Search

This series contains the correspondence and papers of the Strother family covering the years 1778-1925 (bulk 1827-1888). Correspondence includes letters to and from friends, family, and business associates, as well as telegraphs from David Hunter Strother's service in the American Civil War. Topics discussed in correspondence include personal and family matters, business matters, the Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, the military as a profession, education, health, finances, politics, prohibition, art and illustration techniques, D. H. Strother's travels in Italy, John Brown's raid, the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, and D. H. Strother's work as consul to Mexico. Correspondents include various members of the Strother family, John Marshall (U.S. Chief Justice), Alexander Stephens (U.S. Congressman and Vice President of the Confederacy), Edmund P. Hunter (Virginia lawyer and politician), J. E. Heath (U.S. Commissioner of Pensions), Charles J. Faulkner (U.S. Congressman), George W. Mumford (Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia), Howard Sutherland (U.S. Senator), and William Ravenel (Administrative Assistant, Smithsonian Institution).

This series contains photocopies (with original and carbon typescript) of satirical works, usually known as "Dinwiddianae Select Poems Pro Patria" by an unknown author or authors, and studied by Carl R. Dolmetsch. The works are against the policies of Robert Dinwiddie who was governor of Virginia from 1751-1758 and are written in dialect. The collection includes essay, 1964, by Tobias Mark Sindt, "Some Insights of the Dialect of Colonial Virginia Utilizing the 'Dinwiddianae' and Related Manuscripts."

Series 2 consists of 150 boxes, one wrapped package of county court papers, primarily case papers and public records; as well as various public and private record books (one box, and two unboxed ledgers). The case papers in boxes 1-17 have been indexed alphabetically, chronologically, and by subject. This card index can be found on microfilm reels HAM 30-34, or upon request. Case papers include civil and criminal cases at the County, Circuit, and State level. The case papers are still in their original wrappers, which include basic information on the case, including names, dates, and charges, but not much more. There is generally more information for county level cases than other levels. Public records are primarily financial records including taxes, settlements, and sales, but there are also some birth, marriage, and death records, estates, deeds, and election records. There are also several boxes of records of the Hampshire County Department of the West Virginia Relief Administration, which include work injury compensation reports (boxes 75-77); public assistance checks (boxes 80-81); and administrative financial records (box 150). The work injury compensation reports include basic information on the circumstances of the injury, the type of work, pay, and general demographic information (name, age, race, marital status, etc.). These materials are restricted for general use in compliance with HIPAA standards, but researchers may request access to use the records for broad, summary analysis.

Series 2- Original Materials, consists of 76 boxes of various records, and 18 "wrapped packages." The boxed material consists of various court and public records, primarily relating to court cases, financial records, and marriage records. Court cases include a variety of cases, including estate and chancery cases, as well as financial matters, working conditions, and liquor. Many of the cases include extensive and detailed transcripts of court proceedings and witness statements. Packages 1-7 are sets of envelopes or folders wrapped in paper, not bound volumes. Packages 4-7 are shorthand notes for various cases, sometimes including additional materials relating to the case such as newspaper articles and other papers. The notes are collected in folders which are labeled with the case and arranged alphabetically. In addition to the estate cases, there are also some deeds (boxes 27-28) and various bills of sale, contracts, estrays, etc. Financial records include tax records, road funds, sheriff's expenses, and financial records of the Public Health Service and the department of Public Administration County Relief Records. These records are mainly related to the expenses of administration and staff. This series also includes poll books and election returns from 1836-1860, and tally sheets, nomination certificates, lists of voters, and election results for 1936.

Series 2-Paper Materials, consists of 541 boxes of county court records, primarily case papers. Boxes 297-541 have not been microfilmed. This collection also includes an 1869 Reward Poster for Ed Sullivan (oversize folder 1) and 4 bank notes for the "Bank of the Union" (Box 171, env. 1851-1). For this series, the papers are sorted into envelopes, which are arranged chronologically. The envelopes are labeled with the year followed by the envelope number (ex. 1804-2 would be envelope 2 of the records for 1804). Envelopes may also indicate the level of court (i.e., County Court, Circuit Court, etc.).

Series 2 contains 341 boxes of court record papers from 1774-1934. These papers consist primarily of case related papers, and include various types of records such as orders, commitments, bills, warrants, and transcripts. There are many records relating to early families in Monongalia County. The material in this series is completely indexed, and the card index can be used to locate records for a specific person/family, in a specific year or court (County, Circuit, Circuit Superior), or by subject. Please note that a copy of the Alphabetical and Subject indexes, including a list of the subjects on each reel, can be found on MON 293-MON 350, in Series 2. No copy of the chronological index exists, ask for assistance using this section. Boxes 324-341 at the end of this series contain envelopes T1-T148, which hold similar records to the rest of the paper materials. There is a separate drawer of the card index for the "T" envelopes, but it has not been microfilmed.

A small part of this series includes court records that relate to enslaved and freedpeople, which have been listed here. This list may not be complete, but it includes all records that have been located so far. These records include a suit by Amos and a group of other Black people against James McMechen for freedom (1820, env. 72 C-4); a case against Lucy, a Black woman, for "unlawful migration" (1852, env. 200 C); case against Oath, an enslaved man, charged with buggery (sodomy) (1818, env. 60); against Samuel Copper for bringing enslaved people out of the Commonwealth (1835, env. 136); against William Culbertom for harboring an enslaved person (1822, Env. 81 Folder 3/3); cases charging several people with teaching free Black people to read (circa? 1835, env. 162B, 162C, and 163B); the escapes of Alfred Turpin (env. 167), Noah (169 C), Joseph Bryant (171 A), John and Daniel Jackson (171 B), Hugh Cunningham (172), Benjamin Moody (200 A), and Josiah and Martha Snowdon (225 A), enslaved persons, and of Polly, a freedwoman (169 B); a deed between John Lee and Alexander Caldwell mentioning enslaved people (env. 31-3), and a case against Joseph Bryant for "enticing negro slaves from owners," (172 C 13). There are also some records of apprenticeships.

Series 2 consists of 156 boxes of papers, predominantly civil case papers, as well as some criminal case papers and public records. These cases have to do with debt and chancery proceedings, as well as some marriage, estate, survey, and election records. Survey and plat records span from 1790-1862. Furthermore, this series also has lunacy records from 1798-1876, including examinations, bonds, warrants, executions, depositions, and reports from 1798-1876, and records of accounts for running jail, care for prisoners, and inspections. There are also records of enslaved and freedpeople (see card index entry under "Negro," including 1813 "Lists of Free Negroes," (Env. 8); a case against Joseph Wheatley for entertaining Charles, a man enslaved by Absalom Wells, without Wells' permission (1814, env. 89); and a suit of Pero Smith, Sarah Smith, and Sidney, free persons, against Fergus Smith for a charge of false imprisonment (1812, env. 285). Pero, Sarah, and Sidney also appear on the first page of the "Free Negro Register."