<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><ead xmlns="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9 https://www.loc.gov/ead/ead.xsd"><eadheader countryencoding="iso3166-1" dateencoding="iso8601" langencoding="iso639-2b" repositoryencoding="iso15511"><eadid countrycode="US" mainagencycode="US-WvMtURHC" url="https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/ark:/99999/197960">A&amp;M 1105</eadid><filedesc><titlestmt><titleproper>William Smith O'Brien (1862-1948) Papers, ca. 1830-1950 <num>A&amp;M 1105</num></titleproper><author>Staff of the West Virginia &amp; Regional History Center</author></titlestmt><publicationstmt><publisher>West Virginia and Regional History Center</publisher><p id="logostmt"><extref xlink:actuate="onLoad" xlink:href="https://host.lib.wvu.edu/images/logos/wvrhc.jpg" xlink:show="embed" xlink:type="simple"/></p><address><addressline>1549 University Ave. </addressline><addressline> P.O. Box 6069 </addressline><addressline>Morgantown, WV 26506-6069</addressline><addressline>Business Number: 304-293-3536</addressline><addressline>wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com</addressline><addressline>URL: <extptr xlink:href="https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu" xlink:show="new" xlink:title="https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu" xlink:type="simple"/></addressline></address></publicationstmt></filedesc><profiledesc><creation>This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on <date>2026-03-09 12:01:48 -0400</date>.</creation><langusage><language encodinganalog="language" langcode="eng">English</language></langusage><descrules>Describing Archives: A Content Standard</descrules></profiledesc></eadheader><archdesc level="collection">
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    <unittitle>William Smith O'Brien (1862-1948) Papers</unittitle>
    <origination label="Creator">
      <persname source="ingest">O'Brien, William Smith, 1862-1948</persname>
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    <unitid>A&amp;M 1105</unitid>
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    <unitid type="aspace_uri">/repositories/2/resources/4349</unitid>
    <physdesc altrender="whole">
      <extent altrender="materialtype spaceoccupied">0.4 Linear Feet</extent>
      <extent altrender="carrier">Summary: 5 in. (1 document case, 5 in.; 1 folder, 1 item)</extent>
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    <unitdate certainty="approximate" datechar="creation" normal="1830/1950" type="inclusive">ca. 1830-1950</unitdate>
    <abstract id="aspace_57f66adf2ca801c7553fa3b178245edd">Correspondence, business and legal papers, notebooks, speeches, historical essays, genealogical records, clippings, and printed material of a Buckhannon lawyer, state jurist, member of Congress (1927-1929), and West Virginia Secretary of State (1933-1948). The collection also includes papers of O'Brien's father, Emmett J., a member of the state's first Constitutional Convention; letters from O'Brien's brother, Lieutenant A.L. O'Brien, 1874-1887, a West Point graduate serving at forts Assinniboine, Belknap, and Spokane in the Montana Territory and Washington State; letters of Henry M. White, O'Brien's brother-in-law, and a lawyer with the Immigration Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission; a diary of a trip to Texas in 1907; and genealogical records of the Joseph Hall, William Norris, O'Brien, and Jacob Reger families. Subjects include West Virginia Wildlife League; Methodism in Upshur County; an expedition in pursuit of Sitting Bull; the Rush Holt contested election of 1934; the McAdoo-Smith contest of 1924; the Townsendites; presidential election of 1936; state politics; pioneer history of West Virginia; and the Vandalia Company.</abstract>
    <physloc id="aspace_ec08098ed99561ab7ab63b2a53cfc3ba">West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536  / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/</physloc>
    <langmaterial id="aspace_f68b04b23efd707ee2bfa2480f45bd1e"><language langcode="eng" encodinganalog="041">English</language></langmaterial>
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<p>No special access restriction applies.</p>  </accessrestrict>
  <prefercite id="aspace_6bc81d4f3767d4153892ecb37e1c128f">
    <head>Preferred Citation</head>
<p>[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], William Smith O'Brien (1862-1948) Papers, A&amp;M 1105, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.</p>  </prefercite>
  <userestrict id="aspace_6db7cc74eb221943ebcc61eb9095a167">
    <head>Conditions Governing Use</head>
<p>Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the <a href="https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/visit/permissions-and-copyright" target="_blank">Permissions and Copyright page</a> on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.</p>  </userestrict>
  <controlaccess>
    <geogname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83151974" source="lcsh">Buckhannon (W. Va.)</geogname>
    <geogname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008116462" source="lcsh">Montana Territory</geogname>
    <geogname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80129616" source="lcsh">Texas</geogname>
    <subject source="local">Churches  -- Methodist</subject>
    <subject source="local_LC">Churches  -- West Virginia -- Upshur County</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Diaries and journals.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Election of 1934.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Election of 1936.</subject>
    <subject authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85041557" source="lcsh">Elections</subject>
    <subject authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh93004752" source="lcsh">Environmentalism</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Forts. SEE ALSO Civil War - Fort.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Judges - letters and papers.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Lawyers - letters and papers.</subject>
    <subject authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85065184" source="lcsh">Indians of North America</subject>
    <subject authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85052074" source="lcsh">Frontier and pioneer life</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Politics and government.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Townsendites.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Travel accounts.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">Washington.</subject>
    <subject source="ingest">West Virginia - Wheeling Conventions of 1861-1863.</subject>
    <corpname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79066322" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">United States. Federal Trade Commission</corpname>
    <corpname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79053782" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">United States. Bureau of Immigration</corpname>
    <corpname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79006865" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">United States. Congress</corpname>
    <corpname source="local_LC">Vandalia Company</corpname>
    <corpname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79074300" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">United States Military Academy</corpname>
    <corpname source="local_LC">West Virginia Wildlife League</corpname>
    <persname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n96115937" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">Holt, Rush Dew, 1905-1955</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">Norris, William.</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">O'Brien, A.L.</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">O'Brien, Emmett J.</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">O'Brien, William Smith.</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">Reger, Jacob.</persname>
    <persname source="ingest">White, Henry M.</persname>
    <famname source="ingest">Hall, Joseph family.</famname>
    <famname source="ingest">Morris, William family.</famname>
    <famname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85093743" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">O'Brien family</famname>
    <famname source="local_LC">Reger family</famname>
    <persname authfilenumber="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50025199" source="Library of Congress Name Authority File">Sitting Bull, 1831-1890</persname>
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