Grigsby-Galt Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Summary

Extent:
16.75 Linear Feet
Creator:
Galt, William Richard, 1818-1892 and Grigsby, Hugh Blair, 1806-1881
Language:
English Spanish;Castilian

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the family papers of members of the Grigsby and Galt Families. Mary Blair Grigsby married William W. Galt in 1881. The collection contains papers of various members of the Grigsby family, particulary Hugh Blair Grigsby who was a historian and Chancellor of The College of William and Mary and his son, Hugh Carrington Grigsby who lived his entire life at the family farm, Edgehill, in Charlotte County, Virginia.

The collection also contains the personal papers and some navy material of William W. Galt, U. S. Navy Paymaster and author of a book on the Battle of Manila Bay. Extensive correspondence to and from all the members of his family is included.

Both these groups contain correspondence, genealogy, financial papers and personal papers.

The Galt Family resided in Norfolk, Virginia and the Grigsby Family at Edgehill, Drakes Branch, Charlotte County, Virginia.

Gift of the Zimermann family of Susan Galt, daughter of William W. Galt.

Biographical / historical:

Captain William W. Galt (1852-1934) was a direct descendent of John Minson Galt, the senior surgeon at the Battle of Yorktown and founder of the insane asylum in Williamsburg. Captain Galt's application for the position of Assistant Paymaster with the US Navy was dated March 20, 1876. He reached the ranks of Paymaster by 1893 when he was dispatched for duty to Norfolk. He served in the Navy for 50 years and won a promotion from Congress to Captain. He married Mary Blair Grigsby and they had six children. Mrs. Galt was the daughter of Hugh Blair Grigsby, Chancellor of The College of William and Mary from 1871 to 1881. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Acquisition information:
Gift
Processing information:

Arranged and described by Jeffrey Flanagan, SCRC staff in September 2009-February 2010.

Processing completed in late 2010 and early 2011 by Anne Johnson.

Arrangement:

The collection has been divided into Series 1, Galt Family; Series 2, Grigsby Family; Series 3 for material from both families; and Series 4 for photographs from both families. Series 1, Galt Family, includes most of the correspondence from the Galt Family and is filed in chronological order, regardless of recipient.

Accruals:

Mss. Acc. 2011.269 addition given as a gift by William R. Galt.