Records, 1915-1931

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Creator:
Virginia War History Commission
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Virginia War History Commission Records are housed in 302 boxes and 5 oversize boxes. The collection is arranged into nineteen (19) series. Series have been designated for: I. Individual Service Records (Questionnaires); II. Virginians of Distinguished Service; III. Virginia Military Organizations; IV. Virginia's Camps and Cantonments; V. Virginia Schools and Colleges; VI. County Source Material; VII. City Source Material; VIII. Selective Service and Volunteers; IX. Virginia War Diaries and Incidents; X. Scrapbooks; XI. Office Files; XII. First Virginia Council of Defense; XIII. Virginia Agricultural Council of Safety; XIV. Second Virginia Council of Defense; XV. Margaret Ethel Kelley Kern Papers; XVI. H.R. McIlwaine Papers; XVII. Miscellaneous Records; XVIII. Lynchburg City Committee Records; and XIX. Prince Edward County Committee Records. These records include books, broadsides, checks, citations, correspondence, diaries, invitations, invoices, magazines, maps, military records, minute books, newspapers, newspaper clippings, photographs, post cards, press releases, programs, publications, questionnaires, receipts, reports, scrapbooks, sheet music, song books, and telegrams. These records document Virginia's participation in World War I and its attempt to preserve records of that participation.

Following is a brief overview of the collection. A more in-depth description of the collection can be found in the Series and Subseries level descriptions. It is recommended that the researcher read the Series level scope and content notes thoroughly before accessing the collection.

The experiences of Virginians in the military during the war are well documented throughout the collection. Information on the background and experiences of individual soldiers (and a few nurses) is recorded in the questionnaires (Series I and Series II). Additional information concerning soldiers' views of the war may be found in letters and diaries (Series VI, Series VII, Series IX and Series X).

Of note to the military historian, the collection includes histories of Virginia units including Home Guards and the history of Virginia military cantonments including Camp Humphreys and Camp Lee (Series III, Series IV and Series VIII).

For researchers interested in home front activities, there are some noteworthy records. Propaganda, food and fuel conservation, health and morality issues are highlighted in the records of the First Virginia Council of Defense (Series XII), Virginia Agricultural Council of Safety (Series XIII) and Second Virginia Council of Defense (Series XIV). Additional records of note include material on churches and schools (Series V, Series VI and Series VII).

The collection contains extensive information on the activities of the Virginia War History Commission including personnel, local branches and publications. (Series XI).

Volumes were housed in boxes for better protection. Oversized items are filed in 5 boxes. Oversize items, which were part of a regular sized filing unit, were removed from their respective folders. In their place, separation notices list the item(s) removed and the oversize box and folder number to which they have been removed. For location and content list of oversize folders see list at the end of the finding aid.

Biographical / historical:

On 7 January 1919, Governor Westmoreland Davis created the Virginia War History Commission whose goal was "to complete an accurate and complete history of Virginia's military, economic and political participation in the World War." The Commission consisted of sixteen leading citizens appointed by the governor including: Reverend Collins Denny, Brigadier General Jo Lane Stern, Adjutant General of Virginia, Douglas Southall Freeman, editor of the Richmond News-Leader, State Librarian Henry R. McIlwaine, and Colonel Charles R. Keiley, Executive Secretary of the Second Virginia Council of Defense. Arthur Kyle Davis, president of Southern Female College in Petersburg, was named chairman of the commission. The commission served without compensation and from January to September 1919 relied on the Second Virginia Council of Defense for financial support. Subsequently, on the governor's recommendation, the General Assembly appropriated $10,000 on 10 September 1919 to enable the commission to discharge its duties. Financial support was continued from 1919 to 1927 by annual appropriations.

Upon his appointment as chairman, Arthur Kyle Davis immediately implemented his plan for preserving Virginia's war records. On 6 August 1918, during the presentation of a service flag by the United Daughters of the Confederacy at the Sussex County Court House, Davis proposed that the people of each community in Virginia preserve the records and activities of their activities. Local branches of the Commission, consisting of a chairman and two associates, were established in Virginia's 100 counties and 21 cities, to collect records of their community's military and civilian activities. The Commission created a fifteen topic outline of subjects to be included in the statewide history. Some of the topics included Virginians of Distinguished Service, Virginia Churches, Economic Conditions, Red Cross and War Letters and Diaries. An editor assigned to each topic would then write the narrative. This material would then form the basis of the Commission's proposed four volume history of Virginia during the World War.

Unfortunately, poor or non-existent leadership by the local branches, apathy, and a lack of time and money hampered the Commission's collection of war records. The quantity and quality of records collected varied widely. In 1921 the Commission published four War History Supplements in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography listing the source material collected by the local branches. Very few records were collected after 1921 and interest in the Commission's work quickly waned.

In addition to the magazine supplements, the Virginia War History Commission published seven volumes. Volumes I-IV were summaries of source material compiled by the commission. These volumes included lists of distinguished soldiers, newspaper clippings chronicling the war, a guide to war letters, diaries and editorials, and a series of sketches of civilian war agencies. Volumes V-VII were specific chronicles of Virginia wartime activities. Volumes include military unit histories and locality histories that describe the location of the communities, their resources, pre-war conditions, economic conditions, relief and institutional war work. Preliminary manuscripts for a narrative history of Virginia's role in the war were prepared as well. By June 1928 all of the source materials and manuscripts were transferred to the Virginia State Library, but, because of various difficulties, the narrative history was never published. The War History Commission submitted their last annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on 18 January 1928 and had ceased all operations by July 1928.

Acquisition information:

Transferred from Virginia War History Commission, date unknown (accession 37219 and 28390).

Transferred from the University of Virginia, 2 November 1988 (accession 33311).

Gift of Mrs. Frances H. Paulette, 27 June 1973 (accession 28057).

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following nineteen series:

Organization
  • Series I: Individual Service Records (Questionnaires), 1919-1924 (bulk 1919-1921
  • Series II: Virginians of Distinguished Service, 1922-1925
  • Series III: Virginia Military Organizations, ca. 1917-1922, 1925
  • Series IV: Virginia's Camps and Cantonments, ca. 1917-1919
  • Series V: Virginia Schools and Colleges, 1919-1922
  • Series VI: County Source Material, 1919-1927
  • Series VII: City Source Material, 1919-1927
  • Series VIII: Selective Service and Volunteers, 1917-1921, 1925
  • Series IX: Virginia War Diaries and Incidents, 1915-1922 (bulk 1917-1919)
  • Series X: Scrapbooks, 1915-1923
  • Series XI: Office Files, 1917-1927
  • Series XII: First Virginia Council of Defense, 1917-1918
  • Series XIII: Virginia Agricultural Council of Safety, 1917-1918
  • Series XIV: Second Virginia Council of Defense, 1917-1921, 1923-1924
  • Series XV: Margaret Ethel Kelley Kern Papers, 1917-1925, 1928
  • Series XVI: H.R. McIlwaine Papers, 1919, 1921, 1928-1929 and 1931
  • Series XVII: Miscellaneous Records, 1917-1921 (accession 28390)
  • Series XVIII: Lynchburg City Committee Records, 1919-1921 (accession 33311)
  • Series XIX: Prince Edward County Committee Records, 1919-1920 (accession 28057)

Physical location:
State Records Collection, Virginia War History Commission (Record Group 66)
Physical description:
121.04 cubic feet