This Week At The Main Library

Check it out, at the Main Richmond Public Library.

Monday, November 9
5:30 – 7 p.m.
ESTATE PLANNING BASICS
RPL community Law Program taught by local Attorney Thomas Neal “Tom” Jamerson. For details call: 646-7223

(Meanwhile at the Broad Rock branch, Homework Buddies from 3:30-5:30 pm
Students from Open High School will be available to help with homework! Free!)

Tuesday, November 10
12 noon – 1 p.m.
LUNCH BOX BOOK CLUB
Join us for a book discussion of Dead Wake by Eric Larsen. For details call: 646-7223

2 – 4 p.m.
TECH TUESDAYS
Computer, cell and all tech questions, call the Computer Lab: 646-2551, to reserve a 30 min sessions

2 – 4 p.m.
COMMUNITY LAW SERIES: Free and open to the public
For details call: 646-7223 “Love shouldn’t Hurt….The Crime of Domestic Violence” Helivi L. Holland, City Attorney of the City of Suffolk, VA

4 p.m.
STEM TUESDAYS
Explore, Learn and Create through STEM centers. Build exciting circuits, explore with magnets, computer gaming and more. ages 5 and up with an adult. For details call: 646-4768

Wednesday, Nov. 11
Closed for Veteran’s Day

Thursday, Nov. 12
10:30 – 12:00
Introduction To Finding Nonprofit Grants
Free. Seating limited. General Collections Training Lab. Call 646-7223 to register.

Great Grandparent Richard W. Robertson

I found this family history site, which includes individual pages on great-grandparents. One of those is on Richard W. Robertson, who lived at 302 Laurel Street.

Here is an excerpt:

A death certificate shows that Richard W. Robertson died at age 87, on October 16, 1918, while at Grace Hospital in Richmond. The certificate shows that he was born in July 1831, in Virginia. His father was listed as Alex Robertson and his mother as Sallie Williams, both born in Virginia.
At death, he lived at 302 Laurel St., Richmond. Apparently, from the certificate, the cause of death was an injury from a street accident involving a car. Whether he was a pedestrian, hit by a car, or a car’s occupant during the accident is unclear. The certificate informant was C. H.
Robertson, one of Richard’s sons, who lived at 2218 Hanover Dr. Richard W. was buried at Hollywood Cemetery. The death certificate information is very consistent with other information provided here, in my family history.

The 302 Laurel Street address, which is very near the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, was almost certainly the address of Mary A. Owen, Richard and Mary Robertson’s daughter. From the 1860s until Richard and Mary’s death, one pattern that emerges is the frequent changes in their addresses. This, along with the fact that they were living with their daughter at the time of death and that they are buried at Hollywood Cemetery without head stone markers, is consistent with the conclusion that Richard and Mary were likely very poor much of the time. Frequent
moving suggests they always rented their residences, and did not have a lot of stability in their living arrangements. And, having no head stone at their burial site, which was known at Hollywood Cemetery in the late 1800s, very early 1900s, to mean a lack of funds for purchasing one, also suggests the Robertsons were poor.

Richard and Mary Robertson is just one example of finding throughout my family ancestral history, from the 1860s into the 1900s, many poor economic situations. And, I believe, because these families were all southern families that their poor economic status was in large measure a
consequence of the Civil War.

New Overlooks For Hollywood Cemetery

The Times Dispatch has news of three new overlook river viewing areas planned for Hollywood Cemetery.

Excerpt from article:

“It’s going to be a beautiful spot where you can really come and sit and enjoy the spectacular view,” said Kelly Jones Wilbanks, the executive director of Friends of Hollywood Cemetery.
She said construction of the first overlook is scheduled to begin with a groundbreaking Friday, and work should be complete this spring.
The structure will include landscaping and “ample seating,” she said. It’s being designed by Van Yahres Studio of BCWH Architects.

ABC Notice for Altria Theater

From notice, as published in the Times Dispatch:

SMG Food and Beverage, LLC d/b/a Savor trading as Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel St., Richmond, Virginia 23220 is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) for a Wine & Beer On Premises; Annual Mixed Beverage Performing Arts Facility license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Harold L. Westley, President and CEO. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

Library Book Sale This Weekend

Friends of the Richmond Public Library will be holding a book sale this weekend at the Main branch, also coinciding with First Friday celebrations.
From the announcement:

Give in to your book buying addiction and attend the Friends’ Fall Book Sale. The sale will offer thousands of great hardbacks at $2, paperbacks, large print and children’s books at 50 cents, DVDs and CDs at $1, and cassettes at 25 cents. There are collectible books at a fraction of the going internet prices available in the Special Collections Room on Friday and Saturday.

The sale is open to the public:
Friday, November 5 from 12 noon – 5 p.m. and 7 – 9 p.m.
Saturday, November 6 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Monday, November 8 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

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Public Masturbation Reported

VCU Commonwealth Times newspaper is reporting that there have been repeated complaints about a public masturbator on the 195 overpass bridge on S. Laurel Street.

Excerpt:

On Oct. 28 at 9:30 p.m., junior advertising major Meredith Berger was walking to the library from her home in Oregon Hill when she was warned of a man publicly masturbating on the South Laurel St. Bridge.

“I was about to cross the bridge that is on Laurel going over the highway in Oregon Hill and was stopped by this girl,” Berger said. “She told me I should cross the street because there was this guy publicly masturbating.”

According to Berger, the young woman who stopped her seemed disturbed by the incident.

“She was really upset by this and she was really very adamant that I be on the other side of the street and not deal with him,” Berger said. “She was really nice though and made a lot of effort to stop me.”

Both Berger and her roommate, junior interior design major Noshin Faruque, described this man as African American, medium build and medium height in his late 30s to early 40s.

Faruque said she has come across this suspect five times.