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Company History Research in Virginia

Guide to researching historical Virginia businesses.

Books

Publications related to Virginia business history can be searched in the LVA Catalog. These include:

  • Company histories
    Search for the name of the company. Examples: Atlantic and Danville Railway Company, Ethyl Corporation, Tredegar Iron Works
  • Industry histories
    Search for the name of the industry. Examples: Virginia banks, Virginia mines, Virginia railroads
  • Local histories
    Search for a county or city followed by a subject. Examples of common subject headings: Norfolk history, Norfolk industries, Norfolk commerce, Norfolk business, Norfolk economic conditions

Bibliographies

Published bibliographies can be useful for locating older published sources about Virginia companies.

  • Cappon, Lester Jesse. Bibliography of Virginia History Since 1865. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, 1930.
    This guide to Virginia history collections at major libraries includes publications about business and industry. A detailed subject index lists names of individual companies.
  • Larson, Henrietta Melia. Guide to Business History: Materials for the Study of American Business History and Suggestions for Their Use. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1948.
    This book contains summaries of publications about early Virginia businesses. Publications about Virginia companies can be found in the index under the individual company name or under "Virginia."