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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Margaret B. Burruss Collection of Scott and Saufley Family Papers, 1786-1912, 1991, SC 0118, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Donated in July 1990 by Mrs. Margaret B. Burruss, a great-granddaughter of Reuben A. Scott and Mary (Mollie) Saufley Scott.
At some point after acquiring this collection, Special Collections staff separated the correspondence from their corresponding envelopes. The separated envelopes have penciled notations on them referring back to their original letter. In an effort to not further lose original order by trying to marry each letter with an envelope, the two remain separated. In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in the spring of 2017. (The collection was also minimally reprocessed during this time.)
Rueben A. Scott and his fiancée, later wife, Mary (Mollie) Catherine Saufley, lived near Port Republic in Rockingham County, Virginia. She was slightly older than Reuben, and was well educated, having attended Fair View Academy and Miami Seminary in Missouri. Reuben Scott joined the Confederate forces as a private in the Company B, 10th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, at least by April 1861 when he was in his twenties. He suffered a wound to the arm at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. He was then taken prisoner of war at Port Republic in September 1864, and later paroled on May 23, 1865. He returned to live a prosperous life as a farmer in Port Republic, where he died in 1912.
The Margaret B. Burruss Collection of Scott and Saufley Family Papers, 1789-1912, consists of three boxes containing letters, family records, photos, letter transcripts, and the Hanna family Bible. The collection relates to the Scott and Saufley families of Rockingham County, Virginia.
This collection is arranged in five series:
Series 1: Scott-Saufley Correspondence, 1861-1865, is comprised of six folders of Civil War correspondence between Reuben A. Scott and his wife Mary Catherine Saufley Scott (called Mollie). His letters describe camp life, preparation for battles, and his assignment of searching out and arresting deserters. Her letters describe events and news about family members and home. There are also several documents included that are relevant to the correspondence, such as the April 7, 1861 letter from Mollie's father giving her permission to marry, a leave of absence for Scott in Septmeber 1861, and copies of his muster rolls.
Series 2: Family Letters, 1786-1912, contains miscellaneous letters from members of the Whitmer, Ewing, Brown, Graham, as well as the Scott and Saufley family. Letter from both R.A. Scott and M.C. Saufley to various relatives are filed here. Also filed here are notes of debts and R.A. Scott's obituary and will.
Series 3: Miscellaneous, 1859-1861, contains M.C. Saufley's daybook and pamphlet, The Soldier's Mission in the Crisis of 1861 that contains a note by R. A. Scott ("found on battlefield"). This folder also holds several clippings that were photocopied onto preservation paper for placement with the letters they accompanied. The Hanna Family Bible also forms part of this series and includes two pages of genealogical data.
Series 4: Photographs, ca. 1860s, 1912, consists of three cases photos of R.A. Scott, one cased photo of Mollie Scott identified and dated by the donor as 1861, and one mounted photo of R. A. Scott in his casket.
Series 5: Envelopes, 1861-1912, correspond to the letters in Series 1 and Series 2. They were separated from their letters during an initial processing campaign. The separated envelopes have penciled notations on them referring back to their original letter.
Series 6: Transcripts, undated, is comprised of typed transcripts of all correspondence located in Series 1 and Series 2.