Virginia Genealogical Society

The establishment and maintenance of public roads were among the most important functions of the county court during the colonial period in Virginia. Each road was opened and maintained by an overseer (or surveyor) of the highways, who was appointed each year by the Gentlemen Justices. The overseer was usually assigned all the able-bodied men (the "Labouring Male Tithables") living on or near the road. These laborers then furnished their own tools, wagons, and teams and were required to work show more on the roads for six days each year. County court records relating to roads and transportation are collectively know as "road orders."

The Virginia Transportation Research Council's published volumes of road orders and related materials contain not only information on early roads, but also the names of inhabitants who lived and worked along the roadways, plantations, farms, landmarks, landforms, and bodies of water. Much of this information is found nowhere else in early records, making these publications invaluable not only to historical and cultural resources research, but also to other disciplines, including social history, preservation planning, environmental science, and genealogy. Published with permission from the Virginia Transportation Research Council (a cooperative organization sponsored jointly by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the University of Virginia). show less

Abstracts of some 465 pension records of the soldiers in Virginia. In the majority of these files, the date of death of the soldier or his widow is shown, and the name of the executor or administrator is often given. If the soldier was killed in service, the place or the name of the battle, as well as a statement of his wounds, appear. This book contains the names of more than 10,000 individuals.

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