Esther Murdaugh Wilson Memorial Room
601 Court Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
757-393-8501, x39 or 757-393-8973 (Main Library Reference)
Hours: 10:00 AM -3:30 or 4:00 PM (Please call ahead for hours).
Closed during building repairs.
The Local history room is available by appointment only Thursdays and Fridays 10AM-4PM.
Special exceptions on “First Weekends” of the month for the following dates:
December 2nd & 3rd
January 6th & 7th
February 3rd & 4th
March 2nd & 3rd
Friday, from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Please call 757-393-8501 x 39 to gain access through the Main Library “Friends of the Library Book Sale” entrance.
The Esther Murdaugh Wilson Memorial Room was founded in 1963 when Judge White donated his library toward a designated room for a non-circulating collection of history. The Naval Shipyard Museum also stores information relating to the area, but the primary emphasis is on the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (formerly Gosport Yard) in Portsmouth.
Got books to donate? Individuals wishing to donate books may drop them off at any of Portsmouth’s librarys. Please make sure to mention that they are for the Friends of the Library book sale. They should be in good condition, easily accessible and in boxes or bags. If you are unable to drop your donations off at the Friends of the Library “one guy and a truck” will be happy to help. Call to make arrangements at 757-686-8034 or 757-737-2156 or email stormythor@aol.com and put “I’ve got books” in the subject line.
The Room is dedicated to preservation of the history of Portsmouth and its people, and making this information available interested parties. (See our collection list below.) The Portsmouth of today includes annexation of eight surrounding areas from Norfolk County, therefore our collection includes data about the county and the surrounding areas of southeastern Virginia. Although the room hosts about 2,000 visitors yearly mostly from Virginia and North Carolina, we have received calls and emails from as far away as Wales, The Caribbean, and California. Ancestry.com is available within the room. Please call 757-393-8501 ext 39 to ascertain that a volunteer is available to assist you. You can email us at localhistory@portsmouthva.gov
The Room collection includes the following:
Vital and Cemetery Records can be found in the room, on this site, and at usgwarchives.org and are updated on regular bases. Births and deaths 1858 to 1898 CEMETERIES within the city limits (does not include the many small family plots found around town): Cedar Grove (oldest), Cheva Thilim (Jewish) Evergreen, Fisher Hill (African-American, includes Mt Calvery, Mt Olive), Gomley Chesed (Jewish), Lincoln (African-American), The Lincoln Memorial Cemetery database has been completed. The information has been updated up to January, 2010. It should be noted that burials prior to 1950 are sketchy to non-existent. Monumental Methodist Church, Olive Branch (Jewish section only), Oak Grove Portlock (older section), Oak Grove, St Paul’s/Catholic Trinity Episcopial Church Marriages 1858 to 1901, Marriages 1902-1906, Marriages 1907 to 1920, Marriages 1921-1925, Marriages 1926 Marriages 1927, Marriages 1928 and 1931, Marriages 1929-1930, Marriages 1932-1934, Marriages 1935-1937, Marriage records are a work in process, only the years with links have been completed.
City of Portsmouth Colored Births 1857-1896
- Vital Records
- Wills, deeds, marriage, census, etc records of Norfolk County & Portsmouth on microfilm
- Primary documents and maps relating to the City of Portsmouth and Norfolk County
- Books and documents pertaining to Portsmouth and Norfolk County
- Scrapbooks and notebooks from Portsmouth families and organizations
- Photo collections of several local historians/photographers, The Currents, etc (temporarily unavailable)
- Books and microfilm pertaining to Portsmouth and Norfolk County
- Jeffery T. Wilson’s “Index to the Colored Notes” for the year 1924.
- Books and materials dedicated to the Civil War
- Portsmouth High School Yearbooks. (Print a list of available books with schools & dates)
- Books by local authors
- Family genealogy related to Portsmouth.
- City & state publications, some of which are the last existing copies.
- Applications of membership to the Stonewall Chapter of Confederate Veterans (includes meeting minutes.)
- Genealogies and memoirs
- Applications for membership in the Stonewall Jackson Chapter of Confederate Veterans (meeting minutes included)
- The African American Historical Society of Portsmouth (http://blackhistoryportsmouth.org/)
Vital Records*
Wills, deeds, marriage, census, etc records of Norfolk County & Portsmouth on microfilm. Primary documents and maps relating to the City of Portsmouth & Norfolk County. Books and documents pertaining to Portsmouth and Norfolk County. Scrapbooks, notebooks and histories of Portsmouth families and organizations. Photo collections of several local historians/photographers, The Currents, etc. Portsmouth High School Yearbooks . Genealogies and memoirs. Applications for membership in the Stonewall Jackson Chapter of Confederate Veterans (meeting minutes included). City and state publications, some are the only existing copies.
Click to access Heritage Quest from within the library.
Click Here to Enter from home (Library Bar Code Required)
HeritageQuest Online provides libraries with a unique, growing collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture with over 25,000 books, the entire U.S. Federal Census, PERSI™, and other expanding collections. Beginning or professional genealogists can now use this powerful online library, with original page images for all documents, from the convenience of their home or at the library.
