I stand corrected. The site you listed has Frederick County deeds available to 1867 (about 87 rolls of film) and the indexes (another half dozen to dozen rolls) I still think it is easier to go through the original indexes and record books at the courthouse where they are all together in one place rather than having to order each roll of microfilm seperately and wait for it to come in before you can find out which additional deed books it refers to for a description of the property and order that roll as well. At the county courthouse, in the Clerk's office, and/or archives, you usually have access to all of the Deeds, Wills, marriages, Chauncary cases, etc. recorded in the county. Its usually all hand written before abt 1900 on large ledger books. Many deeds don't describe the land, they just say the land purchased in another deed and give the date, book and page number of the earlier deed. As people often owned several pieces of property you really have to trace back until you get a good description. Usually, if you are nice you can find someone who can show you how to use the indexes as they are a little combersome to use. They usually don't have paid staff with extra time to assist but the place is full of people from title companies researching deeds for current property transfers. All of this information takes up hundreds of books (sometimes thousands) and unless your library has all of the microfilms in house it can be difficult to do in-depth research unless you actually go to the courthouse. Sometimes the county library will have the microfilms for the individual county but not usually the surrounding ones. Why go through the microfilms though if you can go just down the street and go through the original documents? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deb Wake" <DebBWake@comcast.net> To: <SHENANDOAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 8:31 AM Subject: RE: "Best" Library to VIsit > Hi Paul, > > Not to be contrary, but most? of the early deeds and wills--depending upon > the county--have been microfilmed. You can check out the holdings at the > Library of Virginia. > http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/local_rec/county_city/index.htm > The LDS has a search engine for their microfilm holdings, but I find it > very frustrating to use. > http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp > > If you do visit the Staunton, keep in mind that there are two courthouses > there--the Augusta County Courthouse is located at 6 East Johnson St. > (540)-245-5321. The Staunton City Courthouse is located at 113 East > Beverly St. (540)-332-3874. > > Deb Wake > Richmond, VA > > At 09:37 PM 7/7/2005, Paul Redden wrote: >>Hi Janice, >> >>For basic genealogy information on the Valley, Handley Library in downtown >>Winchester is probably your best bet. It is also a short walk from both >>the Frederick County Courthouse and the Winchester Courthouse where you >>can look up old deeds and wills in those jurisdictions (part of Shenandoah >>county was originally Frederick County, the other part was Augusta to the >>south. The Shenandoah County Library in Edinburg also has some material >>also, however it is not as large and not close to the County Courthouse. >>I am not familiar with the southern "upper" valley but imagine that >>Augusta would probably have a good library and may be worth a trip if your >>ancestors were from the southern part of Shenandoah County. >> >>If you don't mind going just outside the Valley, the John Gott Memorial >>library just off interstate 66 in Markham (Fauquier County) is full of >>books donated by John Gott relating to genealogy and local history and >>Loudoun County has a large public genealogical library just outside of >>Leesburg. >>Farther east, Fairfax is pretty good and there is always the DAR and the >>Library of Congress in Washington itself. >> >>Your best bet with limited time is to visit the courthouses first and >>trace the deeds back or find the wills. These usually aren't available >>anywhere else except occationally as abstracts or indexes. >> >>>From: JANICE B PATTERSON <jlpatterson@juno.com> >>>To: SHENANDOAH-L@rootsweb.com >>>Subject: "Best" Library to VIsit >>>Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 12:14:16 -0400 >>> >>>I may have a good chance to get to the Shenandoah Valley for some library >>>research time this summer -- but I will probably only >>>be able to dropped off at ONE library -- which one would have best >>>collection for early material -- 1750s -1800? >>> >>>I'm tracing several lines -- one is a group of early Shenandoah Valley >>>settlers from PA & the other is early Scots-Irish into >>>Beverley Manor/Patent. >>> >>>Also, where do I locate early land/probate/marriage records for people >>>who were in Harrison/Hardy counties around >>>1780-1810 before these counties were in WV? >>> >>>FROM: >>>Janice B. Patterson >>>30967 Sassafras Lane >>>Westlake OH 44145-5171 >>>phone 440-835-9171 >>> >>> >>>==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== >>> SHENANDOAH Families Mail List Archives: >>> courtesy of Rootsweb, our gracious host! >>>http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl >>> Just type in the mail list's name: SHENANDOAH >> >> >> >>==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== >>Your support of RootsWeb helps make SHENANDOAH-L possible. >>RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 >> http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html > > > > ==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== > Did you know that only 7% of Rootsweb subscribers support Rootsweb? > Thank you for your generous financial support of Rootsweb! > RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 > http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html > >

I almost forgot, if you do visit the courthouse try to borrow a 5.0 Megapixel or better digital camera to photograph the deeds. this works well and is much faster and less expensive than paying 50 cents a page to have the people at the clerk's office photocopy them for you. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Redden" <paulredden@hotmail.com> To: <SHENANDOAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 3:49 PM Subject: Re: "Best" Library to VIsit > > I stand corrected. The site you listed has Frederick County deeds > available to 1867 (about 87 rolls of film) and the indexes (another half > dozen to dozen rolls) > > I still think it is easier to go through the original indexes and record > books at the courthouse where they are all together in one place rather > than having to order each roll of microfilm seperately and wait for it to > come in before you can find out which additional deed books it refers to > for a description of the property and order that roll as well. > > At the county courthouse, in the Clerk's office, and/or archives, you > usually have access to all of the Deeds, Wills, marriages, Chauncary > cases, etc. recorded in the county. Its usually all hand written before > abt 1900 on large ledger books. Many deeds don't describe the land, they > just say the land purchased in another deed and give the date, book and > page number of the earlier deed. As people often owned several pieces of > property you really have to trace back until you get a good description. > > Usually, if you are nice you can find someone who can show you how to use > the indexes as they are a little combersome to use. They usually don't > have paid staff with extra time to assist but the place is full of people > from title companies researching deeds for current property transfers. > > All of this information takes up hundreds of books (sometimes thousands) > and unless your library has all of the microfilms in house it can be > difficult to do in-depth research unless you actually go to the > courthouse. Sometimes the county library will have the microfilms for the > individual county but not usually the surrounding ones. Why go through > the microfilms though if you can go just down the street and go through > the original documents? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Deb Wake" <DebBWake@comcast.net> > To: <SHENANDOAH-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 8:31 AM > Subject: RE: "Best" Library to VIsit > > >> Hi Paul, >> >> Not to be contrary, but most? of the early deeds and wills--depending >> upon the county--have been microfilmed. You can check out the holdings >> at the Library of Virginia. >> http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/local_rec/county_city/index.htm >> The LDS has a search engine for their microfilm holdings, but I find it >> very frustrating to use. >> http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp >> >> If you do visit the Staunton, keep in mind that there are two courthouses >> there--the Augusta County Courthouse is located at 6 East Johnson St. >> (540)-245-5321. The Staunton City Courthouse is located at 113 East >> Beverly St. (540)-332-3874. >> >> Deb Wake >> Richmond, VA >> >> At 09:37 PM 7/7/2005, Paul Redden wrote: >>>Hi Janice, >>> >>>For basic genealogy information on the Valley, Handley Library in >>>downtown Winchester is probably your best bet. It is also a short walk >>>from both the Frederick County Courthouse and the Winchester Courthouse >>>where you can look up old deeds and wills in those jurisdictions (part of >>>Shenandoah county was originally Frederick County, the other part was >>>Augusta to the south. The Shenandoah County Library in Edinburg also has >>>some material also, however it is not as large and not close to the >>>County Courthouse. I am not familiar with the southern "upper" valley but >>>imagine that Augusta would probably have a good library and may be worth >>>a trip if your ancestors were from the southern part of Shenandoah >>>County. >>> >>>If you don't mind going just outside the Valley, the John Gott Memorial >>>library just off interstate 66 in Markham (Fauquier County) is full of >>>books donated by John Gott relating to genealogy and local history and >>>Loudoun County has a large public genealogical library just outside of >>>Leesburg. >>>Farther east, Fairfax is pretty good and there is always the DAR and the >>>Library of Congress in Washington itself. >>> >>>Your best bet with limited time is to visit the courthouses first and >>>trace the deeds back or find the wills. These usually aren't available >>>anywhere else except occationally as abstracts or indexes. >>> >>>>From: JANICE B PATTERSON <jlpatterson@juno.com> >>>>To: SHENANDOAH-L@rootsweb.com >>>>Subject: "Best" Library to VIsit >>>>Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 12:14:16 -0400 >>>> >>>>I may have a good chance to get to the Shenandoah Valley for some >>>>library >>>>research time this summer -- but I will probably only >>>>be able to dropped off at ONE library -- which one would have best >>>>collection for early material -- 1750s -1800? >>>> >>>>I'm tracing several lines -- one is a group of early Shenandoah Valley >>>>settlers from PA & the other is early Scots-Irish into >>>>Beverley Manor/Patent. >>>> >>>>Also, where do I locate early land/probate/marriage records for people >>>>who were in Harrison/Hardy counties around >>>>1780-1810 before these counties were in WV? >>>> >>>>FROM: >>>>Janice B. Patterson >>>>30967 Sassafras Lane >>>>Westlake OH 44145-5171 >>>>phone 440-835-9171 >>>> >>>> >>>>==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== >>>> SHENANDOAH Families Mail List Archives: >>>> courtesy of Rootsweb, our gracious host! >>>>http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl >>>> Just type in the mail list's name: SHENANDOAH >>> >>> >>> >>>==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== >>>Your support of RootsWeb helps make SHENANDOAH-L possible. >>>RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 >>> http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html >> >> >> >> ==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== >> Did you know that only 7% of Rootsweb subscribers support Rootsweb? >> Thank you for your generous financial support of Rootsweb! >> RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 >> http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html >> >> > > > ==== SHENANDOAH Mailing List ==== > WHO, WHEN, and WHERE are the three essential ingredients for successful > genealogical research! Please be certain to include all three when > posting > queries to the SHENANDOAH Families Mail List. > >