Anderson Family Papers
Collection 001-001d
12.2 linear ft.

This collection includes items of the Anderson and Alexander families including correspondence on legal, business and family matters. There are also wills, obituaries and genealogies. The principal correspondents are Francis T. Anderson (1808-1887) and William A. Anderson (1842-1930), both Trustees of Washington and Lee University. Francis T. Anderson, a Fincastle lawyer, was a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. William A. Anderson was a Lexington lawyer and Attorney General of Virginia from 1902 to 1910. Their correspondents include William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, George Junkin and George Hutcheson Denny. The papers include William A. Anderson's involvement in the 1913-1915 Virginia vs. West Virginia war claims suit.

Zechariah Johnston Papers
Collection 006, 006a
1.0 linear ft.

Johnston (1742-1800) was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Augusta County (1778-1792) and Rockbridge County (1797-1798). He also served as a Trustee of Liberty Hall and Washington Academies from 1793 to 1800. His tenure in the Virginia legislature was notable for his support of the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom (1786) and the proposed national Constitution in the Virginia Ratification Convention of 1788. The collection includes the papers of Johnston and his son, Thomas. Among the correspondents are George Mason, James Monroe, John Marshall, Henry Lee and Edmund Randolph.

027, 027a Reid Family Papers
Collection 027, 027a
6.2 linear ft.

The Reid family was significant in the eighteenth and nineteenth century history of Rockbridge County. The papers include correspondence and business transactions of Andrew Reid (1751-1837) and his son, Samuel McDowell Reid (1790-1869). Both were Lexington businessmen and both served as Clerk of the Court of Rockbridge County. Samuel McDowell Reid was a fifty year member of the Board of Trustees of Washington College (1819-1869) and there are materials pertaining to the college throughout. Also in the collection are papers of James Jones White (1828-1893), longtime professor of Greek history and literature at Washington and Lee and leader of the Liberty Hall Volunteers in 1861. White was the son-in-law of Andrew Reid. For more information on White, a major figure in W&L's history, see Charles W. Turner, Old Zeus: Life and Letters (1860-1862) of James J. White (in our Faculty Publications collection). More material on the Reids and on White can be found in the Rockbridge Historical Society collection.

James McDowell Papers
Collection 045, 078
.6 linear ft.

McDowell (1770-1835) was a Rockbridge County farmer and county sheriff. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Washington College from 1796 to 1835. He was a colonel of the 5th Regiment of the Virginia Militia in the War of 1812. There are two volumes of order books from this war (collection 078). There are also McDowell legal papers (1795-1816) concerning his land holdings. McDowell's son, James McDowell, Jr., was Governor of Virginia from 1843 to 1846. For a biographical sketch of the elder McDowell see the article by S.C.P. Miller in the Washington and Lee University Historical Papers, No. 3 (1892), pp. 95-115.

Francis McFarland Papers
Collection 053
.6 linear ft.

Frances McFarland (1788-1871) served two pastorates at the Bethel Presbyterian Church (1823-1836, 1841-1871) in Augusta County. He was twice a Trustee of Washington College. The papers include diaries and financial records during his two pastorates at Bethel and during his service as a missionary. There are lecture notes taken while he was a student at Princeton. An engraving of him is included. This collection is a valuable source for the study of the life of a nineteenth century Presbyterian minister in the Valley of Virginia. The diaries include references to Washington College in McFarland's role as a Trustee. Correspondents include George Junkin, pre-war President of Washington College.

Glasgow Family Papers
Collection 057, 057a
9.6 linear ft.

The Glasgows of Botetourt and Rockbridge Counties were prominent lawyers and business leaders. The papers range from 1858 to 1925 and primarily pertain to their business interests. The principal individuals represented in the collection are: William A. Glasgow (1825-1910); his son, Frank T. Glasgow (1854-1927); and William's brother, also named Frank T. Glasgow (1829-1916). The papers are valuable for their bearing on the iron industry in Virginia and on the early development of the city of Buena Vista. The family had a long association with Washington and Lee. There were several alumni among family members and William and his son, Frank, served on the Board of Trustees. The town of Glasgow in Rockbridge County is named for this family. There is an additional collection of Glasgow family correspondence in our holdings covering the period from 1846 to 1945 and focusing on personal and family matters. It includes some correspondence of Ellen Glasgow, the Pulitzer Prize winning Virginia novelist.

Ann Smith Academy Papers
Collection 058
.6 linear ft.

The Ann Smith Academy was a classical school for young women in Lexington from 1807 to 1908. The papers include minutes of trustees' meetings and annual reports of the school's principals including Ann Smith, founder and namesake. Many of Lexington's leading citizens were among the school's trustees. There is miscellaneous correspondence as well as many business papers. These latter materials are primarily official records providing an operational overview of the Academy's history. This collection contains good source material for studying the history of women's education in nineteenth century America. William W. Pusey III used this collection in writing his Elusive Aspirations: The History of the Female Academy in Lexington, Virginia (in our Faculty Publications collection).

John Letcher Papers
Collection 070
.2 linear ft.

Letcher (1813-1884), who was from Lexington, was the governor of Virginia for the first three years of the Civil War. In 1864 his home in Lexington was burned by Union troops during General David Hunter's raid. Like Robert E. Lee he urged peace and reunion after the war and in the 1870s he served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates. The collection encompasses wartime correspondence including an 1861 letter from Alexander H.H. Stuart of Staunton. Stuart was Secretary of the Interior in the Fillmore administration. For additional Letcher material see the Hiram Martz Papers (collection 130). Included there are letters from Letcher to Martz during the 1850s when Letcher was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Alfred E. Leyburn Papers
Collection 098
.2 linear ft.

Alfred Leyburn (1803-1878) was a native of Lexington and attended Washington College from 1820 to 1822. He was later a physician and a member of the college's Board of Trustees. As Secretary of the Board in 1865 he drafted the letter to Robert E. Lee inviting him to accept the presidency of the college. He was the great-grandfather of James Graham Leyburn (see collection 136) of great W&:L fame in the following century. The collection includes several letters between Leyburn and his wife, Ann Eliza Caruthers Leyburn. The letters are valuable for their observations on life in nineteenth century Lexington. In addition to Leyburn family history the collection includes genealogical information on the Junkin and Alexander families. There are additional Alfred Leyburn letters in the Rockbridge Historical Society Collection.

William Alexander Graham Narrative
Collection 099
.2 linear ft.

Graham was the nephew of William Graham, rector and president of Liberty Hall Academy. Graham's father was Edward Graham, Washington College professor and trustee. This collection consists of a journal, notebook and letterbook of Graham's activities from 1816 to 1819. It is in another's hand, possibly that of his father, and was likely written in the late 1820s. It details Graham's journeys, medical training and career. There is much interesting anecdotal information as well. There is additional Graham material in the Rockbridge Historical Society Collection.

Margaret Junkin Preston Papers
Collection 101, 101a
.6 linear ft.

Preston (1820-1897) was a Lexington resident and widely known Southern poet and novelist. Her brother-in-law was "Stonewall Jackson" and her father was George Junkin, Washington College President from 1848 to 1861. Her writing was viewed by many as inspirational to the Confederate cause. Her papers include poetry notebooks in her hand, scrapbooks, a commonplace book, and an 1872 play she wrote for the Ann Smith Academy. There is additional Preston material, including correspondence, in the Rockbridge Historical Society Collection and in the Lee-Jackson Foundation Collection (collection 170). There is a group of her published works in our Rare Book collection. For a study of Preston's life and career see Mary Price Coulling, Margaret Junkin Preston: A Biography.

Franklin Society and Library Company Collection
Collection 103
15.6 linear ft.

The Franklin Society was a literary and debating society established in Lexington early in the nineteenth century. Most of the town's leading citizens, including Washington College faculty, were part of its active intellectual life. The Society amassed a sizable library before being disbanded in 1891. The extant books in the library were transferred to Washington and Lee where the volumes remain as a unified collection in our Special Collections. The papers (1801-1891) of the Society include membership records, officers' reports, business papers, subscription library records and minutes of the meetings and debates. For an overview of the Franklin Society see Charles W. Turner, "The Franklin Society, 1800-1891" in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Oct. 1958, pp. 430-447.

Dillon Family Papers
Collection 105
9.4 linear ft.

The collection includes personal and business papers (1805-1944) of the Dillon family of Botetourt and Prince Edward Counties in Virginia. Included are account books and financial papers of Edward Dillon & Co., manufacturer of limestone materials in Botetourt County. There is a family Bible with genealogical information. There is family correspondence that includes copies of letters from John Randolph of Roanoke. This collection is one of many in our holdings that constitutes a rich resource for local and regional history.

Davidson Family Papers
Collection 113
.4 linear ft.

The Davidson family was prominent in the history of nineteenth century Rockbridge County. These papers (1830-1915) are those of James Dorman Davidson (1810-1882) and Mary Davidson. James Dorman Davidson was a lawyer and poet of Lexington. In addition to correspondence there are manuscript and printed poems of Davidson's. There is genealogical material on the Davidson, Greenlee and McDowell families compiled by Mary Davidson. See also the James Dorman Davidson scrapbooks (collection 154) which contain newspaper clippings of his poems, lectures and essays. There is a large body of additional Davidson family material in the Rockbridge Historical Society Collection. Included in this material are the marvelous journal and letters of young Greenlee Davidson, Washington College student and Confederate soldier.

George West Diehl Papers
Collection 122
39 linear ft.

This collection is the most frequently used in our holdings. Diehl (1887-1975) graduated from Washington and Lee in 1913. He was a Presbyterian minister and genealogist for many years for the Rockbridge Historical Society. He compiled information on over 500 families of Rockbridge County and his compilations are the starting point for all county genealogical research. In addition to the massive genealogical files there are files on local history as well as his personal papers, including sermons and notes for his books. His son-in-law, Charles E. Zink, contributed to the compilation of this fine collection. Special Collections maintains detailed indexes to the genealogy and local history files. Our Rare Book collection includes his several published works among which are The Brick Church on Timber Ridge and Old Oxford and Her Families.

Samuel M. Hileman Account Books
Collection 152
2.2 linear ft.

One of several interesting sources for the study of Rockbridge County history and culture in the nineteenth century is the Hileman collection of account books (1862-1880). Hileman (b. 1838) was a physician in the Kerrs Creek area of the county. His account books contain records of treatments, fees and payments. The 1862-1865 accounts are entered in the daybook of a Collierstown general store. There are also some medical lecture notes.

Baer Family Papers
Collection 155
.4 linear ft.

The Baer family were German immigrants who settled in the Panther Gap area of northwestern Rockbridge County. The papers are primarily the business and family correspondence of Jacob, John (1806-1888) and Joseph Baer (1814-1891). The sale, rental and inheritance of the Baer property is a primary topic. There are two farming account books (1853-1859) of Joseph Baer. There are genealogical materials on the Baer, Decker and Hite families. An interesting sidelight of this collection is the inclusion of some nineteenth century handwritten sewing patterns.

Etna Furnace Company Account Book
Collection 167
1.0 linear ft.

This account book (1854-1857) is for an iron furnace in Botetourt County near the town of Buchanan. It contains records of slaves and is a valuable primary source for the study of that institution as well as the iron industry in Virginia. This iron furnace was owned by William Weaver (1780-1863). Another one of Weaver's iron operations and his use of slave labor in neighboring Rockbridge County is the subject of Charles B. Dew's study, Bond of Iron, in our Rare Book collection.