Last weekend my husband and I went antiquing in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. Sometimes the antique stores carry old books that can be valuable for researchers. This weekend I found Marriage Records of the City of Fredericksburg, and of Orange, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties, Virginia 1722-1850. Compiled and Edited by Therese A. Fisher, for only $8.00, Marriages of Louisa County, Virginia 1766-1815 compiled by Kathleen Booth Williams for only10.00. This was two great finds. Now maybe nobody in my family happened to live or marry in those counties, but if I am helping someone else, I might be able to use these.
I also found the book Martin's Hundred by Ivor Noel Hume. This book is about an early settlement by the Virginia Company which in later years became part of Carter's Grove. I hope to find references about early settlers in my attempt to connect family members to Jamestown.
I find that reading histories about the areas where your families may have lived helps a genealogist understand why they left or why they may have died. It can explain relationships between families and how they traveled together. Where they worshiped could play a large factor in migration or relatonships.
So here's to reading and how it can be the center of your research.