Virginia Genealogy

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 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.

In the unfolding of this story I have been impressed, first, by the amount of history suggested by the names; and, second, by the fact that the naming of the Virginia counties furnishes more material for colonial history than the county-naming of any other State in the Union. Of course the history suggested in this way falls far short of being a history of Virginia, but it is not too much to claim that these county-namings are interesting and helpful in presenting some parts of the history of the Old Dominion from a new point of view. The names are the magnet; the facts of Virginia history are the iron filings: it has been my part to put the magnet among the filings.

I have been at much pains in my efforts to verify the facts herein presented, and when in doubt I have endeavored to attach to my statements the exact measure of doubt that I myself entertained.

To include all the facts that have a bearing on Virginia county names I have gone back in Scotch history to 1370; and have brought my work up to date by showing that among the exhibits of the Jamestown Exposition of 1907 were many honoring men after whom Virginia counties had been named.

The second part of the title of the book, “Two hundred and seventy years of Virginia History,” is given because of the fact that, with reference to Virginia history, I begin with 1607 and end, as far as the naming of the counties is concerned, with 1880, when the youngest county of the State was organized.

Recent Virginia Genealogy

Biography of Major General Richard Jaquelin Marshall

Major General Richard Jaquelin Marshall, born June 16, 1895, in Markham, Virginia, played a crucial role in the Southwest Pacific theater during World War II, culminating as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1915 and served in World War I. Post-World War II, he retired from the Army in 1946 after achieving the rank of major general. Marshall then became superintendent of VMI. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. He married Isabel Crum in 1935 and had two children and two stepchildren.
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Biography of Frederick J. Kimball

Frederick J. Kimball, born in 1844 in Philadelphia, was instrumental in the development of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad and the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Starting as a rodman with the Pennsylvania Railroad, he gained extensive experience in railway engineering and management. In 1878, Kimball revitalized the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, completing it by 1882. As president of the Norfolk and Western, he expanded the rail lines into the rich coal fields of southwest Virginia, notably discovering the Pocahontas coal seam. Kimball pushed for a westward extension, culminating in a line to the Ohio River by 1892. He served as president until…
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Biography of General William Mahone

General William Mahone, born December 1, 1826, near Courtland, Virginia, was a Confederate general, railroad builder, and politician. He attended Virginia Military Institute and began his engineering career with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Mahone’s notable engineering feat was constructing the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad through the Dismal Swamp, completed in 1858. During the Civil War, he rose to major general after leading a key counterattack at the Battle of the Crater. Post-war, Mahone led the consolidation and rebuilding of Virginia’s railroads, forming the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad. He served as a U.S. Senator from 1879 to 1885 and…
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Biography of William Jackson Jenks

William Jackson Jenks, born March 21, 1870, in Wake County, North Carolina, is a prominent figure in the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, where he currently serves as chairman of the board of directors. Jenks began his career with the company in 1886 as a telegraph operator, advancing through various roles including train dispatcher, superintendent, and general manager. He served as vice-president in charge of operation from 1924 to 1936, then as president for a decade before becoming chairman in 1946. Jenks is also a director of several other companies and organizations and is a member of various clubs and…
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Biography of John W. Wayland, Ph.D.

John W. Wayland, born December 8, 1872, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, was a notable Southern educator and author. A member of Madison College’s original faculty, he devoted over 20 years to teaching history. Post-1931, Wayland focused on research and writing, publishing around 30 books on American history. His works include “The German Element of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia” (1907) and “Historic Homes of Northern Virginia” (1937). Wayland held a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Bridgewater College. He married Mattie V. Fry in 1898, and they had two sons.
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Floyd County High School Yearbooks – Floyd, Virginia

The Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library Collection has digitized numerous yearbooks of Floyd County High School in Floyd, Virginia. These yearbook images they have placed online for everyone at Internet Archive. To facilitate your access, we have provided links to the individual yearbooks below, by year published, oldest to newest. All 14 of these yearbooks, can be read, and/or downloaded from the following links for free!
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