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Scrapbooks, correspondence, business papers, and memorabilia of a prominent Charleston family that were long time owners of the Charleston Gazette. There are papers of W. E. Chilton, Sr., and for his son and grandson, W. E. Chilton, Jr. and W. E. Chilton, III. The papers of Chilton senior include some correspondence, but mostly land papers documenting the coal mining district in Webster and Braxton Counties. There are also scrapbooks, and contracts pertaining to the family newspaper business; and volumes on the education of W. E. Chilton, Jr. at Woodberry, VA Forest School, and at Yale. The military service of the Chiltons is documented by the service papers, photographs, and other material for W. E. Chilton, Jr. and W. E. Chilton, III in World War (WWI) I and World War II (WWII) respectively.

This collection consists of the papers of the Hall and Moore families of New York, Richmond, Va. and Williamsburg, Va. Includes wills, estate papers, legal and financial transactions, 1810-1915, of Jacob Hall, Sarah Hall and Cunningham Hall; and Bishop Richard Channing Moore, Virginia Moore, Harriet Glenworth Moore, Margaretta Moore and Louise Moore. Contains correspondence, 1854-1876, between Zebulon S. Farland and Ellen Douglas Gordon Farland; letters, 1906-1928, to Margaret (Farland) Hall, from her children, Emily Hall, Channing Hall, Joseph Hall, and John Lesslie Hall concerning education and World War I; and correspondence, 1887-1889, between Margaret (Farland) Hall and John Lesslie Hall, Sr. The collection also includes teaching notes, professional writings, and alumni correspondence with John Lesslie Hall, Sr. Prominent correspondents of Hall include Lyon G. Tyler, Thomas Nelson Page, Joseph Dupuy Eggleston and Basil Gildersleeve. Includes items removed from "The Writing of English"(PE1408 .M38 1929), a book owned by Emily M. Hall.

Correspondence between WVU professor John H. Johnston and British World War I poets, including David Jones, Herbert Read, and Siegfried Sassoon. There are fourteen letters authored by David Jones, a British World War I poet widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century by his contemporaries. The letters include a "discussion" between Johnston and Jones, mostly regarding Johnston's critique and analysis of the World War I poets, and also the thoughts and philosophies that influenced Jones's work (especially "In Parenthesis"). There are also two letters authored by Siegfried Sassoon and one authored by Sassoon's son, George, upon his father's death. Siegfried Sassoon was a British World War I poet best known for his critical view of the war following his service. Also includes publications by and about David Jones, and one piece of published greeting card artwork by David Jones with signature and note.

The papers consist chiefly of personal letters and correspondence of James H. Sheppard during his service in France in World War I. There is some information about his role in the development of the 155 mm Filloux gun. There is also material relating to Thomas Jefferson Sheppard, including a reminiscence of his life that mentions his Civil War service and detention in Andersonville prison; a piece of a stockade log from Andersonville; a manuscript of a speech given by Sheppard at the Franklin Literary Society of Denison University, ca. 1883; and a photograph of Sheppard.

This collection consists of documents and printed material dating from World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War. Most items were donated by VMI alumni and they represent the types of items retained by returning soldiers.