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Slavery--Virginia--19th century

 Subject
Subject Source: Local sources

Found in 63 Collections and/or Records:

Shipman-Wills Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 39.2 Sh7
Scope and Contents Correspondence, 1833-1856, between the Shipman family of Rockingham County, Va. and the Wills family of Fluvanna County, Va. There are letters, 1838-1840, between James C. Shipman while serving in the Virginia House of Delegates and his wife Mary Minor Wills Shipman. Many letters are written by women. The collection includes letters of Jane R. Riordan discussing her going to Richmond to learn the millinery trade and starting in business; letters concerning marriage and courtship; letters...
Dates: 1833-1870
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Southampton County, Va. Letters and Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 00099
Scope and Contents Contains letters, bills, receipts, business accounts, and miscellaneous personal writings of the Laine and Travis families of Southampton County, Va. The bulk of the collection concerns the business and general financial affairs of the Laine family, particularly Jeremy and Miles Laine. It also contains several short personal writings of the Travis family, who were the final owners of Nat Turner prior to his rebellion. This includes the names and birthdays of many members of the family...
Dates: 1798- 1897
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Taliaferro Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. Acc. 2009.609
Scope and Contents

Correspondence, financial, legal and other written material of the John P. Taliaferro Family and Richard P. Taliaferro Family of Gloucester and Ware Neck, Virginia. Richard P. Taliaferro was the son of John P. Taliaferro. Genealogical material on the Fox, Oliver and Read family included. Includes a 1857 letter from a servant, possibly a slave, asking for her "mistress" to bring Patsy for a visit and a 1856 list of hired out slaves.

Dates: 1846-1895
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

William Booth Taliaferro Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 65 T15
Scope and Contents Papers, 1811-1954, of William Booth Taliaferro and his family of Gloucester County, Va. Taliaferro's papers consist of diaries, letterbook (while at Harpers Ferry), correspondence, speeches, memoirs and accounts. The collection also includes papers of his wife, Sally Nivison Lyons Taliaferro (including diaries), his ancestors, siblings and descendants, as well as photographs, genealogical notes and artifacts of the Taliaferro family.There are papers of other people who are not...
Dates: 1811-1954
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Tyler Family Papers, Group A

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 65 T97 Group A
Scope and Contents Papers, 1716-1944, of the John Tyler family of "Sherwood Forest," Charles City County, Va. The collection contains correspondence, 1818-1862, of John Tyler concerning politics, War of 1812 claims, presidential election of 1840, land purchases in western Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois, "Sherwood Forest," business matters and his family. Some of the children of John Tyler and his first wife, Letitia Christian Tyler, are represented in the collection: Robert Tyler (and wife,...
Dates: 1716-1946
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Venable Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 39.2 V55
Scope and Contents

Chiefly letters, 1801-1809, received by Samuel Woodson Venable of Prince Edward County, Va. Correspondents in the collection incude his brothers, Abraham Bedford Venable, Richard N. Venable and William Lewis Venable. Subjects include tobacco prices, buying slaves and growing hemp.

Dates: 1801-1821
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Virginia probate inventories of enslaved people

 Collection
Identifier: SC 00634
Scope and Contents

This collection contains nine Virginia probate inventories listing the assets of several estates, including enslaved men and women. Each inventory lists the names of enslaved persons, their gender, and an approximate age range, usually "between 12 and 50 years of age." One of the inventories lists property owned by a woman.

Dates: 1815 April 1
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Nathaniel V. Watkins Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 39.1 W32 and 2008.306
Scope and Contents Letters, chiefly 1862-1865, written by Nathaniel Venable Watkins to his wife Nancy Daniel Watkins. During the Civil War, Watkins served with Co. H, 4th Virginia Heavy Artillery, which became part of the 34th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Watkins appeared to have saw little combat, spending much of his time in defensive positions guarding artillery batteries. His unit was stationed at Gloucester Point (during the Peninsular Campaign), near Richmond (Chaffin's Bluff) and near Petersburg. His...
Dates: 1846-1889; Majority of material found in 1862-1865
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

John H. Watrous Letter

 Collection
Identifier: SC 01485
Content Description Four page letter addressed to Cousin Sarah from Richmond, Va. Watson describes the abundance of food and goes into great detail of the description of their cook. His choice of words are a gross exaggeration of her appearance and quite offensive. He also mentions attending an auction selling enslaved individuals. He writes that all of the ladies for sale were dressed quite elegantly and fetched a large sum. In his closing comments he mentions that he feels well suited to the area like it...
Dates: 1859 Jan 10
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

William H. Seawell Letter

 Collection
Identifier: SC 00100
Scope and Contents Letter from William H. Seawell, Lieutenant Colonel of the 21st Virginia Militia based in Gloucester, VA at Ware Camp to Colonel Crump (Charles A.) dated November 21, 1861.  Seawell discusses the relative quiet in the area, no report of slaves escaping, and writes to ask for more instruction regarding the mustering of additionall officers and troops.  He also relates that he has instructed his men off duty to act as policemen in order to arrest run away negroes and also to force work upon...
Dates: 1861 November 26
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

William Massie papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 39.1 M39
Scope and Contents

The William Massie papers includes letters and accounts belonging to William Massie, a farmer, miller and plantation owner. Massie lived in Pharsalia and Tye River Mills, Nelson County, Virginia. Letters include correspondence between Nathaniel Francis Cabell and Chiswell Dabney. Letters discuss life in Nelson County, agriculture, slavery, milling, and other subjects.

Dates: 1810-1870
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Williamsburg, Virginia Letters

 Collection
Identifier: SC 00397
Scope and Contents Photocopies of three letters written from Williamsburg, Virginia by W.W. Vest, J.M. Chevers and Unknown. W.W. Vest of Williamsburg, Virginia to John M. Speer (or Speed) of Lynchburg, Virginia about hiring out of negroes and financial matters. 1843. Unknown in Williamsburg, Virginia to Robert Saunders in Fauquier, Virginia about family and a scandal at "The Springs." 1844. J. M. Chevers, a student in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Rev. CW. Thomson in Richmond,...
Dates: 1843-1846
Found in: Special Collections Research Center

Yancey Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SC 00601
Scope and Contents Papers of the Yancey family of Woodville, Rappahannock County, Va. and Culpeper County, Va. Includes letters, 1844-1873 and accounts, chiefly 1834-1853. Concerns John W. Yancey, William T. Yancey, James P. Yancey and the estate of Major Yancey. There is a letter, 1844, of Charles Yancey of Tennessee concerning his administration of the Craven estate. The Craven will designated the New York Colonization Society as the legatee, but the will was broken. This collection also contains material...
Dates: 1791-1873
Found in: Special Collections Research Center