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Four notebooks of Col. John Evans family history prepared by Thomas Ray Dille; (maps of voting districts in Monongalia County) papers of the Monongalia County Historical Society; and copies of the constitution and charter of the York County (Pa.) Historical Society

Gift of the brothers and sisters of Thomas Ray Dille, lawyer, historian, and genealogist of Morgantown W.Va. This collection contains the family histories of the Dille, David Evans, and John Evans families, as well as the Ray, Stewart, McFarland, and Tennant families.

Papers of a Morgantown attorney, genealogist, and antiquarian. There are several series of office files relating to Dille's law practice, and extensive correspondence regarding his historical and genealogical studies. Families for which there are genealogical compilations include Dille, Ray, Stewart, McFarland, Tennant, David Evans, and John Evans. Monongalia County birth and death records; cemetery readings; copies of wills and indexes of will books; names in real estate and appraisement books; Monongalia Academy and Woodburn Female Seminary ledgers, 1858; correspondence; legal papers; newspaper clippings; family papers; and an account book of J.R. Moore, 1837. Collection also contains papers on the West Virginia Historical Society, Morgantown and Wheeling Railroad, Sons of the Revolution and the Evansdale Corporation. Also includes some personal correspondence received by Dille, like mailed promotional/advertising booklets and copies of "The Mohawk Magazine."

This commonplace book of precedents is arranged by subjects and contains citations from English and American sources. Written in more than one hand, apparently over a number of years. The end paper contains a list of law books owned by Fauntleroy on Jaunary 1, 1828.

Chiefly articles, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia, together with scattered correspondence, bills and receipts pertaining to Abraham Lincoln.

The Thruston family commonplace book (1604-1925; 0.03 cubic feet) documents the family history of the Thruston family of Bristol and Virginia, with early records concerning Martin's Hundred, Virginia, a plantation on the north shore of the James River, first settled in 1638. The manuscript opens with an "Epistle dedicatory" dated 25 October 1628 by Abell Louering, addressed to Robert Rogers, Esq., whose wife was present at the baptism of John Thruston's son John. The manuscript then passes to John Thruston, Chamberlain of Bristol (1606-1675), son of Malachais Thurston of Wellington. Thurston had 16 children with his first wife, Thomasine Rich. Their various births, deaths, and marriages are recorded here, including the birth of son Edward in 1638. Dr. Edward Thurston began writing in the book in 1666, and his entries contain the first reference to Virginia in the manuscript.

The collection MSS 16920 contains the Tinsley, Edwards, Rich family history (1795; 1820-1978) written by William George Rich III (1905-1988) about his great-great grandfather who called himself William Tinsley (born into enslavery in 1795,and freed in 1820), his great grandparents Nelson and Lauren Broady Tinsley, (an indigenous woman) and his grandparents Charles Robert Tinsley (1851-1919) and Betty Edwards Tinsley (1855-1924) (daughter of an indigenous woman Malinda Edwards)and their eight grandchildren (William George Rich III and his 7 cousins) who lived on their own land in Amherst, Virginia. The collection is remarkable in the amount of detail that is provided about a prosperous African American family living during Jim Crow laws. Charles Robert Tinsley was the owner of a livery stable and built a house for his children, grandchildren and his parents, Nelson and Lauren Tinsley.