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Virginia Genealogies and Biographies, 1500s–1900s is more than just a historical record. It’s a research treasure for anyone who wants to explore inherited health patterns, causes of death, and how our ancestors’ lifestyles may still influence us today.
This rich archive spans three centuries of life in Virginia and its colonial neighbors, combining over 20 volumes into one powerful collection. It includes rare and detailed genealogies, biographies, church and cemetery records, and even inventories of estates—resources that often include information on illnesses, early deaths, disabilities, epidemics, and family traits.
Why this matters for health-conscious genealogists:
- Causes of death recorded in wills, obituaries, and gravestone inscriptions can reveal recurring conditions in your family line, such as tuberculosis, cancer, stroke, or heart-related issues.
- Church parish registers and family Bibles often note deaths during outbreaks of diseases like yellow fever, cholera, or the flu—helping identify environmental and epidemic patterns your ancestors faced.
- Estate inventories sometimes list medical tools, medicines, or even payments made to doctors or surgeons—giving you a peek into the health practices of the day.
- Biographical sketches often note physical conditions, unusual ailments, or mental health challenges, especially for prominent individuals whose stories were thoroughly documented.
- Longevity patterns can be traced by studying birth and death dates across multiple generations, offering a clearer picture of life expectancy in your ancestral lines.
In an era when genetic health testing is more accessible than ever, this kind of documentary evidence helps complete the picture. It grounds DNA insights in historical context, answering questions about where a condition may have come from—or confirming a pattern that DNA alone might not explain.
Included in this resource set:
- Virginia Historical Genealogies
- Virginia and Virginians (2 volumes)
- Maryland and Virginia Colonials: Genealogies of Some Colonial Families (2 volumes)
- Some Prominent Virginia Families (4 volumes)
- Virginia Genealogies
- Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia (2 volumes)
- The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers (4 volumes)
- Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography (5 volumes)
- Colonial Virginians and Their Maryland Relatives
With thousands of pages of information compiled from private family collections, newspaper clippings, parish notices, gravestones, wills, and other records, this collection is a powerful tool for both seasoned researchers and curious beginners.
Whether you’re trying to connect your family to the earliest settlers of Virginia, fill in gaps in your lineage, or trace patterns that may impact your family’s health today, Virginia Genealogies and Biographies offers both answers and a wealth of new questions worth exploring.