Anbury, Major Thomas.--Travels Through the Interior Parts of
America in a series of Letters. Two Volumes. Printed for
William Lane, Leadenhall Street, London, 1791. Major Anbury was
a British officer who was captured at Saratoga and was brought
south with the Convention Prisoners. He was paroled and had an
opportunity to see much of Virginia. His observations upon the
social life of the state are interesting, although tinged with
prejudice. Viewing life in the New World with the eyes of one
accustomed to the conventional ideas of England his writings
throw light upon conditions in the Old Dominion that cannot be
found in the works of native authors.
Bagby, George W.--Selections from the Writings of. Whittet and
Shepperson, Richmond, Va., 1884. Two volumes. The articles in
this work touching on Virginia life are well worth the attention
of the historian. Dr. Bagby traveled through many parts of the
state and had an unsurpassed opportunity of becoming acquainted
with this life. The style is pleasing and the stories
entertaining.
Barton, R.T.--Virginia Colonial Decisions. The Reports by Sir John
Randolph and by Edward Barradall of the Decisions of the General
Court of Virginia, 1728-1741. Two volumes. The Boston Book
Company, Boston. Accompanying the decisions is a prospective
sketch of the contemporaneous conditions during the period
covered and of the lawyers who practiced at the bar of the
General Court in that day. In addition, the first volume
contains an interesting account of the settling of Virginia and
its history in the seventeenth century. Chapters are devoted to
a description of the land, of the people, of the government, of
the church, of the lack of cities, and of education. The chief
value of the work, however, lies in the light that is thrown
upon the history of Virginia during the years between 1728 and
1741, by the publication of the decisions which were before in
manuscript form and practically inaccessible to the
investigator.
Bernard, John.--Retrospections of America, 1797-1811. Harper and
Brothers, New York, 1887. One volume. Bernard was famous in his
time as a comedian and one of the earliest American managers of
theatrical companies. He visited Virginia in 1799 and made many
excursions to the homes of the wealthy planters. He thus had an
opportunity to see the inner life of the most refined class of
the state. His descriptions of their manners and morals, their
tastes, their hospitality and their love of out-of-door sports
are interesting and usually accurate.
Beverley, Robert.--The History and Present State of Virginia, in
Four Parts. Printed for R. Parker, at the Unicorn, under the
Piazza's of the Royal-Exchange, 1705. One volume. The work
consists of an outline of the history of the colony from 1607 to
1705; of a statement of the natural productions of Virginia; its
industries and its facilities for trade; of an account of the
Indians and a brief summary of the government at the time of
publication. The work is of value chiefly as a description of
Virginia at the beginning of the 18th century. In the account
given of the history of the colony in the earlier days there are
many errors.
Brown, Alexander.--The Genesis of the United States. Two volumes.
Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York. This work
consists of an account of the movement which resulted in the
founding of Virginia, presented in the form of a series of
documents not before printed, and of rare contemporaneous tracts
reissued for the first time. The author, in a later work,
criticises The Genesis of the United States in the following
words, "I did not fully understand the case myself. I had failed
(as every one else had previously done) to give due
consideration to the influence of imperial politics on the
history of this popular movement. I had also failed to consider
properly the absolute control over the evidences, in print and
in manuscript, possessed by the crown." The chief value of the
work lies in the fact that it presents to the public numerous
historical evidences which were for so many years inaccessible.
The First Republic in America. One volume. Houghton, Mifflin and
Company, Boston and New York. This work gives an account of the
origin of the nation, written from the records long concealed in
England. It not only is not based on the printed histories of
the day, but expressly repudiates them as false and unjust, and
as written in the interest of the Court Party. Much discredit is
thrown upon the narratives of Capt. John Smith. The author says;
"He never returned there (Virginia) and--if every one else had
done exactly as he did, there would have remained no colonists
in Virginia, but mountains of books in England, conveying
incorrect ideas, and filled with a mass of vanity, 'excellent
criticism' and 'good advice,' amounting really to nothing." In a
later work Mr. Brown says of The First Republic in America; "I
wrote from the point of the Patriot Party. It was the first
effort to restore to our foundation as a nation the inspiring
political features of which it was robbed by those who
controlled the evidences and histories under the crown."
English Politics in Early Virginia History. One volume. Houghton,
Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York. The book is divided
into five parts. The First Part gives an outline of the efforts
of the "Patriot Party" in England to plant popular government in
America and of the Court Party to prevent. Part Two recites the
effort of the Court to obliterate the true history of the origin
of Virginia. In Part Three the author shows the influence of
politics on the historic record while the crown retained control
of the evidences. Part Four shows what has been done both
towards correcting and to perpetuating the error. In the Fifth
Part is given a review of some of the features of the struggle
of the "Patriot Party" and the Court Party.
Bruce, Philip Alexander.--Economic History of Virginia in the
Seventeenth Century. Two volumes. Printed by the Macmillan
Company, New York. This work treats of aboriginal Virginia, of
the agricultural development after the coming of the English,
the acquisition of title to land, the system of labor, the
domestic economy of the planters, the part played by
manufactures in the colony, the inconvenience occasioned by the
scarcity of coin. The author has expended much labor in
accumulating a mass of interesting and valuable detail, and the
work is a veritable store house of information which is
invaluable to the historian. There is no attempt made to point
out the relation of the economic history of the time with the
political, religious or social developments that were taking
place in the 17th century. The work is valuable chiefly as a
source book.
Social Life of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century. One volume.
Printed for the author by Whittet and Shepperson, Richmond, Va.
In the first portion of this book the author attempts to explain
in some detail the origin of the higher planters in the colony.
A startling array of individual cases are cited to prove the
connection of at least a portion of this class with English
families of education and rank. As usual with the author little
attention is paid to generalizations and he arrives at his
conclusions by induction rather than by deduction. Interesting
chapters are devoted to social distinctions, social spirit,
popular diversions, public and private occasions and duelling.
Burke, John.--The History of Virginia from its First Settlement to
the Present Day. Four volumes. Published in 1804. The chief
value of this work lies in the fact that it contains a number of
documents of great interest to the historian. Chief among these
is a series of papers relating to the dispute over the
Arlington, Culpeper grant. As a general history of Virginia the
work is antiquated. At the time Burke wrote a large part of the
documents and pamphlets relating to the colony were
inaccessible, and as a result he is compelled to pass over very
important periods with the most cursory mention.
Burnaby, Andrew.--Travels through the Middle Settlements in North
America in the Years 1759 and 1760; with Observations upon the
State of the Colonies. Printed for T. Payne, at the Mews-Gate,
London, 1798. One volume. Burnaby's criticisms of Virginia
society are less accurate than those of others who have written
on the same subject because his stay in the colony was so brief.
He is by no means sympathetic with the life of the colony,
chiefly because he does not understand it.
Byrd, William.--The Writings of "Col. William Byrd of Westover in
Virginia Esq." Edited by John Spencer Bassett. One volume.
Doubleday, Page and Company, New York, 1901. Col. Byrd gives an
interesting picture in this work of the life upon the frontier
of the colony in the first quarter of the 18th century. The
style is flowing and easy, and the author shows a literary
talent unusual in colonial writers. The Introduction by the
editor consists of a sketch of the Byrd family. This is ably
written, and the observations made upon Virginia politics and
life show keen insight into the unique conditions that were
moulding the character of the colony. It is, perhaps, a more
valuable contribution to Virginia history than the writings
which it introduces.
Campbell, Charles.--History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of
Virginia. One volume. J.B. Lippincott and Company,
Philadelphia, 1860. In his preface the author says: "Her
(Virginia's) documentary history, lying, much of it, scattered
and fragmentary, in part slumbering in the dusty oblivion of
Trans-Atlantic archives, ought to be collected with pious care,
and embalmed in the perpetuity of print." The partial
accomplishment of this task, so urgently advocated by the
author, has rendered his work incomplete and insufficient for
the present day. Upon numerous periods of Virginia history
barely touched by him, a great light has since been thrown by
the unearthing of manuscripts and pamphlets.
Chastellux, E.J.--Voyages dans l'Amérique Septentrionale. Chez
Prault, Imprimeur du Roi, Paris, 1786. Two volumes. Chastellux
was a Frenchman who visited various parts of America at the time
of the Revolution. His observations upon social life in Virginia
are less prejudiced than those of many of the foreign visitors
to the colony at this period. The work is valuable in that it
gives the impressions made by the higher class in Virginia upon
one used to the refined life of France in the second half of the
18th century.
Cooke, John Esten.--Virginia, a History of the People. Houghton,
Mifflin and Company, Boston, 1884. One volume. So many valuable
documents and pamphlets treating of Virginia history have been
made accessible since this work was published, that it is quite
antiquated. In addition, the author has failed to make the best
use of the material at his hands, and there are numberless
errors for which there can be no excuse. One wonders, when
reading the book, whether the author has ever taken the trouble
to glance at Hening's Statutes, for he repeats old mistakes that
were pointed out by Hening one hundred years ago. The style is
entertaining and has given to the work a popularity out of
proportion to its historical worth.
Dinwiddie, Robert.--The Official Records of Robert Dinwiddie.
Introduction and notes by R.A. Brock. Virginia Historical
Society, Richmond, Va., 1883. Two volumes. A large number of
manuscripts of various kinds relating to the administration of
Dinwiddie have been printed for the first time in this work.
Great light is thrown upon Braddock's disasterous expedition and
other important events of the French and Indian War. Dinwiddie's
account of the obstinacy and unreasonable conduct of the
burgesses should be studied in conjunction with the journals of
the House which have recently been published.
Fiske, John.--Old Virginia and her Neighbors. Two volumes.
Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York, 1897. This
work is written in the delightful and entertaining style so
characteristic of the author, and like Macaulay's History of
England holds the interest of the reader from beginning to end.
Only a portion of the colonial period is covered, and this in a
general and hap-hazard way. The narrative is not equally
sustained throughout, some periods being dwelt upon in much
detail, and others, equally important, passed over with but
cursory mention. Fiske did not have access to many of the
sources of Virginia history, and this led him into repeating
some old errors.
Fithian, Philip Vickers.--Journal and Letters, 1767-1774. Edited
for the Princeton Historical Association, by John Rogers
Williams. One volume. Fithian was tutor at Nomini Hall, the home
of Col. Robert Carter, during the years 1773 and 1774. His
observations upon the life in the midst of which he was thrown,
the life of the highest class of Virginians, are intensely
interesting and very instructive. The author was a young
theologian, who had received his education at Princeton, and who
seemed strangely out of place in the gay society of aristocratic
Westmoreland. For this very reason, however, his journal and
letters are interesting, for he dwells with especial emphasis
upon what was new or strange to him and has thus unconsciously
given an excellent account of all that was unique or distinctive
in the Virginia aristocracy.
Force, Peter.--Tracts and other Papers, Relating Principally to
the Origin, Settlement and Progress of the Colonies in North
America. Printed in 1836. Four volumes. By the preservation of
these valuable documents Mr. Force has done a great service to
the history of the colony of Virginia. The papers relating to
Bacon's Rebellion are of especial interest, while Virginia's
Cure, A Description of New Albion and Leah and Rachel are hardly
less important.
Goodwin, Maud Wilder.--The Colonial Cavalier or Southern Life
before the Revolution. Lowell, Coryell and Company, New York,
1894. One volume. This little work is well written and is in the
main accurate. It offers an interesting picture of the Southern
planter and the unique life that he led in the second half of
the 18th century.
Hening, W.W.--The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of all the
Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in
the Year 1619. In thirteen volumes covering the period up to
October, 1792. In 1836 Samuel Shepherd published three more
volumes, covering the period from 1792 to 1806. In addition to
the collection of laws the work contains many historical
documents of great value. The Statutes at Large are invaluable
to the student of Virginia history and they throw much light
upon periods otherwise obscured in gloom. It is to Hening
chiefly that the historian is indebted for his knowledge of the
years covered by the first administration of Sir William
Berkeley, while his information of what occurred during the
Commonwealth Period would be slight indeed without The Statutes
at Large. Since the Journals of the House of Burgesses have been
copied, and thus made available to the investigator, the work is
not so indispensable for some periods, but it constitutes a
valuable adjunct to these papers and no historian can afford to
neglect them. The work shows throughout the greatest care even
in the minutest details and will remain a monument to the
indefatigable energy and patience of Mr. Hening.
Howe, Henry.--Historical Collections of Virginia; containing a
collection of the most interesting facts, traditions,
biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its history
and antiquaries, etc. One volume. Published by Babcock and
Company, 1845. In his preface the author says: "The primary
object of the following pages is to narrate the most prominent
events in the history of Virginia, and to give a geographical
and statistical view of her present condition." In accomplishing
the latter of these tasks Mr. Howe has done a real and lasting
service to the history of the state. His description of the
various counties in 1843 and the life of their people was the
fruit of personal observation and as a consequence is usually
accurate and trustworthy.
Howison, Robert R.--A History of Virginia, from its Discovery and
Settlement by Europeans to the Present Time. Two Volumes. Carey
and Hart, Philadelphia, 1846. The preface of the work has the
following: "In writing the Colonial History, the author has
endeavored to draw from the purest fountains of light the rays
which he has sought to shed upon his subject." And throughout
the book there is abundant evidence to show that Mr. Howison had
studied the sources of Virginia history then available and had
picked out as best he could the truth whenever his authorities
differed. So much has been learned of the events he treats since
1846, however, that his work is today of little value.
Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political
Science. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore. A number of these
studies touch upon colonial Virginia history and they have done
much in bringing order out of the mass of facts to be found in
old books, in documents and in journals. Some of the papers are:
Justice in Colonial Virginia, O.P. Chitwood; History of Suffrage
in Virginia, J.A.C. Chandler; Representation in Virginia, J.A.C.
Chandler; White Servitude in the Colony of Virginia, H.R.
McIlwaine, and Virginia Local Institutions, Edward Ingle.
Jones, Hugh.--The Present State of Virginia. Printed for J. Clark,
at the Bible under the Royal-Exchange, 1724. Reprinted for
Joseph Sabin, New York. This work gives an entertaining and
valuable picture of Virginia during the administration of
Governor Spotswood. Those chapters are most useful which treat
of the pursuits, the religion, the manners and the government
of the colonists. The descriptions given are drawn largely from
the personal observations of the author. This, together with the
sincere and straightforward manner in which the book is written,
leaves the impression of accuracy and trustworthiness.
Journals of the Council of Virginia as Upper House. Manuscript
copies made of incomplete records in the State Library at
Richmond, in the Library of the Virginia Historical Society.
Arranged in three volumes as follows: I, 1685-1720; II,
1722-1747; III, 1748-1767. These journals are by no means so
important as those of the House of Burgesses. They are devoted
quite largely to routine matters and reflect but little of the
political life of the colony. The historian, if he gives careful
study to their pages, will be rewarded by passages here and
there which draw aside the veil, and give fleeting pictures of
the strife between the Council and the Burgesses.
Journals of the House of Burgesses.--In the State Library. Session
of 1619; manuscript copies of sessions from 1680 to 1718, and
from 1748 to 1772. These journals, so many of which have been
buried for centuries in English archives, throw a flood of light
upon the political life of the colony. They constitute by far
the most important source of information upon the long and
tireless struggle of the middle class in Virginia for a share in
the conducting of the government. Something of this, of course,
may be gleaned from the official correspondence of the
governors, but this evidence is partisan in spirit and does
injustice to the commons of Virginia. Hening gives in the main
only bare statutes, and the discussions, the quarrels and the
passions of the sessions are omitted. The journals are to
Hening's work what the living person is to the stone image. It
is a matter of the deepest regret that the journals from 1619 to
1680 are missing, for they leave a gap in Virginia history that
it is impossible to fill.
Keith, Sir William.--The History of the British Plantations in
America. Part One contains the History of Virginia. Printed by
S. Richardson, London, 1738. The work is devoted almost entirely
to the colony under the London Company. It contains little of
value, following John Smith's account throughout and presenting
nothing new either of documentary evidence or of criticism.
Long, Charles M.--Virginia County Names, Two Hundred and Seventy
Years of Virginia History. The Neale Publishing Co., New York.
This little volume throws much light upon the history of
Virginia through the record left in the names of the counties.
The work contains several valuable tables. One of these gives
the governors of Virginia from 1607 to 1908.
McDonald Papers.--Copies of Papers in Brit. Rec. Office. Virginia
State Library, Richmond. There were seven volumes of these
documents, but two of them have been missing for many years.
Vol. I covers the years from 1619 to 1626; Vol. II from 1627 to
1640; Vols. III and IV are missing; Vol. V from 1675 to 1681;
Vol. VI from 1681 to 1685; Vol. VII from 1683 to 1695. This
collection contains many papers that are to be found in
Sainsbury, but they are usually more full, being often exact
copies of the originals. In addition there are many papers in
the McDonald collection not to be found elsewhere.
Maury, Richard L.--The Huguenots in Virginia. Col. Maury in this
work has rendered an important service to Virginia history. On
every page are evidences of the utmost care for truth and the
greatest diligence in reaching it. Col. Maury made, before
writing this book, a thorough study of the sources of Virginia
history and the accuracy of his work reflects this labor.
Maxwell, William.--The Virginia Historical Register. Printed by
Macfarlane and Ferguson, Richmond. In six volumes. This work is
one of the fruits of the revival of interest in Virginia history
which took place in the two decades preceding the Civil War. It
contains many papers and documents printed for the first time,
and no student of colonial history can afford to neglect it.
Meade, William.--Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia.
J.B. Lippincott and Co., Philadelphia. Two volumes. The title
does not indicate all, nor the most valuable part, of the
contents of this work. In addition to giving numerous facts in
regard to the old churches and their ministers and
congregations, the author has presented an ecclesiastical
history of Virginia. The contest of the vestries with the
governors to obtain and to keep control of the church, is
carefully and ably set forth. Also, the relation of this
struggle to the political life of the colony is kept constantly
in sight. The appendix contains several papers relating to
church affairs that are invaluable to the historian.
Miller, Elmer I.--The Legislature of the Province of Virginia. One
volume. The Columbia University Press. The Macmillan Co.,
Agents. This work is but the assembling and arranging of
numerous facts in regard to the General Assembly. It presents no
new thoughts, it teaches no lessons in Virginia history, it
settles none of the old problems, it presents no new ones.
Unfortunately, also, the author did not have access to a large
number of the journals of the House of Burgesses, which, it need
hardly be added, are indispensable for an exhaustive study of
the Assembly.
Neill, Edward D.--Virginia Vetusta, during the Reign of James I.
Joel Munsell's Sons, Albany, 1885. The value of this work lies
in the printing of numerous documents throwing light on the
affairs of the colony under the London Company. Mr. Neill takes
the ground that John Smith's narratives are not to be trusted,
and he has made a long step towards correcting the errors
contained in the works of that writer.
Virginia Carolorum: The Colony under the Rule of Charles the
First and Second A.D. 1625-A.D. 1685, based upon manuscripts
and documents of the period. Joel Munsell's Sons, Albany, 1886.
Mr. Neill has been, with some justice, called the scavenger of
Virginia history. In Virginia Carolorum he has gathered many
papers and documents which are bitterly hostile to the colony,
and represent it in a light far from attractive. As, however,
it is the duty of the historian to present truth, no matter
whether pleasant or disagreeable, this volume is of undoubted
value. Its chief fault lies in the author's failure to point
out the prejudices of some of those writers that are quoted,
thus leaving the reader to give to their statements more weight
than they can justly claim.
Page, Thomas Nelson.--The Old Dominion her Making and her Manners.
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1908. This work consists of a
series of essays, in part addresses delivered before various
societies at different times. It is written in the delightful
style for which Dr. Page is so well known and is as entertaining
as Fiske's The Old Dominion and her Neighbors. Perhaps the most
valuable chapter is that devoted to Colonial Life.
The Old South, Essays Social and Political. Charles Scribner's
Sons, New York, 1892. This work consists of a series of well
written articles upon anti-bellum Virginia. Among these are
Glimpses of Life in Colonial Virginia, The Old Virginia Lawyer,
and the Negro Question. Dr. Page's intimate knowledge of the
life upon the plantation makes him peculiarly well qualified to
write a book of this nature.
Perry, William Stevens.--Papers Relating to the History of the
Church in Virginia, 1650-1776. Printed in 1870. One volume. This
collection of manuscripts is invaluable to the historian. Some
of the papers have been preserved in other works, but many are
to be had here only. The documents relating to the controversy
between the vestries and the governors for control of the
appointing of ministers are of great importance. Not only do
these papers give much information upon the ecclesiastical
history of the colony, but they throw light that cannot be
gotten elsewhere upon political conditions.
Sainsbury, Noel W.--Papers. Twenty manuscript volumes in the
Virginia State Library. These papers are chiefly copies in
abstract of the official correspondence of the home government,
and the governors and secretaries of Virginia. They cover the
long period from the founding of the colony until the year 1730.
The letters of the governors to the Lords of Trade and
Plantations are often quite frank and give the student an
insight into their purposes and their methods that can be gained
from no other source. They should be studied in connection with
the Journals of the House of Burgesses, for they will make clear
many points that are purposely left obscure in the transactions
of the Assembly. It is a matter for regret that the papers are
but abstracts and the State of Virginia should have exact copies
made of the originals.
Sale, Edith Tunis.--Manors of Virginia in Colonial Times. One
volume. J.B. Lippincott Co., 1909. This work contains accounts
of no less than twenty-four manors, including in the list
Shirley, Westover, Brandon, Rosewell, Monticello, Gunston Hall,
etc. The descriptions of the houses are made more vivid and
entertaining by sketches of the families that occupied them. The
volume is rich in illustrations.
Smith, Capt. John.--Works of, edited by Edward Arber. On Montague
Road, Birmingham, England, 1884. Capt. Smith's account of the
settling of Jamestown and the struggle of the colonists there
was for many years accepted without cavil by historians. His
story of his own heroism and of the wickedness of his colleagues
has been embodied in almost every American school history. Mr.
Charles Dean, in 1860, was the first to question Smith's
veracity, and since that date many historians have taken the
ground that his works are quite unreliable. Alexander Brown has
contended that his account of Virginia was purposely falsified
to further the designs of the Court Party during the reign of
James I. The discovery of numerous documents relating to the
years covered by Smith's histories, and the application of
historical criticism to his work, cannot but incline the student
to distrust much that he has written.
Spotswood, Alexander.--The Official Letters of. Edited by R.A.
Brock. Virginia Historical Society. Two volumes. These letters
are of great value, for they touch upon the most important
events of Spotwood's administration. They present, of course,
the governor's views upon public matters, and must be studied in
conjunction with other evidence for a just understanding of the
times. This, fortunately, is to be had in various manuscripts,
in the Journals of the House of Burgesses, the Journals of the
Council and in scattered papers, some of which have been
printed.
Stanard, Mary Newton.--The Story of Bacon's Rebellion. The Neale
Publishing Co., 1907. One volume. The authoress has had before
her in this work the general interest that attaches to the
picturesque subject and has written in a light and pleasing
style, No deep analysis of the causes and results of the
Rebellion are given, but the reader has the feeling throughout
that the facts presented have been gathered with great care and
that the narrative is as accurate as labor and research can make
it.
Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton.--The Colonial Virginia
Register. Joel Munsell's Sons, Albany, 1902. This work contains
the names of the Governors of Virginia in the Colonial Period,
the Secretaries of State, the Auditors General, the Receivers
General, the Treasurers, the Attorneys General, the Surveyors
General, the Council members, the members of the House of
Burgesses and the members of the Conventions of 1775 and 1776.
Stith, William.--The History of the First Discovery and Settlement
of Virginia. William Parks, Williamsburg, 1747. Stith had in the
preparation of this work access to some manuscripts which are
not now in existence. For this reason the work will retain a
certain value as a source book of Virginia history. In the main,
however, he follows Smith's story with servility, for it did not
occur to him that much of the latter was not trustworthy. Stith
takes his history no further than the year 1624.
The Lower Norfolk County Virginia Antiquary. Press of the
Friedenwald Co., Baltimore. Five volumes. This magazine has
rendered a true service to Virginia history by publishing many
valuable documents hitherto hidden or inaccessible. These papers
touch Virginia life in the Colonial Period in many phases and
throw light on points hitherto obscure or misunderstood.
The Southern Literary Messenger.--In 1845 and in the years
immediately following, this magazine, stimulated by the great
interest that was being shown in Virginia history at that time,
published a number of documents and articles relating to
colonial times. Among these is a reproduction of John Smith's
True Relation; papers relating to Sir William Berkeley,
contributed by Peter Force; and an account of the General
Assembly of 1715.
The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography.--Published by the
Virginia Historical Society. Seventeen volumes. The wealth of
material contained in these volumes can hardly be estimated.
Countless papers, formerly scattered abroad, or hidden in the
musty archives of libraries, have been published and rendered
accessible to the historian. So vastly important are they that
no account of colonial Virginia, no matter of what period, can
afford to neglect them. They touch every phase of the life of
the colony, political, social, economic and religious. Much
space has been given to biography. From the standpoint of the
constructive historian it is to be regretted that the magazine
has devoted so little of its space to short articles culling and
arranging and rendering more serviceable the facts published in
documentary form. But the magazine has done and is still doing a
work of vast importance in collecting and preserving historical
material.
Tyler, Lyon G.--Narratives of Early Virginia, 1606-1625. Charles
Scribner's Sons. One volume. This work includes many important
and interesting papers of the period of the London Company.
Selections are made from Capt. John Smith's works. Among the
papers given are Observations by Master Geo. Percy; The Relation
of the Lord De-La-Ware; Letter of Don Diego de Molina; Letter of
Father Pierre Biard; Letter of John Rolfe; and The Virginia
Planters' Answer to Capt. Butler.
Williamsburg, the Old Colonial Capital. Whittet and
Shepperson, Richmond. An account is given of the settlement
and history of the town. This is followed by a brief
description of Bruton church and its ministers and by a long
chapter on the college. Other chapters are devoted to the
capitol, the governors' house, the State prison, the powder
magazine, the theatre, the Raleigh Tavern, the printing
office, the jail, the courthouses, the hospital for the
insane, etc.
The Cradle of the Republic: Jamestown and James River. Whittet
and Shepperson, Richmond. The author has described carefully
and minutely the village, locating, when possible, public
buildings and the homes of the inhabitants. The last chapter
is devoted to the places along the river and interesting
accounts are given of their origin and their history.
Virginia Historical Society.--Abstract of the Proceedings of the
Virginia Company of London, 1619-1624, prepared from the
records in the Library of Congress by Conway Robinson and
edited by R.A. Brock. Two volumes. Since the infant colony at
Jamestown was so intimately connected with the great company
which gave it life that the one cannot be understood without a
knowledge of the other, this publication of the proceedings of
the company is of great importance to a correct understanding
of early Virginia history.
Miscellaneous Papers. Edited by R.A. Brock, 1887. On volume.
This collection contains the Charter of the Royal African
Company; A Report on the Huguenot Settlement, 1700; Papers of
Geo. Gilmer, of Pen Park; and other valuable papers.
Proceedings of the Society at the Annual Meeting Held in 1891,
with Historical Papers Read on the Occasion, and Others. Edited
by R.A. Brock. One Volume.
William and Mary Quarterly.--Edited by Dr. Lyon G. Tyler.
Williamsburg, Va. Seventeen volumes. This magazine is devoted to
the history of Virginia and has published numerous papers
relating to that subject. Great space has been devoted to
biography and much light has been thrown upon the ancestry of
scores of families. Of great value are a number of articles
giving in condensed and clear form the results of study of the
new material brought forth. Thus there is a paper upon Education
in Colonial Virginia, another on Colonial Libraries, etc. The
magazine, like the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography,
has rendered an invaluable service to Virginia history.
* * * * *
Thomas J. Wertenbaker was born at Charlottesville, Va., Feb.
6, 1879. After receiving his primary education at private
schools he entered Jones' University School. Later he attended
the Charlottesville Public High School. In the fall of 1896 he
entered the Academic Department of the University of Virginia,
where he remained as a student until 1900. During the session
of 1900-1901, he taught at St. Matthew's School, of Dobbs
Ferry, N.Y. In September, 1901, he re-entered the University
of Virginia and in 1902 received the degrees of Bachelor of
Arts and Master of Arts. For some years after this he was
engaged in newspaper work, being editor of the Charlottesville
Morning News and editor on the Baltimore News. In the fall of
1906 he re-entered the University of Virginia as a graduate
student. In 1907 he was elected Associate Professor of History
and Economics at the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College
and filled that position for two sessions. In 1909 he was made
Instructor of History at the University of Virginia and once
more matriculated in the Graduate Department of that
institution. He is a member of the American Historical
Association and the Virginia Historical Society and is the
author of several historical articles and essays.
* * * * *
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Typographical errors corrected in text: |
| |
| Page vi: dependance replaced with dependence |
| Page 11: usuall replaced with usually |
| Page 61: neuclus replaced with nucleus |
| Page 92: styllyards replaced with stillyards |
| Page 93: 'They were neither better not worse' |
| replaced with |
| 'They were neither better nor worse' |
| Page 99: 'an act of private dishonesty of injustice' |
| replaced with |
| 'an act of private dishonesty or injustice' |
| Page 104: leardership replaced with leadership |
| Page 119: mahogony replaced with mahogany |
| Page 124: waiscoat replaced with waistcoat |
| Page 126: Ecclesastical replaced with Ecclesiastical |
| Page 137: 200 pound replaced with 200 pounds |
| Page 139: 'he owned as much as £5,561 to two English |
| merchants' replaced with 'he owed as much as |
| £5,561 to two English merchants' |
| Page 143: govenmental replaced with governmental |
| Page 198: 'he though he could' replaced with |
| 'he thought he could' |
| Page 230: Munsel's replaced with Munsell's |
| Page 118: (fn) l'Amerique replaced with l'Amérique |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
* * * * *