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EXPLORE RELIC
April 2019 - The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center for Genealogy and Local History (RELIC)
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Start your historical journey here. RELIC's email newsletter highlights upcoming free events and happenings. Genealogy and local Virginia history are our specialty as a service provided by the Prince William Public Library. We're located at Bull Run Regional Library and you can always find more about us at pwcgov.org/relic. |
GENEALOGY 201: BEYOND THE BASICS
RELIC's Don Wilson will discuss effective research strategies and demonstrate advanced techniques for successfully searching and evaluating free online genealogy and history resources. See how information found in census, newspapers, passenger lists, maps, books, and manuscripts can add detail and interest to your family history.
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Ravensworth was the largest colonial land grant in Fairfax County, some 24,112 acres. This is a story of colonial settlement, early government, tobacco plantations, slavery, civil war, economic expansion, the rise and decline of family farms, and suburban development - next door to the nation's capital - involving people, places, and events, both famous and obscure. Notable historic figures connected to Ravensworth include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee. Author John Browne shares this story.
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FACES FROM THE PAST
Some years ago, a portrait of two young women was donated to RELIC with a minimal amount of information. They were believed to be two sisters of the Buckley family of Prince William County. There was the suggestion (perhaps from their appearance and dress) that they may have been "of Indian blood."
The clothes and jewelry they are wearing, along with the type of artwork, suggest that the picture was made in the late 1870s. The 1880 U.S. census shows that Albert and Britannia Buckley lived in the Gainesville District with their seven children, including daughters Pocahontas (age 27), Columbia (age 23), and Pacific (age 20). The boys included a son named Powhatan (age 25), leading one to wonder if there might be truth to a connection to Native Americans.
RELIC staff Beth Scott has traced this family back several generations and could find no evidence of aboriginal ancestry. It appears that the parents favored unusual names with a historical flair. The picture along with our research is now on display at RELIC.
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FINDING YOUR FAMILY IN THE NEWS
RELIC's Don Wilson will describe how a growing number of newspapers online may be searched for items useful for family and local history. Now you can find obituaries, marriage notices, court cases, advertisements, news items, local gossip, and photos -anything that might appear between the pages of the hometown gazette.
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Dr. Stephen Robertson, Professor and Director of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media at George Mason University, will present a program on the "graffiti houses" of Northern Virginia, including Prince William's Ben Lomond. With the evacuation of the Confederate Army from Manassas, federal forces occupied the area by the spring of 1862. The plaster walls of Ben Lomond were soon covered in graffiti from floor to ceiling. Historically, graffiti has led to an understanding of the lifestyle and language of both ancient and modern cultures.
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Unless otherwise stated, all of the preceding programs will take place at Bull Run Regional Library, 8051 Ashton Avenue, Manassas, Virginia. Programs may last from 60 to 90 minutes. You may register for any of these free programs at 703-792-4540 or [email protected].
You may also register online by clicking here and selecting the program date. Funding for selected RELIC programs is provided by the Friends of Bull Run Library.* To be notified of upcoming library programs and activities, you may sign up for the PWPLS newsletter.
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Questions and comments are always welcome.
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