Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia - GRIVA

10/21/2025

We learned quite a bit about WWII research from KB Barcomb at our fall conference last Saturday (October 18). Thanks to all who registered! Registrants should have received links to the recordings, whether you attended or not.

If you did NOT register for the conference but now wish you had, fear not! You can still register and get access to the recordings and the syllabus! See https://griva.org/2025-fall-conference/ for more details about the conference and a link to purchase access to the recordings.

WWII Research featuring KB Barcomb *************************************************************************************** The conference is now over, BUT you can still register and watch the recor…

10/05/2025

Our German SIG may not be meeting this month, but we're still thinking about you! Check this out from the Library of Virginia.

October is German-American Heritage Month! Did you know that the Library of Virginia has German language newspapers in our collections? Explore two of our 19th century German newspapers online in Virginia Chronicle: https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=cl&cl=CL1&pcf=Non-English+Newspapers

10/03/2025

Check out this interesting webinar on October 8 from the folks at Encyclopedia Virginia!

Join Encyclopedia Virginia managing editor Patti Miller and contributors Rebecca Rose and Cassandra Good to learn about how Virginia women participated in the American Revolution—from the camp followers who served as “women of the army” to the enslaved women who sought freedom to the surprisin...

10/01/2025

If you're interested in Virginia research, this is a great new resource!

It's happening! Barbara Vines Little’s much-anticipated 𝑨 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 is now available in the VGS Store! At over 600 pages, this book delivers the depth of a two-week institute course between its covers. It explores Virginia’s local and state government records, probate and land laws, inheritance and women’s rights, military and ethnic sources, and substitutes for missing records—with helpful context that helps us truly understand what the records say (and what they don’t).

The book retails for $79.95, but VGS members pay only $63.96.* This new resource, paired with the Fall Conference, is the perfect way to sharpen your research skills and deepen your knowledge of Virginia genealogy.

https://www.vgs.org/shop/

https://www.vgs.org/event/vgs-fall-2025-virtual-conference/

09/24/2025

We learned quite a bit about Patrick Henry, his family, and Red Hill tonight! If you missed Cody Youngblood's presentation to GRIVA tonight, you can watch the recording.

GRIVA was pleased to host Cody Youngblood on 23 September 2025. This presentation explores the rich and complex history of Red Hill, the final home and buria...

09/22/2025

Genealogy conference season is coming up! We're excited about Virginia Genealogical Society's virtual fall conference coming up in early October, and, of course, our own virtual fall conference with KB Barcomb on October 18: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FFMWt4eP5/ . Hope to see you at both!

And, of course, we also hope to see you Tuesday, September 23 for Patrick Henry's Red Hill: A Journey Through History with Cody Youngblood! See https://www.facebook.com/share/16kJ4soBya/ for more details on that!

09/05/2025

We've been hearing great things about this book - people in and near Richmond have the opportunity to hear from the author in person on September 10!

Richmond area VGS members...don't miss this lecture at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture! 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 will be held Wednesday, September 10th at 6PM. The program will be presented by Dr. Karin Wulf, a professor of history and the Beatrice and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Director and Librarian, John Carter Brown Library, at Brown University. The program is free for members of VMH&C. Learn more here: https://secure.virginiahistory.org/3934/4196

08/14/2025

Join GRIVA board member Paula Williams for a DNA webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars this Friday! It's free to attend live, or you can view the video for free for a week (or anytime if you're a Family Tree Webinars subscriber).

Join us Friday for a DNA webinar!

Paula Williams will present "5 Questions to Answer About Your DNA Matches!"

https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/5-questions-to-answer-about-your-dna-matches/

07/04/2025

We wish everyone a Happy July 4 and share this bit of history!

in 1776, two days after the Continental Congress had voted for independence, it adopted the Declaration of Independence, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson. Learn more about this vital document on our Shaping the Constitution webpage. https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/oc/stc/entries/declaration-of-independence-july-4-1776

Image: 1818 engraving on parchment of the Declaration of Independence by Benjamin Owen Tyler

07/03/2025

If you've not tried MyHeritage's OldNews.com newspaper database, now's a good time - get free access from July 3-July 5!

https://blog.myheritage.com/2025/07/discover-your-familys-past-this-july-4th-with-free-access-to-u-s-newspapers-on-oldnews-com/

This Independence Day, we’re opening up a treasure trove of history. From July 3–5, 2025, enjoy free access to 151 million pages of historical U.S.

04/26/2025

Chancery records can be a goldmine, and the Library of Virginia has been steadily digitizing and making available Virginia's counties' chancery records. They added to the available Grayson County records recently and are now announcing the addition of some from Albemarle County as well.

Newly digitized Albemarle chancery causes (1851-1871) are now available to view and download in the Chancery Records Index! Today’s UncommonWealth post traces a possible link between the Moon family from Albemarle County chancery suits and a family later named by Walter Plecker for attempting to “pass” as white. Could the Moon family from Plecker’s list be descendants of the very people enslaved—and possibly fathered—by William Moon in Albemarle County? Explore the intersections of race, power, and family in our newest post, where the past comes into sharper focus thanks to the preservation and accessibility of historic Virginia court records.

📖 Read the full blog post: https://uncommonwealth.virginiamemory.com/blog/2025/04/25/supposed-to-be-his-daughter/
🔗 Explore the Chancery Records Index: https://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/

04/23/2025

Join the Virginia Genealogical Society at their spring conference this weekend!

🕵️‍♀️📚 Love genealogy but busy this Saturday? No problem!

You won’t have to miss a thing at the VGS Spring 2025 Virtual Conference and Annual Meeting — because recordings of all sessions will be available to registered attendees for 60 days after the videos upload! 🙌

🎥 Watch the talks at your own pace, revisit your favorite sessions, and soak up expert advice on your schedule.

🗓️ Live Event Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
🖥️ Location: Online
📍 Access: Live AND recorded sessions with registration!

📌 But don’t forget to register! Even if you can’t join live, you must be signed up to get access to the recordings.

👉 Reserve your spot now: https://www.vgs.org/event/vgs-spring-2025-virtual-conference-and-annual-meeting-26-apr-2025/

Don't miss out on this treasure trove of genealogy knowledge — whether you attend live or watch later! 🌳✨