Old Virginia and Her Neighbors, 2 volumes: Archive CD Books USA

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Old Virginia and Her Neighbors, 2 volumes

Product Code: US0376
Number of CDs: 1
Author: John Fiske
Pages: 835
Pub. Date: (1900) 2008
Qty in Cart: none

All too often histories leave us with little understanding of the history of “average” citizens and how (except in time of war) they interacted with either their government or society as a whole. Although chastised by some of his reviewers for breaking up his history with the interspersion of social commentary, researchers will find many of his digressions provide valuable insight into everyday life of the colonial Virginian. And, by using the search capabilities in this PDF version they will be able to compile information on specific aspects of society. Written as a part of a series on early American history, Fiske’s two-volume history, Old Virginia and Her Neighbors covers the period from Sir Walter Raleigh’s first excursions to 1753 and the beginning of the French and Indian War. Although the title includes Virginia’s neighbors, the author notes that he allocates only 107 pages to Maryland, 67 pages to the Carolinas and a page to Georgia. The focus both here and in his comparisons with New England is a better understanding of Virginia’s place in history.

There is an extensive section on Bacon’s rebellion as well as references to a number of other minor rebellions that rarely make it to the history books and may be useful in explaining an particular ancestor’s actions. Another section on piracy will be of interest to some, but it is, as noted earlier, the social history and commentary whether on the workings of the vestry and county government, architecture and furniture, horse racing and other forms of gambling, entertainment, education and politics and other aspects of life in general that will be of greatest interest. Also interspersed among the historical are amusing vignettes of individuals providing specific examples of life during the period— his comments on some physicians and parsons suggest that one might have been better off without either. While the documentation does not meet today’s standards, there are frequent references to sources which provide an opportunity for further study.

Summary by Barbara Vines Little, CG
for Archive CD Books USA

This electronic book includes high-quality images of every page as originally published (not just a transcript) and is fully searchable using Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 4 or later recommended) on any Windows, Macintosh, or Unix computer. The data files are completely self-contained, and require no installation.

Old Virginia and Her Neighbors, 2 volumes