Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions. Virginia Room copy fees apply.

Preferred Citation

Louise Wright Bailey Genealogical Collection, Accession #2014.1.6.2, Roanoke Public Libraries, Roanoke, VA

Acquisition Information

Donated by Louise Wright Bailey.

Biographical Note

Louise Wright Bailey was born on 13 August 1928 in Roanoke, Virginia. She was a graduate of Jefferson High School, Roanoke College and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (then the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina), from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. As the wife of Harry Bailey for almost 60 years, Louise lived in various states across the country and traveled extensively as a result of Harry’s army career. Louise was an avid genealogist who began her research in the early 1970s. Due to living in many locations, she was able to visit institutions housing collections relevant to her research. She, along with her brother, Fred Boyer Wright, Sr. and sister Julia Wright Wells, published a history of the Straley-Wright Families. She continued collecting genealogical information until the early 2000s. Louise Wright Bailey passed away on 30 January 2012 in McLean, Virginia.

Scope and Content

The Louise Bailey Collection consists of 12 record storage boxes which include family group sheets, records, correspondence, news clippings, photographs, handwritten research notes, birth, marriage and death announcements and photocopies of publications related to Mrs. Bailey’s research. Some of the primary surnames included in the research are: Bailey, Boyer, Cook, Cornett, Farley, French, Romine, Straley, Thompson, Vaught and Wright, as well as many other connected surnames from the 1600s to the early 1900s. The majority of the collection focuses on Southwest Virginia, though other parts of Virginia, other states and some European connections are represented. Mrs. Bailey maintained excellent organization of her genealogical research materials, which was further maintained in the processing of this collection. It is also important to note that in many cases, source information was provided for this thorough genealogical collection. It should also be mentioned that much of the correspondence included in the collection contains genealogical information, as Mrs. Bailey received research requests from individuals all over the country. Records included in the collection are often handwritten transcriptions for official records, but in some cases may include photocopies of the records.

Please note that records from Virginia counties that became part of West Virginia in 1861 are filed with West Virginia records.

Arrangement

Documents are arranged by alphabetically by document type and in most cases by geographical location thereafter.

Please note that records from Virginia counties that became part of West Virginia in 1861 are filed with West Virginia records.

Index Terms