CVHR members conduct research on a variety of topics related to the history of Central Virginia, with a focus on African-American history, genealogy, and place-based research. The articles and resources on this page document some of our findings and the associated methods we used in our analysis.

Topics

• An Historic Family Cemetery: The Sammons family were prominent members of the Hydraulic Mills / Union Ridge area. This article discusses their family cemetery and the important role they played in their community.
• The Hydraulic Mills / Union Ridge Community: This vibrant community developed after the Civil War and was an important social center for African-Americans living in Albemarle County.

Research Methods

These articles describe different methods of tracing African American family connections using a variety of antebellum and post-bellum historical records.

• Hydraulic Plantation: Hydraulic was a house, plantation, and a millworks about five miles north of Charlottesville, at the junction of Ivy Creek and the South Fork of the Rivanna River. This article describes two approaches to uncovering family connections, first starting with an enslaved individual and working forward, and then working backward from a known descendant person or family.
• Bleak House Plantation : Bleak House was a 692‑acre plantation nine miles northwest of Charlottesville. This article describes two approaches to uncovering family connections, first starting with an enslaved individual and working forward, and then working backward from a known descendant person or family.

Research Resources

• Genealogical Research at the Albemarle County Court House: This article by John C.E. Christensen, Sam Towler, Jean L. Cooper, and Patricia Lukas was published in the Spring/Summer 2016 edition of Central Virginia Heritage, and is posted here with their permission. CVHR thanks the authors and the Central Virginia Genealogical Association for allowing us to make this important resource available.
• Central Virginia Court Records and Documents: This resource from CVHR member Bob Vernon is a compilation of links to various online historical court records for central Virginia counties and the city of Charlottesville. Records are housed in the Reginald D. Butler Local History Archive or FamilySearch (free account required) and are not maintained by CVHR.