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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Margaret Grattan Weaver Collection, 1707-1992 (bulk 1857-1910), SC 0090, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
The bulk of the collection, received in February 1992, is on deposit from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society. A parchment land patent dated May 31, 1753 to Gabriel Jones, signed by Robert Dinwiddie, was donated to Carrier Library by Margaret Grattan Weaver of Harrisonburg in October 1986.
The Civil War era signatures were removed from their backing, deacidified, remounted with wheat paste on acid-free backing, and encapsulated in March 1993. In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in the spring of 2017.
John Edwin Roller (1844-1918), born near Mt. Crawford, was a prominent lawyer, lecturer, and antiquarian in the Shenandoah Valley. He served in the Confederate Army, and in 1872 became major-general of the 3rd Division of the Virginia Militia. A graduate of Virginia Military Institute and University of Virginia Law School, Roller was the first non-Pennsylvanian president of the Pennsylvania German Society (1909-1910). Roller also served four sessions in the Virginia State Senate and was the first president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society. He pursued interests in local and religious history, ammassing a considerable collection of books and papers. Most of these items were dispersed, however, during the course of the twentieth century.
The donor, Margaret Grattan Weaver (1905-2001), was a member of two of the most distinguished families in Rockingham County, the Rollers and the Grattans. She was known throughout the Shenandoah Valley for her involvement in civic, historic, and religious organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society, and the Margaret Grattan Weaver Foundation, which she founded in 1997. The foundation supports and promotes preservation and appreciation of the history and religious heritage of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. She was also dedicated to writing poetry and essays on suffering and death, some of which are included in this collection.
The Margaret Grattan Weaver Collection, 1707-1992, consists of one box and one oversize folder of materials pertaining to Weaver and her ancestors, specifically John E. Roller, Weaver's grandfather, as well as biographical and genealogical information of county residents and historic locations and Civil War Documents with notable signatures. The collections is arranged in three series: John E. Roller Papers, Biographical/Genealogical Information, and Civil War Documents.
Series 1: John E. Roller Papers, 1779-1910, consists of five folders of documents including letters, historical notes, writings, and speeches. A folder of Roller's addresses containes lecture material on Jefferson Davis, Huguenots, the Reformed Church, and the Civil War. Also included in this series are bonds for collection of taxes, road petitions and certifications, deeds, and an indictment for permitting an insane slave to go at large.
Series 2: Biographical/Genealogical Information, 1877-1992, contains various writings by Margaret Grattan Weaver, John E. Roller biographical information including invitations and his obituary, and miscellaneous Grattan family documents. A copy of the registration forms for the Thomas Harrison House to be put on the National Register of Historic Places is also included. John E. Roller bought the house in 1879 and Weaver was part owner of the property from 1951-1963 along with her two brothers. Alsoincludes a 1753 land patent and facsimile to Gabriel Jones, the first appointed lawyer for Augusta and Rockingham Counties, signed by Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Robert Dinwiddie for 644 acres on "the north side of Shannando" in Augusta County (now Rockingham County near Port Republic), indentures, and two unidentified photographs of female academy classes.
Series 3: Civil War Documents, 1857-1894, is comprised of letters, receipts for supplies, a monthly summary of funds, and personal notes concerning arms, transportation, and personnel. Twenty-nine pamphlets are included pertaining to the Battle of New Market, Southern & Confederate States almanacs, and addresses by General Jubal Early and Charles C. Jones, Jr. Pieces from the USS Merrimack and USS Cumberland and a letter from Mrs. Mary Anna Jackson, wife of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson are also present. A sheet of clipped signatures includes Robert E. Lee, Judah P. Benjamin, Albert Sidney Johnston, and others.
The collection is arranged in three series:
John E. Roller Papers, MS 0171, Virginia Military Institute Archives, Lexington, Virginia.
Papers of John Edwin Roller, 1813-1916, Mss 9478, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.