Virginia Genealogy

A lot took place at the birth of our nation in the state of Virginia and many of us trace our family ancestry to the early settlements there. My family story begins in West Virginia, but up until 1861 there was just the one state of Virginia.  West Virginia officially became a separate state in 1863. Even though there was an official division, a lot of family groups stayed right where they were. Those of us tracing our family history into West Virginia will find the names of localities changing as we work back through a timeline even though the families we’re tracing never actually went anywhere.

If we strip off the re-labeling exercise of 1861 then I guess my family research actually starts in Virginia when it comes to pointing to things on a map.  I’ve managed to work my way back to a patriot ancestor, Benjamin Clement, Pittsylvania County Virginia and have a lot of ground covered in my notes leading back to him.  In the hopes of finding more connections and filling in some gaps, I’ve built a place here to share what I’ve found so far with others.