Town of Leesburg : Special Collections

Thomas Balch Library’s special collections include a wide variety of rare and unique materials. These include:

Archives and Manuscripts • Cemetery Records • Census Records • Deeds and Wills • Genealogies and Family Histories • Historic House Files • Maps • Microforms • Military Collections • Newspapers • Oral Histories • Rare Books • Tax Rolls • Vertical Files • Visual Collections • Vital Records

	Archives and Manuscripts: Include Loudoun town and county records, personal papers, and business, organizational and club records. Collection materials include diaries, correspondence, account books, minutes and ordinances. Collection guides are available. Thomas Balch Library will make available, free of charge, one set of disposable earphones for patrons to use with audio-visual archival collections.
	Cemetery Records: Online index of more than 200 local cemeteries. Files with photographs of tombstones available on-site.
	Census Records: Federal census returns available on microfilm include Loudoun County 1810-1930, all Virginia counties 1810-1930, and selected adjacent Maryland counties. Online access to all U.S. census records is available on-site.
	Deeds and Wills: Published indexes available as well as microfilm of actual documents for most years up to 1904. More recent years available at courthouse.
	Genealogies and Family Files: Books and collections of genealogies and other information emphasizing Loudoun families. Online resources provide access to national and international genealogical information. Indices for the Family Files and Bible Records are available.
	Historic House Files: Lewis/Edwards survey files from Virginia Department of Historic Resources (M 022) and a later supplement (M 011) containing information about historic sites and buildings in Loudoun County Leesburg Architectural Surveys survey files of Leesburg’s old and historic districts (M 016) African American Architectural Surveys of Loudoun County (M 013) from the Black History Committee of Friends of the Thomas Balch Library, Inc., and County of Loudoun, Department of Planning, Leesburg, VA. Table of Contents and Indices to Exploring Leesburg Exploring Leesburg was published in 2003 by the Town of Leesburg. The Table of Contents, Address Index and Name Index were created by Thomas Balch Library volunteers and staff. Collection guides are also available.
	Maps: Historical and current maps of Loudoun County, its towns, and nearby counties. On-site access to database index of holdings and to the digital Virginia Sanborn Maps. An index (updated August 2010) is available.
	Microforms: Church Records, County and Town Minutes and Ordinances, Manuscripts and Monographs, Newspapers, Virginia Census and Vital Records. An index is available.
	Military Collection: Print and archival information about the Colonial period, American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War, and World Wars I and II.
	Newspapers: Loudoun County newspapers on microfilm and in hard copy dating from 1800. An index (updated June 2012) is available in three parts: news articles not associated with a last name, and articles associated with last names A-L and articles associated with last names M-Z.
	Oral Histories: From 1970’s to the present including many sponsored by the Black History Committee documenting African American experiences in Loudoun County, including Charles P. Clark, John Divine, and J. Dabney Simpson. An index of interviewees (updated August 2010) and a collection guide for Student Oral History Collection (M 008) are available. Thomas Balch Library will make available, free of charge, one set of disposable earphones for patrons to use with audio-visual archival collections. Please contact us for additional details.
	Rare Books: Including publications by historical figures in Loudoun County, such as Margaret Mercer (Popular Lectures on Ethics; Or, Moral Obligation; For the Use of Schools), Samuel Mcpherson Janney (Memoirs Of Samuel M. Janney, Late Of Lincoln, Loudoun County, Va., A Minister In The Religious Society Of Friends), William Wirt (The Letters Of The British Spy) and Thomas Balch (International Courts Of Arbitration).
	Tax Rolls for Loudoun County: Tithables 1758-1786, Personal Property 1782-1850, and Land Tax Rolls 1782-1870 are available on microfilm .

	Vertical Files: Biographical, Church, and Historical: Articles, clippings, and photographs about Loudoun County residents, local congregations, and local history. Vertical files are divided into three specific sections: Ephemera Unpublished Papers Vertical Files
	Visual Collections: Include over 10,000 indexed images dating from late 1800s to the present, illustrating local history. Collection highlights include works of Loudoun County photographers Russell Gregg (1930s and 1940s), Winslow Williams (1940s and 1950s), Lewis-Edwards Architectural Survey photographs (1970s), and Historic Postcards. More than 6,000 images are available digitally on-site. Additional information and collection guides are available Note: we are transitioning to a new software program to manage our visual collections. Please consult the Old Index and the New Index (updated April 2013) for the most up-to-date information.
	Vital Records: Indexes for Births 1853-1896, Deaths1853-1896, and Marriages 1757-1935 are available in print and on microfilm .

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Last updated: 4/19/2013 3:39:13 PM