Virginia Genealogy is being developed as a genealogical and historical resource for your personal use. It contains information and records for Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Specifically, it provides sources for birth records, death records, marriage records, census records, tax records, court records, and military records. It also provides some historical details about different times and people in Virginia history.
Virginia County Names
Virginia County Names: Two hundred and seventy years of Virginia History
This book tells the story of how Virginia’s counties received their names and, through those names, explores the history, thoughts, and sentiments of the people who named them. The county names themselves suggest a remarkable breadth of history and provide material for understanding Virginia’s colonial past from a perspective unlike that offered by the county names of any other state. While this is not intended as a history of Virginia, the names serve as a means of illuminating important portions of the Old Dominion’s history—the names being the magnet and the facts of Virginia history the iron filings drawn to them.
Every effort has been made to verify the facts presented and, where certainty was not possible, to indicate the degree of doubt involved. Because the origins and associations of Virginia’s county names extend far beyond the boundaries of the Commonwealth, the account reaches back as far as 1370 in Scottish history and forward to the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, where many men for whom Virginia counties were named were commemorated.
The subtitle, Two Hundred and Seventy Years of Virginia History, reflects the principal span of the narrative. It begins with the founding of Jamestown in 1607 and follows the naming of Virginia’s counties through 1880, when the state’s youngest county was organized.
Recent Virginia Genealogy
Virginia County Names: Two hundred and seventy years of Virginia History
Virginia County Names: Two hundred and seventy years of Virginia History aims to tell how the Virginia counties got their names, and in telling the story it endeavors to show that the thoughts and feelings of the Virginians are reflected in the names the counties bear.
William David Hockman, Jr.
Life fact Information Full name William David Hockman, Jr. Born July 17, 1915, in Fairfield, Virginia Parents William David Hockman, Sr., and Beatrice Ramsey Principal roles Automobile dealer; owner of Royal Bus Lines; farmer Religious affiliation Presbyterian Church Genealogy of William David Hockman, Jr. This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources. William David Hockman, Jr., was born July 17, 1915, in Fairfield, Virginia, a son of William David Hockman, Sr., and Beatrice Ramsey Hockman. His father had been associated with the Skyline…
W. C. Lauck
W. C. Lauck (1873–1934) was a Luray lawyer, newspaper publisher, postmaster, mayor, and community leader. A Washington and Lee graduate, he founded the Page News and Courier, helped bring Lee Highway through Page County, and served local Democratic, Baptist, Rotary, and Masonic organizations. He and his wife, Annie Rhodes Grayson, had two sons.
Edward White Lauck
Edward White Lauck, a Luray native and Virginia Military Institute and Cornell graduate, left a career with Republic Steel in 1936 to lead the Page News and Courier. He expanded the family newspaper’s editorial and commercial printing work while serving civic, business, and conservation organizations. Lauck was married to Lucy Berneice Lee and had one daughter, Sally Ann.
H. McKelden Smith
H. McKelden Smith was a prominent Staunton businessman involved in fuel supply, ice distribution, and banking. A University of Virginia alumnus and Augusta National Bank director, he also served on the city council and remained active in the Episcopal Church. This biography traces his family’s Valley roots from Captain John Smith and recounts his marriage and son.
Richard P. Bell, M.D.
Richard P. Bell, M.D., a Staunton-born physician and surgeon, trained at the University of Virginia and specialized in surgery before returning to Staunton in 1910. During World War I, he served as a U.S. Army major and chief surgeon overseas, earning a French Order of Officier d’Academie with silver palms. He and Mary Campbell Gratsy raised six children.
Peter M. Dorsch
Peter M. Dorsch rose from selling newspapers and learning the baker’s trade to become president of Staunton’s Spalding Baking Company. This biography traces his early life, family background, business expansion, Catholic and fraternal affiliations, and descendants.
James Gilmore Watts
James Gilmore Watts was a lifelong Glasgow, Virginia, resident who owned Baldwin, Echols and Company from 1940. Beginning as a store clerk in 1902, he became a partner and later purchased the firm. He also served as president of the Bank of Glasgow, Inc., and was active in Masonic organizations and the Presbyterian Church at Falling Spring.
Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton
Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton (1872–1949) was a prominent Staunton attorney, Spanish-American War lieutenant, and civic leader. A Virginia Military Institute graduate, he served as president of Staunton Military Academy and the VMI Board of Visitors, while leading local banking and Democratic organizations. He and Margaret Erskine Catlett raised four children.
James B. Pettis, M.D.
James B. Pettis, M.D., superintendent of Western State Hospital in Staunton, served in the U.S. Navy during both World Wars and became a prominent Virginia psychiatrist. This biographical account traces his family roots, education, medical career, military service, professional affiliations, church involvement, and family life with his wife, Winifred W. Tinsley, and their two daughters.
Wayt B. Timberlake, Jr.
Wayt B. Timberlake, Jr. (1908–?) was a Staunton attorney, WWII U.S. Naval Reserve lieutenant, and partner in the firm of Timberlake and Smith. A Virginia Military Institute and University of Virginia graduate, he served his community through legal, civic, church, and charitable organizations. He married Susan L. Marshall in 1934 and had three children.
