Thursday, December 11, 2008

Library of Virginia

Historical laws have an impact on where you’ll find family history information today. For example, marriages in early Virginia could only be legally performed by ministers of the Church of England. The law until 1780 also required all marriages to be recorded in Church of England parish registers. Even if your ancestors were Catholic, Mennonite, or Lutheran, their marriages would be found in the local Church of England records!
This and other interesting facts about researching Virginia ancestors are available at
The Library of Virginia . The web site includes some searchable databases with images, plus information about Virginia records on microfilm that can be ordered through InterLibrary Loan at your local library.