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2 sets of photocopies of a record book kept by Andrew Reid, clerk of Rockbridge County, Virginia, entitled "For the Registering of Free Negroes [of Rockbridge County] according to the Act . . . of the General Assembly of Virginia, passed January 25, 1803" which includes physical descriptions, ages, information on former owners and record of emancipation. The volume was also used as a registry of boats to comply with An act of the General Assembly of Virginia entitled "an act regulating the navigation of James River above the falls of said river."

Letter to Richmond, Virginia slave traders Davis, Deupree and Co., from Virginia physician Conway Davies Whittle inquiring about the rates of sale of 24 enslaved persons owned by Whittle. Age, gender, complexion, and skills are mentioned to describe the enslaved people.

Letter from Dave Brown, Williamsburg, Virginia to Laura where he refers to a book, Alone by Marion Harland, describes the "negroes" and their activities in the area and tells about the sale of a farm, his job and commissions. 4 pp. September 6, 1878. Letter is fragile and in need of repair.

A letter from Elinor McKoy, a free Black woman, to Daniel McKoy. The letter is postmarked from Alexandria, Virginia, and was sent to New Bedford, Massachusetts. The letter regards two casks Elinor is sending by freight.

Contract between Cornelia Brooks and F.C. Twyman for hiring her son Frank for "the whole of the present year...Twyman agrees to give him for his services his necessary board tgether with one suit of summer & one suit of winter clothes & one pair of winter shoes and she the said Cornelia Brooks (coloured woman) binds herself to live with & work diligently and faithfully for said Twyman during the year - to do necessary housework, cooking...to do what she can to promote the general interest of said Twyman...on the following terms..." Notarized with stamp by B. Herndon, Greene County [Virginia]. January 9, 1867.

The collection includes letters, contracts, deeds, wills, St. Luke Penny Bank medallions, cemetery plot receipts, plans, blueprints, photographs, birth and death certificates relating to members of the Farrar family of Richmond, Virginia. Daniel James Farrar (1862-1925) had a profound effect on the architecture of the city of Richmond. Daniel followed the example of his father, Joseph who was the son of a free black. Farrar was involved with at least 14 buildings in the 1890's as designer, builder or both. Daniel's siblings included Leah Farrar, and Alma Rachel Margaret Lucas who are represented in the collection. The collection is divided into seven folders containing 90 pieces of ephemera relating to one or another Farrar family member, family real estate transactions, a folder of miscellaneous documents, and 236 photographs of family members and friends, scenes and groups of people.

Ledgers, 1835-1843 and 1866-1873, of a farmer kept in Rockingham County, Va. The earlier account book includes accounts with free blacks [William Wanser and William Cook (formerly W. Canada)].

Research material of Gerald Steffens Cowden from his Ph.D. dissertation on the Randolph's of Virginia, "The Randolphs of Turkey Island: a Prosopography of the First Three Generations, 1650-1806. " Also includes other works and essays from his earlier education, and the research accompanying those essays as well.

Pamphlet, circa 1880, entitled "History of the Case of the Commonwealth vs. Lee and Burwell Reynolds." Lee Reynolds and Burwell Reynolds were two African American teenagers who were convicted of the murder of Aaron Shelton, who was white, in Patrick County, Virginia. During their appeal, the case was moved to to federal court by Judge Alexander Rives of the Federal District of Western Virginia. This pamphlet was written by A.M. Lybrook, a lawyer for the Reynolds brothers, and is in support of the actions of Judge Rives.

Ledgers, letters, receipts, and other material, circa 1850s to 1910, related to the Ives family of Falls Church, Virginia. Includes ledgers of S.S. Ives' business in Falls Church where he made and repaired items for wagons and carts. His customers included African-Americans. Also includes correspondence between members of the Ives family. There are also political materials, receipts, account books, and other materials.