The Changing Face of Alexandria, Late September 1863

Newspapers provide interesting and sometimes entertaining insights into a given time and place, which probably explains why I get so much enjoyment from browsing through copies of Civil War-era dailies and weeklies. (Plus I really like those old engravings!) This past weekend I read a few issues of the Alexandria Gazette from the end of September 1863. The articles offer a look at the continuing impact of war on Alexandria. After all, by this time 150 years ago, the Union military had occupied the city for over two years. The proximity of Alexandria to the nation's capital, and its role as a Federal supply depot and hospital center, brought a dramatic transformation during the war years.

Bird's eye view of Alexandria, 1863 print (courtesy of Wikipedia)

The city attracted thousands of new inhabitants, including slaves fleeing to the relative safety of the Union lines. The Gazette noted on September 25, 1863:

Since [1860], the temporary population of the city has been much increased, there being, particularly, an influx of "contrabands," the numbers of whom cannot be accurately ascertained.

A few days later, the paper described the changing face of Alexandria in the wake of this extensive migration:

The influx of strangers and new comers into this place, is very great. An old resident now observes along the streets, but few of his former acquaintances and friends, in the moving mass of pedestrians. . . . The business portion of the population too, is, almost entirely changed. Some few of the old signs remain, but new names, new firms, new occupations mostly meet the eye. (Sept. 28, 1863.)

All of the added population put pressures on the local housing market. According to the Gazette:

The demand for houses for rent is very great just at this time. An advertisement in the Gazette, offering a house for rent, a few days ago, brought twenty or thirty applicants in an hour or two. (Sept. 22, 1863.)

Not unexpectedly, the Gazette reported that "[r]ents are higher in this place, at this time, than they have ever been within the recollection of the oldest inhabitant." (Sept. 22, 1863.) Resourceful property owners found ways to take advantage of the shortage:

What was a very small open yard or court, on King Street, a few days ago, has been roofed in, and front and back walls built up, and six or eight hundred dollars per annum rent offered for the premises at once. (Sept. 22, 1863.)

More people also translated into increased demand for other necessities, like fuel. The Gazette measured the impact and urged caution:

The price of fuel -- wood and coal -- keep up. Consumers, this season, will have to be very economical, in order to keep their expenses at all within reasonable limits. It should be their duty to attend particularly to the use of fuel in their kitchens, offices, stores, dwellings, &c -- For there is often enough wasted, which if saved, would pay for tons of coal and cords of wood. (Sept. 22, 1863.)

The Gazette also kept readers informed about the availability and affordability of food:

The market was well supplied with vegetables and fruit, this morning, but prices remained as high as ever. (Sept. 22, 1863.)

Some inhabitants took matters into their own hands when it came to finding sources of nourishment:

It is said that more cows are kept in town this year, than there were ever before. The demand for milk and cream, all through the summer, has been great, and many families are supported from their dairies. (Sept. 24, 1863.)

Of course, entrepreneurs rushed to capitalize on all of the mouths to feed:

The number of restaurants and eating houses in this place continues to increase rather than diminish. They spring up like mushrooms, in a night, and every day sees a new sign, denoting where the hungry can be fed, -- "for a consideration." If one half of the places designated as "oyster houses" are kept supplied with bivalves, it will take a fleet of craft to furnish the quantity required. (Sept. 24, 1863.)

Businesses also catered to the burgeoning demand for entertainment. The Gazette offered this tidbit to readers:

DICK PARKER'S MUSIC HALL, at the corner of King and Royal streets, is the centre of attraction for amusement seekers. The Hall has been beautifully fitted up, and is well arranged for concerts and musical entertainments. Since it was opened on a Monday night, a full house has greeted each performance and great satisfaction has been given. (Sept. 23, 1863.)

An advertisement placed by Dick Parker's in the same edition of the Gazette boldly promised: "BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, NEW FACES, SPLENDID COMPANY, EVERYBODY DELIGHTED." (Sept. 23, 1863.) For the grand sum of one dollar, a guest could secure a private box. Otherwise, parquet seats could be had for twenty-five cents and orchestra seats for fifty cents.

The war literally took place at Alexandria's doorstep, and the city's inhabitants were surrounded by constant reminders of the conflict. John Mosby and his Rangers continued to wreak havoc across Northern Virginia. According to an article appearing on September 28:

Fifty of Moseby's [sic] men made a descent on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad last night, above Fairfax, tearing up the track, firing Pope's bridge, and cutting the telegraph. One bridge was partially consumed, but has been repaired, and the trains are again running.

Alexandria also saw the delivery of a different sort of cargo from the front:

One hundred and thirteen Confederate prisoners, taken within the past few days by the Army of the Potomac in its advance, were brought to this place this morning, and sent on to Washington. (Sept. 25, 1863.)

Meanwhile, the Union Army remained active in rounding up civilians suspected of disloyalty:

A family by the name of Beach, seven in all, living near Fairfax Station, have been arrested and sent to Washington, charged with complicity with Moseby's [sic] men. (Sept. 22, 1863.)

The war farther afield also preoccupied the people of Alexandria. The recent Battle of Chickamauga took top billing in the Gazette at the end of September. Perhaps many readers were shocked to read this piece reprinted from the Richmond Examiner:

The Surgeon General received a dispatch. . . conveying the melancholy tidings of the death of Major General J.B. Hood, of Texas. He was wounded in the leg by a grape shot in the battle on the Chickamauga, and sank under the effects of the amputation. (Sept. 26, 1863.)

The article, however, got it wrong, as Hood survived the wound he received during the engagement and lived to fight another day.

Alexandria had indeed changed considerably in the space of a few years, and as September 1863 drew to a close, the city continued to experience the consequences of war and occupation. Old residents and newcomers alike lived in a crowded, overpriced, and bustling place. Without a doubt, the importance of Alexandria to the Union war effort ensured that life in the city would not return to normal any time soon.

In Search of the Contraband Camps of McLean, Virginia, Part II: Camp Beckwith

A few weeks ago I wrote about the location of one of the contraband camps in the McLean, Virginia area. The Union Army established Camp Wadsworth on property belonging to local Confederate sympathizers near Langley on May 30, 1863. Just one week later, the Federal authorities decided to organize yet another contraband farm in the same general vicinity. This week I turn my attention to the possible location of this second camp, which was situated near Lewinsville. The historical evidence is somewhat less definitive than in the case of Camp Wadsworth, but I wanted to present my preliminary conclusions based on the documents and other sources I have reviewed since starting my research.

As D.B. Nichols, Superintendent of Freedman, noted in his July 1863 report on the newly-established contraband camps:

[W]e organized . . . Camp Beckwith, on MCVAY's and JACKSON's farms, near Lewinsville. (N.Y. Times, Aug. 9, 1863.)

According to a map of land ownership for Fairfax County in 1860, property belonging to both Dr. William Harvey McVeigh and Townsend McVeigh sat very close to the crossroads at Lewinsville. There is no record of a "McVay," so presumably Nichols misspelled the last name. Moreover, farmland under the name of Susan M. Jackson was located adjacent to William McVeigh's land near Lewinsville. Jackson was the widow of the infamous James W. Jackson, who gunned down Col. Elmer Ellsworth of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves at the start of the war. James Jackson's mother also had extensive acreage in the vicinity, but farther from Lewinsville and the McVeigh property. Both the McVeigh and Jackson families had reason to attract the attention of Union authorities, so it is perhaps not surprising that their abandoned land became the target for a social experiment involving the resettlement of contrabands.

Wartime view of Lewinsville, Virginia, from Harper's Weekly, Dec. 14, 1861 (courtesy of sonofthesouth.net). As I noted in a previous post, this depiction of the village is somewhat fanciful.

The McVeigh Property

Townsend McVeigh was born in Virginia in 1800. He owned land in Fairfax County close to Lewinsville (grid square 30:1, 1860 Map), but resided with his family in Loudoun County. In 1859 Townsend conveyed 95 acres near Lewinsville to his son William, a physician born in 1828 (grid square 30:1). This land comprised part of the Windy Hill Farm, which is today listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites.

According to 1860 Census, William McVeigh lived in Fairfax with his wife and three small children. He raised hay, oats, and potatoes. William also owned some dairy cows and cattle. Presumably this farming took place on William's property in Lewinsville. Tax records from 1861 indicate that McVeigh had three slaves.

Mason Shipman leased William's farm or otherwise raised crops there under contract.* The exact start and end date of this business relationship remains uncertain. Shipman's name appears on an 1862 Union Army map of Northeastern Virginia at or near the location of William's farm (see below). According to historian Chuck Mauro, Shipman was farming on William McVeigh's land when the Union Army confiscated his hay in 1863.

Map-1,detail of an 1862 Union Army map of Northeastern Virginia ("McDowell map") showing Lewinsville, Langley, and vicinity (courtesy of Library of Congress). The Shipman residence sat to the northwest of Lewinsville in an area along Scott's Run where William McVeigh's land bordered Susan Jackson's property.

William became active in the local community. He sat on the Board of Trustees for the Strawberry Vale Institute for Young Ladies near Peach Grove (today's Tyson's Corner).** William also served as one of the commissioners in the Lewinsville precinct for the vote on the Ordinance of Secession. William cast his ballot for ratification along with thirty-eight others, but in the end, Lewinsville was one of three precincts in the county to reject the Ordinance on May 23, 1861. Like other secessionists, William likely left his farm in 1861 before the Federal occupation of the neighborhood that fall. He died at his father's home in Middleburg in 1864.

The McVeigh family had its fair share of encounters with Union authorities. On April 10, 1863, the Alexandria Gazette reported that a "Dr. Wm. H. McVeigh" was one of several civilians arrested for disloyalty and brought to Washington by Union forces under Gen. Julius Stahel. Townsend McVeigh, William's father, also appears to have been arrested for his anti-Union sympathies and placed on a prison barge opposite Alexandria in June 1863. When he refused to take the oath of allegiance, Townsend was sent to Old Capitol Prison in Washington and later released.*** Records indicate that William's brother, Townsend Jesse (or T.J.) McVeigh likely served as a chaplain of the 2nd Virginia Infantry. T.J. was captured in early 1862 and sent to Old Capitol Prison. He was released on parole in March of that year.

When the Union authorities began to look for a place to locate a contraband camp outside of Washington, they surely wasted no time in setting their sights on the McVeigh lands. According to Shipman's claim before the Southern Claims Commission, Camp Beckwith was established on William's farm near Lewinsville. (Sprouse, Vol. 4, 1349.)**** It is altogether possible that some or all of the neighboring land owned by his father was also used for the same purpose, but I have yet to find any proof. Today the McVeigh properties are occupied by residential housing. The green area on Map-2 below represents William's property superimposed on the current-day map of McLean. Townsend McVeigh's land is shown in blue.

Map-2, showing the probable location of Camp Beckwith (view Camp Beckwith in a larger map)

The red pin  indicates the location of Lewinsville at the intersection of Chain Bridge Road and Great Falls Street. The Windy Hill farmhouse is indicated by the blue pin. The home, built around 1827, survives today but is barely visible behind trees.

Looking down Lewinsville Road along the southern edge of the former William McVeigh property. A housing development now sits on the heights above the treeline. The Windy Hill farmhouse is also located in the same neighborhood.

The Jackson Property

The Jackson family's land became the target of Union authorities for obvious reasons. James W. Jackson was born near Lewinsville in 1823 to Richard and Jane Donaldson Jackson.***** His father died when he was about six months old. Jane wanted her son to attend Georgetown College, but in the end she sent James to live with his brother, John, in Kentucky. While residing in the Bluegrass State, James met and married Susan Maria Adams of Washington County. He returned to Fairfax with his wife sometime before 1850 and spent a few years farming a tract of land around Lewinsville. In 1858 James became the proprietor of the Union Hotel in Fairfax Court House. By 1860, the Jackson family owned four slaves. Around the start of 1861, James moved his family to Alexandria, where he signed a five-year lease on the Marshall House at the corner of Pitt and King Streets. On January 19, the Alexandria Gazette reported that Jackson's inn and tavern were open for business.

James W. Jackson (courtesy of Johnson County Community College).

Jackson became an ardent secessionist and defiantly flew the stars and bars from the roof of the Marshall House to demonstrate his allegiance. As Union troops occupied Alexandria on May 24, Col. Ellsworth entered the hotel and tore down the flag. Jackson, a combative person by nature, confronted Ellsworth and killed him with a musket blast to the chest. Jackson was immediately shot dead by a Union soldier. The young innkeeper left behind his wife and three daughters. Soon after his death, Jackson was hailed throughout the Confederacy as a martyr for the cause of Southern independence.

James Jackson's wife owned over 120 acres near Lewinsville (grid squares 20:4, 21:3, 29:2, & 30:1). She acquired most or all of  this land in 1859. Susan was living in Alexandria with James when he was killed, and it is unclear whether she ever resided on her property in Lewinsville after his death. Susan and her children may also have visited or stayed with her mother-in-law in Lewinsville sometime during the summer of 1861.******

Jane Jackson lived on over 600 acres along the Leesburg-Georgetown Turnpike near Langley and Lewinsville (grid squares 20:2, 20:4, 21:1, & 21:3) Her home is indicated on Map-1 to the west of Prospect Hill. In October 1861, soldiers from the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves raided Jane Jackson's house upon learning that she had furnished sensitive information to the Confederates about Union troop movements and positions. They placed her under arrest and sent her to Washington. The soldiers also found "two arms-full of important papers." (Ltr. from Anon. to Lancaster Express, Oct. 16, 1861.) According to one contemporary account, the Union troops "took all her negroes which could be of service to them, and gave the others away." (Anonymous 45.) They also "destroyed her furniture, and appropriated a quantity of house-keeping stores which she had laid up." (Anonymous 45.)

Jane and Susan, like other Confederate sympathizers, may have left the area at some point during the war, but more research is needed to determine their whereabouts. In June 1863, the Union Army established part of Camp Beckwith on property that had been abandoned by the Jackson family. Federal authorities likely selected Susan's tract, given its immediate proximity to Lewinsville and William McVeigh's land, where the other half of the camp was located. Jane Jackson's land was farther away, although I have not found evidence that would definitively exclude her property as a possible site.

Susan Jackson's property is indicated in orange on Map-2 above. Suburban housing developments now cover the land. The Capital Beltway (I-495) also cuts through the eastern edge of Jackson's former property near Scott's Run.

Photograph west looking along Lewinsville Road in McLean towards land that once belonged to Susan Jackson. The landscape has been dramatically transformed since the 1860s. Notice the bridge over I-495. 

Based on available sources, we generally know where the Union authorities placed Camp Beckwith. My research over the last several months has raised even more questions that it has answered. Work remains to be done, such as a thorough examination of the Shipman claim. I'd also like to find soldiers' letters and other primary source documents that contain possible clues confirming the camp locations. Another big unknown is the story of the contrabands who lived at Camp Beckwith and neighboring Camp Wadsworth. Other topics include the experiences of the Federal troops who protected the camps and the aid society workers who taught and assisted the contrabands. In the coming months and years, I hope to find more information, and I plan on returning to this topic to share my discoveries.

Notes

*William McVeigh's arrangement with Shipman is mentioned in a few secondary sources. (See Mauro 111; Sprouse, Vol. 4, 1349.) These sources rely on the Shipman's claim for damages before the Southern Claims Commission (SCC). Unfortunately, the SCC file is not available on-line, and I have not yet independently verified the content of Shipman's claim. An examination of the SCC file is likely to uncover additional details about both Shipman and McVeigh.

**The advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette for Aug. 20, 1860 lists McVeigh's address as Annandale in Fairfax County. It is unclear whether he resided there for a particular period of time before moving to Lewinsville, or maintained a residence in both places.

***Articles in the Alexandria Gazette refer to Townsend McVeigh as "Dr. Townsend" or "Dr. Townshend" McVeigh of Middleburg, Loudoun County.

****Again, a thorough examination of the Shipman SCC file may reveal additional details about the placement of Camp Beckwith.

*****Jackson's boyhood home, built in the mid-18th century, still stands along Swink's Mill Road in McLean. The house is listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites. The Jackson family sold the property in 1843.

******In an August 21, 1861 letter to the Pittsburg Gazette, a staff officer from the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves reported that some soldiers from the Reserves visited Jane Jackson's home and met one of James Jackson's daughters.

Sources

Alexandria Gazette, Aug. 20, 1860, Jan. 19, 1861, May 21, 1861, Mar. 7, 1863, Apr. 10, 1863, June 26, 1863, July 23, 1863, Aug. 15, 1863, May 10, 1864; Anonymous, Life of James W. Jackson: The Alexandria Hero, the Slayer of Ellsworth, the First Martyr in the Cause of Southern Independence (1862); Susan Collet Butler, "Windy Hill Farm," Yearbook of the Historical Society of Fairfax County, Vol. 11, pp. 63-74 (1971); Brian A. Conley, Fractured Land: Fairfax County's Role in the Vote for Secession, May 23, 1861 (2001); Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites Report: Windy Hill Farm (report and research notes of Susan Hellman, Dept. of Planning and Zoning,Sept. 2006, available at Virginia Room, City of Fairfax Regional Library); Carole Herrick, Images of America: McLean (2011); "Jackson Family Cemetery," Find-a-Grave (website); "James William Jackson (?-1861)," Find-a-Grave (website); "Jane Moore Donaldson Jackson (1796-1872)," Find-a-Grave (website); "Richard Jackson (1778-1823)," Find-a-Grave (website); Ltr. from "Alpha" to Pittsburg Gazette, Aug. 21, 1861 (courtesy of P.R.V.C. Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Anon. to Lancaster Express, Oct. 16, 1861 (courtesy of P.R.V.C. Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Nathaniel S. Falconer to Warren Ledger, Oct. 19, 1861 (courtesy of P.R.V.C. Hist. Soc.) ; Charles V. Mauro, The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers (2006); Hugh Milton McIlhany, Some Virginia Families (1903); "Dr. William Harvey McVeigh (?-1864)," Find-a-Grave (website); "Townsend McVeigh (1800-77)," Find-a-Grave (website); Beth Mitchell, Fairfax County in 1860: Property Owners (original map book available at Virginia Room, City of Fairfax Regional Library) ("1860 Map"); N.A.R.A., Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Virginia, available at fold3.com; N.Y. Times, Aug. 9, 1863; Official Records, 1:29:1, 201-02, 2:2, 272-73; "Mason Shipman (1828-1916)," Find-a-Grave (website); Edith Moore Sprouse, Fairfax County in 1860: A Collective Biography (1996) (7 vols. available at Virginia Room, City of Fairfax Regional Library); U.S. Federal Census Returns for the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1850 & 1860, available at ancestry.com; U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules for 1860, available at ancestry.com.

A Snapshot of Virginia on the Brink: The "Alexandria Gazette," January 19, 1861

The other day while researching for a future post on contraband camps in Northern Virginia, I came across a copy of the January 19, 1861 edition of the Alexandria Gazette. I soon realized the historic value of this particular paper. The articles and classifieds on page three paint a fascinating picture of Virginia on the precipice of the Civil War. The Commonwealth had not yet left the Union, but events were unfolding that would set Virginia on the tragic road to secession. Meanwhile, an innkeeper from Fairfax had just opened a business in Alexandria that would soon become a scene of wartime violence and martyrdom.

In mid-January 1861, the General Assembly of Virginia called for a state convention to consider the question of secession. By the time the Gazette was published on January 19, the campaign to elect delegates was in full swing. The paper published several items related to candidates in Northern Virginia:

The election for delegates was held on February 4, 1861. (See my previous post here.) Moss, a supporter of secession, lost to moderate Unionist William Dulany. George W. Brent, a strong pro-Union candidate from Alexandria County, won his election to the Convention. Janney and Carter, both Unionist candidates, took Loudoun's two seats. Janney would go on to become the President of the Convention. On April 17 the Convention voted to leave the Union, although Brent, Carter, Dulany, and Janney joined the minority against the Ordinance of Secession. Both Dulany and Brent, who placed loyalty to Virginia first and foremost despite their votes in the Convention, served as Confederate officers.

The January 19 edition of the Gazette also reported on a new innkeeper in town:

James Jackson, apparently eager to spread the word about his business, also placed a glowing advertisement in the same paper:

Only a few short months later, the Marshall House would make headlines across the county. On May 23, Virginia voters ratified the Ordinance of Secession by overwhelming numbers. In a public display of his allegiance to the secessionist cause, Jackson hoisted the stars and bars above the Marshall House. As Federal troops moved to occupy Alexandria on May 24, Col. Elmer Ellsworth of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves rushed to the roof of the Marshall House and ripped down the Confederate flag flying there. Jackson confronted Ellsworth in the stairwell and shot him dead. Cpl. Francis Brownell of the Fire Zouaves then killed Jackson with a musket blast. In the aftermath of Ellsworth's death, the young colonel and friend of Lincoln became a martyr for the Union cause. Confederates in Virginia and elsewhere exalted Jackson as a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of Southern independence. Almost immediately, souvenir hunters began to carry away pieces of the Marshall House. Jackson's new business venture, announced with great fanfare in the Gazette, had become just another casualty of war. 

Engraving of the Marshall House from Harper's Weekly, June 8, 1861 (courtesy of House Divided). The site is today occupied by the Hotel Monaco.

This one page in the Gazette speaks volumes about the interconnectedness of history. The fate of Jackson and the Marshall House were related to the Virginia Convention in ways that no one could have imagined on January 19, 1861. The Unionist candidates from Northern Virginia still hoped that secession could be averted. Jackson supported a break with the Union, but he also had a business to run and money to make. The Convention unleashed forces beyond the Unionist delegates' control. Secession and war soon followed. Jackson, a local innkeeper only months before, met his demise confronting Union troops and came to symbolize the Confederate cause in the early days of the conflict. On January 19, no one knew what the future would hold. Yet the story was all right there, on page three, waiting to happen.

Sources

Martha M. Boltz, "Jackson and Ellsworth: Death on both sides in the Civil War," Washington Times, May 18, 2011; Library of Virginia, Virginia Memory: Union or Secession (on-line resource); University of Richmond, Virginia Secession Convention (on-line resource).

Some Vintage Adverts and a Word About an Old Newspaper

My research over the last couple of weeks has led me to some on-line newspaper collections. The Library of Congress maintains the historic newspaper database, Chronicling America. This digitized collection contains a few Civil War-era newspapers for the Washington, DC area. I have found these papers useful in learning more about the 19th century landowners in and around Lewinsville and Langley, Virginia. Of course, I have also stumbled upon some fun advertisements during the course of my research. These ads provide a fascinating glimpse into daily life around the nation's capital prior to the war.

Take, for instance, the following lost and found ad from the October 7, 1856 edition of the Washington Evening Star:

Lewis D. Means owned property in Langley that the Union Army eventually seized for use as a contraband farm. However, at some point during the 1850s, he resided in Washington City and ran a tavern and drove yard. This ad mentions his "Drover's Rest, near Georgetown." Thomas A. C. Jones, the steer's owner, made some sort of arrangement with Means to ensure that his prized possession found its way back home. Jones lived near Prospect Hill, which was to the west of Langley along the Leesburg-Georgetown Turnpike. Apparently the roads of Northern Virginia were filled with enough men herding cattle that a farmer could lose his steer among them!

And how about a little something for "back to school"? The following ad appeared in the September 1, 1860 edition of the Evening Star:

This school was located near Peach Grove (essentially today's Tyson's Corner) and likely operated from the Strawberry Vale Manor, which was built around 1780. The educational program offered "young ladies" classes in a variety of subjects, including music, art, and languages. This ad appeared in the paper alongside many other classifieds for women's academies; such institutions became prevalent in the United States during the 19th century. I'd be curious to learn about the composition of the student body. For example, how many young women, if any, were sent all the way to Peach Grove from Washington or Georgetown? The Board of Trustees of the Strawberry Vale Institute includes Lewis Means and several other men who were apparently enlightened enough to believe in women's secondary education. (I'll be talking about Dr. McVeigh in a future post.)

News on Newspapers!

The Alexandria Gazette and the Alexandria Local News are vital primary sources for anyone researching the Civil War in Northern Virginia and Washington. Unfortunately, Chronicling America does not provide digital access to copies of the Gazette before 1887. The Fairfax County's Historical Newspaper Index is searchable for Gazette articles from the Civil War era, but digital copies are not available. Instead, a researcher must trek to the Virginia Room at the City of Fairfax Regional Library to print articles from microfilm, or order the hard copies, which can take a few weeks.

Imagine my excitement the other day when I learned that the Arlington Public Library provides on-line access to copies of the Gazette from 1808 to 1876. Use of the database is free of charge, but requires an Arlington Public Library card. Those living, working, or attending school in Arlington Country are eligible to receive a card, as are residents from reciprocal jurisdictions like Alexandria, DC, and Fairfax County. I have already found a treasure trove of Gazette articles related to my research on the contraband camps. This is just another example of how the digital revolution has brought historical archives to the home.

Sources

N.A.R.A., U.S. Federal Census Returns for the District of Columbia, 1860 (available at ancestry.com); National Women's History Museum, "1800s: Secondary Education for Women," The History of Women and Education (website).