{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ritchie%2C+William+F.%2C+1813-1877\u0026view=compact","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ritchie%2C+William+F.%2C+1813-1877\u0026page=2\u0026view=compact","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ritchie%2C+William+F.%2C+1813-1877\u0026page=2\u0026view=compact"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":2,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":13,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c26","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c26#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003ePhotostat. Boston. Acknowledges his letter with copy of Mr. Washington's. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"names_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"persname_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 16"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePhotostat. Boston. Acknowledges his letter with copy of Mr. Washington's. Choate will not go to Richmond. Winthrop will go another year. Hillard would deliver good address. ER-479\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Photostat. Boston. Acknowledges his letter with copy of Mr. Washington's. Choate will not go to Richmond. Winthrop will go another year. Hillard would deliver good address. ER-479"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#5/components#25","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    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Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. 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Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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(Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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Ritchie","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c29#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eFacsimile. Boston. Has accepted official invitation for the 22nd of February. He will stay at Mrs. Stanard's as he had promised her. He is uncertain about whether he is deliver oration on the 22nd when he is to be presented with the cane of Washington. ER-496\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c29#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c29","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c29"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c29","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence","Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","English .","box 20","Facsimile. Boston. Has accepted official invitation for the 22nd of February. He will stay at Mrs. Stanard's as he had promised her. He is uncertain about whether he is deliver oration on the 22nd when he is to be presented with the cane of Washington. ER-496"],"title_filing_ssi":"Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie","title_ssm":["Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie"],"title_tesim":["Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1858 January 23"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1858"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Edward Everett to William F. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1858],"names_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"persname_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 20"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFacsimile. Boston. Has accepted official invitation for the 22nd of February. He will stay at Mrs. Stanard's as he had promised her. He is uncertain about whether he is deliver oration on the 22nd when he is to be presented with the cane of Washington. ER-496\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Facsimile. Boston. Has accepted official invitation for the 22nd of February. He will stay at Mrs. Stanard's as he had promised her. He is uncertain about whether he is deliver oration on the 22nd when he is to be presented with the cane of Washington. ER-496"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#9/components#28","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. 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Ritchie","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c43#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eFacsimile. Philadelphia. Matter of his oration cleared up. The 23rd will be satisfactory for his oration. Believes presentation should be after the oration. ER-497 a-b\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c43#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c43","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c43"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c43","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence","Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","English .","box 20","Facsimile. Philadelphia. Matter of his oration cleared up. The 23rd will be satisfactory for his oration. Believes presentation should be after the oration. ER-497 a-b"],"title_filing_ssi":"Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie","title_ssm":["Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie"],"title_tesim":["Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1858 February 4"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1858"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Edward Everett to William F. Ritchie"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"creator_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":1008,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1858],"names_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"persname_ssim":["Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 20"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFacsimile. Philadelphia. Matter of his oration cleared up. The 23rd will be satisfactory for his oration. Believes presentation should be after the oration. ER-497 a-b\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Facsimile. Philadelphia. Matter of his oration cleared up. The 23rd will be satisfactory for his oration. Believes presentation should be after the oration. ER-497 a-b"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#9/components#42","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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ER-495"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#9/components#27","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. 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Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"total_component_count_is":5387,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c10_c28"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Mount Vernon, copy. Has decided to give up residence at Mount Vernon. Understands present Virginia legislature is not favorable to his terms for sale, but if coming session desires he will extend time. Doubts if MVLA can organize under Bill passed by the Virginia Assembly or fulfill its aims if it incorporates. Association may be able to raise funds for purchase but not for maintenance, nor have women ability to administer estate. Will not sell to Virginia, for it to transfer to others. ER-9, p. 17\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c06","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence","John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","English .","box 16","A.L.S. Mount Vernon, copy. Has decided to give up residence at Mount Vernon. Understands present Virginia legislature is not favorable to his terms for sale, but if coming session desires he will extend time. Doubts if MVLA can organize under Bill passed by the Virginia Assembly or fulfill its aims if it incorporates. Association may be able to raise funds for purchase but not for maintenance, nor have women ability to administer estate. Will not sell to Virginia, for it to transfer to others. ER-9, p. 17"],"title_filing_ssi":"John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie","title_ssm":["John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie"],"title_tesim":["John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1857 January 2"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1857"],"normalized_title_ssm":["John Augustine Washington III to William F. Ritchie"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"creator_ssim":["Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":764,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"names_ssim":["Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"persname_ssim":["Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 16"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Mount Vernon, copy. Has decided to give up residence at Mount Vernon. Understands present Virginia legislature is not favorable to his terms for sale, but if coming session desires he will extend time. Doubts if MVLA can organize under Bill passed by the Virginia Assembly or fulfill its aims if it incorporates. Association may be able to raise funds for purchase but not for maintenance, nor have women ability to administer estate. Will not sell to Virginia, for it to transfer to others. ER-9, p. 17\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Mount Vernon, copy. Has decided to give up residence at Mount Vernon. Understands present Virginia legislature is not favorable to his terms for sale, but if coming session desires he will extend time. Doubts if MVLA can organize under Bill passed by the Virginia Assembly or fulfill its aims if it incorporates. Association may be able to raise funds for purchase but not for maintenance, nor have women ability to administer estate. Will not sell to Virginia, for it to transfer to others. ER-9, p. 17"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#5/components#5","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"names_ssim":["Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"persname_ssim":["Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 19"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Mount Vernon. John Augustine Washington asks Ritchie if the Virginia General Assembly has taken or will take action regarding the take over of Mount Vernon. Ritchie's repy to this letter, dated 19 December, is written at the bottom and described separately (next entry title) RM-1030, MS-5661\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Mount Vernon. John Augustine Washington asks Ritchie if the Virginia General Assembly has taken or will take action regarding the take over of Mount Vernon. Ritchie's repy to this letter, dated 19 December, is written at the bottom and described separately (next entry title) RM-1030, MS-5661"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#8/components#39","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. 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ER-3, p. 244"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#45/components#19","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. 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"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"total_component_count_is":5387,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c46_c20"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c42_c48","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"William F. Ritchie to George W. 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ER-23, p. 184"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#41/components#47","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. 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Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. 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The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. 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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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ER-9, p. 15\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05_c33#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05_c33","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05_c33"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05_c33","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c05"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence","William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","English .","box 15","A.L.S. (copy) Asks Mr. Washington to reconsider views he expressed in letter to National Intelligencer in April, and give Virginia another chance to purchase home and Tomb of GW. Is confident differences in points of view can be adjusted - that MVLA have same patriotic idea of permanent preservation as Mr. Washington. ER-9, p. 15"],"title_filing_ssi":"William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III","title_ssm":["William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III"],"title_tesim":["William F. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1856],"names_ssim":["Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861"],"persname_ssim":["Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 15"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. (copy) Asks Mr. Washington to reconsider views he expressed in letter to National Intelligencer in April, and give Virginia another chance to purchase home and Tomb of GW. Is confident differences in points of view can be adjusted - that MVLA have same patriotic idea of permanent preservation as Mr. Washington. ER-9, p. 15\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. (copy) Asks Mr. Washington to reconsider views he expressed in letter to National Intelligencer in April, and give Virginia another chance to purchase home and Tomb of GW. Is confident differences in points of view can be adjusted - that MVLA have same patriotic idea of permanent preservation as Mr. Washington. ER-9, p. 15"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#4/components#32","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. 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Correspondence","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. Correspondence","Correspondence","William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","English .","box 19","Richmond. Letter written at the bottom of John Augustine Washington's letter to Ritchie dated December 16. The reply from Ritchie states no action has been taken regarding the purchase of Mount Vernon. RM-1030, MS-5661"],"title_filing_ssi":"William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III","title_ssm":["William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III"],"title_tesim":["William F. Ritchie to John Augustine Washington III"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1857 December 19"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1857"],"normalized_title_ssm":["William F. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"names_ssim":["Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861"],"persname_ssim":["Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 19"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRichmond. Letter written at the bottom of John Augustine Washington's letter to Ritchie dated December 16. The reply from Ritchie states no action has been taken regarding the purchase of Mount Vernon. RM-1030, MS-5661\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Richmond. Letter written at the bottom of John Augustine Washington's letter to Ritchie dated December 16. The reply from Ritchie states no action has been taken regarding the purchase of Mount Vernon. RM-1030, MS-5661"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#8/components#40","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:43:08.918Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"text":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creators_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: ","Series 1. Administrative Records ","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War ","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. ","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. 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