Greetings - in the past, we have asked our VA-ROOTS and VA-HIST subscribers
to review and test the Library of Virginia's new digital resources before we
release them to the general public. Your input has been extremely helpful.
This time, we ask you to take a look at two (2) new Digital Library
databases: the Confederate Rosters Collection and the Land Office Military
Certificates Collection. Previously, the indexes to these two collections
were only available as paper and Electronic Card Indexes. There are 191,000
entries in the two indexes.
NOTE: there are _no_ digital images of documents accompanying these indexes.
We are still compiling the supporting documentation (Collection Descriptions
and Search Tips) which will be available very soon and will provide links to
instructions for ordering copies of documents or obtaining additional
research assistance.
The URLs are:
http://eagle.vsla.edu/conros
http://eagle.vsla.edu/lomc
This offering is part of our larger project to convert more than 700,000
Electronic Card Index records to fully-searchable database records. As of
today, there are now more than 656,000 records in the Digital Library's 40+
databases - nearly 300,000 of these records also contain links to digitized
images of documents and photographs.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to make any
suggestions.
Here is some brief background information:
The index to the Confederate Rosters collection contains approximately
183,000 entries. In 1884, the General Assembly passed an act requiring the
compilation of a roster of all who served from Virginia in the Confederate
armed forces. Very little progress was made until 1904, when the General
Assembly passed an act creating a Secretary of Virginia Military Records.
This office was charged with gathering material for the federal project
authorized by Congress in 1903 for the assembling of muster rolls for all
the Confederate states. The Secretary of Military Records office was
abolished in 1912 when the General Assembly passed an act establishing the
Department of Confederate Military Records within the Office of the Adjutant
General to continue the work. This office was abolished in 1918 by the
General Assembly and the records were transferred to the Virginia State
Library. The entries contain the name of the soldier, his rank, branch of
service, company, battalion, troop, battery, etc.
The index to the Land Office Military Certificates collection contains
approximately 8,314 entries. The Certificates record the information about
land issued to Revolutionary War officers, soldiers and sailors by the Land
Office to reward their service in the State or Continental line. In order
to receive bounty lands for Revolutionary War service, a soldier or sailor
must have served continuously for at least three years in a Virginia or
Continental unit.
The warrant specified the amount of lands to be received and directed the
surveyor of lands to set aside that quantity of land in the western reserves
of Kentucky and Ohio. Certificates verify Revolutionary War service but not
necessarily land ownership since many soldiers or their families sold the
warrants to investors or speculators. Information concerning the
disposition of the warrants is located in the state records of Kentucky and
Ohio.
Elizabeth
--
Elizabeth Roderick email ([log in to unmask])
Director, Digital Library Program voice (804) 692-3761
The Library of Virginia fax (804) 692-3771
800 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23218
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http://www.lva.lib.va.us
The Digital Library Program
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