Collections

This collection and addition consists of about 4.25 shelf feet (ca. 1500 pieces) and includes the legal, financial, genealogical, and personal papers of Jane Chapman Slaughter, a genealogical authority and one of the first women to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

This collection contains the papers of Julia duVal, dating from 1890 to 1930. Contents include a program to the Lynchburg High School 1910 graduation; an invitation to the Randolph-Macon Women's College 1914 graduation ceremony; a typescript copy of duVal's 1924 University of Virginia Master's thesis on Jane Austen titled "Jane Austen: the determining influences of her life on her works;" a handwritten eulogy for duVal; a photograph of duVal in her academic regalia; the 1912/1913 issue of the Randolph-Macon catalog; an issue of "The Campus Quill" from Bessie Tift College, in which duVal's death is announced; five photographs of Julia at Randolph-Macon; a Randolph-Macon postcard addressed to her father, R.A. duVal. This collection also contains three letters from duVal to her parents, dated 1916, describing Columbia University, St. John the Divine cathedral, sightseeing, and mentioning the infantile paralysis epidemic in New York City and her fears of carrying the contagion if she comes home. There are also two letters to her brother, Gabriel duVal, dated May 6 and May 8, 1916, and an undated letter to Julia from an aunt. Also included is a scripture book dated 1890 and several blank undated postcards.

This collection comprises records of the League of Women Voters of Fluvanna County, Virginia, and documents the organization's work to protect and expand voting rights. The records include meeting minutes, dues and expense ledgers, newsletters, guidebooks for voting rights, meeting minutes and reports, photographs, buttons, and nametags. A list of members and an official request for League recognition that includes bylaws is also present. The League of Women Voters Fluvanna Chapter (VA-128) was established in 1999 and later merged in 2012 with the League of Women Voters of Charlottesville-Albermarle County (VA-100) under the name League of Women Voters of Charlottesville Area (VA-100). Included in the collection is the documentation of the merger.

This collection contains the commonplace book belonging to a woman, possibly named Lydia from the United States, circa 1844. A commonplace manuscript book with verse neatly recorded verso and recto throughout. The book consists of twelve unpaginated leaves, ruled in pencil and partially uncut in original pink and black marbled paper wrappers. The contents are largely short verse excepts and meditative or religious in nature. However, there are several more substantial selections, "The Bower of Prayer," "Infant School Hymn," "At Rest," "Farewell sweet girl," "Bring flowers" by Felicia Hemans, and an acrostic of "Bellview" is also recorded.

This collection contains the autograph album of Mary Ann Heston of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The manuscript title page reads "Mary Ann Heston's Album" and contains twenty-three pages of calligraphically rendered manuscript poetry dedicated to Mary from her friends and family, together with three laid-in leaves of manuscript poetry. There are not many locations identified with the entries. One gives a location of Pineville, [Pennsylvania], and another is dated at "Warner's Point Academy."

This collection contains a friendship album belonging to Mary Ann Pratt (1813-c.1880), of Livonia, New York. The bulk of the entries are from 1830 to 1832 and appear to be from her local friends from the surrounding towns of Mt. Morris, and Dansville. The entries mostly consist of poems, with some original works, as well as short notes, whose general themes touch on memory, friendship, morality, heaven, and time. Some poems are attributed to a Charles Spraque. There are a few entries from 1834 to 1835 after her marriage to Frederick Stanley (c.1807-1870). Three pages of tucked-in pages contain different verses dealing with the death of an infant. It is unclear who wrote these poems as they are neither addressed to Pratt or signed and dated by a friend or family member.

This collection contains a friendship album belonging to Mattie Davis given to her by her father on Christmas Eve, 1861. The album entries date from 1861 to 1867 and the majority of entries are poetry or short verses with themes of morality and friendship. There is no identification of Davis location; however, most entries are from Taylorsville, Indiana, so it is likely she is from that area. In addition to Taylorsville, there are several entries from Dupont, Indiana and Wilmington, Ohio. Also of note are two drawings, both done by the same person, Konn B. Tayres. The first is of the American flag, and shield, done in red, white, and blue ink, with the last stanza of the poem, "The American Flag," by Joseph Rodman Drake underneath it. The other is a pencil drawing of a visiting card, featuring the same motif of the American flag and shield, along with the name "Konn B. Tayres, Main Street, Wilmington, OH." The album features five black and white engravings, including the title page and frontispiece, with a mix of portraits and landscapes.

This collection contains the friendship album of Rebecca Jackman. The book is roughly one-quarter of the album filled with twelve lengthy verse entries signed by friends across New England. Most of the verses appear to be original and/or tailored to Rebecca. The album itself is titled "Souvenir album," and published by J.C. Riker, New York," with several engraved illustrations throughout and some pages of pink and blue paper.

This collection contains nineteen privately printed pages using a mimeograph type process, addressed to women readers. The feature is authored by two women in Sunnyside, Queens and covers "fashions, theatre, shop windows... all of the kaleidoscope that is New York, seen through women's eyes and written for women to read." The authors write much about fashion, particularly with regards to the seasonal styles worn by glamorous women promenading on New York's avenues.