I mentioned earlier that I’d be visiting the Library of Virginia. Well, my youngest daughter and I did visit a couple of days ago. We had a very informative visit. First, let’s talk a bit about what the Library is. Formally founded by the Virginia General Assembly in 1823, the Library of Virginia organizes, cares for, and manages the state’s collection of books and official records, many of which date back to the early colonial period. It houses what is believed to be the most comprehensive collection of materials on Virginia government, history, and culture available anywhere. Its research collections contain more than 808,500 bound volumes; 678,790 public documents; 410,330 microforms, including 45,684 reels of microfilmed newspapers; 308,900 photographs and other pictorial materials; 101.8 million manuscript items and records; and several hundred thousand prints, broadsides, and newspapers. This of course, includes the birth and death records of most citizens of the the State of Virginia.

     Like most Nocks in the U.S., my family roots go back to Accomack County, Virginia. Over the last few years I’ve been able to gather quite a bit of information from Courthouse records in Accomack County. Because more comprehensive records are at the Library of Virginia, I knew that a visit to Richmond would be necessary. My focus was on birth and death records. To be honest with you, upon entering the building, my daughter and I both felt a bit overwhelmed. There is so much information there, that it was hard to know where to begin. Fortunately, the Genealogists and staffers there were super helpful. They were very eager and willing to help everyone, even if it meant walking people through documents, step by step. By the time we left, we felt quite comfortable scanning through different documents and files. Our biggest challenge was the same challenge that most African-Americans have when researching family history. Information is somewhat sketchy, especially when you go as far back as the slave period. We did find information on some of our enslaved relatives, but we also knew that we’ll need to make multiple visits to the Library of Virginia.

     Someone recently asked me if family research is really that important. I told her that I feel very strongly that it is. I once heard a fella say, ‘’if one doesn’t know their history, you are like a tree without roots’’. So much of who we are as people, has been predetermined by others in our past. I speak of those ancestors, upon whose shoulders we now stand. The people who dared to get on a boat and travel to an unknown land, looking for a better life. Those who were brought here against their will on a slave ship, as my ancestors were. They endured so much, yet they survived, so that I, and my children can be here, today. In my opinion, these people deserve our respect and honor. When I visited a cemetery in Accomack County, Virginia and saw some of my ancestors dating back almost two hundred years, I was touched like I’d never been touched before. I owe much to those people, and they deserve my respect.

-Damon Nock

Learn what to expect when you research at the National Archives. This video addresses how to enter the National Archives building in Washington, DC, what security measures the National Archives uses, what you’re allowed to bring into the research room with you, and how to use the research room and records.

 I have a question for our German and French friends. I recently read that Nocks in the United Kingdom are descended from Nocks who came to England during the Norman invasion. I was told that these German Nocks were mercenaries who fought for the Normans. Does anyone know if this is true? Are most Nocks in Europe descended from Nocks in Germany?

Ich habe eine Frage für unsere Deutsch und Französisch Freunde. Ich habe vor kurzem gelesen, dass Nocken in das Vereinigte Königreich von Nocken, die England während der normannischen Invasion kam abstammen. Mir wurde gesagt, dass diese deutschen Nocken Söldner, die für die Normannen kämpften waren. Weiß jemand, ob das wahr ist? Sind die meisten Nocken in Europa stieg von Nocken in Deutschland?

J’ai une question pour nos amis allemands et français. J’ai lu récemment que Nocks au Royaume-Uni sont les descendants de Nocks qui sont venus en Angleterre au cours de l’invasion normande. On m’a dit que ces Nocks allemands étaient des mercenaires qui ont combattu pour les Normands. Est-ce que quelqu’un sait si cela est vrai? Sont les plus Nocks en Europe descendent d’Nocks en Allemagne?

-Damon Nock

Accomack County’s history revolves around two elements: the land and the sea. The land is fertile, capable of producing great bounty, and Accomack is surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. So Accomack has enjoyed two advantages: an ability to produce food and the means of getting it to market. Public wharves were once located on many creeks where farmers would bring crops for market. Then, in 1884, the railroad came through. The railroad created new towns–Parksley, Onley, Keller, Tasley, and Painter–and it meant the demise of the numerous public wharves. Today most of these old gathering places exist only as names on a map and perhaps a collection of twisted pilings at the water’s edge, the last tangible evidence of a time in our history long past.

http://www.amazon.com/Accomack-County-America-Arcadia-Publishing-ebook/dp/B0093OGHEW/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1