Lost Records Localities: Counties and Cities with Missing Records

A distant cousin of mine, Gail Vass, pointed out a resource that I had never seen before. It is called the Lost Records Localities Database and it is housed at the Libray of Virginia. Per their description...

"This database consists of entries for a wide variety of court records found as part of chancery and other locality records-processing projects. The entries are for surviving records from localities, most of whose records are no longer extant. The original record is photocopied. The copies are filed together in an artificial collection—the Lost Records Localities Collection—and are readily accessed through the manuscript room at the Library of Virginia. Please check periodically as this is an ongoing project."

In short, any record that they find from a "burned" county gets added to this collection. For example, say someone bought land in Hanover County and later sold it to someone in Mecklenburg County. The purchaser in Mecklenburg may have been involved in a court case where the Hanover deed was presented and copied. That copy still exists and is therefore added to the Lost Records database. It is search-able online but the actual records have to be viewed at the Library.

In case your were wondering, the burned counties in question are:

• Albemarle
  
• Appomattox
• Buckingham
• Caroline
• Charles City
• Culpeper
  
• Dinwiddie
• Elizabeth City
• Gloucester
• Hanover
• Henrico
• Henrico / City of Richmond
• James City County / Williamsburg
• King and Queen
• King George
  
• King William
• Mathews
• Nansemond
• New Kent
• Nottoway
• Prince George
• Prince William
• Richmond City
  
• Richmond County
• Rockingham
  
• Stafford
• Warwick
  

For example, I checked for Brock documents in Hanover County and found the following:

Locality	Names	Record Type	Dates
Hanover County	King, Mary, etc. to John P. Brock	Deed	1799
Hanover County	Priddy, Robert and wife Nancy to John C. Brock	Deed	1823

I am very interested in the King-Brock deed as John P. Brock is my ancestor and his wife was rumored to be a King. This might be the proof that I need to make that connection. I plan on making a trip to the archives tomorrow so I will look up the actual document and let you know what I learn about the collection.

You can check out the online database here: Lost Records Localities Database

Library of Virginia Chancery Records Update

Here is an update to an earlier post, Library of Virginia Chancery Records Scanned, More Coming. The following are changes since the earlier post was made in early July. I do not know exactly what "reformatting" means but hopefully that is code for "soon to be scanned."

As of 8/12/2008, records for Campbell County are "...closed for reformatting. The index remains available for research purposes."

As of 7/23/2008, records for Dinwiddie County are "...closed for digital reformatting. The index remains available for research purposes. Additional cases have been added for 1844-1940."

As of 9/6/2008, records for Mecklenburg County are "...closed to researchers while reprocessing is performed."

As of 7/17/2008, records for Nottoway County are "...closed for reformatting. The index remains available for research purposes."

Elmer Whitfield Stennett (April 30, 1879 - July 8, 1953)

Elmer stood five feet, nine inches tall, weighed 140 pounds with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was born in Rockbridge and spent time in Goochland, Buena Vista and Dinwiddie before moving his family to Richmond, following work on the railroad.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, July 11, 1953:
"STENNETT - Passed away at a local hospital, Wednesday night July 8, 1953, Elmer W. Stennett of 1851 Southlawn Ave. He is survived by one son, Rev. R. D. Stennett, of Emporia, Va.; one brother, Hayden Stennett, of Maidens, Va., and two grandsons, William W. and R. D. Stennett, Jr., also of Emporia, Va. Remains rest at the Sutherland-Brown Funeral Home, Boulevard and Kensington Avenue, where services will be held Saturday at 3 P. M. Interment Oakwood."

Obituary for Susanna Wells Jarvis Gates, c. 1797 - April 09, 1887, of Petersburg, Virginia

Obituary for Susanna Wells Jarvis Gates, c. 1797 - April 09, 1887, of Petersburg, Virginia.

Daily Index=Appeal, April 12, 1887:"DIED. GATES - At her home on Old street, at 11:50 o'clock P. M. Saturday, 9th inst., SUSANNA J., wife of Alex. A. Gates, aged 90 years. Her funeral will take place from the High Street Methodist Church THIS (Tuesday) MORNING at 10 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances of the family are respectfully invited to attend."