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Collection includes the following:

Photostats of correspondence, 1777-1812, of Bishop James Madison, President of College of William & Mary, with Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Joseph C. Cabell, St. George Tucker, and others. These copies are from originals housed in various libraries: Harvard College Library, Free Library of Philadelphia, University of the South, Church Historical Society in Austin, Texas, Maryland Historical Society, Chicago Historical Society, Yale University and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Includes Acc. 1971.15, copies of material relating to James Madison, collected and compiled by Dr. George Cleaveland.

Collection contains one notebook with preparatory notes by Bishop James Madison for use in teaching students at William & Mary about Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. The notes include extensive lists of open-ended questions for each chapter of Smith's work, which he may have prepared for the ushers and tutors working with students, or possibly questions he wrote down himself while preparing his lecture. The notebook likely dates from his time as a professor and president at William & Mary, circa 1776 to 1812.

Letters, chiefly 1765-1817, of the Blair, Banister, Braxton, Horner, and Whiting families. Correspondents include John Blair (1732-1800), Anne (Blair) Banister and Mary (Blair) Braxton Burwell Prescott. Many of the letters are written by women.

An artificial collections of papers concerning the Blair family of Williamsburg. Includes land grant, 1741, signed by James Blair (1655-1743); document, 1768, signed by John Blair (1689-1771) concerning Loudoun County, Va. justices of the peace; depositions, 1787 and n.d., of John Blair (1732-1800) concerning a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Chatham County, Ga. (Margaret Eustace vs. Seth John Cuthbert) which concerned the estate of his brother, James Blair (1741-1772); deposition, November 24, 1786, of Patrick Henry in the lawsuit of Margaret Eustace vs. Seth John Cuthbert; and letter, 1792, of John Blair to Samuel Meredith concerning payment to Robert Greenhow. A page from a book with a drawing of John Blair and the caption, "First Grand Master of Masons of Virginia." Commission from John Blair, Esqr President and Commander in Cheif (Chief) of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, to Richard Dobson giving him permission to "enlist men for his Majestys Service for the Regiment forthwith to be raised and to be under the Command of the Honble William Byrd, Esqr..." Dated April 15, 1758 and signed by John Blair. Written during John Blair's first term as Acting Governor.