Books on Virginia History by James Siddons

 
New London Academy in 1888.

James Siddons is the author of two histories of important institutions in central Virginia. Both are copiously illustrated and have genealogical indexes of archival records of the school and church, respectively.

New London Academy: The Two-Hundred Year History of a Virginia Educational Landmark. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1994.

• Commissioned by the Board of Managers of New London Academy, a Bedford County, Virginia, public school, for the school bicentennial observance in 1995.
• New London Academy was chartered by the Virginia legislature in 1795 as a classical-curriculum school for boys in New London, Virginia. The village is now part of Forest, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson enrolled his grandson here and occasionally visited the school. Numerous Virginia political leaders, educators, military leaders and other notable people studied or taught here, or served on the Board. The Academy entered the public school system in the 1870s, serving two counties. A high school agricultural program was added in 1910. New London Academy is unique in having been a part of Virginia education since the 1790s. Index of 4,000 names drawn from archival records of the Academy, 270 illustrations, 612 pages. 
• For sale from New London Academy, 12400 East Lynchburg-Salem Turnpike, Forest, Virginia 24451, USA. Telephone 434 525-2177. Price $30.00, plus $3.00 for shipping. ISBN 1-55613-982-9.

A History of the First United Methodist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, 1828-1988, with Genealogical Index of the Church Archives. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1992.

     A history of one of the earliest congregations of the Methodist Protestant denomination (now part of The United Methodist Church), with name and subject indexes of the church archives from 1828 to 1939. The archival volumes are housed in the Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Virginia. Interesting information about the church's architecture and the Civil War in Lynchburg. 377 pages. For sale from Heritage Books, Inc., 1540 Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie, Maryland 20716, USA, for $33.50 plus shipping. Item no. S311. Tel: 1-800-398-7709 or visit www.heritagebooks.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store Code=HBI&Affiliate=jamessiddons . ISBN 1-55613-647-1.

The church façade of 1898.