"There are few American families that feature such a collection of characters, both heroic and ignoble, who have made such a mark on history as the Lees. In The Lees of Virginia, Paul Nagel chronicles seven generations of Lees, covering over two hundred years of accolades and scandals. We meet Thomas Lee, who dreamed of America as a continental empire, and his son, Arthur Lee, who created a political storm with his accusations against Benjamin Franklin. Arthur's cousin was Light-Horse Harry Lee, a controversial cavalry officer in the Revolutionary War, whose wild real estate speculation led to imprisonment for debt and finally self-exile in the Caribbean. One of Harry's sons, Henry Lee, further disgraced the family by seducing his sister-in-law and frittering away Stratford, the Lees' ancestral home. It was a third son, Robert E. Lee, who would become the family's redeeming figure, a brilliant tactician still revered for his lofty character and military success. In these and numerous other portraits, Nagel discloses how, from 1640 to 1870, a family spirit united the Lees, making them a force in Virginian and American affairs."
(From the publisher's description)
Irons in the Fire chronicles the agricultural, industrial, and commercial activities of four generations of the Tayloe family of Northern Virginia, revealing a greater complexity in the southern business culture of early America than scholars have generally recognized. Through the story of one representative family, Laura Croghan Kamoie illustrates how entrepreneurship and a broadly skilled slave-labor force combined to create economic diversification well before the American Revolution. Contrary to general historical perceptions, southern elite planters were, at least until the 1790s, very like their northern counterparts.
(From the publisher's description)
This is a compilation of speeches by a noted Northern Neck historian, augmented by many illustrations. The subjects include the Northern Neck's early settlement, speech patterns of the gentry and others, the "villaines" Moll Flanders and Henry Esmond, crime & punishments generally, a colonial church,
Mr. Conner's book gives Stafford County its own place in American history, from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Filled with photographs and illustrations, this handsome book gives an excellent overview of the county's development and includes noteworthy individuals and events that impacted the area.
Addressed to specialists and nonspecialists alike, Before and After Jamestown introduces the Powhatans--the Native Americans of Virginia's coastal plains who played an integral part in the life of the Williamsburg and Jamestown settlements--in scenes that span 1,100 years, from just before their earliest contact with non-Indians to the present day.
This first comprehensive overview of the Powhatans emphasizes how the Powhatan jigsaw has been pieced together with bits of evidence from archaeology, history, and cultural anthropology. Synthesizing a wealth of documentary and archaeological data, the authors have produced a book at once thoroughly grounded in scholarship and accessible to the general reader. Recognized authorities in Powhatan archaeology and ethnography, they have also extended the historical account through the native people's long-term adaptation to European immigrants and into the immediate present and their continuing efforts to gain greater recognition as Indians.
(From the publisher's description)
Virginia's long and rich history is documented by thousands of maps that trace the discovery, settlement, expansion, and growth of the commonwealth, yet no comprehensive atlas of the entire state has ever been published. Virginia in Maps fills that void, providing access to more than 200 color images of the most important maps of the colony and of the state in a single, large-format volume. The atlas's five essays by leading cartographic scholars will make it an essential reference and educational tool.
(From the publisher's description)
The year 2002 celebrated the 250th anniversary of the foundation of "George Washington's Mother Lodge." According to the authors of the new book The History of Freemasonry in Virginia, "Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 stands out as one of the brightest Lodges in the early history of Freemasonry in Virginia." Since 1752 it has maintained a continuous Masonic presence in Fredericksburg. Many of the town's prominent citizens have been members, and many of its prominent buildings have Masonic cornerstones.
The Central Rappahannock region produced many of the men who led the fight for independence and fashioned the new American nation. Some are remembered, and afforded their due. Some, like John Francis Mercer, are not remembered -- but should be….
Mrs. Haynie tells in story form the history of the Northern Neck of Virginia covering the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Mrs. Haynie writes about the distinguished men and women - George Washington and Robert E. Lee among them - who were born there. She also discusses and records many of the traditions and customs unique to this region of the state. Invaluable as a reference book for those interested in the history of Virginia. From the publisher's description
