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 Libraries. You can always find more about us on RELIC's webpage. 

RELIC service is now available in person at Central Library, 8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas, Virginia 20110, by email at [email protected], and by phone at 703-792-8380. 

Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday

Contact-Free Curbside Pickup
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
The following virtual programs can be accessed on our website beginning on the dates shown.
Previous RELIC programs can be viewed on RELIC's Programs webpage.
RELIC has a wide variety of physical media in our collection, including hundreds of reels of microfilm. Although these reels contain important local documents and are among the most heavily used items in our collection, many people have little experience using microfilm. In this prerecorded program, RELIC librarian Kirk Johnson will review what records RELIC owns in this format, strategies for researching records in this format, and demonstrates the microfilm readers we have in RELIC. You may find that this “old-fashioned” technology is much easier to use than you thought.
Nearly every American has at least one ancestor who served in the military. Military records dating back to the Revolution are available to researchers. RELIC Librarian Don Wilson will demonstrate strategies for successful military records research in this prerecorded presentation.
RELIC INSIDER
TRACKING BUSINESS RECORDS OF PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY
Local business records can be very useful for historical and genealogical research. Such Prince William records exist back to the colonial period.

Dumfries was the center of Prince William commercial activity beginning in the 1750s. The records of several early stores have survived which tell of their customers and their purchases.

DUMFRIES STORES LEDGERS INDEX, 1758-1776: John Glassford and Company… Daniel Payne. This index covers all credit accounts for these two Dumfries merchants. The Glassford papers are at the Library of Congress. RELIC has microfilm of all the records of this company’s stores in Virginia, in addition to Dumfries. The Daniel Payne ledger A (1758-1764) is at the Maryland Historical Society; a full transcript of its contents has been published by Charles and Virginia Hamrick (book in RELIC’s collection).

During the Revolutionary War, many local merchants who were Loyalists or who lived in Britain, cut their ties with the Colonies. Alexander Henderson, who was an agent for Glassford, assumed ownership of several of Glassford’s stores. We do not have his business records. His house in Dumfries (ca. 1787) still stands.

BRITISH MERCANTILE CLAIMS, 1775-1803: Information about customers from Prince William County who owed debts to British merchants after the war.

SMITH, HUIE AND ALEXANDER COMPANY, DUMFRIES DAYBOOK 1791 – 1794 on microfilm (RELIC 975.52731 Smi). Original held by Kenmore Association, Fredericksburg, Va. Microfilm available for loan from the Library of Virginia (reel 91). This has not been transcribed or indexed.

The Manassas Museum has a daybook on display from an unidentified Dumfries merchant from about the year 1796. It has not been filmed, scanned or indexed.

Ron Turner has published on his website, pwcvirginia.com, several volumes of information about Prince William and Manassas businesses of the 19th and 20th centuries.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY BUSINESSES, 1805-1955.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY BUSINESS LICENSES, 1806-1899.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY BUSINESS LICENSES, 1900-1970.
MANASSAS BUSINESSES, 1870-1970.
 
He also has scanned dozens of receipts and statements from old Prince William businesses, so you can see the printed headings the companies used.

(To be continued.)
VISIT THE "TREE DOCTOR"
You can now make appointments for virtual visits with Don Wilson, "The Tree Doctor." We can set up an hour appointment to discuss and dive into your brick wall research problem through the magic of the internet. Call 703–792–8380 or email [email protected] to set up a time.
June 2021 - pwcva.gov/library
Make sure to download our Summer 2021 Explore magazine, or grab one at your nearest library, to learn more about our upcoming events.

[email protected] or 703-792-8150
Questions and comments are always welcome.