Genealogy
Blackwater Regional Library offers hundreds of valuable genealogy resources to its patrons. Highlights include passenger lists, court records, marriage records, church and cemetery records, will and deed indexes, and war registers. We also hold many books tracing local family lineage.
The library also offers access to two powerful genealogy databases:
ANCESTRY – LIBRARY EDITION
Find your roots! This collection assembles every extant U.S. federal census, banking and military records, genealogies, local histories, primary source materials, and genealogical and local history serials.
Ancestry Library Edition can only be accessed within a BRL branch.
HERITAGE QUEST ONLINE (at the library) (from home)
One of the most valuable services available today for anyone researching ancestry in the United States. The company is best known for its collection of the U.S. Federal Census records from 1790 through 1930.
Heritage Quest Online can be accessed within a BRL branch or from home. Click the appropriate link above. If you are accessing from home, you will need to enter your library card number to login to the database.
Internet Archive/Wayback Machine allows you to see local yearbooks contributed by Blackwater Regional Library and scanned by the Library of Virginia.
Web Resources:
- Library of Virginia’s Genealogy Collection (The Library of Virginia holds the most comprehensive genealogical collection in the Commonwealth. It’s well worth a trip to Richmond)
Local Historical Societies
- Isle of Wight County Historical Society
- Southampton County Historical Society
- Southampton History Group Message Board
- Suffolk Nansemond Historical Society
- Surry County Historical Society
- Sussex County Historical Society
- Zuni Historical Society
- Regional Genealogy Research and Links
Historical Newspapers Online
- Virginia Newspaper Project
- Virginia Newspaper Project Blog
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (1836-1922) from Library of Congress
General Genealogy Resources
Specialized Resources