John Walter Wayland collection on Henry Martin, 1909/1965

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16677, John Walter Wayland collection on Henry Martin, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.4 Cubic Feet half width letter size box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16677, John Walter Wayland collection on Henry Martin, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

John Walter Wayland collection of correspondence,notes,photographs, and newspaper clippings about Henry Martin who was the bell ringer for the University of Virginia from 1868-1909. "Henry Martin rang the bell at dawn to awaken the students, and rang it during the day to mark the hours and the beginning and ending of class periods. He was beloved by generations of faculty, students, and alumni, and he remembered them all when they returned for visits." Dr. Wayland, a former University of Virginia Ph.D. student (1907), history professor, and author from Harrisonburg, Virginia was planning to write a paper about Martin who was born enslaved by Monticello, and the Carr family estate. During the American Civil War, he tended the wounded at the military hospital in Charlottesville. In 1866 he was hired by the University to haul coal. He worked at UVA for more than four decades, becoming a well-known figure there but one who was treated in the context of the Lost Cause archetype of the faithful servant. He died in 1915.

Source: Bromley, Anne E."Plaque Honors Henry Martin Who Rang the University's Bell for 50 Years" UVA Today. October 5, 2012

https://news.virginia.edu/content/plaque-honors-henry-martin-who-rang-university-s-bell-50-years

"Henry Martin" Summary. Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities. Accessed 3/31/22

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/martin-henry-1826-1915/

Acquisition information:
This collection was a gift from Elizabeth Wayland Seaver to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on May 31, 2019.
Physical description:
Fair.
Physical facet:
letter, photographs, notes, newspaper clippings, magazine
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard