Virginia Company Archives

Spanning 200 years of English colonial history, the Virginia Company Archives documents the Ferrar family's interest in the settling of North America (1590-1790) and the Virginia colony's economic development and settlement from the perspective of the Virginia Company of London (1606-24). Produced by AM, the database includes the Ferrar family's papers and their prints, a reproduction of Susan Myra Kingsbury's The Records of the Virginia Company of London, new tran scriptions of archival mater ial by David Ransome, and digitized copies of the earliest maps of Virginia, along with original color images and watercolors. Users can conduct basic searches by keyword or undeltake advanced searches, using options such as the Ferrar Papers (FP) references and the original document reference numbers; or browse the contents by Manuscripts, Printed Material, or Gallery (of images). Users may view, download, e-mail, save, and print material. A Searching Aid lists places and names that appear frequently. The straightforward help section provides useful screen shots and advice on how to incorporate the archives into the classroom. A bibliography, chronology, and additional resources are also included. A university system can share the digital platform across its network with no annual maintenance or cost-per-user fees.

Although portions of these archives exist in previous microfilm and print formats, the digital images of the Ferrar papers and prints are unique. Google has digitized Kingsbury's Records, but an extensive preview of this work is not available at present. Reading most of the manuscripts will require some training in early modern paieography, though inclusion of cross-references to previous publications and Kingsbury's embedded work are helpful. Undergraduates may find the collections difficult to use without guidance, but the value of this resource to graduate students, researchers, and faculty cannot be overstated. The Virginia Company Archives is an important addition to all colonial history collections. The producers of this digital resource, along with library- and museum-based collaborators, have greatly facilitated primary source research.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and above; interested upper-level undergraduates.

Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association