The National Genealogical Society (NGS) together with the Virginia Genealogical Society, the Fairfax Genealogical Society, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (GRIVA) will be hosting this year’s conference on 16-19 May 2007 which will bring together genealogists and family historians from around the country and beyond.

The 2007 conference, which marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of America in 1607 and the first settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Richmond Marriott Hotel in Richmond, Virginia.

William Byrd II named the city Richmond because the bend in the James River is similar to that of the Thames in Richmond, England. Richmond has more than 400 years of history; it was the second successful English settlement, the site of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, and the former capital of the Confederacy. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by river queen at 2:40 PM PST

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Many times you can find accounts of holiday antics or traditions in regional newspapers, and these stories add color to local history and genealogy. Cathy Benson relates one such story in an article entitled, “An old-fashioned Christmas tale,” published this year by Main Street Newspapers. Sometimes newspapers delete pages after a certain timeframe, so I’ll include the anecdotal portion of the story here for safekeeping. Note that Benson includes information about historic prices, attitudes, information about Indian Rock, clothing, and the traditional Virginia oyster meal Christmas in her tale:

Our story surrounds a robbery down at the little community called Indian Rock near Buchanan along the shores of the mighty James River. My grandfather was called very early on Christmas Eve morning to come to Buchanan with his three bloodhounds to capture a fellow who had robbed the Indian Rock store. The owner offered a $50 cash reward (a huge sum back then) for the capture of the criminal. My daddy and Uncle Bill, who were 10 and 11, went with him and the hounds, all of whom were in the back seat except Pa Pa’s favorite hound, Belle, who rode shotgun in the front seat. She was the family favorite bloodhound and the other two were her progeny. Pa Pa had a great big old touring car, gangster looking - think of Bugsy Segal or one of those guys who liked to give the “Coppers” a hard time. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by river queen at 1:09 PM PST

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At right: Photo of Tredegar Iron Works from the American Civil War Center site.

If you had relatives who lived in Richmond, some of them may have worked at the Tredegar Iron Works. Francis B. Deane founded Tredegar in 1836 and named it for a Welsh town and ironworks. Deane hired 28-year-old Joseph Reid Anderson in 1841 as commercial sales agent. By 1847, Anderson owned the company, obtaining U.S. government contracts for cannons. He also manufactured locomotives, train wheels, spikes, cables, ships’ boilers, naval hardware, iron machinery, and brass items. Anderson employed skilled Northern and foreign workers as well as slaves and some free blacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by river queen at 11:04 PM PST

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