Category: Virginia

Land Records Virginia

Virginia Land Records

James L. Douthat

At some point in everyone’s research, you want to delve into the land records. This is very natural and is frequently very rewarding as to the information that is gleaned from the records themselves. I have seen deeds for a church that not only gave the donor of the property, but also the early history of the congregation. They church was actually abandoned in the late 20th century and so this was the best record of its history. Just make sure that you consult the original deed since an abstraction…

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Virginia

Travelers from the Old Dominion

James L. Douthat

Most of us, at one time or other, have found ancestors who hailed from Virginia. Figuring out where they originated in Virginia is the real question and can be very difficult to solve. We have to put everything into a time period as Virginia has one of the longest and largest presences in the United States. If you remember some of our earlier articles, you might remember that originally Virginia covered the land mass of North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This was at a time when it…

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Virginia

Virginia Genealogy Research

James L. Douthat

In most family trees, there is a branch that goes back to Virginia at one time or another. In order that you might understand how this very old commonwealth works, I want to give you a brief run down on their very early history. You will find many terms used for Virginia that are not commonly found in states since this is a commonwealth and they differ from states in many ways. In 1607, the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company of London. This…

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