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Grigsby-Galt Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. Acc. 2009.308

  • Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the family papers of members of the Grigsby and Galt Families. Mary Blair Grigsby married William W. Galt in 1881.  The collection contains papers of various members of the Grigsby family, particulary Hugh Blair Grigsby who was a historian and Chancellor of The College of William and Mary and his son, Hugh Carrington Grigsby who lived his entire life at the family farm, Edgehill, in Charlotte County, Virginia.

The collection also contains the personal papers and some navy material of William W. Galt, U. S. Navy Paymaster and author of a book on the Battle of Manila Bay.  Extensive correspondence to and from all the members of his family is included.

Both these groups contain correspondence, genealogy, financial papers and personal papers. 

The Galt Family resided in Norfolk, Virginia and the Grigsby Family at Edgehill, Drakes Branch, Charlotte County, Virginia.

Gift of the Zimermann family of Susan Galt, daughter of William W. Galt.

Dates

  • Creation: 1736-1982
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 1840-1930

Creator

Language of Materials

English Spanish;Castilian

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Biographical Information:

Captain William W. Galt (1852-1934) was a direct descendent of John Minson Galt, the senior surgeon at the Battle of Yorktown and founder of the insane asylum in Williamsburg. Captain Galt’s application for the position of Assistant Paymaster with the US Navy was dated March 20, 1876. He reached the ranks of Paymaster by 1893 when he was dispatched for duty to Norfolk. He served in the Navy for 50 years and won a promotion from Congress to Captain. He married Mary Blair Grigsby and they had six children. Mrs. Galt was the daughter of Hugh Blair Grigsby, Chancellor of The College of William and Mary from 1871 to 1881. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Extent

16.75 Linear Feet

Arrangement of Materials:

The collection has been divided into Series One, Galt Family, Series Two, Grigsby Family, then Series Three for material from both families and Series Four for photographs from both families.   Series One, Galt Family, includes most of the correspondence from the Galt Family and is filed in chronological order, regardless of recipient.

This collection is currently being processed. Please consult a staff member for assistance.

Acquisition Information:

Gift

Accruals:

Mss. Acc. 2011.269 addition given as a gift by William R. Galt.

Related Materials:

Mss. 95 G87  Hugh Blair Grigsby Papers

Many collections concerning various branches of the Galt Family are part of Special Collections Research Center.  Hugh Blair Grigsby documents also appear in William and Mary College collections.

The Virginia Historical Society has a large Grigsby Family collection:  Mss 1 G8782 b Hugh Blair Grigsby Papers.

Separated Materials:

Artifacts have been removed from the collection and filed in the Mss. Artifact Collection.

The collection contains moldy material and is shelved separately.

Processing Information:

Arranged and described by Jeffrey Flanagan, SCRC staff in September 2009-February 2010.

Processing completed in late 2010 and early 2011 by Anne Johnson.

Title
Guide to the Grigsby-Galt Papers
Author
Finding Aid Authors: Jeffrey Flanagan, SCRC Staff and Anne Johnson, SCRC Staff.
Date
2011-01-05
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
The collection description/finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

Contact: