University of Virginia Library

PARISH RECORDS OF THE DIOCESES OF SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA, 1648-1900

A list of the parish records in the Diocese of Virginia was published as
an appendix to the Archivist's Fourth Annual Report (1934). The presentation
of the following data completes for the entire state this survey of original
Episcopal church records.

The Diocese of Southern Virginia includes the two Eastern Shore counties
(Accomac and Northampton), the four peninsular counties (York, Elizabeth
City, Warwick, and James City), and the area south of the James
River as far west as Appomattox, Charlotte, and Pittsylvania counties. The
Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is composed of Highland, Augusta, Nelson,
Amherst, Campbell, Franklin, Henry, and the counties to the south and
west of them. A map of each diocese is reprinted herewith. All of this territory,
originally within the Diocese of Virginia, became in 1892 the Diocese
of Southern Virginia, from which the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia was
cut off in 1919. Their offices have no "general" historical materials comparable
to those which were listed last year. However, it should be stated
that all of them written prior to 1892 are concerned with the history of the
church throughout the state. Moreover, Miss Mary F. Goodwin, Historiographer
of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, hopes to complete during the
coming winter a report upon the parish lines within its area, which will be
photostated by the Virginia State Library.

This inventory of extant records was compiled largely from questionnaires
addressed to the rectors; unfortunately it is, to a limited extent, incomplete,
for a few clergymen did not reply. The records, with the exception of those
printed (titles in italics or within quotation marks), are in manuscript or
typescript. Every record is to be found in the individual parish unless its
location is otherwise stated or indicated by one of the following symbols:

• r Offices of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, St. John's Parish
  House, Roanoke.

• u University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville.

• v Virginia State Library, Richmond.

A date followed by a plus sign (+) indicates that the particular volume
covers the period from that year to the present and is still continuing. As
used below the word "Records" means a combination of Register and Vestry
minutes.

The results of this survey give further proof of the Archivist's observation
of last year that many parish records of even the nineteenth century have
been lost. The questionnaires, however, have served as reminders of the
historical value of these materials, and the Historiographer of the Diocese

of Southwestern Virginia, Rev. Devall L. Gwathmey, D.D., has recently
called attention to the need for their safe preservation (cf. Diocese of Southwestern
Virginia, Journal of the Sixteenth Annual Council . . . 1935, pp.
101-102).

For their interest and cooperation in supplying the following data grateful
acknowledgments are hereby made to the Rt. Rev. Arthur C. Thomson,
Bishop of Southern Virginia, to the Rt. Rev. R. C. Jett, Bishop of Southwestern
Virginia, to Mr. Thomas A. Scott, Secretary of the Diocese of Southwestern
Virginia, to Miss Goodwin, to Mr. Wilmer L. Hall, State Librarian,
and to the clergymen of each diocese.