Grove Family Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, SC 0292, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Summary

Extent:
6.93 cubic feet 21 boxes
Creator:
Grove family and Green Valley Auctions, Inc.
Abstract:
The Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, consists of correspondence and ephemera from the Grove Family of Luray in Page County, Virginia.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, SC 0292, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, consist of 21 boxes, primarily comprising family correspondence. The bulk of the collection is made up of family correspondence and the rest is made up of ephemera collected by the family. The correspondence is mainly letters sent to the group or individual indicated by the series, with the bulk of the correspondence in this collection being letters sent to Arthur and Julia Grove. Most of the letters concern updates concerning other family members and the community. Much of the collection consists of holiday cards sent to all members of the Grove Family over the years.

Biographical / historical:

John William Grove was born December 16, 1844, in Luray, Page County, Virginia. As an adult, he served as a Corporal with the Confederate Army from 1863-1865 as part of the 35th Battalion of the Virginia Cavalry until being paroled from the army on May 8, 1865. He then married Eliza Jane Koontz (1850-1871) in 1869 and had two children: Ella Grove (1870-1932) and William Wallace Grove (1872-1874). After Eliza's death on October 19, 1871, John William Grove married Laura Ann Brumback (1851-1926), and had four children with her: Arthur Ashby Grove (1883 - 1940), Jessimine "Jessie" Lee Grove (1887 - 1966), Harold Elton Grove (1889 - 1970), and Julia Anita Grove (1892 - 1976). In the mid-1880s, John William Grove opened the Grove and Brothers store with his brother Charles H. Grove (1849 –1925) in Luray. John William Grove's sons Arthur and Harold took over the store after their father's death in August 1924.

Arthur, often addressed as A. A. Grove, was a member of the National Guard and veteran of World War I, having fought in France as part of the 116th Infantry, 29th Division. He was also an active member of the community, participating in the Luray Rotary Club, the Summers-Koontz Camp No. 490, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and others.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in music from Vassar College in 1910, Julia "Anita" Grove became a music teacher and spent several months almost every year traveling throughout the United States visiting relatives (e.g., cousins, extended family) and friends of the family or friends from her time at school.

Jessie Grove married William Pendleton Hershberger on January 28, 1919.

Acquisition information:
This collection was acquired at the Large Antiques and Firearms Estate auction held by Green Valley Auctions on January 16, 2018.
Processing information:

Duplicates of brochures in the ephemera were discarded as well as blank envelopes or sheets of paper found amidst the correspondence.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in nine series, with the first eight series comprising family correspondence, arranged by recipient and chronologically. Series 9 consists of ephemera accumulated by the family and is arranged alphabetically.

  1. Grove Family Correspondence, 1884-1932
  2. Arthur Ashby Grove Correspondence, 1892-1932
  3. Julia Anita Grove Correspondence, 1900-1932
  4. Jessie Grove Hershberger Correspondence, 1903-1932
  5. Harold Elton Grove Correspondence, 1920-1932
  6. Laura Brumback Grove Correspondence, 1886-1926
  7. John William Grove Correspondence, 1890-1924
  8. Charles H. Grove Correspondence, 1891-1930
  9. Ephemera, 1887-1932
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard