JJ, Your located in NOVA which I take to mean Northern Virginia?? If so, get thee to the Library of Congress which has a whole section on genealogy.
I hit the place about 35 years ago, before the computer era when I lived in Silver Spring. Cleared up some issues regarding the family tree. Learned a lot forgotten over the years. Lotsa interesting factoids...
List of what the first guy brought with him from what is now Germany. Included "One Rifle"
Names of the guys in the militias from Braddock's Defeat up through the Revolution and Civil War.
Guy by the Name of Dr Samuel Bates did the rosters for the PA regiments. That was a bit time consuming reading through. One dead at Vicksburg, one dead at Fredericksburg, one dead at Wilderness, one dead at Antietam, One dead at the James River. Two dead of disease. One severally wounded standing in a wheat field next to a Peach Orchard July 2nd 1863.
Even found some references from the Old Country!! A guy pinched for poaching the local noble's game. lol.
They have the Census records. No slaves on my family farms.