Facts

When were birth and death registers implemented? April 11, 1853. Sort of. There were laws regarding the recording of such events as early as the 1600s. Practice unfortunately did not always follow suit. Use the Resource Links tab to access a site that goes into greater detail about Virginia’s death index. Most states have similar information pages. By knowing these dates you may realize you are searching fo something that was never recorded to state with, thus saving a lot of unnecessary research time. 

When was the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia first viewed by someone other than Native Americans?  Arguably, it was in August 1670, by a German named John Lederer, a full 46 years before Governor Spotswood and the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe crossed through Swift Run Gap into what is now Rockingham County, Virginia. There are a number of websites with further information about Lederer. The Virginia Germans by Klaus Wust (University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1984) is an excellent book on the early German Presence in Virginia and includes research on John Lederer.

In 1752 in North America, the month of September only had 19 days. A very important bit of information for researchers of eighteenth century dated documents. Something to remember when calculating those birth and death dates too! Go to the Resource Links tab and click on “History of the Julian/Gregorian Calendar Change” for access to more information about just why this happened. A fascinating but little-known fact!