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Papers, 1821-1979, of and concerning Adam Empie, the president of the College of William and Mary and his family. Includes account book, 1829-1831, of Adam Empie and copy of his will as well as four letters, undated, from Sarah Moore Grimke to Anna Eliza (Wright) Empie as well as a commonplace book, undated; poems; engravings; flower illustrations, sketches and silhouettes; and prayers.

The records of the Alumni Association of the College of William and Mary include office files, material from select Executive Secretaries, meeting minutes, publications, correspondence, and other material documenting the activities of the William & Mary Alumni Association as well as the College of William & Mary's history and alumni more generally.

Correspondence, 1756-1764, of Maria Carter Armistead (including letters written by Mrs. Thomas Feilde); business papers, 1782-1828, of William Cocke of "Bremo," Henrico County, Virginia and of "Oakland," Cumberland County, Virginia; and letters, 1861-1863, of William Fauntleroy Cocke, Thomas Lewis Preston Cocke and Edmund Randolph Cocke concerning their service in the Confederate States Army (including the Battle of First Bull Run).

This collection contains materials dated 1784-1934. It includes correspondence, legal papers, and accounts, chiefly 1830-1892, of Benjamin S. Ewell, professor at the U.S. Military Academy, Hampden-Sydney College, Washington and Lee College, and the College of William and Mary (which he served as acting president, 1848-1849, and president, 1854-1888). Letters from Ewell during the Civil War when he was assistant adjutant-general to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston are included as well. Among the correspondents are members of the Tyler, Ewell, Campbell, and Brown families of Virginia and Tennessee. The collection also contains the memorandum book on the Ewell family by Elizabeth S. Ewell.

The records of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary includes meeting minutes, financial reports, photographs, agendas, matriculation books, correspondence, material from Board of Visitors Rectors Oscar L. Shewmake and Roy Harvey Chappell, Jr., publications, and audio recordings of meetings from 1961-1999.

The Borland, Green, and Godwin families are related in the following manner. George Godwin, son of Jeremiah Godwin, married Fanny Green (whose mother was Mary (Giles) Green) in 1805. Dr. Thomas Wood Borland (d. 1830 or 1831), father of Roscius Cicero Borland, married Harriott Godwin, daughter of Jeremiah Godwin and Sarah (Wilkinson) Godwin.

This collection includes three letters written by Charles Minnigerode. One letter was written to Robert McCandlish, Rector of the Board of Visitors and dated February 23, 1847. Minnigerode writes to ensure McCandlish and the Board don't misunderstand the faculty's view about an extension of the A.B. course and details his feelings on the matter. A second letter, written to an unknown person and dated August 31, 1848, appears to have been written after he left his professorship at W&M. He writes about various subjects, including his failure to be hired at the University of Georgia by a count of two votes, which he owes to his being a foreigner but also being the will of God. He states his desire is to "confine my labors to the Ministry." He discusses his accent at length, specifically as it relates to preaching. Minnigerode also writes that William & Mary "seems to be in a bad condition." He states "The injudicious action of the Visitors in forcing Mr. Peachy into the faculty, and his strange demeanor in raising points of personal variance with some of the Professors have resulted in an entire dismemberment of the Faculty. Mr. Peachy himself and Judge Tucker are the only remaining members of the Faculty. Mr. P is a novice as a Professor of that College; Prof. Tucker is unpopular and a man without administrative powers; so that the future looks necessarily gloomy." He continues with more information about the faculty. The letter ends with pleansantries towards the letter's recipient, who is in Alabama. A third letter, written to President Benjamin Ewell and dated July 9, 1879, concerns honorary degrees conferred by William & Mary and Minnigerode's desire for specific person to receive one.

This collection includes programs, scripts, remarks, addresses, speeches, invitations, and other related material from commencement exercises at the College of William and Mary. Events and ceremonies related to graduation would also include the baccalaureate service and other events.

The collection contains the papers of Williamsburg resident Cynthia Beverley Tucker Washington Coleman and includes correspondence, Coleman's personal writings, various publications, legal and financial papers, and artifacts.

The collection includes two manuscript volumes two and three of "A Rational Grammar of the French Language," written by Taliaferro, circa 1860 (the whereabouts of volume one are unknown), letters, Taliaferro's obituary, and photocopies of manuscripts written by Taliaferro but in private ownership.