU) Historical Document Collections in FamilySearch - listed by location | Genealogy Tips and Forms US Census Forms (PDF) 10 Census Tips (PDF) US Census historical notes - release dates, info on 1890 census, American Indians in census, etc. Address instead of a name? You'll need to identify the corresponding Enumeration District for that census year. This tips page for 1940 census can get you started. Ethnic Heritage Research tips from the National Archives Family Search video tutorials Free search guides (includes guides for ethnic heritages and specific states). Here are a few: Video intro to Unknown No Longer BIA Indian Census Rolls (article) Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami Indian subcontinent (from BBC) Korean genealogy databases Tracing American Indian Ancestry (from Michigan) Historical Newspapers Chronicling America (newspapers) - see Topic List for ideas Daily Dispatch (1860-1865) - archive at U of R Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) - requires school login off-campus Virginia Chronicle (LVA) Oral History Archives National Visionary Leadership Project - African American focus Story Corps story archive Veterans Oral History Archives - list by conflict |