Facts

When reading or transcribing old court documents, Clerks of Court names can be difficult because of the signature style and the sometimes very oddly spelled names. Most localities have their clerks listed that served since the formation of the county, city or town. The clerks for Augusta County Circuit Court of Virginia since 1745 can be found by clicking on the Augusta County Circuit Court button on the Resource Links page. 

We see it all the time in obituaries and death notices from historical newspapers. John Doe died the 12th inst. or John Doe died the 12th ult. Do they mean ultimately and instantly when referring to the person's death. No, well not exactly. If the newspaper is dated, lets say the 14th of July, and it says John Doe died inst., then he died the 12th of July. But if it says in that same paper that John Doe died the 12th ult., then he died the month before, being June. Short version of the explanation: Inst. = Current Month & Ult. = Previous Month. All you need is the date of the newspaper that posted the obituary to be correct. 

Cemetery and graveyard share the same meaning of “burial ground,” referring to a place where dead bodies are buried. However, graveyard usually suggests a small cemetery, such as one situated next to a church. Cemetery is the older of the two words in English, first used in the 1400s and descended ultimately from the Greek word koimētērion, meaning “sleeping chamber” or “burial place.” The first-known use of graveyard in print occurred a few centuries later, in the mid-1700s.

We use words freely that we clearly understand the meaning of with the word ‘cemetery’ being one such word, but what is it's origin? The word cemetery is taken from the Greek word Koimeterion, which is the word for ‘sleeping place.’ The word implies that the land has been set aside as a burial ground.

When researching early and mid 1800s articles discussing roads and road improvements, the term Mcadamize is sometimes seen, and can be found spelled various ways. But what does that term mean? It came from a Scottish gentleman named John Loudon McAdam, born in 1757, a pioneer in road construction and road improvement. His methods represented a significant improvement over previous road-building techniques which often relied on large, irregular stones and proved ineffective in handling drainage and wear. John Loudon McAdam’s methods significantly reduced travel cog from Scotland to London from approximately 7-12 days to just 3-5 days. This methodology still influences modern road construction techniques, including the development of tarmac (tar + macadam), commonly used in urban and suburban areas. His early work is still used in one form or another and is the basic engineering for designing most modern highways. An internet search of Mcadamized roads will furnish a plethora of information on the subject for those interested.