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EXPLORE RELIC
January 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. |
REVEALING THE CARNAGE AND CHAOS OF THE HOSPITALS OF FIRST MANASSAS
On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate forces clashed just north of Manassas in the first major battle of the Civil War. Within 24 hours, there were about 3,500 causalities; no one was fully prepared. Private homes and buildings in the area served as hospitals staffed by inexperienced surgeons and assistants attempting to care for the wounded. Local historian and author, Paige Gibbons-Backus, will reprise a talk she recently gave at the Annual Conference of Civil War Medicine in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, detailing the challenges and shortages faced in the makeshift hospitals.
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RELIC's Don Wilson will discuss effective research strategies and demonstrate advanced techniques for successfully searching and evaluating free online genealogy/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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FREE ACCESS TO ONLINE GENEALOGY SOURCES
Here are some of the online genealogical materials that are available free remotely to Prince William Public Library cardholders. The following have links on our Digital Library.
AMERICA'S OBITUARIES AND DEATH NOTICES
A comprehensive collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices. Most are within the past ten years, Chicago from 1930, and other large cities from about 1990.
A limited-content version of Ancestry.com is available remotely to Virginia residents from the State Library of Virginia. Databases include:
- Alabama, Texas and Virginia, Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958
- Virginia, Birth Records, 1912-2014, Delayed Birth Records, 1854-1911
- Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014
- Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014
- Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-2014
- Virginia Colonial Records, 1607-1853
HERITAGE QUEST ONLINE
Heritage Quest Online combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy and Local History collection. Coverage extends from 1700 to the present. (Includes Thorndale and Dollarhide's Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920).
JSTOR
An archive of several hundred well-known academic and scholarly journals. (Includes a variety of historical journals with genealogical content).
LOCAL NEWSPAPER INDEX
An index of articles of interest and obituaries that appear in various Prince William County newspapers. (Does not require a Prince William Public Library card to access).
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THE MEANING OF FREEDOM IN AN ERA OF ENSLAVEMENT
Stories of freedom often emphasize the accounts of daring runaways, yet another process provided a path out of slavery. The acquisition of freedom papers through manumission required community support and a keen understanding of the prevailing legal, social and economic constraints. Yet finalizing this process also required difficult choices between family, freedom, and potential re-enslavement.
Dr. Sheri Huerta, History Professor at George Mason University, will explore the complexities of manumission and the reality of being "free" for black families across northern Virginia. Come and join the conversation about the meanings of freedom and the many factors that affected the decision to seek freedom or remain enslaved.
Register at 703-792-4540 or [email protected]
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Discovering African-American family history prior to 1865 can be difficult. There are special challenges to finding documentation during the age of slavery. RELIC's Don Wilson will identify sources that can be used to trace lives and relationships and demonstrate the process through a case study approach.
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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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