Radford (Va.) Organization Records, 1896-1922

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
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Radford (Va.) Organization Records, 1896-1922, [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Radford Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

Extent:
0.45 cubic feet (1 box)
Creator:
Radford (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Radford (Va.) Organization Records, 1896-1922, [series or volume title]. Local government records collection, Radford Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Radford (Va.) Organization Records, 1896-1922 is comprised of various records created by groups in Radford County. The records consist of loose records, including correspondence and member records.

Historical Information:The United Confederate Veterans were organized in New Orleans in 1899 at a meeting of the heads of various departments, divisions, and other Confederate organizations, all meeting and amalgamating into one organization, known as the United Confederate Veterans. The first reunion was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 3 July 1890.

Gabriel Colvin Wharton was born in Culpepper County, Va., July 23, 1824. He graduated second in the Virginia Military Institute class of 1847 and became a civil engineer. He was involved in mining in Arizona before the outbreak of the war. He joined the 45th Virginia Regiment of the Confederate Army in July 1861, and was elected major. He was made colonel of the 51st Virginia Regiment in August, 1861. His first action came with Gen. John B. Floyd's Western Virginia Campaign. Defending Fort Donaldson, Wharton escaped with Floyd in February, 1862. Sent east, Wharton commanded units under generals Loring and Samuel Jones in the western part of Virginia. He received his promotion to brigadier general July 8, 1863, and briefly commanded the Valley District. During the winter and spring of 1863-64, Wharton served with Gen. Longstreet's command in East Tennessee. He commanded a brigade at the Battle of New Market and pursued Federal forces under Gen. Hunter. His brigade fought with Gen. Early's Shenandoah Campaign and subsequent attacks into Maryland and Washington, D.C. His command was soundly defeated at Waynesboro in March of 1865. Paroled at Lynchburg, Va., June 21, 1865, he resided in Radford, Va., for the remainder of his life. Several times elected to the state senate, Wharton spent much of his time developing mining in Virginia. He died May 12, 1906.

Scope and Content:Records of the General G. C. Wharton Camp of United Confederate Veterans, 1896-1922, consists of correspondence and member records.

Correspondence consists of communications with other United Confederate Veterans units about dues, membership, meetings, and reunions as well as membership lists, invoices and advertisements for reunion badges, special and general orders and circular letters from Headquarters United Confederate Veterans in New Orleans and the Grand Camp Confederate Veterans Department of Virginia in Richmond, a circular to raise funds for a Jefferson Davis monument in Richmond, a pamphlet about the Confederate Museum in Richmond, a program from a 1904 UDC reunion in Nashville, TN, a pamphlet "The Story of Camp Chase" by W. H. Knauss, a pamphlet "Well Known Confederate Veterans and Their War Records," and various death memoriams.

Member records consist of individual sheets filled out by each person belonging to the Camp and contains details related to service in the Confederate army. Details include where enlisted and mustered into service, dates of those activities, rank when enlisted, captain and colonel, engagements participated in, promotions received, when and where wounded, where in hospital, when and where captured, when and were imprisoned and for how long, parole or release details, and reenlistment information if any.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Organization Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These organization records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, organization records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These organization record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debt suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History: Radford, in Montgomery County, was formerly known as Lovely Mount, English Ferry, Ingles's Ferry, Central Depot, and Central City. The town of Central City was established in 1885 and incorporated as a town in 1887. Its name changed to Radford in 1890 to honor John Blair Radford, a prominent local citizen, and it was incorporated as a city in 1892.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the city of Radford in 2012 under accession number 50446.
Processing information:

Prior to 2025, the various organization records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large organization record for the locality. Since 2025, these records additionally include identified but not processed records.

These records were processed by Claire Culbertson in 2012.

Encoded by J. Taylor: October 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into one series:

  • Series I: Records of the General G.C. Wharton Camp of United Confederate Veterans, 1896-1922

Physical location:
Library of Virginia