William James Davidson letters

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 publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

William James Davidson letters, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.01 Linear Feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

William James Davidson letters, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

Two letters from William James Davidson to his future wife, Margaret "Maggie" May Mericle. One written from Camp Columbia in Havana, the other from Savannah, Georgia. Davidson served as a sergeant in the Iowa Volunteers and his letters cover some of the things he experienced during that time. The Georgia letter contains a description of a violent "blanket-tossing" that resulted in the death of a Black woman at the hands of several Virginia soldiers.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from PBA Auction Galleries with the assistance of the John M. Presson Estate fund.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard