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West Virginia and Regional History Center

Abner Osburn, Physician, Papers

0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in.
Papers of Dr. Abner Osburn, a physician who practiced in Jefferson County, West Virginia in the late nineteenth century. The collection contains Civil War material, including a letter, currency, and a pass from Harpers Ferry. Other items include bonds for the purchase of slaves, programs from various collegiate events, certificates for the legal practice of medicine, correspondence, and other material. Please see "Scope and Content Note" for further information.
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Abner Osburn, Physician, Papers 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in.

Osburn, Abner
Papers of Dr. Abner Osburn, a physician who practiced in Jefferson County, West Virginia in the late nineteenth century. The collection contains Civil War material, including a letter, currency, and a pass from Harpers Ferry. Other items include bonds for the purchase of slaves, programs from various collegiate events, certificates for the legal practice of medicine, correspondence, and other material. Please see "Scope and Content Note" for further information.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Aileen Shafer, Collector, Material regarding African-Americans

0.21 Linear Feet 2.5 in. (1 document case)

Nineteenth century records regarding African-Americans, including deed of emancipation (1829), two brief autograph letters by abolitionists Charles Sumner and Wendell Phillips (1850, 1882), eight copies of "The Anti-Slavery Record", a significant abolitionist publication (1835), and twenty popular song broadsides featuring minstrel song themes (ca. 1830s-1860s).

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Aileen Shafer, Collector, Material regarding African-Americans 0.21 Linear Feet 2.5 in. (1 document case)

Shafer, Aileen

Nineteenth century records regarding African-Americans, including deed of emancipation (1829), two brief autograph letters by abolitionists Charles Sumner and Wendell Phillips (1850, 1882), eight copies of "The Anti-Slavery Record", a significant abolitionist publication (1835), and twenty popular song broadsides featuring minstrel song themes (ca. 1830s-1860s).

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Allen Family Papers

31 Linear Feet 31 ft. (72 document cases, 5 in. each); (8 unboxed ledgers, 12 in.)
Personal and business correspondence, legal papers, ledgers, family records, and other papers of the Allen family of Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. Also includes papers of members of the Barr, Weibley, Taylor, and Gamble families. The majority of the collection includes personal and business correspondence, legal papers, and financial records of Judge James W.F. Allen (1813/12/03 - 1875/07/16), a Hardy County lawyer, Jacksonian Democrat, and Circuit Court Judge in Hardy and Grant Counties (active ca. 1852-1865, 1872-1875). Also includes the papers of Allen's second wife, Caroline Williams Allen (d. 1907), several of Allen's children, and other related people, and a large group of 19th century advertising memorabilia. See Scope and Content Note for more information.
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Allen Family Papers 31 Linear Feet 31 ft. (72 document cases, 5 in. each); (8 unboxed ledgers, 12 in.)

Allen family
Personal and business correspondence, legal papers, ledgers, family records, and other papers of the Allen family of Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. Also includes papers of members of the Barr, Weibley, Taylor, and Gamble families. The majority of the collection includes personal and business correspondence, legal papers, and financial records of Judge James W.F. Allen (1813/12/03 - 1875/07/16), a Hardy County lawyer, Jacksonian Democrat, and Circuit Court Judge in Hardy and Grant Counties (active ca. 1852-1865, 1872-1875). Also includes the papers of Allen's second wife, Caroline Williams Allen (d. 1907), several of Allen's children, and other related people, and a large group of 19th century advertising memorabilia. See Scope and Content Note for more information.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Aten Family Civil War Letters

0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)
The Aten Family Civil War letters chronicle the Union Army service of James, John, and Henry Aten. James Aten returned to his native Hancock County from Illinois in February 1861 and enlisted in the First WV Volunteer Infantry for a three-month tour in May 1861. He reenlisted in the Twelfth WV Volunteer Infantry and saw service along the B & O Railroad, the Shenandoah Valley, along the James River and at one point he was a prisoner of war. John and Henry Aten served in the 85th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. John was hospitalized at one point. The letters give good military and political perspectives.
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Aten Family Civil War Letters 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Aten family
The Aten Family Civil War letters chronicle the Union Army service of James, John, and Henry Aten. James Aten returned to his native Hancock County from Illinois in February 1861 and enlisted in the First WV Volunteer Infantry for a three-month tour in May 1861. He reenlisted in the Twelfth WV Volunteer Infantry and saw service along the B & O Railroad, the Shenandoah Valley, along the James River and at one point he was a prisoner of war. John and Henry Aten served in the 85th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. John was hospitalized at one point. The letters give good military and political perspectives.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Berkeley County Papers

1.04 Linear Feet 2 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 document case, 2.5 in.; 1 oversize folder
The papers and receipts of Sheriff Daniel Lefevre that reflect county business and his legal practice, with similar papers of other nearby residents. Also includes letters, documents, and news clippings about the socioeconomic, antebellum, and Civil War history of Berkeley County, [West] Virginia and Maryland. There are slave inventories containing descriptions and prices, and letters about the treatment of slaves and their conduct. Specific reference is made to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
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Berkeley County Papers 1.04 Linear Feet 2 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 document case, 2.5 in.; 1 oversize folder

Berkeley County (W.Va.)
The papers and receipts of Sheriff Daniel Lefevre that reflect county business and his legal practice, with similar papers of other nearby residents. Also includes letters, documents, and news clippings about the socioeconomic, antebellum, and Civil War history of Berkeley County, [West] Virginia and Maryland. There are slave inventories containing descriptions and prices, and letters about the treatment of slaves and their conduct. Specific reference is made to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
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

Capt. William Sommerville (1756-1826) Papers

1.3 Linear Feet 1 ft. 3 1/2 in. (1 document case, 5 in.); (1 index card box, 10 1/2 in.)

Correspondence and genealogical materials related to the William B. Edwards family of King George County, Virginia, and the Capt. William Sommerville family of Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These families were joined when Elizabeth Sommerville (1812-1886), daughter of the Revolutionary War veteran, married William B. Edwards (1810-1888), a Methodist clergyman from a planter family, in 1833.

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Capt. William Sommerville (1756-1826) Papers 1.3 Linear Feet 1 ft. 3 1/2 in. (1 document case, 5 in.); (1 index card box, 10 1/2 in.)

Sommerville, William.

Correspondence and genealogical materials related to the William B. Edwards family of King George County, Virginia, and the Capt. William Sommerville family of Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These families were joined when Elizabeth Sommerville (1812-1886), daughter of the Revolutionary War veteran, married William B. Edwards (1810-1888), a Methodist clergyman from a planter family, in 1833.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Charles James Faulkner (1806-1884) Papers

0.8 Linear Feet 10 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each)
Correspondence of Charles J. Faulkner (1806-1884), who was a Martinsburg attorney, Virginia legislator, member of Congress, and ambassador to France during the James Buchanan administration. Subjects include national and Virginia-West Virginia politics, 1827-1876, and foreign affairs, 1868-1876. Other subjects include the French Colonization Society, the slave controversy, Maryland-Virginia boundary dispute, Virginia Revolutionary debt claims, disposal of the Harpers Ferry Armory, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, numerous internal improvement schemes in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and local history of the Martinsburg and Shenandoah Valley area. Correspondents include Sherrard Clemens; Lyman C. Draper; John J. Jackson, Jr.; Daniel Lamb; Alexander Martin; Samuel Price; George W. Summers; Henry A. Wise; and Waitman T. Willey. For a more complete list of subjects and correspondents, see Scope and Content Note. For a partial list of contents, see the control folder. For more information about Faulkner, see the Historical Note.
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Charles James Faulkner (1806-1884) Papers 0.8 Linear Feet 10 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each)

Faulkner, Charles James, 1806-1884
Correspondence of Charles J. Faulkner (1806-1884), who was a Martinsburg attorney, Virginia legislator, member of Congress, and ambassador to France during the James Buchanan administration. Subjects include national and Virginia-West Virginia politics, 1827-1876, and foreign affairs, 1868-1876. Other subjects include the French Colonization Society, the slave controversy, Maryland-Virginia boundary dispute, Virginia Revolutionary debt claims, disposal of the Harpers Ferry Armory, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, numerous internal improvement schemes in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and local history of the Martinsburg and Shenandoah Valley area. Correspondents include Sherrard Clemens; Lyman C. Draper; John J. Jackson, Jr.; Daniel Lamb; Alexander Martin; Samuel Price; George W. Summers; Henry A. Wise; and Waitman T. Willey. For a more complete list of subjects and correspondents, see Scope and Content Note. For a partial list of contents, see the control folder. For more information about Faulkner, see the Historical Note.
West Virginia and Regional History Center

David Goff Papers

0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 2 1/2 in. (1 document case)

Papers of David Goff (ca. 1804-1878) of Beverly, West Virginia, an attorney and land promoter for Harrison, Randolph, and Tucker Counties. Goff became prosecuting attorney in 1835, served as a Colonel in the Virginia militia in 1844, was superintendent of Randolph County schools in 1853, served as a member of the Virginia Assembly, and was a West Virginia State Senator from Randolph County (1875-1877). The papers include manuscript letters and other papers concerning land transactions, slave sales, and miscellaneous legal business for various clients. Included are papers of the Peter Buckey, Solomon Sturmer, James M. Marshall and Baldwin Dade estates; a copy of that part of the proceedings of the Board of Public Works, 1853, which concerns the payment of Lemuel and Eli Chenoweth for construction of the bridges crossing the Tygart River at Philippi, and the West Fork River; and an ALS (autograph letter signed) from George H. Moffett regarding a convention of delegates from Greenbrier, Monroe, Barbour, Pocahontas and Randolph Counties to secure the routing of a railroad from Pittsburgh through Pocahontas County.

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David Goff Papers 0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 2 1/2 in. (1 document case)

Goff, David, 1804?-1878

Papers of David Goff (ca. 1804-1878) of Beverly, West Virginia, an attorney and land promoter for Harrison, Randolph, and Tucker Counties. Goff became prosecuting attorney in 1835, served as a Colonel in the Virginia militia in 1844, was superintendent of Randolph County schools in 1853, served as a member of the Virginia Assembly, and was a West Virginia State Senator from Randolph County (1875-1877). The papers include manuscript letters and other papers concerning land transactions, slave sales, and miscellaneous legal business for various clients. Included are papers of the Peter Buckey, Solomon Sturmer, James M. Marshall and Baldwin Dade estates; a copy of that part of the proceedings of the Board of Public Works, 1853, which concerns the payment of Lemuel and Eli Chenoweth for construction of the bridges crossing the Tygart River at Philippi, and the West Fork River; and an ALS (autograph letter signed) from George H. Moffett regarding a convention of delegates from Greenbrier, Monroe, Barbour, Pocahontas and Randolph Counties to secure the routing of a railroad from Pittsburgh through Pocahontas County.

West Virginia and Regional History Center

Ellison Family Papers

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

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.

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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.

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Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

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