Genealogy Cafe at RUMC

08/31/2026

Excellent news for the Library of Virginia! A grant from the Virginia Law Foundation will help preserve two important collections: Legislative Petitions from Burned Counties and Norfolk Depositions of 1777.

We are excited to share that the Library of Virginia Foundation was awarded a grant from the Virginia Law Foundation to support the preservation of two extraordinary collections at the Library of Virginia: the Legislative Petitions from Burned Counties and the Norfolk Depositions of 1777. At their Aug. 20 grant award luncheon, the Virginia Law Foundation awarded $753,000 in grants to 34 Virginia nonprofits working to advance access to justice, the Rule of Law and law-related education. The Virginia Law Foundation’s investment in the Library's project recognizes that preserving legal history is not simply about safeguarding old documents. It is about ensuring that Virginians today — and generations yet to come — can better understand the foundations of our Commonwealth, our legal system and our democracy.

Image: Library of Virginia Foundation Executive Director Scott Dodson (right) accepts the grant check at the Virginia Law Foundation's lunch.

08/29/2026

Do talk to your relatives! Find out what they remember and do listen to their stories.

Beginner tip: interview your relatives now. Memories are the records that can't be re-ordered later. Start with open questions — "What do you remember about your grandparents' house?" — and let the stories wander. Record with permission, and take notes on names, places, and dates to verify later.

What question do you wish you'd asked a relative while you had the chance? Share it below — your answer might inspire someone to pick up the phone this weekend.

08/28/2026

VGS Fall Conference coming up in October. Mark your calendars!

Join us for our Fall Virtual Conference! Don't miss Renate Yarborough Sanders as she shares research strategies to unlock the rich resources found in Virginia's plantation records and discover the stories waiting to be found in your ancestral past. Register today: https://www.vgs.org/event/vgs-fall-virtual-conference-over-around-through-outsmarting-your-virginia-brickwalls/

08/21/2026

Good news from the Library of Virginia!

The Library of Virginia Foundation has received a $296,029 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the Library of Virginia’s digitization of historical newspapers via our Virginia Newspaper Program.

Awarded through the National Digital Newspaper Program, the grant will fund the digitization of 100,000 pages of historical imprint newspapers dating from 1774 to 1963, sourced from both microfilm and original hard copy. The newspapers selected for the 2026–2028 cycle encompass a wide range of pivotal international and national historical topics that also have tremendous potential to assist vital NEH initiatives like “A More Perfect Union,” which seeks to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation.

Learn more at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/about/news/press/release/2026-08-19

VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

08/18/2026

Lots of surprises in the GRIP 2027 announcement!

08/18/2026

New archival materials to check out …

Check out some of the new archival materials added to the Library of Virginia's collections.
https://uncommonwealth.lva.virginia.gov/blog/2026/08/17/newly-available-archival-accessions-april-1-june-30-2026/

07/10/2026

Truer words were never spoken! 😂