Collections

The Alexander Lockhart Nelson Papers consist of materials related to Nelson's life as mathematician at Washington and Lee University; Nelson, Guy, Matthews, Archer, and Rennick family genealogy; an address by Nelson on his teaching experience during Robert E. Lee's presidency of Washington College; some family and miscellaneous correspondences; and photographs. Included and, perhaps, the primary aspect of the collection is Nelson's notebook used during his time as both student and professor of mathematics during the mid through late 19th century. The notebook also contains a range of content unrelated to his career as mathematician such as an extensive family tree, a journal/day book which includes details about weather from December 1880 through March 1881 in Lexington, Va.; a pencil drawing of his property and its improvements in downtown Lexington; and notes about payments made to a hired laborer for his Lexington home and grounds. There is an albumen photograph of a group of young girls of the Ann Smith Academy in Lexington – including an image of Nelson's daughter Evelyn. The collection is in two series – each formerly a unique accession from unique sources and different dates. The collections have recently been combined. Each series includes a control folder explaining its provenance. Series two includes a letter from WLU student Jack C. Desha in 1871 to his father Lucius Desha of Kentucky. In the letter Jack shares his travel experiences from Cincinnatti, Ohio to Lexington, Va., including an overnight visit in Washington DC. Series two also includes student Randolph Preston's (WLU class of 1902)typescript reminiscence of his Washington and Lee University student experience fifty years earlier.

Correspondence and accounts of Alexander Mathews Davis, lawyer of Grayson County, Va. Includes several Civil War letters.

The collection consists of the accounts ledgers of the Alexandria Gazette from 1833-1866. Advertisers' names, charges, and dates run are recorded in the advertisement ledgers. Other account books record printing charges, as well as petty advertising accounts. Additionally, two route books from 1859 are available.

The manuscripts vertical file is an artificial collection containing a wide variety of unique manuscript items relating to Alexandria, Virginia residents, businesses, organizations, and history.

The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the Alexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.

This collection consists of 2 books that have been converted to scrapbooks by gluing playbills, poems, articles, drawings, and religious materials onto the pages. The scrapbook in folder 1 contains religious articles, poetry, and images pasted into a book on agricultural reports. The scrapbook in folder 2 contains playbills and concert programs from the National Theater, Ford's Opera House, the Alexandria Musical Association, the Vocal Society of the Assembly Presbyterian Church, etc.

The collection contains reports, correspondence, account books, minutes, warrants, court orders, vouchers, bills to be paid and to be collected, some printed matter, stocks and bonds, petitions, election returns, and poll books, ranging in date from 1750 to 1983, predominately 1825-1875. Topics include both the city auditor and the city treasurer records of receipts and expenditures for many city functions--the poor house, the police, employee pay records, etc.--, election results, the issuance of Corporation stocks and bonds, railroads, and canals.

Correspondence of General Alfred Beckley and his wife Emily Craig. Several of the letters are by Beckley's mother from Lexington, Kentucky and comment on the Presidential election of 1832 in that state, the reception of President Jackson's in Lexington, 1832 the Cholera scourge, and local social affairs. The rest of the letters are concerned with family matters.