author
John M. (John Melville) Jennings
b. 1918
A librarian, archivist, and historian of early Virginia, this author devoted much of his career to preserving and explaining the documentary record of the past. His books and articles reflect a deep interest in colonial history, rare books, and the growth of historical collections.
1 Audiobook
A Selected Bibliography of Virginia, 1607-1699
by E. G. (Earl Gregg) Swem, John M. (John Melville) Jennings
About the author
John Melville Jennings was an American librarian, archivist, and historian born in 1916. He studied at the College of William and Mary, served in the United States Navy during World War II, and later earned a master's degree from American University.
Jennings became closely associated with the Virginia Historical Society, where he joined the staff as librarian and later became director in 1953. He was credited with modernizing cataloging practices, strengthening the society's collections, and building professional library and archival work around its holdings.
As a writer, he focused especially on Virginia and early American history. His published work includes studies of the College of William and Mary and bibliographic work on seventeenth-century Virginia, showing the same careful scholarship that shaped his archival career.