Written in 1886 by Edward Pollock, this volume is a example of the municipal boosterism popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Sketch Book has an illustrated cover and a map of Suffolk. It was the author’s hope that it would “accomplish its desired purpose and prove abundantly instrumental in furthering the commercial and social interests of Suffolk and her enterprising citizens.”
Pollock wrote “[t]he Town of Suffolk lies in Nansemond County, Virginia of which it is the County Seat. It enjoys exceptional advantages as a business centre and distributing point, being situated on the main lines of the Seaboard & Roanoke and the Norfolk & Western Railroads, and being itself the northern terminus of the Suffolk & Carolina and the Suffolk Lumber Company’s narrow gauge lines, both of which penetrate the rich agricultural and timber lands for which this portion of Eastern Virginia and the adjoining counties in North Carolina have long been famous. Suffolk, moreover, is situated at the head of navigation on the Nansemond River, which is sufficiently deep at this point to admit vessels drawing fourteen feet of water.”
Some of Pollock’s subjects were “Nat Turner’s Insurrection,” “Fatal Railroad Accidents,” “The Late Unpleasantness,” “The Shingle Trade,” and “Oyster Packing.” Biographical tidbits appear throughout the book and brief profiles of prominent men are gathered at the end.
See “Map of Nansemond County and Adjoining Counties Virginia” (posted March 22, 2021) for a sidebar about similar promotional literature.
1st U.S. Colored Cavalry 
My Holleman ancestors from Isle of Wight had large amounts of shingles listed in their estate inventories. I always wondered why. This booklet mentions “the shingle trade.” I googled it, and found a college thesis that explained it. The shingles were made from juniper trees in the swamplands in this area, and were made for roofing shingles. Who knew?
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Susan — Thanks for your comment!
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