Collections

Genealogical research papers regarding the Boyce and related families in West Virginia. This collection is currently unprocessed.

Papers of West Virginia University History Professor Edward M. Steel. Dr. Steel was a professor of history at West Virginia University, specializing in American history. As an author he is best known for his scholarly writings on labor leader Mother Jones. The collection includes correspondence (personal and professional), manuscripts of books and articles regarding "Mother Jones" and other historical topics, bibliographies, research notes, topographical maps of northern West Virginia, clippings, greetings cards, and other material. See also A&M 3582 for a paper authored by Steel entitled "Black Monongalians, A Judicial View of Slavery and the Negro in Monongalia County, 1776-1865"; also see collections A&M 2031 and A&M 3339 for additional Steel papers. This collection is minimally processed.

Papers of Louise McNeill (Pease), 1911-1993, of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, noted twentieth century Appalachian poet and author, poet laureate of West Virginia from 1979 to 1993, and professor of history and English. Though most well-known for her lyrical poetry about the history and spirit of West Virginia, McNeill also wrote articles, short stories, essays, and her memoirs. Includes biographical materials, letters, writings, poems, photographs, audio-visual materials, artifacts, and personal materials documenting Louise McNeill's career as a poet and author and her personal life, chiefly from the 1970s to her death in 1993. Biographical materials include awards and certificates, biographies of McNeill, clippings, curriculum vitae, and other genealogical materials. Letters are from literary figures, political figures, family and friends. Prominent correspondents include Maggie Anderson, Rene de Chocour, Marion Havighurst, Walter Havighurst, and John D. Rockefeller IV. Writings and related materials include manuscript and typescript drafts of McNeill's books, loose poems, and other writings as well as book reviews, press correspondence, and marketing materials. Audio-visual materials consist of photographs of Louise McNeill, her family, and friends, and tributes to and interviews with McNeill on audio and video cassette. Collection also contains publications, artifacts, and personal materials.

Photocopy of a typescript by author and professor Mary Lee Settle, titled "The West Virginians", regarding the history of the state and character of her citizens as well as national perceptions thereof. Also contains a digital transcription in .docx format. For further information please see "Scope and Contents" and "Biographical" note.

Papers of Hu Maxwell (1860-1927), historian, editor, and author of several county histories of West Virginia, along with papers and records of other family members. There are manuscripts of fiction, verse, and local history written by Maxwell, as well as a number of his manuscripts and publications dealing with forestry which were prepared while he was a member of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Maxwell kept a diary during the years 1901-1919 while residing in Morgantown, Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., which is extensive for the period of World War I and which contains notes on the diary of Rufus Maxwell (1855-1907). See scope and content note for more detail.

The Pocahontas Mines Collection, 1883-1997, documents the mining operations of CONSOL Energy, Inc. and its predecessor coal mining companies in the Pocahontas, Virginia, area, including numerous counties in southwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia. The collection is divided into four series based on type: Scanned rolls, Unscanned rolls and documents, Books, and Ledgers. The scanned and unscanned rolls are primarily of mining maps and related oversized items, such as mechanical building and equipment drawings, plats, and topographic maps. The books and ledgers generally relate to mining surveys.

The William F. Drumeller, Jr., Collection, 1909-1991, includes Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) publications, school papers (including notes and notebooks), ephemera, engineering publications and reports, correspondences, and photographs of Drumeller, a student and cadet at VPI from 1942-1943 and 1946-1949. Materials describe the railway and coal industries in West Virginia in the mid- to late twentieth century.