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Start Over Date range 1850 Subjects Diaries and journals.

D.W. Rogers Manuscripts 1.7 Linear Feet Summary: 1 ft. 8 in. (4 document cases, 5 in. each)

Rogers, D. W.
Diaries written by Rogers for the years 1870-1871, 1874, 1876-1878, 1890-1902 which describe weather conditions, farm operations, his ministerial duties, and purchases for the farm and household. Ordained to preach by the Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1859, he served this as well as fourteen other churches in Preston, West Virginia, and adjoining counties. Included is a book of sermons with notes on biblical passages.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Edwards Family Papers 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Edwards family
The collection consists of printed volumes relating to Colonel William Edwards, William W. Edwards, and William Henry Edwards; also copies of manuscript materials, including a diary of William Henry Edwards for 1846, and his "Journal and Preface to London Diary," 1848. Other materials relate to the family's coal interests in Kanawha County and include account books for the Coalsburg-Kanawha Mining Company, 1926-1928; the Deep Hollow Coal Company, 1920-1940; and the Kanawha and Ohio Coal Company, 1864-1866.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Ellison Family Papers 3.3 Linear Feet Summary: 3 ft. 4 in. (8 document cases, 5 in. each)

Ellison family

The correspondence, wills, deeds, receipts, recipes, remedies, and genealogy, of the Ellison-Dunlap Petrie families of Monroe County. The letters discuss family and business matters, enslaved Africans, the Civil War, and settlement of some family members in Kansas. There are papers about land and farming, including surveys, deeds, memos, and accounts as well as correspondence and printed material about the WVU Agricultural Extension Service. There are ledgers for Han Creek Mill and an account book of William Petrie. There is also an 1831 journal of William Petrie with entries about his travels to England, Cuba, New Orleans, and along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. There are separations from this collection of photographs, pamphlets, newspapers, and broadsides.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Fred T. Newbraugh, Collector, Papers regarding Berkeley Springs 0.08 Linear Feet 2 folders, 1 in. total

Newbraugh, Fred T.

Material includes signed letter from David H. Strother to Perley Poore, Berkley Springs, March 25, 1858; lottery ticket for town lot in Bath, 1814; Porte Crayon autograph, and a slave list, Berkley County. Photostats of material in the Library of Congress include an signed letter from William Wirt to his daughter, August 31 1823 on Berkeley Springs; Thomas Jefferson to Mr. Rodney Washington, December 8, 1808 in regard to gambler Thomas Bailey's assault on Jefferson's secretary; portion of a Journal of President James K. Polk describing a visit to Bath in 1848; and a section of the journal of Samuel Vaughan noting a visit to Bath in 1787. The collection also includes a section of "Uria Brown's Journal" from the "Maryland Historical Magazine," volumes 11 and 12 (1915, 1916), detailing a visit to the springs at Bath.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

George Couchman Family Papers 0.40 Linear Feet Summary: 4 3/4 in. (1 flat document case); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Couchman, George
Papers of a Berkeley County, West Virginia, farmer and his descendants. Included are the estate papers of Nicholas Stroyer and business and legal papers of George, Henry J., Benjamin S. and Harman L. Couchman. There is the correspondence of Adrian W. Lamon, John W. Marshall, J. Marshall Neel, the Reverend A.A.P Neel of Shepherdstown (colportage agent of the Baltimore Conference M.E. Church South), Professor J. Wilbur Neel of Romney, and various members of the Couchman and Neel families. The collection includes the subscription list for the Reverend C.P. Heathe, 1823; quarterly reports and manuscript minutes of the Cherry Grove Grange, No.13, Patrons of Husbandry of West Virginia, Berkeley County, 1892, 1893; materials on Methodism in the Berkeley County area; pocket diaries; and family photographs.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

George McCandless Porter (1835-1864) Papers 0.2 Linear Feet Summary: 1 1/2 in. (1 folder)

Porter, George McCandless (1835-1864)
Letters written by a lawyer and businessman near Shanghai in Berkeley County to his sister Mary, who was residing in their father's home at New Cumberland, Virginia. There are also letters written from: Wellsburg Academy, 1849-1850; Washington College, Washington, Pennsylvania, 1851-1855; Cuba, 1857; New Orleans, 1857; and from Richmond, Virginia, 1858-1860. A diary includes entries from 1 January to 20 March 1864. Porter had business relations with firms in Pittsburgh concerning brick making, coal lands, and shipping. Much of the diary concerns his wife's illness and his own poor health and there are a few minor references to Civil War developments and Porter's Union sentiments. Muster records of the Panhandle Greys, a state militia unit, 1861-1863, organized and captained by George McCandless Porter, are included.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Hardy County Papers 0.4 Linear Feet 5 in. (1 document case)

A travel journal, ca. 1857; a diary, 1941; survey records, 1894-1896; account books, 1788-1811 - 1891-1894; county and parish tax levies, 1800; a book of geographic terms and facts kept by Susan I. Branson in 1836; and a Branson family record book. People mentioned include Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Places mentioned include: Cincinnati, Ohio; and, in West Virginia, Romney, Evansville, Clarksburg, Parkersburg, Coolville, Athens, Branch Mountain, Moorefield, Front Run Valley, Camp Branch Run, Sapling Lick Ridge, Hanging Rock Ridge, Little Ridge, Cacapon River, Kim's Run, Lost River, and South Branch Valley. Subject areas covered include family and women's history, cattle business in Hardy County, and business dealings between the South Branch Valley and Baltimore and other east coast cities.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Harry T. Leeper, Collector, Papers 0.83 Linear Feet 10 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each)

Leeper, Harry T.

Collection includes family correspondence of the Bowman, Veach, and Leeper families. Manuscripts include a recounting of the Civil War event known as "Jones' Raid." In another document Nathaniel Cochrane, an ancestor of Thomas Leeper, recounts his capture and imprisonment by indigenous people, along with a biography of Cochrane. Daily life for that time is captured in "Home Life of the Leeper Family." Other typescript histories include "Monongah," Thomas Leeper's diary regarding heavy rains and high waters of 1888, a history of West Monongah High School, and "History of the Leeper Family."

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

H. B. Heiskell Travel Diary 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Heiskell, H. B.
A diary of an overland frontier journey to the California gold fields by H. B. Heiskell. The account is about traveling from the Rockies to the Sierras. As part of a wagon train, Heiskell mentions fellow passengers and the daily events of the journey. He notes in detail the scenery, particularly the character of the soil and streams. Mention is made of Native Americans/First Nations Peoples, namely the Paiutes, Shoshonees and Utes. Rumors are related about prices in California, the death of President Polk, and the Mormon settlement at Salt Lake City. The volume also contains a scrapbook portion composed of newspaper clippings about various members of the Heiskell family of Tennessee and related families such as Wallace, Roberts, Frierson and Witzmann.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Henderson and Tomlinson Families Papers 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Henderson family. Tomlinson family.
Microfilm copy of the papers of the Henderson and Tomlinson families of Wood County, West Virginia, from 1789 to 1859. Materials relate to frontier life in the Parkersburg-Marietta area, and include Alexander Henderson's journal about his settlement on the Little Kanawha River, 1798-1803; his plantation accounts; letters on the Burr conspiracy; and an account of a duel between Henderson and Stephen R. Wilson in 1803. Also includes several items related to Marine Corps Commandant Archibald Henderson; pioneer Isaac Williams; and A.B. Tomlinson's account of the Indian mounds and frontier settlement at Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, West Virginia.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

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