Virginia Books

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.

Incomes and needs, wages and profits, wealth and poverty are the subject of much current debate. This book is contributon to the debate. It examines the concepts involved and the difficulty of defining them; it discusses the various theories which explain income differentials in terms of human capital, I.Q., education, or institutional power; and it assesses the effectiveness of government policy in limiting these differences. All this is a book about the distribution of income between persons - millionaires, doctors, manual workers, or pensioners - rather than between aggregate factors like land, labour, or capital.

The analysis is economic and the book is written for students of economics, but technical economic discussion is restricted largely to notes, and students of politics, sociology, and social administration will find that the book provides them with a useful basis for further study.
--- from book's back cover

This is a very good resource for anyone learning Cherokee or anyone who wants a bilingual book in Cherokee and English, and for anyone interested in Cherokee culture and history. It is a beautifully illustrated book and would make a wonderful gift or addition to any collection.

Long considered "the classic" volume on the Chesapeake Bay country. Now the famous figures live again: Captain John Smith, known to every school child as the man rescued by Pocahontas, who said of the Eastern Shore of Virginia: "Heaven and earth seemed never to have agreed better to have framed a place for man's habitation," and whose explorations were such an integral part of the history of the region; Francis Scott Key, who was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" aboard a British ship which was bombarding Fort McHenry; signers of the Declaration of Independence.

But if the reader is given new insights into familiar personalities and their exploits, he is also made privy to tales concerning lesser known persons and places which are no less interesting. Many of these, described in brief, could well be the nuclei of whole novels.

There is, for example, the tale of Col. George Talbot of St. Mary's County, a member of the Council, who had an altercation with the King's Collector-General and fatally stabbed him. Fearful that he could not receive a fair trial in Maryland, he had a change of venue made to Virginia, then subsequently received permission to go to England. But by that time he had already fled the environs. Legend has it that he found a haven in a distant manor in Cecil County, took refuge in a cave, and was fed by two trained hawks who brought him wild fowl from the river to serve as sustenance.

Or there is the story of Tulip Hill in Anne Arundel County, an outstanding example of colonial architecture at its best. Sometimes known as the "Old Galloway Place,". When it was being built Mrs. Galloway was an invalid, and the staircase was therefore constructed with exceptionally easy rises. It is reported that one of the Galloway sons returned from the capital one night in such high spirits after an evening of revelry that he rode his horse straight up to his room. Which may explain the print of a rough-shod horse's hooves on the stairs, which one can discern if one looks closely.

What material for a romantic historical novel in the section on the "Taney Place", the birthplace of Chief Justice Roger Taney and the site of a duel between Miles Taney and John Magruder, both of whom were smitten by the same beautiful Baltimore belle. During the course of a festive dinner Taney made a remark about the lady which angered Magruder to such a point that the latter, undoubtedly encouraged by a generous comsumption of wine, slapped his rival's face. Whereupon Taney drew his pocket knife and stabbed Margruder through the heart. Then, aided by his slaves and the darkness of the night, he escaped through a secret passage and made his way out of the state.

How Hope House was sold for a case of spirits, how Bowie Racetrack got its name, why early colonists burned down plantation houses to secure the nails used in building them - these are but a few of the nuggets to be found in this historical treasure chest.

And the copious photographs of boats, landscapes, the exteriors and interiors of houses, persons and college campuses add visual enchantment to the text while reminding Americans of richness of their artistic and historical heritage.

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. A gift that keeps giving. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.

An old fort ends up doing more than serving as a playground - it ultimately changes three lives. "The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman" follows three Native American girls as they encounter a white stranger and bestow upon him the titular nickname. They watch him from afar, but when they are chased by the man, their lives at home begin to change with unexplained consequences. A deftly written portrayal of the modern Native American family, enhanced with illustrations from Nadema Agard, "The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman" is highly recommended for community library children's fiction collections.

An indictment of Virginia's child support parenting adjustment
A Book Review by Roger F. Gay
For Men's News Daily and Fathering Magazine
This review is available with links at:<...Support's Wacky Math is a book about the way that Virginia and other states modify child support orders in consideration of visitation and shared parenting. It promises two things; to prove that the formula is grossly in error, and to show how reality gets lost and logic muddled in the overly political process that now dominates the child support system. It delivers on both promises with room to spare.

The author is a divorced father of "four wonderful children" and a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel. He is also a child of divorce. Robert W. Ingalls wrote the book because he feels obligated to his children who he admits are the joy of his life. He recognizes the pain that divorce causes children and the pattern of interference that millions of fathers encounter in their efforts to remain good parents.

In response, he applied career skills in math and logic to analyze the parenting adjustment formula. He found influential recommendations from the Virginia Bar Association to be logically and mathematically flawed and shows that their errors were intentional. Their recommendations amount to special interest politics rather than honest analysis.

Virginia, like most states, uses the "Income-Shares formula" for calculating child support amounts. The Income-Shares model has an explicit goal of increasing child support orders to two and a half times what they had been under established child support law. The name "Income-Shares" suggests redistributing parental income rather than providing support for children.

The idea of a shared parenting adjustment is to reduce the amount that paying parents are ordered to pay in recognition of the time they spend caring (and paying) for their children directly. The Income-Shares adjustment begins with a calculation that increases a paying parent's financial obligation to the other parent.

To some, the calculation may seem strange and invalid from the start. To others, the author points out, it can seem logical on the surface. If two households are involved doesn't that mean more expenses? But the underlying logic of this particular formula, he explains, is to get the result that the designer wants rather than an honest balancing of the books. It is illogical to reason that a payer's financial obligation to the other parent increases in recognition of his own expenses. The result is inadequate adjustment to child support orders. In most cases there is no reduction at all.

As obvious as the problem may seem to some, the debate has raged for more than a decade and this logical error and many like it are still policy. In an effort to reach the broadest possible audience, two prehistoric gentlemen are called upon early in the book to illustrate a basic point. Caveman Vinney invented the wheel and manufactures them. His cousin Grog sells them. Should Grog account honestly for his inventory or falsify his numbers to create the business picture that he wants? Lying about the numbers or applying flawed logic leads to problems. From there the book moves to a steadily paced demonstration of the wackiness of the Virginia parenting adjustment. If similar evidence was presented against Grog's wheel business it would undoubtedly be investigated by the Bedrock Securities and Exchange Commission, leading to Grog's indictment.

How should the child support problem be addressed? I place particular importance on an overlying theme of this book. "Mathematics is about logic and relationships," he writes. "Just because you can 'do the math' does not necessarily mean that the solution or formula or algorithm or whatever you call it is correct, even if every time you work the numbers the value arrives at the same answer. It has to have meaning."

Virginia statues have previously been criticized for leaving the term "child support" undefined; the ultimate absence of meaning. Avoiding meaning; meaningful definition, meaningful logic, meaningful data, was an essential part of the process of developing the Income-Shares guideline. Yet, too often I have seen well-intentioned experts repeat the process as though it will unlock a hidden secret and lead to improvement. At the end of Child Support's Wacky Math is a fitting quote from Albert Einstein. "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it." Good problem solving starts at the beginning and proceeds logically.

I suspect that Child Support's Wacky Math is the kind of book that many paying parents would like to write. An average father is no stranger to bill-paying and might even show stereotypical irritation when his dilapidated old wallet is beaten too hard. That irritation can only get stronger when it threatens the precious time divorced parents share with their children.

Putting together an integrated view of the child support issue that includes basic wisdom, logic, mathematics, and politics is not an easy task. Robert Ingalls was motivated to focus on one part of the child support formula, the shared parenting adjustment, because of the enormous personal importance of time with his children. That sentiment is echoed by millions of parents across the country. Narrowing the focus to one piece of the problem also allows a more complete presentation of the problems that the author promised to expose. His criticism of Virginia's wacky adjustment equation is probably the most extensive in existence.

Given the absence of an independent judiciary (my own observation); policy oversight must be provided by concerned and responsible citizens. (An important activity in any case.) The book Robert Ingalls has written certainly places him solidly in that group. Will it speak to the masses? The answer may lie in the promotional quotes on the back cover. After reviewing material that was used in the book, two members of the Virginia House of Delegates promised support to "address the error" and "correct the situation." If Robert W. Ingalls' analysis can induce corrective action, then this book should be in the hands of every legislator, governor, review panel member, judge, lawyer, reform advocate, and child support paying parent in the country.

I was assigned to read this book for my graduate class. Thinking it would be boring, I read the last chapter first. After that, I couldn't put it down! Anyone interest in children's services should have this book on her shelf! It's a smooth, easy, enlightened look at children and libraries.