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Virginia
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Law And Legislation
Maps
Military Records
Minorities
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Public Records
Societies
Taxation
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

HISTORYLook this term up in the glossary.

The following important events affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movements.

1607

The Virginia Company of LondonLook this term up in the glossary. founded the first permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown.

1624

The King dissolved the Virginia Company and established Virginia as a crown colony with an elected General AssemblyLook this term up in the glossary..

1710-1740s

Passes across the Blue Ridge mountains leading from eastern Virginia into the Shenandoah Valley were discovered. Emigrants from Pennsylvania and New Jersey began to enter the valley.

1750-1784

Land grants made to the Ohio CompanyLook this term up in the glossary. encouraged exploration beyond the Alleghenies. The new area southeast of the Ohio River was organized by Virginia in 1775 as the District of West AugustaLook this term up in the glossary., although much of this was ceded to Pennsylvania in 1786.

1770s

The Wilderness RoadLook this term up in the glossary. opened access across the Cumberland GapLook this term up in the glossary. from Virginia into Kentucky. The area that was to become Kentucky was organized as Kentucky County, Virginia, in 1776.

1780s

In 1784, Virginia formally ceded its claims north of the Ohio River to the United States. In 1788 Virginia ratified the United States constitution to become a state.

1792

Kentucky became a separate state.

1861-1870

Most of Virginia joined the ConfederacyLook this term up in the glossary., although fifty western counties broke off and were admitted to the UnionLook this term up in the glossary. as the state of West Virginia in 1863. Virginia was readmitted to the Union in 1870.

Throughout most of its history, parts of the territory that old Virginia once claimed were carved off to form parts of other states:

1779 part of Virginia became part of North Carolina
1786 part of Virginia became part of Pennsylvania
1792 part of Virginia became Kentucky
1792 part of Virginia became part of Maryland
1803 part of Virginia became part of Tennessee
1803 part of Virginia became Ohio and Indiana territory
1816 former part of Virginia became Indiana
1818 former part of Virginia became Illinois
1863 part of Virginia became West Virginia

A detailed history is:

History of Virginia. 6 vols. Chicago: American Historical Society, 1924. (FHL book 975.5 H2a; vol. 1 on film 1421672 item 11; vols. 2-6 on film 1321473; computer number 217349.) Volumes four through six contain biographies. This history is indexed by Wardell's, Virginians & West Virginians, 1607-1870 (see the “Genealogy” section of this outline).

A bibliography of local histories for Virginia is:

Virginia Local History: A Bibliography. Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1971. (FHL book 975.5 A1 No. 87; film 928084 item 8; computer number 227093.) The Family History Library has many local histories for Virginia. These often have biographical sketches and genealogical information about local families.

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