{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Elizabeth+Van+Lew+Collection","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Elizabeth+Van+Lew+Collection\u0026page=2","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Elizabeth+Van+Lew+Collection\u0026page=2"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":2,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":12,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c01","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Copy of Elizabeth Van Lew Scrapbook","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c01#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eTwo typed copies of Elizabeth Van Lew's scrapbook created in 1904. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. 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Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36."],"separatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"separatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Separated Materials:"],"separatedmaterial_tesim":["Mss. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.","When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.","Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.","Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.","Mss. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access:"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. 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When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. 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When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.","When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.","Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.","Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.","Mss. 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Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Information:"],"bioghist_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36."],"separatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"separatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Separated Materials:"],"separatedmaterial_tesim":["Mss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection."],"names_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center","Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center"],"persname_ssim":["Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":11,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T22:26:39.691Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c07"}},{"id":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Letters from the War","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eIncludes letter from C.C. Blacknall to George Blacknall in which he describes his feelings on the year and the effects of the Civil War, A.R. McDonald to Gov. Zebulon Vance in which he describes his impression, as a private, on the problems caused by the three regiments of the North Carolina Home Guard and suggests ideas for reorganization, and Wm. M. Blackell to \"Dear Friend\" in which he describes his opinions of State Legislature's activities, mass desertions of Southern army, and mentions General Hampton's Calvary.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09","ref_ssm":["viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09"],"id":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09","ead_ssi":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","_root_":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","_nest_parent_":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","parent_ssi":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","parent_ssim":["viw_repositories_2_resources_729"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viw_repositories_2_resources_729"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection"],"text":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection","Letters from the War","Box 1","folder 9","Includes letter from C.C. Blacknall to George Blacknall in which he describes his feelings on the year and the effects of the Civil War, A.R. McDonald to Gov. Zebulon Vance in which he describes his impression, as a private, on the problems caused by the three regiments of the North Carolina Home Guard and suggests ideas for reorganization, and Wm. M. Blackell to \"Dear Friend\" in which he describes his opinions of State Legislature's activities, mass desertions of Southern army, and mentions General Hampton's Calvary."],"title_filing_ssi":"Letters from the War","title_ssm":["Letters from the War"],"title_tesim":["Letters from the War"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1864-1865"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1864/1865"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Letters from the War"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["College of William and Mary"],"collection_ssim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":9,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. 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Blackell to \"Dear Friend\" in which he describes his opinions of State Legislature's activities, mass desertions of Southern army, and mentions General Hampton's Calvary."],"_nest_path_":"/components#8","timestamp":"2026-04-30T22:26:39.691Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","ead_ssi":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","_root_":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","_nest_parent_":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/WM/repositories_2_resources_729.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Van Lew, Elizabeth","title_ssm":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection"],"title_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1854-1926"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1854-1926"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Mss. 65 V32","/repositories/2/resources/729"],"text":["Mss. 65 V32","/repositories/2/resources/729","Elizabeth Van Lew Collection","Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865","United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865","Correspondence","Notebooks","Photographs","Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.","When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.","Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.","Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.","Mss. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access:"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. 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Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Information:"],"bioghist_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36."],"separatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"separatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Separated Materials:"],"separatedmaterial_tesim":["Mss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection."],"names_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center","Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center"],"persname_ssim":["Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":11,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T22:26:39.691Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c09"}},{"id":"viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c10","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Miscellaneous Items","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c10#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003e22 items. Miscellaneous items include postcards of Old Blanford Church, drawings of dogs used to track escaped slaves, a clipping of the \"Libby Prison Minstrels,\" clippings and a program concerning John Brown, a photograph of the petit jury on the Jefferson Davis trial, a print of Hon. James K. 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Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. 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She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. 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Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. 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The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.","Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. 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Acc. 2000.54: Service copies and printmaster for microfilm of Elizabeth Van Lew Papers. Filmed by Preservation Resources."],"access_subjects_ssim":["United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865","Correspondence","Notebooks","Photographs"],"access_subjects_ssm":["United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865","Correspondence","Notebooks","Photographs"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["0.60 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["0.60 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Correspondence","Notebooks","Photographs"],"date_range_isim":[1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access:"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Information:"],"bioghist_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), also known as \"Crazy Bet,\" was an American spy during the Civil War who spied for the Union from her home in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1818 in Richmond, Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Van Lew was educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to abolitionism. After the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's eleven even though her father said they couldn't, the slaves included Mary Bowser. Then they bought and freed some of their relatives. Upon the outbreak of the war, Van Lew began working on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there. She aided prisoners in escape attempts, passing them information about safe houses and getting a Union sympathizer appointed to the prison. Prisoners gave Van Lew information on Confederate troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders. Van Lew also operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, including clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. Van Lew was able to have Bowser hired by Varina Davis, which allowed Bowser to spy in the White House of the Confederacy. To aid in her spying, Van Lew adopted the appearance of a crazy person, letting her hair grow wild and talking to herself in public. Van Lew's spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Ulysses S. Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper. She developed a cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. Van Lew's work was valued by the United States. George H. Sharpe, intelligence officer for the Army of the Potomac, credited her with \"the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65.\" On Grant's first visit to Richmond after the war, he took tea with Van Lew, and later appointed her postmaster of Richmond. Grant said of her \"You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.\" After Reconstruction, Van Lew became increasingly ostracized in Richmond. She persuaded the United States Department of War to give her all of her records, so she could hide the true extent of her espionage from her neighbors. Having spent her family's fortune on intelligence activities during the war, she tried in vain to be reimbursed by the federal government. Van Lew died on September 25, 1900, and was buried in Richmond."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents.\u003c/p\u003e"],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:"],"phystech_tesim":["When available, microfilm, photocopies, digital surrogates, or other reproductions must be used in place of original documents."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eElizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Elizabeth Van Lew Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eReprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information:"],"processinfo_tesim":["Reprocessed by Amana Katora in December 2011."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Papers, 1854-1926, collected by John Albree in preparing lectures on Elizabeth Van Lew. Includes letters, notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Includes typed copies of her scrapbook. Collection also includes material concerning Jefferson Davis and Civil War letters from North Carolina."," Acc. 2000.54 is microfilm of the collection. Folders 1-10 of the Elizabeth Van Lew Papers are available in Swem Library's microforms area on 1 reel of microfilm, call number E608 .V34 V36."],"separatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"separatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Separated Materials:"],"separatedmaterial_tesim":["Mss. Acc. 2000.54 Microfilm of  Elizabeth Van Lew Papers transferred to Swem Microfilm Collection."],"names_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center","Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections Research Center"],"persname_ssim":["Van Lew, Elizabeth","Albree, John"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":11,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T22:26:39.691Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viw_repositories_2_resources_729_c05"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"College of William and Mary","value":"College of William and 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