USEFUL RESEARCH LINKS
The following is a list of links to websites with a wealth of information for background reading, resources where data can be found, and learning how to compile a family genealogy.
If you would like to suggest other links to be added to this page, please email them to us.
Research Resources:
1790/1800 Virginia Tax Lists-by county. Scans of the Tax Lists as well as a "reconstructed census" generated by Binn's Genealogy.
Ancestry.com Commercial genealogical research database, subscription required. BUT, if you hold a membership card for a number of Maryland County Free Public Libraries, you have free in-library access to the Ancestry.com US Census1790-1930 and other records. Maryland Counties participating: Carroll, Frederick, Washington, and perhaps others. Some may find their census searching less convenient than that of Heritage Quest (see below), but their indices are more extensive.
The Countryside Transformed: The Railroad and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 1870-1935 A fantastic part of the Virginia Center for Digital History, hosted by the University of Virginia. This particular project contains a digital archive of maps, photographs, manuscripts, newspapers, public documents, and other media from the period, 1870-1935. "The Countryside Transformed" shows how the coming in 1884 of the railroad to the counties of Accomack and Northampton profoundly changed the physical and mental landscapes in which the people of the region lived, worked, and traveled. This project is co-directed by Dr. Brooks Miles Barnes of the Eastern Shore Public Library.
Cyndislist-African American A subset of the huge site that provides links to just about anything you could want to know about researching the genealogy of your family. Includes many "how to" links and resources specific to persons of color.
Delmarva Heritage Network NEW This is a site designed to pull together and provide links to all of the various web resources available for researching the African American history of the Delmarva Peninsula. In the formation stages as of 7/07, but keep checking back.
Eastern Shore Heritage A free collection of useful resource data and essays made available by Gail Walczyk and Peters's Row. Great place to browse for interesting facts. And while you're there, you might want to click on "Return to Petersrow Publishing" and check out their online catalog.
Eastern Shore Public Library. Location: 23610 Front Street, Accomac, VA. In person: The Eastern Shore Room contains a wealth of resources for genealogical research, not the least of which is the presence of Dr. Miles Barnes, its curator. Online: Click on the Genealogy Research link to see the sources available.
Eleanor's List: A large list of links to sites of interest to the study of African American history and genealogy, categorized by state and subject.
GenealogyToday.com.com This link was sent in by a Girl Scout who found it a great place for beginners to learn about genealogy in working toward her "My Family Story" badge.
Genforum.genealogy.com Another good place for discussion board questions to be posted.
GHOTES website (Genealogy and History of the Eastern Shore of Virginia) Large website with lots of information on families of Virginia's Eastern Shore. Contains, among many other things, Accomac County Marriage Register 1896-1925 and the Miles Files (see below)
Giving Credit to Your Past This site is a good general introduction to researching and recording your genealogy. It was shared by a Social Studies teacher who uses AccomacRoots.HeritageQuest.com Commercial genealogical research database, subscription required. BUT, if you hold a membership card for a number of Maryland County Free Public Libraries, you have free online access to the Heritage Quest Census (and other) records, 1790-1930. Maryland Counties participating: Carroll, Frederick, Washington, and perhaps others.
History at Home This is an article that helps those just beginning to research their family history, and has a long list of useful resources. Link kindly contributed by a 6th grade genealogy researcher.
IslandBones.com Fantastic site showing pictures of most of the tombstones in most of the cemeteries on Chincoteague Island. Next best thing to going there, and no mosquitoes!
Miles Files 4.0 A huge geneological database of Accomac County, Va families. While most if not all persons in this database are white, it provides a means of researching owners of slaves in Accomac County.
Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University A good place to request information. Has an African American section on their Links page.
NYU Genealogy A link to a large number of resources for researching genealogy. This link was highly recommended by a group of young, home-schooled researchers of family history.
RootsWeb.com Free genealogy site supported by Ancestry.com. Wealth of information, "how to" and resources. Contains a vast number of family tree websites, mailing lists, and message boards. A good place to post questions. Also see: http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/ for their Virginia resources page.
Virginia Death Certificate Lookup 1912-1939. A great service which provides lookup service ($10 per record) in a professional and timely fashion. Highly recommended.
Background Links:
Africans in America An excellent PBS website that gives an overview of the history of African Americans from 1450 to 1865. A 4-part series; links to parts 2-4 in upper righthand corner. Good pictures and personal accounts.
Born in Slavery A huge Library of Congress offering. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.
Freedman's Bureau Online An excellent source of background reading on firsthand accounts of the outrages committed against free blacks in Virginia. The main site (www.freedmans.com) has links for other states.
Library of Virginia Great resource with lots of interesting historical information, pictures, maps, etc. Click on "Archives and Manuscripts Catalog" and use the search feature for Accomack, or any other word(s).
Nock Family Heritage Facebook page Facebook page created for all members of the Nock Family, Caucasian or Afro-American. A place for all Nocks to come together, and figure out how, and if, they are related.
Virginia Center for Digital History Main website of this center for historical scholarship. It is home to a number of digital projects on American history, from the Jamestown settlement, to the Civil War, to the Civil Rights movement Click on the Research link to find a listing of the projects - they're all superb!
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