Books by WESLEY PIPPENGER

For this work, the compiler reviewed microfilm copies of a number of guardians accounts or records books for the period 1707-1888 in Essex County, Virginia. The problem that users often face with using this type of original record is that the court indexes to the guardianship records usually refer to the person bonded or the guardian, and not the ward who is the primary interest for genealogical research. Most of the entries here are from sources that actually have "Guardians" on the spine of the original record book. Also, particularly for the early years, guardianship records (mainly bonds) may be found in Will Books. The index that is created here frequently presents the name of the ward, the name of a deceased or living parent, and the name of the guardian. Since public birth records do not begin in Essex County until 1856 and are rather incomplete for many years thereafter, the guardianship records supplement that void by frequently showing a parent-to-child relationship. Sadly, the earliest guardian bonds rarely give the name of the parent of the orphan.The filing date is indexed here for most records except bonds wherein the date the bond was executed is used. Oftentimes a guardian account is presented to the court earlier than the date it is finally recorded, as it frequently sat in "limbo" for one or more months pending any exceptions presented. As time goes on, one will find that a certificate may be recorded for a minor over the age of fourteen years who has chosen a guardian. A corresponding bond may list additional minors in the same family group who are under the age of fourteen years.A buried name index adds to the value of this work.

This collection follows an earlier publication that contained marriage and death notices and other items of interest in an assortment of early newspapers that covered Essex County, Virginia and the town of Tappahannock. Presented here are similar items that have been gleaned from The Rappahannock Times, published in Tappahannock, for the period 1939 through 1952.Since publication of the first volume, the compiler has collected additional items from the Virginia Gazette and the Richmond Enquirer, in large part due to discovering a compilation of related transcripts by the late Miss Mary Wright, of Ashland, Virginia, done sometime in the early 1950's.Included in this work are announcements about the opening of new businesses, births, marriages and deaths, house or building fires, and other events in the development of the area. Not included are frequent references to who was visiting where, who has been sick with what illness or in what hospital, engagement announcements, church services, what minister was preaching where, social meeting announcements and details, political announcements, and other items not directly related to the development of Tappahannock or Essex County.Entries are verbatim transcripts. The index contains entries for all names, places, occupations, and many subjects.

Long before the Rappahannock Times came to being, a number of newspapers covered Essex County from Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Williamsburg, Virginia. The earliest newspaper printed in Tappahannock, Virginia, that we have copies of, is the Tidewater Index, for May 10, 1873. The Tidewater Democrat followed this in 1896, and by 1923 we find the Rappahannock Times, which is being printed today. The continuity of issues that have survived is poor, and the bulk of what is known to exist is found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.Entries from Tappahannock newspapers are verbatim transcripts, while entries from other newspapers may be abstracts. In addition to marriage and death notices, entries are included for land and/or buildings for sale or rent, notices of stolen or strayed livestock, items for sale and sales events, run-away slaves, lists of letters in the post office, accidents, and much more. The source is listed at the end of each entry. An index to full-names, places and subjects adds to the value of this work.

This work is a compilation of data found in 1,510 marriage records of Westmoreland County, Virginia, for the years 1850 through 1880. Not all of these marriage records are found at the courthouse in Montross, Virginia, as twenty-seven are found only in church records and nineteen in neighboring counties. Fifty-four licenses were issued for which there is no further information or minister return.The data here are derived from multiple sources, including: marriage licenses or applications, minister returns of marriage, consents by guardian or parent, or entries in either of two bound marriage registers, and supplemented with family Bible records, cemetery records, military records, and other publications. The index, which is made up of over 12,000 entries, contains a heading for C.S.A. to list 212 Confederate soldiers identified.Data have been presented as found in the original records by considering all individual pieces found. Oddly, the date of marriage on the minister return and in either of the two marriage registers (state and local copy) differs frequently. In these cases, the date found on the minister return portion of the marriage license is used. Also, the compiler has inserted information from outside sources in brackets, i.e. "[ ]", or in nearly 1,100 footnotes. These additional sources include a range of published marriage records from Westmoreland and surrounding counties. Additional publications used are found in the bibliography. Specific sources are listed at the end of each item. An index to full-names, places and subjects adds to the value of this work.

For some time the author delayed preparing a genealogy for this part of his family-the biggest reason being that he could not learn anything about the ancestry of the last wife of his ancestor, James Washington Alexander, who apparently married five times. Also, it seemed doubtful that a group of seven brothers and sisters Alexander in Somerset County, Maryland were really the issue of a Rev. James Alexander as had been claimed by some researchers for several decades. Recent research has linked the group of seven children to John Alexander of Eredy, County Donegal, Ireland, and his son William Alexander.The author has primarily followed only his direct line that removed from Maryland to Virginia, through John Sheldon Alexander, and has not pursued his siblings' descendants past about 1800.Facsimile reprints of original documents, photographs of people and places, a bibliography, and an every-name index add to the value of this work.

This work is a compilation of data found in 1,702 marriage records of Richmond County, Virginia, for the years 1854 through 1890. The number of marriages greatly increased after the War of the Rebellion. The data are derived from multiple sources, including: marriage licenses or applications, minister returns of marriage, consents by guardian or parent, or entries in either of two bound marriage registers, and supplemented with family Bible records, cemetery records, military records, and other publications. The index contains an entry heading for C.S.A. to list 160 Confederate soldiers identified. A bibliography and an every-name index add to the value of this work. The index contains over 12,000 entries.

This is the fifth and final volume of the title series by this compiler, and it documents over 12,000 burials, mostly shown on monuments, in Alexandria National (Soldiers) Cemetery, St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery, and the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery. Included is an addendum to previously published volumes. When combined with earlier volumes in the series, the compiler has now presented information for approximately 45,000 burials within the present city limits of Alexandria, Virginia. Each featured cemetery is presented with details about its historical background, structure, and available records. Entries are presented as a complete inscription as suggested by the Association for Gravestone Studies. The text contains frequent commentary about occupations, residences, and family connections of the deceased. Also, a number of diagrams, maps and photographs contain additional useful data. Partial data for the Alexandria National (Soldiers) Cemetery may be found on the Internet, as was published in 1866 by the U.S. Quartermaster's Department. However, one will find major differences between the Quartermaster's data, the cemetery's database (now maintained in Culpeper, Va.), and actual tomb stone inscriptions. The information is presented here in the order that monuments appear, row by row. Perhaps the most significant element of this volume is that it contains previously unpublished burial data obtained from St. Mary's Catholic Church. Presented is information for nearly 400 unmarked burials and deaths, recorded between 1829 and 1852, from the records of St. Mary's Catholic Church-including the deaths of two Revolutionary War soldiers, Pierre LeCroix and Francis Ignatius Hagan. The author has compiled over 65 publications that provide researchers data about Alexandria, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and other nearby locations. These include information about area cemeteries, marriage and death records, estate records, legislative petitions, property and land records, newspapers, and more.