Books published by Heritage Books

The establishment and maintenance of public roads were among the most important functions of the county court during the colonial period in Virginia. Each road was opened and maintained by an overseer (or surveyor) of the highways, who was appointed each year by the Gentlemen Justices. The overseer was usually assigned all the able-bodied men (the "Labouring Male Tithables") living on or near the road. These laborers then furnished their own tools, wagons, and teams and were required to work on the roads for six days each year.County court records relating to roads and transportation are collectively know as "road orders." The Virginia Transportation Research Council's published volumes of road orders and related materials contain not only information on early roads, but also the names of inhabitants who lived and worked along the roadways, plantations, farms, landmarks, landforms, and bodies of water.Much of this information is found nowhere else in early records, making these publications invaluable not only to historical and cultural resources research, but also to other disciplines, including social history, preservation planning, environmental science, and genealogy.

The establishment and maintenance of public roads were among the most important functions of the county court during the colonial period in Virginia. Each road was opened and maintained by an overseer (or surveyor) of the highways, who was appointed each year by the Gentlemen Justices. The overseer was usually assigned all the able-bodied men (the "Labouring Male Tithables") living on or near the road. These laborers then furnished their own tools, wagons, and teams and were required to work on the roads for six days each year.County court records relating to roads and transportation are collectively know as "road orders." The Virginia Transportation Research Council's published volumes of road orders and related materials contain not only information on early roads, but also the names of inhabitants who lived and worked along the roadways, plantations, farms, landmarks, landforms, and bodies of water.Much of this information is found nowhere else in early records, making these publications invaluable not only to historical and cultural resources research, but also to other disciplines, including social history, preservation planning, environmental science, and genealogy.

The Montgomery County Sentinel was first published as a weekly newspaper in 1855 by Matthew Fields and has been continuously published, with brief interruptions, until the present. The early focus of the paper was on advertising and politics, with relatively litatle space devoted to local news. News articles were usually brief and to the point without elaboration. On two occasions, once before and once during the Civil War, the paper suffered brief interruptions while Matthew Fields, a Southern sympathizer, was held by Union military forces. Following the war, publication was continued by Mr. Fields or his family until it was sold in 1932. This compilation of selected Montgomery County Sentinel extracts is taken from available microfilm records. Marriages, deaths, lists of undelivered letters, civil appointments, voters, jurors, road notices, significant events-these records are a gold mine of names and dates, with the added benefit of an index to names, places, and subjects. This book is a valuable resource for anyone researching the Montgomery County area. Is your missing relative hiding in these pages?

Hundreds of letters and documents written at Valley Forge have been published in collections that represent the best-remembered men of the Revolution. There are also documents of uncounted numbers by lesser officers and staff functionaries that have never been published, or have been printed long ago and are no longer readily available. The intent of this effort is to present a selection of these, in the seventh of such volumes, to allow greater understanding and appreciation of the Valley Forge Encampment. The six month encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge has long since entered the realm of American myths. Some of the stories that have become legendary are reinforced in the letters herein. There are a number of references to the lack of shoes, blankets and clothing. Food was in desperately short supply. Efforts to rectify these difficulties are represented in these pages. Documents are arranged chronologically, and the original spelling and punctuation has been retained. A descriptive note at the foot of each entry gives the source location of each document, and identifies the writer and recipient the first time each individual appears. The author scoured the National Archives and more than twenty other state archives, university libraries, and historical societies in his search for these rare papers. An index to full-names, places and subjects adds to the value of this work.

The Montgomery County Sentinel was first published as a weekly newspaper in 1855 by Matthew Fields and has been continuously published, with brief interruptions, until the present. The early focus of the paper was on advertising and politics, with relatively little space devoted to local news. News articles were usually brief and to the point without elaboration. On two occasions, once before and once during the Civil War, the paper suffered brief interruptions while Matthew Fields, a Southern sympathizer, was held by Union military forces. Following the war, publication was continued by Mr. Fields or his family until it was sold in 1932. This volume is a compilation of selected Montgomery County Sentinel extracts, taken as before from available microfilm records, which extends the time covered in the previous work. Some existing copies are torn, partially mutilated, or illegible. Marriages, deaths, civil appointments, voters, jurors, significant events-these records are a goldmine of names and dates, with the added benefit of an index to full-names, places, and subjects. This book is a valuable resource for anyone researching the Montgomery County area. Is your missing relative hiding in these pages?