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Start Over Date range 1785 Subjects Frontier and pioneer life
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Bradford Laidley Papers

0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 3 in. (1 small flat storage box)
Papers and volumes collected by Bradford Laidley pertaining to him and his family. Includes records of the Morgantown Presbyterian and Protestant Episcopal Church, genealogical information on the Rogers and Laidleys, a pioneer school book of Anne McKinnon, and a personal letter book of L. Wilcox of Kanawha Salines. Also includes three receipts for slaves purchased in Richmond, Virginia by Major W.A. Bradford(e).
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Bradford Laidley Papers 0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 3 in. (1 small flat storage box)

Laidley, Bradford
Papers and volumes collected by Bradford Laidley pertaining to him and his family. Includes records of the Morgantown Presbyterian and Protestant Episcopal Church, genealogical information on the Rogers and Laidleys, a pioneer school book of Anne McKinnon, and a personal letter book of L. Wilcox of Kanawha Salines. Also includes three receipts for slaves purchased in Richmond, Virginia by Major W.A. Bradford(e).
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Cleaver Family Papers

0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Facsimiles of historical documents. Land grant to William Cleaver and others for 1,000 acres on the Monongahela River, 1782; certificate for money due B. Cleaver for service in the Virginia Militia, 1783; affidavits concerning the military service of William and Benjamin Cleaver, 1774-1782, in Dunmore's War, at the Falls of the Ohio, and on General George Rogers Clark's expedition against the Indians, including the Shawnee. There is also a petition, 1777, by residents of the Tygart Valley, West Fork of the Monongahela, and Buckhannon Creek settlements requesting the formation of a new county. There are four typed pages dated January 1-9, 1969, with information about the Cleaver Family - William and Hannah; William, Jr.; Benjamin; and Stephen.

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Cleaver Family Papers 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Cleaver family

Facsimiles of historical documents. Land grant to William Cleaver and others for 1,000 acres on the Monongahela River, 1782; certificate for money due B. Cleaver for service in the Virginia Militia, 1783; affidavits concerning the military service of William and Benjamin Cleaver, 1774-1782, in Dunmore's War, at the Falls of the Ohio, and on General George Rogers Clark's expedition against the Indians, including the Shawnee. There is also a petition, 1777, by residents of the Tygart Valley, West Fork of the Monongahela, and Buckhannon Creek settlements requesting the formation of a new county. There are four typed pages dated January 1-9, 1969, with information about the Cleaver Family - William and Hannah; William, Jr.; Benjamin; and Stephen.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Goshen Baptist Church Records

0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)
Records of Goshen (John Corbly Memorial) Baptist Church of Garard's Fort, PA. Includes a brief history of the church, a short sketch on the life and services of pioneer minister John Corbly, membership lists, and meeting minutes.
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Goshen Baptist Church Records 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Goshen Baptist Church
Records of Goshen (John Corbly Memorial) Baptist Church of Garard's Fort, PA. Includes a brief history of the church, a short sketch on the life and services of pioneer minister John Corbly, membership lists, and meeting minutes.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Harry T. Leeper, Collector, Papers

0.83 Linear Feet 10 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each)

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."

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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."

West Virginia and Regional History Center

J.C. Sanders, Collector, Papers

0.48 Linear Feet Summary: 5 3/4 in. (1 folder, 1/2 in.); (3 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each)
A collection of court records, genealogies, historical sketches and other materials relating to Hampshire and Mineral counties in West Virginia and surrounding areas in Virginia and Maryland. Subjects include a naturalist description of the area and an early history of the region including Indians, white settlement, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. There is material on the Civil War and World War I and World War II veterans.
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J.C. Sanders, Collector, Papers 0.48 Linear Feet Summary: 5 3/4 in. (1 folder, 1/2 in.); (3 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each)

Sanders, John C.
A collection of court records, genealogies, historical sketches and other materials relating to Hampshire and Mineral counties in West Virginia and surrounding areas in Virginia and Maryland. Subjects include a naturalist description of the area and an early history of the region including Indians, white settlement, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. There is material on the Civil War and World War I and World War II veterans.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Lyman C. Draper, Antiquarian, Manuscripts

17.94 Linear Feet Summary: 17 ft. 11 1/4 in. (123 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each)
The interviews, correspondence, notes and reports of a Wisconsin based, New York born antiquarian and early researcher of frontier history. Lyman C. Draper's manuscripts were willed to the Wisconsin State Historical Society where he had been its corresponding secretary and instrumental in its development. Microfilm was produced by the society of his papers and made available for purchase to libraries because of their significance for studying the Eastern frontier and its pioneers. Draper had originally planned to publish on the basis of these manuscripts a series of books on frontier history and biographies of famous pioneers. Only one was published, King's Mountain and Its Heroes. Draper, in his writings, generally reflected biases common to white male Americans of the nineteenth century but he collected many documents and interviewed women, Native Americans, and African Americans connected with the frontier and their descendents. Indeed he had collected enough material that he had decided to write biographies of chiefs: Tecumseh and Joseph Brant. Other materials for biographies are of white frontier notables such as Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Lewis Wetzel, Simon Kenton, and Samuel Brady. His papers are also organized regionally with holdings encompassing an area bordered by the western parts of Virginia and the Carolinas and portions of Georgia and Alabama, encompassing the entire Ohio River Valley, and part of the upper Mississippi Valley from the era of frontier conflicts in the 1740's and 1750's to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
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Lyman C. Draper, Antiquarian, Manuscripts 17.94 Linear Feet Summary: 17 ft. 11 1/4 in. (123 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each)

Draper, Lyman Copeland, 1815-1891
The interviews, correspondence, notes and reports of a Wisconsin based, New York born antiquarian and early researcher of frontier history. Lyman C. Draper's manuscripts were willed to the Wisconsin State Historical Society where he had been its corresponding secretary and instrumental in its development. Microfilm was produced by the society of his papers and made available for purchase to libraries because of their significance for studying the Eastern frontier and its pioneers. Draper had originally planned to publish on the basis of these manuscripts a series of books on frontier history and biographies of famous pioneers. Only one was published, King's Mountain and Its Heroes. Draper, in his writings, generally reflected biases common to white male Americans of the nineteenth century but he collected many documents and interviewed women, Native Americans, and African Americans connected with the frontier and their descendents. Indeed he had collected enough material that he had decided to write biographies of chiefs: Tecumseh and Joseph Brant. Other materials for biographies are of white frontier notables such as Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Lewis Wetzel, Simon Kenton, and Samuel Brady. His papers are also organized regionally with holdings encompassing an area bordered by the western parts of Virginia and the Carolinas and portions of Georgia and Alabama, encompassing the entire Ohio River Valley, and part of the upper Mississippi Valley from the era of frontier conflicts in the 1740's and 1750's to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Roy Bird Cook (1886-1961), Collector, Papers

5.5 Linear Feet 5 ft. 6 in. (10 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (2 large flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.); (3 oversize folders, 1 in.)
Includes genealogy and Civil War records collected by Roy Bird Cook of Lewis County, West Virginia. Series 1 through 5 were compiled by Marcellus W. Zimmerman. They include correspondence, church records, academic records, genealogical records, research manuscripts, and clippings regarding primarily the genealogy and history of Lewisburg and Greenbrier County, and the life and career of Confederate Brigadier General Alexander W. Reynolds. Series 6 through 8 were collected by Roy Bird Cook. They include military records and clippings regarding West Virginia units, the Confederate 31st Virginia Infantry, and other Confederate units from Virginia; there are also business and miscellaneous records, including ledgers, clippings, research notes, etc. Series 9 includes oversized material from earlier series.
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Roy Bird Cook (1886-1961), Collector, Papers 5.5 Linear Feet 5 ft. 6 in. (10 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (2 large flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.); (3 oversize folders, 1 in.)

Cook, Roy Bird, 1886-1961
Includes genealogy and Civil War records collected by Roy Bird Cook of Lewis County, West Virginia. Series 1 through 5 were compiled by Marcellus W. Zimmerman. They include correspondence, church records, academic records, genealogical records, research manuscripts, and clippings regarding primarily the genealogy and history of Lewisburg and Greenbrier County, and the life and career of Confederate Brigadier General Alexander W. Reynolds. Series 6 through 8 were collected by Roy Bird Cook. They include military records and clippings regarding West Virginia units, the Confederate 31st Virginia Infantry, and other Confederate units from Virginia; there are also business and miscellaneous records, including ledgers, clippings, research notes, etc. Series 9 includes oversized material from earlier series.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Stuart Family Papers

1.5 Linear Feet 1 ft. 6 in. (3 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 ledger, 1/2 in.)

Papers of John and Lewis Stuart, 1785-1823, and of Samuel Price, 1830-1879. Price's papers include mainly legal and business correspondence related to Price's law practice in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The Stuart papers concern settlement in Greenbrier County, land transactions, and family matters. The collection includes lawyer's fee books and account books for general merchandise, ca.1830-1880. There are also printed booklets of court briefs, pamphlets concerning "the slavery question" and railroads, and several Congressional documents.

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Stuart Family Papers 1.5 Linear Feet 1 ft. 6 in. (3 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 ledger, 1/2 in.)

Stuart family

Papers of John and Lewis Stuart, 1785-1823, and of Samuel Price, 1830-1879. Price's papers include mainly legal and business correspondence related to Price's law practice in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The Stuart papers concern settlement in Greenbrier County, land transactions, and family matters. The collection includes lawyer's fee books and account books for general merchandise, ca.1830-1880. There are also printed booklets of court briefs, pamphlets concerning "the slavery question" and railroads, and several Congressional documents.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Watson Family Papers

0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1/2 in. (1 folder)

The collection includes manuscript materials (correspondence, land warrant, accounts, receipts, petition and will) and printed and typescript materials (invitations, broadside, newspaper and magazine clippings). Subjects of the various items include sale and survey of land; schools, churches, estates, comment on and description of agriculture, social and economic conditions in Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, California, Morgantown, Fairmont, and Wheeling, WV, and Ireland; westward migration [1849]; gold mining, enslaved Africans; and business and family affairs.

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Watson Family Papers 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1/2 in. (1 folder)

Watson family

The collection includes manuscript materials (correspondence, land warrant, accounts, receipts, petition and will) and printed and typescript materials (invitations, broadside, newspaper and magazine clippings). Subjects of the various items include sale and survey of land; schools, churches, estates, comment on and description of agriculture, social and economic conditions in Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, California, Morgantown, Fairmont, and Wheeling, WV, and Ireland; westward migration [1849]; gold mining, enslaved Africans; and business and family affairs.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Wilson-Lewis Family Papers

0.42 Linear Feet 5 in. (1 document case)
Papers relating to the Wilson, Lewis, and Ruffner families of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Kanawha County, [West] Virginia, St. Charles County, Missouri, and Fairfield County, Ohio. Correspondence between Nathaniel V. Wilson and Dr. Goodridge Wilson, concerning land purchases, preparation for the settlement of the family, care of livestock, employment of slaves, salt making and marketing, and the market price of salt. Other members of the family migrated to St. Charles County, Missouri, and to Fairfield County, Ohio, and land prices, suitable crops, settlement and railroad building in Missouri comprise much of their correspondence. A third generation member of the family, Virgy Wilson Hall and her husband, John G. Hall, were missionaries in Matamoras, Mexico, and Colombia, South America, and her correspondence with her mother comments on living conditions, progress of the missionary work, revolution in Colombia, and health and living conditions of the residents of the Barranquilla area. In addition there is a will of Col. Charles Lewis, a series of letters between two doctors concerning health problems and treatment of various illnesses, and two diaries by Mrs. Daniel Ruffner, 1846, and Elizabeth Ruffner Wilson, 1871-1872, commenting on family life and community activities in Fairfield County, Ohio, and Kanawha County, [West] Virginia. All are photocopies. Material covers the years 1774-1942.
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Wilson-Lewis Family Papers 0.42 Linear Feet 5 in. (1 document case)

Wilson-Lewis family
Papers relating to the Wilson, Lewis, and Ruffner families of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Kanawha County, [West] Virginia, St. Charles County, Missouri, and Fairfield County, Ohio. Correspondence between Nathaniel V. Wilson and Dr. Goodridge Wilson, concerning land purchases, preparation for the settlement of the family, care of livestock, employment of slaves, salt making and marketing, and the market price of salt. Other members of the family migrated to St. Charles County, Missouri, and to Fairfield County, Ohio, and land prices, suitable crops, settlement and railroad building in Missouri comprise much of their correspondence. A third generation member of the family, Virgy Wilson Hall and her husband, John G. Hall, were missionaries in Matamoras, Mexico, and Colombia, South America, and her correspondence with her mother comments on living conditions, progress of the missionary work, revolution in Colombia, and health and living conditions of the residents of the Barranquilla area. In addition there is a will of Col. Charles Lewis, a series of letters between two doctors concerning health problems and treatment of various illnesses, and two diaries by Mrs. Daniel Ruffner, 1846, and Elizabeth Ruffner Wilson, 1871-1872, commenting on family life and community activities in Fairfield County, Ohio, and Kanawha County, [West] Virginia. All are photocopies. Material covers the years 1774-1942.

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