Virginia House of Delegates unveils searchable website
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The Virginia House of Delegates, which is marking its 400th anniversary this year, has unveiled a new, first-of-its-kind searchable website of members from 1619 to the present.
Known as DOME (Database of House Members), the website pays tribute to the 30-foot dome within the rotunda of the capitol building, and is the culmination of an ambitious, multi-year project by the House Clerk's Office. Historians, descendants, researchers, students and the general public can now easily find data chronicling the almost 10,000 men and women who have served as Burgesses or Delegates elected to the oldest continuously elected English-speaking lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere.
DOME is organized into four categories – 1) Burgesses and Delegates; 2) Speakers and Clerks; 3) Legislative Sessions and Committees; and 4) State Capitol Locations.
The first and second categories offer an array of personal, legislative and historical information on current and former House members as well as the institution’s chief presiding officers (speakers) and the body’s chief administrators (clerks). Searchable features include last names, session years, and localities or districts represented by a member as well as details such as years of service. The third category provides a chronology of legislative floor sessions over 400 years and lists leadership roles and committee assignments of members, and the fourth category describes the various meeting locations at which the body has assembled.
DOME is designed as a living research tool and contains a feedback mechanism (via email) which encourages user interaction; those with additional verifiable information are encouraged to share what they may know from their own research or family archives.
DOME is available for preview at history.house.virginia.gov. Work is still underway to improve functionality on mobile devices, expand content and enhance overall navigation. The official final release of DOME will take place later in Spring 2019 or after the conclusion of the 2019 Regular Session.
