Charles A. Bodie has compiled a series of guides to manuscript collections for Virginia\u00a0 counties and areas.\u00a0 I, for one, hope he has plans to continue his series.\u00a0 Knowing where to look is half the battle in tracing a hard-to-find ancestor.<\/p>\n
First the finding aids, then the possible solution.<\/p>\n
These guides identify old letters, journals\u00a0and\u00a0diaries, deeds and land surveys, pension applications, city directories for small communities, artisans’ records, ledgers and account books of small business firms.\u00a0 Each guide is carefully indexed.<\/p>\n
And genealogies and genealogical materials, pedigree charts, photographs are included.\u00a0 Many manuscript guides omit them, with a short statement that they do not fall into the\u00a0subject matter of the guide.<\/p>\n
Bodie recognizes that the history of a community, a business firm,\u00a0or a family is incomplete without the genealogy.\u00a0 An enlightened compiler!<\/p>\n
A great challenge to the genealogist is knowing that a family Bible exists and where the original can be found.\u00a0 Many families have long since parted with the precious papers and volumes that were\u00a0found among the family muniments.\u00a0 And the more significant the family or the business, the greater the chance that the papers and volumes will become scattered\u00a0among several archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And you don’t have a clue that Preston Papers in Gloucester County apply to the same Preston family you are researching in Kentucky.\u00a0 Unless someone draws that missing portion to your attention.\u00a0 Since I do research in all of these areas of Virginia–I am overjoyed to discover these finding aids.<\/p>\n
Thruston, Zachariah Johnston, William and John Preston and their descendants, Landon Carter, the son of “King” Carter, William Rippetoe (on two different lines), and I could go\u00a0on and on and on–these\u00a0families and their members are included in all four of the guides listed above.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you have research in any of these counties, seek a copy of these guides and check your families in them.\u00a0 Or I will be happy to assist you\u00a0in the copies at the Family History Library.\u00a0 Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http:\/\/www.arleneeakle.com<\/a><\/p>\n Stay tuned, there is more to come.\u00a0\u00a0So far we have been tracing United Empire Loyalists, a family on the Tidewater VA-NC border–both sides, a marriage which could have taken place on the ship where two immigrants met–the guy\u00a0age 18, the gal age 15–very romantic journey–32 days on board the same ship with nothing to do but get acquainted.\u00a0 What if…\u00a0\u00a0 Well, tomorrow we read the official journal of the ship.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Charles A. Bodie has compiled a series of guides to manuscript collections for Virginia\u00a0 counties and areas.\u00a0 I, for one, hope he has plans to continue his series.\u00a0 Knowing where to look is half the battle in tracing a hard-to-find … Continue reading