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Personal and business papers of the Lewis family, mainly of John D. (1800-1882), Charles C., Sr. (b.1839), and Charles C., Jr. (b.1865), of Kanawha County. For the period 1825-1875 there are papers of various members of the Ruffner, Dickinson, and Wilson families of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and other states. The business papers relate to farming operations, the purchase and sale of slaves, salt manufacturing and trade, the Old Sweet Springs Company, coal, iron, oil, lumbering, railroads, and real estate in Kanawha, Clay, Boone, Fayette, and Nicholas counties. There are newspaper clippings, speeches, and other papers reflecting the Lewis' interests in the Democratic Party in the period 1914-1920. Settlement papers and correspondence regarding the estates of John D. Lewis, and Joel, Daniel, and Andrew Ruffner are in the collection. The personal papers include diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and letters. Travel accounts in the United States, South America, and Europe are given in the correspondence, as well as comments on schools in West Virginia and Virginia; the building of a church in Kanawha County in 1834; missionary work in Colombia, South America, 1874-1875; Civil War and postwar conditions in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri; conditions at Camp Chase, in the Civil War; and material relating to World War I.

The papers of U. S. Navy Rear Admiral Marbury Johnston (1860-1934) include naval orders and personnel records, as well as a draft for a book of reminiscences, titled "The Recollections of Another Naval Officer."

Papers of Hu Maxwell (1860-1927), historian, editor, and author of several county histories of West Virginia, along with papers and records of other family members. There are manuscripts of fiction, verse, and local history written by Maxwell, as well as a number of his manuscripts and publications dealing with forestry which were prepared while he was a member of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Maxwell kept a diary during the years 1901-1919 while residing in Morgantown, Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., which is extensive for the period of World War I and which contains notes on the diary of Rufus Maxwell (1855-1907). See scope and content note for more detail.

The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945).

Correspondence, legal papers, and business papers of John J.D. Preston, his ancestors, and his relatives. The correspondence is primarily between members of the Preston family with topics being discussed, such as living conditions, business conditions, military training camps, Civil War battles, politics and campaigns, political personalities, education, schools, and the World Wars. Correspondents include John Preston, Rev. David Preston, John J. Davis, and John W. Davis.

A notebook of genealogical forms compiled by the donor tracing the descent of the Robert Young & Lydia Gould family who settled at French Creek, Upshur County. Some mention is made of military service, occupation, and character of some of the individuals. Especially important is mention of individuals who served in the Civil War and World War I.

Personal correspondence, legal and financial papers, diary, and newspaper clippings of Mrs. Sallie Maxwell Bennett of Weston, wife of Louis Bennett, Sr., the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1908. The collection concerns the career of her son, Louis Bennett, Jr., particularly his student days at Yale, his pioneer efforts to organize the West Virginia Flying Corps, his service in the Royal Air Force [RAF], and his subsequent death in World War I. Additional topics include Mrs. Bennett's effort to memorialize her son, family affairs, and a South American trip in 1915. Correspondents include Louis Bennett, Sr. and Jr., and John W. Davis.

Isaiah Shephard of Ritchie and Wood counties was the progenitor of this family which frequently corresponded with one another. Many of the letters were received by Roxie Shephard, as a young woman, from her friends and suitors. Much of the collection deals with Hiram W. Shepherd including correspondence while he was in World War I. Pvt. Shephard served in France attached to the A.E.F. General Headquarters 1st Army Motor section as a chauffeur. While a soldier he comments much about his travel duties, overseas Army life, and his acquaintances.