Philip Doddridge, Politician, Personal and Family Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Philip Doddridge, Politician, Personal and Family Papers, A&M 3893, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.4 Linear Feet Summary: 5 in. (1 document case, 5 in.)
Creator:
Doddridge family
Abstract:
Personal and family papers of Virginia statesman and U.S. Congressman Philip Doddridge (1773-1832), the namesake of Doddridge County, West Virginia. Includes printed material, correspondence, and legal and financial documents.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Philip Doddridge, Politician, Personal and Family Papers, A&M 3893, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Personal and family papers of Virginia statesman and U.S. Congressman Philip Doddridge (1773-1832), the namesake of Doddridge County, West Virginia. Includes printed material, correspondence, and legal and financial documents. The collection is divided into two main series: Doddridge Family Papers and Plattenburg Family Papers. The Doddridge Family Papers include letters by Phillip Doddridge (26 items regarding politics, family matters, etc., most dating from 1829-1832), letters to or about him, and family correspondence. The Plattenburg Family Papers includes legal and financial documents as well as correspondence of the family of Philip Doddridge's daughter, Ellen [or Eleanor] Sophia, who married Perry Plattenburg. See Historical Note for more information on Philip Doddridge and for genealogical information on the Doddridge and Plattenburg families.

Biographical / historical:

Lawyer and sectional leader Philip Doddridge (May 17, 1773 - November 19, 1832) was born near Bedford, Pennsylvania. As an infant he moved with his family to Washington County, PA. At age 17 he moved again with his family to nearby Wellsburg, Virginia, and there read for the law. He became successful as a circuit lawyer. In 1799, Doddridge married Julianna Parr Musser. In 1815-1816, Doddridge represented Brooke County in the Virginia legislature and soon took up the causes of the people living in the western part of the state. He fought to repeal the law that qualified only landholders to vote and became a leader for public education.

In 1829, he was one of four selected to represent the northern district of Western Virginia at the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. The convention attempted unsuccessfully to address the growing east-west sectionalism in Virginia. Doddridge was a major spokesman for the trans-Allegheny region. He failed at the convention, but his arguments against the East were influential in creating sentiment for the subsequent separation of West Virginia from Virginia. In 1828, Doddridge was elected to Congress and reelected in 1830. He died in Washington. Doddridge County was named in his honor in 1845.

Genealogical Information (not all verified):

Philip Doddridge married Julianna Parr Musser in 1799.

Children of Philip and Julianna Doddridge:

Jasper Yates Doddridge

John Musser Doddridge

Benjamin Laccheus Biggs Doddridge

Sarah Mary Doddridge

Ellen [Eleanor?] Sophia Doddridge Plattenburg (see below)

Cadwalder Doddridge

Julia Adeline Doddridge Ramsey

Philip Alexander Doddridge

Harriet Venna Doddridge

Anna Ruth Doddridge Meek

Ellen [Eleanor?] Sophia Doddridge Plattenburg married Perry Plattenburg, ca. 1824-1828. They lived in Wellsburg, [West] Virginia and Canton, Illinois.

Children of Ellen and Perry Plattenburg:

Albert E. Plattenburg

William D. Plattenburg

Philip D. Plattenburg

Adeline Plattenburg

Perry W. Plattenburg

Ellen [Ella?] Plattenburg

Wilbur F. Plattenburg

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard