Collections

Start Over Names Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901 Level Collection

Benjamin Wilson, Attorney, Letter Regarding Conditions in Richmond after Passage of Secession Ordinance 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1 item (1 folder)

Wilson, Benjamin
Letter of two pages authored on 19 April 1861 from Richmond, Virginia by Benjamin Wilson, a Harrison County attorney, describing conditions in Richmond after passage of the Ordinance of Secession by the Virginia General Assembly on 17 April. He indicates how " ... almost every man and boy are in the street has [sic] a gun and sword in hand. Companies are leaving every day, where to I do not know." Benjamin Wilson was born in Harrison County, Virginia in 1825, attended law school in Staunton, Virginia, and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He served as Commonwealth attorney for Harrison County in 1852-1860, and was a member of the State constitutional convention of West Virginia in 1872. He later served in the U.S. Congress (1875 to 1883), and as Assistant Attorney General of the United States (1885-1893). He died in Clarksburg, West Virginia in 1905.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Deakins Family Papers and Surveying Compass 2.5 Linear Feet 2 ft. 6 1/4 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 5 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1/4 in.)

Deakins family
Includes records from several generations of the Deakins family of Montgomery County, Maryland and north central West Virginia. William (1742-1798) and Francis (1739-1804) Deakins, among the first generation, were active as land speculators after the American Revolution, applying their skills as surveyors to leverage acquisition of western lands. From 1778 their activities are documented through deeds, agreements, surveys, plats, surveyors' field books, court papers, and letters related to land purchased in Harrison, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur counties. Other papers concern Leonard M. Deakins (1747-1824) and his descendants. Of special significance in the collection is the compass used by Francis Deakins to survey the "Deakins Line" in 1787-1788, a north-south line separating western Maryland from (West) Virginia.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Henry Gassaway Davis (1823-1916) Papers 105.9 Linear Feet 105 ft. 11 in. (249 document cases, 5 in. each); (3 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (14 ledgers, 18 in.); (6 oversize folders, 1/2 in.)

Davis, Henry Gassaway, 1823-1916

Correspondence and business papers of Henry Gassaway Davis (1823-1916), a successful businessman and politician from West Virginia. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1904. The collection largely documents his business and political career, although there are personal papers in the collection as well. His business interests were largely concerned with coal mining, timber, and railroads. Types of documents include letters, reports, account books, and maps, among other material. Much of the correspondence is arranged alphabetically. The scope and content note of each record series provides substantial detail regarding content.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Historical Photograph Collection 89 Linear Feet Variety of container sizes based on photograph sizes and material types. Over-sized items are housed in drawers.

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union

The Historical Photograph Collection is largely comprised of materials created by or for the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Some of the earliest photographs of the estate were created and sold to visitors by the Association as a means of income. Those efforts helped to establish an important collection of 19th century views. The collection spans the 1850s to 2000s and includes over 140 linear feet of analog material providing a visual history of the Mansion, outbuildings, tombs, grounds, events, visitors, collection objects, personnel, and changes throughout the estate.

  1. The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

John W. Mason (1842-1917) Papers 13 Linear Feet Summary: 13 ft. (29 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 index card box, 11 in.); (1 oversize folder, 2 items)

Mason, John W., 1842-1917
Correspondence, legal papers, photographs, and printed materials of John W. Mason (1842-1917). Mason was a circuit court and state Supreme Court judge, member of the Virginia State Debt Commission, and commissioner of Internal Revenue. The general correspondence contains personal and business letters, as well as manuscript speeches, notebooks, and reports. The period while Mason was circuit judge is particularly sparse. Also includes Internal Revenue correspondence consisting of about 8,500 pages in letter press copy books. Roughly half of the collection is devoted to his legal papers and printed materials concerning law in general. Subjects include early development of the Republican Party in West Virginia; political campaigns in West Virginia from 1870-1916; Monongalia Academy; industrial development; Internal Revenue Service (1889-1893); the Virginia Debt question; early banking development in Grafton; and the development of coal companies, particularly around Fairmont. Correspondents include Arthur I. Boreman, A.W. Campbell, Stephen B. Elkins, Benjamin Harrison, Francis H. Pierpont, and others.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Nathaniel Cochran Documents 0.01 Linear Feet 5 items (1 oversize folder)

Land grant to Nathaniel Cochran, Monongalia County, West Virginia, for 150 acres dated 20 April 1784, signed by Governor Benjamin Harrison and a grant for 100 acres dated 15 April 1793, signed by Governor Henry Lee; appointment of Nathaniel Cochran as Captain of the First Battalion of the Seventh Regiment, Virginia militia, dated 8 May 1802 and signed by Governor James Monroe; note signed by Cochran et al. volunteering service to the Virginia Militia; and an undated list of men in Nathaniel Cochran's militia company.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

President Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), Typescript Copies of Letters to Senator Stephen B. Elkins 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901
Typescript copies of forty letters from U.S. President Benjamin Harrison to Senator Stephen B. Elkins from 1886 to 1900. Topics are primarily personal in nature and include trips, family news, weather, and social activities. Harrison also comments briefly on Elkins' election to the Senate in 1894, political appointments, and Indiana politics in the late 1890s.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

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