W&M Libraries Blog

  • May 25, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    The records of the Office of the Bursar contain an array of financial information dating back to the 18th century. One of the more interesting aspects of these records that has recently come to light pertains to William and Mary's involvement in the slave trade. Many of the documents contain references to enslaved people who were held by the university as well as payments to slaveholders for the hire of their slaves.
  • May 19, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
  • May 13, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    We are very happy to share that we have added the digitized St. George Tucker Almanacs to the Digital Archive! The original almanacs are from the Tucker-Coleman collection, and now researchers can view and download the almanacs, which include Tucker's marginalia on gardening.
  • May 11, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    Cover. Bound Music Collection, Volume 231. Mss. 1.12.
  • May 4, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    Swem Library’s Special Collections holds the library of St. George Tucker. The library has been described by Jill M. Coghlan (“The Library of St. George Tucker” (M. A. Thesis College of William and Mary. Department of History. 1973.) In her work,  she revealed that the library holds a bit more than one-half of the books listed in Tucker’s estate.
  • April 21, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    The Bursar's Records contain accounting and financial information for the College of William and Mary dating back to the mid 1700s. Unfortunately, some of these records have been lost due to fires and other events. However, the surviving records contain a wide variety of information that illuminate different aspects of life in early Virginia.
  • April 14, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    The records of the Office of the Bursar contain a wide array of financial information dating back to the 18th century. Recently, these records have provided additional information about the College of William & Mary's involvement in slavery and the slave trade. Many of the documents contain references to enslaved people who were held by the College, as well as payments to slaveholders for hiring enslaved people.
  • April 6, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    Bishop William Meade graduated at the top of his class at Princeton. He studied for the Episcopal ministry at a time when the fortunes of the Church in Virginia were at a nadir after the disestablishment caused by the Revolutionary War. He was ordained by Bishop James Madison who was also serving as President of the College of William and Mary. Along with Bishop Richard Channing Moore, he led a revival of the Church along evangelical lines.
  • April 1, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    Before a collection makes its way to a researcher's table in the reading room, archivists take considerable time preparing it: sort
  • March 30, 2016
    Posted in: Special Collections
    The records of the Office of the Bursar are some of the earliest and most comprehensive records of the College of William and Mary, some from the 18th century survive to the present day! The accounts document the financial interactions of the College of William & Mary and its personnel in the 18th-19th centuries.