The Washington County Historical and Genealogical Society, located in the historic railroad depot in downtown Abingdon Virginia, has indexed their southwest Virginia, eastern Tennessee, northern North Carolina books and periodicals! The index is only available on their in-house computers.
Each entry is complete enough so that you can recognize your ancestors. You can print the whole surname or selected entries for specific time periods and localities.
Yesterday, I had the chance to search the database for several ancestors I am currently researching. And I am so excited about what I found! Instead of searching page by page through unindexed books and issues of hard-to-read periodicals, I can go to the exact entry I want.
When you plan your next research trip, put the Washington County Historical Society on your itinerary. Go there and check their database for your ancestors! Your favorite Virginia genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Or when I next come to Virginia to do research, I will check it for you! This is one of the big reasons that I still do field research–to take advantage of the quiet work done by local societies and their members.
PPS Copies are 30 cents per page. Evidently researchers express shock, for there is a big-letter warning on the computer screen–giving you a chance to back out. So come prepared.