Over one hundred years ago the Episcopal Bishop, William Meade, put together an important body of records which he incorporated into a now-famous two-volume work called "Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia." Compiled from parish records and vestry records, from moldy official documents, family records, and tombstone inscriptions, and from records in Lambeth Palace, London, Meade's narrative focuses on the history of the early Virginia parishes and provides details concerning the origins of the parishes, the drawing of parish lines, and the lives of the ministers and selected church members. Each chapter of the work also contains family histories and extensive lists of vestrymen, communicants, justices, and prominent figures. The Index, prepared by Jennings C. Wise, is a guide to 7,000 proper names as well as a digest of important facts recorded in the book.