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[Identification of item], WLU Coll. 0003: George A. Baxter Family Papers, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.
This collection was a gift of Mary Coulling, Martha Coulling, and Sidney M. B. Coulling.
The George A. Baxter Family papers begin in 1797 and trace the history of three generations of the Baxter family in Virginia. The collection contains both correspondence and newspaper articles saved by the family.
The letters written by George Baxter primarily describe his ministry from 1798-1840. He writes with concern for both his family and the churches to whom he ministered. The collection also contains many of his sermons which were reproduced in assorted newspapers. Thirteen letters written in 1805 to Anne deal with the affairs of Washington and Lee University, when it was named Washington College.
Also included is a partial biography of Baxter written by his daugher, Louisa. It describes his time at Washington College, his church ministry, and his selection to the faculty at Union Theological Seminary.
Another large portion of the collection is the correspondence of Baxter's children. Sydney Baxter was an attorney whose practice covered a large portion of Virginia. His letters concern his children, who were primarily cared for by his family after the death of his wife, Anna. Two of his sons fought in the Civil War and both died during or soon after. He describes experiencing their deaths.
Baxter's other children maintained a steady correspondence between themselves. Joseph follwed his father into the Presbyterian ministry and died at a young age. His wife, Susan, continued corresponding with family members. Louisa, Elizabeth, Nancy, and Mary also contained active correspondence with one another.
The family papers reflect the social life of 19th century Virginia, including a personal recipe book, as well as a folder on the genealogy of the Fleming family and a letter to Louisa Baxter from a missionary's wife in China. Other correspondents include Alexander Tedford Barclay, Louisa Baxter, William Brown, William Henry Foote, Edward Graham, Samuel L. Graham, Hugh Blair Grigsby, and William Swann Plumer.
Dr. George Addison Baxter was born in Rockingham County, Virginia in 1771. He attended Liberty Hall Academy, now Washington and Lee University, and received his diploma in 1796. Baxter was licensed to preach in 1797 and was elected president of Washington and Lee, when it was named Washington College, in 1799. He held that post until his resignation in 1829. Afterwards, he served as a professor at the Union Theological Seminary in Prince Edward County, Virginia until his death in 1841.
WLU Coll 0009: William and Anne Fleming Family Papers
Folder includes letters written by Charles S. M. See to his aunt Louisa Baxter during the American Civil War. Includes description of early war situation in Tucker (W. Va.) and Augusta County, Virginia. One letter details the death of his brother George Baxter See in a Confederate hospital in 1864. Another details Charles' capture and confinement in both the old Capital Prison in Washington D.C. and Johnson's Island Prison in Ohio. This letter also mentions President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the surprisingly cordial relations of Unionists and Secessionists in the immediate post war period in Tucker County, West Virginia.