Jim Comstock, Newspaper Editor and Collector, 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.

Researchers may access digitized materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.

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], Jim Comstock, Newspaper Editor and Collector, Papers, A&M 2600, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
65.25 Linear Feet Summary: 65 ft. 3 1/4 in. (102 document cases, 5 in. each); (7 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (5 record cartons, 15 in. each); (2 record cartons, 17 in. each); (6 large flat storage boxes, 1 1/2 in. each); (2 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (8 large flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (8 flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in. each); (11 medium flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in. each); (10 large flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 5 in.); (6 oversize folders, 1 1/4 in. total)
Creator:
Comstock, Jim (James Franklin), 1911-1996
Abstract:
Papers of James ("Jim") Franklin Comstock of Richwood, West Virginia, whose position as editor of the West Virginia Hillbilly and avocation as collector and advocate of all things West Virginia led to the preservation of much of the state's physical, visual, and textual history. The collection includes materials Comstock collected about West Virginia history as well as his own personal and professional papers. Materials include: general series of historical documents such as letters, deeds, and county court cases pertaining to a diverse range of subjects (1717, 1754-1988, undated [includes facsimiles]); letters of Lucy Prichard, former instructor at Marshall College (now Marshall University) (1925-1927, undated); clippings and typescripts of Wirt County resident and Atlantic Monthly writer Louis Eckert Reed (ca. 1960-1975, undated); account books concerning economic development and commercial activities in the northern part of the state in the 19th and early 20th centuries (1830-1938); printed material about West Virginia schools, businesses, and events as well as non-West Virginia books and pamphlets (1829-1995, undated); Comstock's personal and professional correspondence (1882-1995, undated); a wide variety of photographs, including images of West Virginia cities and towns, among many others (ca. 1850s-1995, undated); microfilmed records of the Civil War and Dunmore's War (undated); glass lantern slides, which include views of scenery and buildings in Wheeling and various other locations in Ohio County, WV (1871-1897, undated); Grand Army of the Republic and U.S. military history scrapbooks (1883-1918); broadsides, including advertisements for a circus in Moundsville (ca. 1827-1960 [includes facsimiles]); and maps and atlases of pre- and post-statehood West Virginia, counties, colonial North America, and other topics (1730-1976, undated [includes facsimiles]). An addendum of 2013/05 includes additional personal and professional correspondence, publications, newspaper morgue files, photographs, audio-visual material, artifacts, scrapbooks, account books, and maps. For more information on Jim Comstock, see the Historical Note.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Jim Comstock, Newspaper Editor and Collector, Papers, A&M 2600, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of James ("Jim") Franklin Comstock of Richwood, West Virginia, whose position as editor of the West Virginia Hillbilly and avocation as collector and advocate of all things West Virginia led to the preservation of much of the state's physical, visual, and textual history. The collection includes materials Comstock collected about West Virginia history as well as his own personal and professional papers.

Materials include: general series of historical documents such as letters, deeds, and county court cases pertaining to a diverse range of subjects (1717, 1754-1988, undated [includes facsimiles]); letters of Lucy Prichard, former instructor at Marshall College (now Marshall University) (1925-1927, undated); clippings and typescripts of Wirt County resident and Atlantic Monthly writer Louis Eckert Reed (ca. 1960-1975, undated); account books concerning economic development and commercial activities in the northern part of the state in the 19th and early 20th centuries (1830-1938); printed material about West Virginia schools, businesses, and events as well as non-West Virginia books and pamphlets (1829-1995, undated); Comstock's personal and professional correspondence (1882-1995, undated); a wide variety of photographs, including images of West Virginia cities and towns, among many others (ca. 1850s-1995, undated); microfilmed records of the Civil War and Dunmore's War (undated); glass lantern slides, which include views of scenery and buildings in Wheeling and various other locations in Ohio County, WV (1871-1897, undated); Grand Army of the Republic and U.S. military history scrapbooks (1883-1918); broadsides, including advertisements for a circus in Moundsville (ca. 1827-1960 [includes facsimiles]); and maps and atlases of pre- and post-statehood West Virginia, counties, colonial North America, and other topics (1730-1976, undated [includes facsimiles]).

An addendum of 2013/05 includes additional personal and professional correspondence, publications, newspaper morgue files, photographs, audio-visual material, artifacts, scrapbooks, account books, and maps. For more information on Jim Comstock, see the Historical Note.

Series 1. Historical Documents; 1717, 1754-1988, undated (includes facsimiles); box 1 - box 3, folder 2.
Series 2. Lucy Prichard Papers; 1913-1936, undated; box 3, folders 3-8.
Series 3. Louis Reed Papers; ca. 1960-1975, undated; boxes 4-5.
Series 4. Account Books; 1830-1938; boxes 6-17.
Series 5. Printed Material; 1829-1995, undated; boxes 18-25.
Series 6. Comstock Correspondence; 1882-1995, undated (bulk 1950-1995); boxes 26-72.
Series 7. Photographs; ca. 1850s-1995, undated; boxes 73-81.
Series 8. Motion Pictures; undated; box 82.
Series 9. Microfilm; undated; box 82.
Series 10. Cassette Tapes; undated; box 82.
Series 11. Glass Lantern Slides; 1871-1897, undated; boxes 83-85.
Series 12. Scrapbooks; 1883-1918; boxes 86-91.
Series 13. Broadsides; ca. 1827-1960 (includes facsimiles); box 92.
Series 14. Maps; 1730-1976, undated (includes facsimiles); boxes 93-103, and map cabinet 1, drawer 12.
Series 15. Newspapers; ca. 1826-1924, 1976; box 104.
Series 16. Artifacts; 1952-1976, undated; boxes 105-109.
Series 17. Oversize; 1650-1671, 1720-1991, undated (includes facsimiles); boxes 110-118.

Addendum of 2013/05 includes material much like that in the initial acquisition, divided into the following series:

Series 18. Correspondence; 1838-2003, undated (bulk 1950-1995); box 119 - box 133 folder 4, and box 134 folders 1-11.*
Series 19. Publications; 1889-2002, undated; box 133, folders 5-6, box 134, folder 12, and boxes 135-136.*
Series 20. Subject Files; ca. 1851-1995, undated; boxes 137-146.
Series 21. Photographs; ca. 1870s-2003, undated; boxes 147-149.*
Series 22. Audio-Visual Material; 1990-1992, undated; box 150.
Series 23. Artifacts; undated; box 151, folders 1-2.
Series 24. Scrapbooks; ca. 1953-1984; box 151, folder 3 and scrapbook.
Series 25. Account Books; 1954-1960s; box 151 ledgers.
Series 26. Oversize Material; 1861-1866, 1893-1933, 1950-1998, undated; box 152 - box 156, folder 3, loose folders 1-4, oversize folder 1, and box 157.
Series 27. Maps; 1884-1891, 1920, 1957-1987; box 156, folders 4-10.
Series 28. Historical Documents; 1839-1909; box 158.

*Please note: boxes 123, 133, and 149 could contain allergens. Masks and gloves will be provided for patrons wishing to use them.

Biographical / historical:

Lucy Elizabeth Prichard (October 26, 1876 - July 29, 1964) was born in Cattlettsburg, Kentucky. Daughter of Robert H. and Mary Prichard, she had a brother, Karl, and a sister-in-law, Elizabeth. Lucy taught at Huntington High School from 1899-1913, and taught Latin and Classical Studies at Marshall College (now Marshall University) from 1914-1941. Marshall's Prichard Hall was named in her honor.

Louis Eckert Reed (born October 1, 1899 in Wirt County, WV; died January 31, 1979 in Elizabeth, WV) served as a sergeant in the US Army during WWI, served as Administrative Assistant to Senator Chapman Revercomb, and worked as a prosecuting attorney in Wirt County, WV. He also wrote for Atlantic Monthly.

James Franklin "Jim" Comstock was born to Harry Clinton and Myrtle Blanche in Richwood, West Virginia on February 25, 1911. He married Miss Ola Stowers in Huntington, WV, on October 18, 1933; they would have two daughters, Sandra Ferguson and Elaine Nagy, and a son, Jay. In 1934, Comstock received B.A. from Marshall College (now Marshall University). From 1938-1942, he taught at Richwood High School and wrote for the Clarksburg Telegram. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946, and upon returning home he founded the Nicholas County News Leader (originally News Letter) with Bronson D. McClung (1920-2004), a former student of his. On December 25, 1963, the Nicholas County News Leader combined with Nicholas Republican; in 1984, it became the Richwood News Leader. Comstock remained an active part of the paper till his death on May 22, 1996. In 1957, Comstock founded the weekly West Virginia Hillbilly with McClung, and became its editor. The paper included feature articles, columns of special interest to West Virginians, book notes, and the "Comstock Load," the editor's own column on the back page. Comstock first tried to sell the Hillbilly in 1976. In 1981, he sold it to the South Charleston Publishing Company. On February 25, 1986, he repurchased and began resuscitating the Hillbilly. In 1992, he sold the Hillbilly to Sandy McCauley. In 2001, the Hillbilly ceased publication.

Comstock was involved in many endeavors in addition to his newspaper editing and reporting activities. In 1963, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress on the Republican ticket. He wrote, edited, and contributed to various books, including Pa and Ma and Mr. Kennedy, a 50-volume West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, and a collection of newspaper highlights entitled Best of Hillbilly. He was also involved in republishing books by West Virginian authors. He campaigned to purchase and preserve author Pearl S. Buck's birthplace at Hillsboro, and he helped save the Cass Scenic Railroad. He also founded the University of Hard Knocks, a lighthearted honorary society that recognizes the accomplishments of people who have succeeded in life without a college degree.

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