EXPLORE RELIC
January 2020 - The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center for Genealogy and Local History (RELIC)
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.
U.S. Colored Troops and Black Confederates
U.S. COLORED TROOPS AND BLACK CONFEDERATES
The 180,000 men of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) played a decisive role in winning the Civil War. Slaves were forced to toil behind Confederate lines or accompany their masters to war. Dr. Eugene Betit, author of Collective Amnesia: American Apartheid, speaks on the roles of African Americans on both side of the battlefield.

Register at 703-792-4540 or [email protected]
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Tips and Tricks of Reading Old Handwriting
Are you struggling to decipher chicken scratch? Taken out of context, everything is just a scribble. Paleography, the study of old handwriting, is an art form. Genealogist Katie Derby will teach you tips and techniques in the art of reading and interpreting the squiggles and scrawls of scriveners past.

THIS AND THAT -
 
On Monday, December 16, RELIC welcomed librarian Kirk Johnson as our new department supervisor. Kirk has been the Library's serials manager for the past 10 years. Among his past responsibilities have been arranging for our online databases and selecting materials for RELIC. He has a master's degree in library science from the University of Maryland and a master's in American History from George Mason University.
 
Kirk succeeds Angie Miller, who continues at Bull Run Library as a senior librarian in Adult Services. We wish Angie the best and look forward to working with Kirk.
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We are pleased to report an upgrade to the software making Prince William County's historic land records available online to the general public. Records prior to 1918 can now be accessed at www4.pwcgov.org/Web (a slightly different address; case is important). The new interface allows researchers to read, print and download those early county land records, back to 1731.

Prince William County Deed Book 8_ p. 335. Courtesy of Clerk of the Circuit Court_s website.
Prince William County Deed Book 8_ p. 335. Courtesy of Clerk of the Circuit Court_s website.
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We also can announce that after Central Community Library in Manassas is remodeled next spring, RELIC will move to new facilities within that building. You can look forward to improved space for our collections and customers. Learn more about Central's exciting renovations at pwcgov.org/library.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY_ TRACKING FAMILIES BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY: TRACKING FAMILIES BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR
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 while demonstrating the process using a case study approach.

Register at 703-792-4540 or [email protected]

 
In late 19th century Virginia, educational opportunities for African Americans were slim. Jennie Dean, a former slave, was inspired to uplift her people. Learn how vision, faith, and exceptional fundraising established an industrial school for young people of color in Manassas. Presented by Ellie Hill from the Manassas Museum. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Register at 703-792-4540 or [email protected]
To read the latest lists of new materials available, please click on What's New in RELIC.

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. *Funding for selected RELIC programs is provided by the Friends of Bull Run Library. You may register for any of these free programs at 703-792-4540 or email [email protected]. You may also register online at RELIC Programs.

To be notified of upcoming library programs and activities, you may sign up for the PWPLS newsletter.
[email protected] or 703-792-8150
Questions and comments are always welcome.
Prince William Public Library System, 13083 Chinn Park Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22192
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