{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bnames%5D%5B%5D=Sweat%2C+Margaret+J.M.+%28Margaret+Jane+Mussey%29%2C+1823-1908","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bnames%5D%5B%5D=Sweat%2C+Margaret+J.M.+%28Margaret+Jane+Mussey%29%2C+1823-1908\u0026page=2","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bnames%5D%5B%5D=Sweat%2C+Margaret+J.M.+%28Margaret+Jane+Mussey%29%2C+1823-1908\u0026page=34"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":34,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":337,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Abby Chace to Margaret Sweat","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Has been reviewing her papers but not found much. 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Miss Tracy spent it as she pleased.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60_c33","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c60"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. 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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":[1869],"names_ssim":["Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 70"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Has been reviewing her papers but not found much. Discusses what she knows and remembers regarding the boat contract. Says Mr. Riggs and Miss Tracy were irresponsible with money. Miss Tracy spent it as she pleased.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Has been reviewing her papers but not found much. Discusses what she knows and remembers regarding the boat contract. Says Mr. Riggs and Miss Tracy were irresponsible with money. Miss Tracy spent it as she pleased."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#59/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. 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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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Undated 062."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#92/components#16","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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Dined in Library, gives bill of fare. Registered in \"big\" book, paid $1.00. Herbert gave each bouquet of evergreens, departed at 4 p.m.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51_c24#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51_c24","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51_c24"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51_c24","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c51"],"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","Account of Margaret Sweat's visit to Mount Vernon","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","English .","box 61","Typescript copy. Account of her visit to Mount Vernon during the War, Feb. 24, 1864.  Account of trip by boat; 14 persons including Miss Tracy; describes camps along the river; Mount Vernon neutral ground; welcomed by Mr. Herbert; Mary McMakin also there.  Walked about grounds with Herbert who talked of experiences there during War.  Only portion or rooms \"made fit for occupancy\".  Dined in Library, gives bill of fare.  Registered in \"big\" book, paid $1.00.  Herbert gave each bouquet of evergreens, departed at 4 p.m."],"title_filing_ssi":"Account of Margaret Sweat's visit to Mount Vernon","title_ssm":["Account of Margaret Sweat's visit to Mount Vernon"],"title_tesim":["Account of Margaret Sweat's visit to Mount Vernon"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1864 February 24"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Account of Margaret Sweat's visit to Mount Vernon"],"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":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":3079,"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":[1864],"names_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 61"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eTypescript copy. Account of her visit to Mount Vernon during the War, Feb. 24, 1864.  Account of trip by boat; 14 persons including Miss Tracy; describes camps along the river; Mount Vernon neutral ground; welcomed by Mr. Herbert; Mary McMakin also there.  Walked about grounds with Herbert who talked of experiences there during War.  Only portion or rooms \"made fit for occupancy\".  Dined in Library, gives bill of fare.  Registered in \"big\" book, paid $1.00.  Herbert gave each bouquet of evergreens, departed at 4 p.m.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Typescript copy. Account of her visit to Mount Vernon during the War, Feb. 24, 1864.  Account of trip by boat; 14 persons including Miss Tracy; describes camps along the river; Mount Vernon neutral ground; welcomed by Mr. Herbert; Mary McMakin also there.  Walked about grounds with Herbert who talked of experiences there during War.  Only portion or rooms \"made fit for occupancy\".  Dined in Library, gives bill of fare.  Registered in \"big\" book, paid $1.00.  Herbert gave each bouquet of evergreens, departed at 4 p.m."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#50/components#23","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. 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Mr. Dodge has done much at Mount Vernon since last Council."],"title_filing_ssi":"Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1897 May 7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1897"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":5132,"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. 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Mr. Dodge has done much at Mount Vernon since last Council."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#90/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.  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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.  (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. 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"],"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_c91_c29"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Mount Vernon. Brief report of Grand Council. Visitors to Mount Vernon at Council time. Discusses Mr. Dodge and his work and health.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91_c31","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c91"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Series 6. 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Discusses Mr. Dodge and his work and health."],"title_filing_ssi":"Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1897 May 11"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1897"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alice Hill to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":5134,"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":[1897],"names_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 101"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Mount Vernon. Brief report of Grand Council. Visitors to Mount Vernon at Council time. Discusses Mr. Dodge and his work and health.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Mount Vernon. Brief report of Grand Council. Visitors to Mount Vernon at Council time. Discusses Mr. Dodge and his work and health."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#90/components#30","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.    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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.  (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.    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ER-20, p. 107\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c17#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c17","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c17"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c17","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82"],"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","Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","English .","box 92","A.L.S. Bridgeport. Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge. They are following the MVLA's example and asks for all information possible. Their Constitution, bylaws, etc.  Sends their circular of appeal for funds.  Invites them to ceremonies June 19, 1878.  Tells her of Civil War Field Hospital Service as a volunteer worker.  Mrs. Sweat's reply to this letter is copied on the reverse. ER-20, p. 107"],"title_filing_ssi":"Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1878 May 20"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1878"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":4660,"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":[1878],"names_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 92"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Bridgeport. Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge. They are following the MVLA's example and asks for all information possible. Their Constitution, bylaws, etc.  Sends their circular of appeal for funds.  Invites them to ceremonies June 19, 1878.  Tells her of Civil War Field Hospital Service as a volunteer worker.  Mrs. Sweat's reply to this letter is copied on the reverse. ER-20, p. 107\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Bridgeport. Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge. They are following the MVLA's example and asks for all information possible. Their Constitution, bylaws, etc.  Sends their circular of appeal for funds.  Invites them to ceremonies June 19, 1878.  Tells her of Civil War Field Hospital Service as a volunteer worker.  Mrs. Sweat's reply to this letter is copied on the reverse. ER-20, p. 107"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#81/components#16","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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Again invites MVLA to attend centennial ceremonies at Valley Forge. ER-20, p. 109\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c22#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c22","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c22"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82_c22","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c82"],"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","Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","English .","box 92","A.L.S. Bridgeport. Asks for names of women in the original thirteen states who might be suitable Vice Regents in the Valley Forge Association. Hopes their Association will uncover letters and documents stored away in forgotten places.  General Lacey's grandson recently published Washington's letters to his grandfather.  Headquarters in fine state of preservation, purchased directly from Potts family.  Again invites MVLA to attend centennial ceremonies at Valley Forge. ER-20, p. 109"],"title_filing_ssi":"Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1878 June 8"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1878"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Anna Holstein to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":4665,"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":[1878],"names_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 92"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Bridgeport. Asks for names of women in the original thirteen states who might be suitable Vice Regents in the Valley Forge Association. Hopes their Association will uncover letters and documents stored away in forgotten places.  General Lacey's grandson recently published Washington's letters to his grandfather.  Headquarters in fine state of preservation, purchased directly from Potts family.  Again invites MVLA to attend centennial ceremonies at Valley Forge. ER-20, p. 109\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Bridgeport. Asks for names of women in the original thirteen states who might be suitable Vice Regents in the Valley Forge Association. Hopes their Association will uncover letters and documents stored away in forgotten places.  General Lacey's grandson recently published Washington's letters to his grandfather.  Headquarters in fine state of preservation, purchased directly from Potts family.  Again invites MVLA to attend centennial ceremonies at Valley Forge. ER-20, p. 109"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#81/components#21","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-19, p. 91"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#52/components#48","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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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_c53_c49"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Confidential. Great financial crisis, on Dec. 3 only $107 in treasury. Revenue from visitors, wharfage, sale of photographs. Investments hard to sell. Riggs' unsought report to Council and misunderstanding; Regent cancels debt to him, he resigns. Owes Mr. Herbert $1500, Sec. Tracy $200, Council's budget impractical with no funds. Regent decides to retrench drastically awaiting spring boat service. Loans made by Mr. Herbert and G.W. Riggs. ER-11, p. 151\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55_c27","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c55"],"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","Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","English .","box 65","A.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Confidential. Great financial crisis, on Dec. 3 only $107 in treasury.  Revenue from visitors, wharfage, sale of photographs.  Investments hard to sell.  Riggs' unsought report to Council and misunderstanding; Regent cancels debt to him, he resigns.  Owes Mr. Herbert $1500, Sec. Tracy $200, Council's budget impractical with no funds.  Regent decides to retrench drastically awaiting spring boat service.  Loans made by Mr. Herbert and G.W. Riggs. ER-11, p. 151"],"title_filing_ssi":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1868 January 29"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1868"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":3287,"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":[1868],"names_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 65"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Confidential. Great financial crisis, on Dec. 3 only $107 in treasury.  Revenue from visitors, wharfage, sale of photographs.  Investments hard to sell.  Riggs' unsought report to Council and misunderstanding; Regent cancels debt to him, he resigns.  Owes Mr. Herbert $1500, Sec. Tracy $200, Council's budget impractical with no funds.  Regent decides to retrench drastically awaiting spring boat service.  Loans made by Mr. Herbert and G.W. Riggs. ER-11, p. 151\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Confidential. Great financial crisis, on Dec. 3 only $107 in treasury.  Revenue from visitors, wharfage, sale of photographs.  Investments hard to sell.  Riggs' unsought report to Council and misunderstanding; Regent cancels debt to him, he resigns.  Owes Mr. Herbert $1500, Sec. Tracy $200, Council's budget impractical with no funds.  Regent decides to retrench drastically awaiting spring boat service.  Loans made by Mr. Herbert and G.W. Riggs. ER-11, p. 151"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#54/components#26","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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(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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"],"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_c55_c27"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eDraft. Dated January 27, no year. She is pleased with Mrs. Sweat as Vice Regent of Maine and wishes she were closer to Washington so they could meet and talk more. Says there is only $107 in the MVLA treasury and they are not receiving enough from visitors, wharfage, etc. They are in debt to Mr. Herbert, Miss Tracy, and others. They have only 25 acres of land in cultivation for their needs. Visitors are destructive and this requires men to watch over certain areas of the estate. Even ivory from the keys of Nelly's harpsichord have been broken off. Discusses necessity of lobbying Congress for reimbursement of funds. Very costly to keep Mount Vernon in good repair as Washington left it. ER-11, p. 157. Undated 015.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92_c21","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92","parent_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c92"],"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","Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","English .","box 102","Draft. Dated January 27, no year. She is pleased with Mrs. Sweat as Vice Regent of Maine and wishes she were closer to Washington so they could meet and talk more. Says there is only $107 in the MVLA treasury and they are not receiving enough from visitors, wharfage, etc. They are in debt to Mr. Herbert, Miss Tracy, and others. They have only 25 acres of land in cultivation for their needs. Visitors are destructive and this requires men to watch over certain areas of the estate. Even ivory from the keys of Nelly's harpsichord have been broken off. Discusses necessity of lobbying Congress for reimbursement of funds. Very costly to keep Mount Vernon in good repair as Washington left it. ER-11, p. 157. Undated 015."],"title_filing_ssi":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat","title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"title_tesim":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["undated (015)"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Margaret Sweat"],"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":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"sort_isi":5177,"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."],"names_ssim":["Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908"],"language_ssim":["English ."],"containers_ssim":["box 102"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eDraft. Dated January 27, no year. She is pleased with Mrs. Sweat as Vice Regent of Maine and wishes she were closer to Washington so they could meet and talk more. Says there is only $107 in the MVLA treasury and they are not receiving enough from visitors, wharfage, etc. They are in debt to Mr. Herbert, Miss Tracy, and others. They have only 25 acres of land in cultivation for their needs. Visitors are destructive and this requires men to watch over certain areas of the estate. Even ivory from the keys of Nelly's harpsichord have been broken off. Discusses necessity of lobbying Congress for reimbursement of funds. Very costly to keep Mount Vernon in good repair as Washington left it. ER-11, p. 157. Undated 015.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Draft. Dated January 27, no year. She is pleased with Mrs. Sweat as Vice Regent of Maine and wishes she were closer to Washington so they could meet and talk more. Says there is only $107 in the MVLA treasury and they are not receiving enough from visitors, wharfage, etc. They are in debt to Mr. Herbert, Miss Tracy, and others. They have only 25 acres of land in cultivation for their needs. Visitors are destructive and this requires men to watch over certain areas of the estate. Even ivory from the keys of Nelly's harpsichord have been broken off. Discusses necessity of lobbying Congress for reimbursement of funds. Very costly to keep Mount Vernon in good repair as Washington left it. ER-11, p. 157. Undated 015."],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#91/components#20","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. 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