A Guide to the John Randolph Letters, 1806-1832
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession Number 19828
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
Fax: (804) 692-3556 (Archives Reference)
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2003 By the Library of Virginia.
Processed by: Trenton Hizer
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
John Randolph. Letters, 1806-1832. Accession 19828. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Acquisition Information
Lent for copying by Mrs. Charles Morton, Clarksville, Virginia, 20 November 1926.
Biographical Information
John Randolph of Roanoke was born 2 June 1773 in Prince George County, Virginia and settled in Charlotte County, Virginia. A member of the prominent Randolph family, he was cousins with Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall. Randolph served in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1813, 1815 to 1817, 1819 to 1825, 1827 to 1829, and 1833, and in the United States Senate from 1825 to 1827. Randolph was an adherent of states' rights and the strict construction of the federal Constitution. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 24 May 1833, freeing his slaves in his will. Randolph was buried at his home in Charlotte County, and later reinterred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.
Scope and Content Information
Letters, 1806-1832, of John Randolph (1773-1833) of Roanoke consisting of correspondence to his nephew John St. George Randolph at school in England and at home in Cumberland County, Virginia; Congressman Joseph Bryan of Georgia; Congressman Richard Stanford of North Carolina; William Leigh of Halifax County, Virginia; John Randolph Clay, charge d'affaires at the Russian Court; and "Mr. Ashby," overseer at Stoneleigh in Halifax County. Also contains a letter from George McDuffie of South Carolina to Randolph. Letters, 1806 and 1811, to his nephew John St. George Randolph concern his education at a school in England for deaf students, and John St. George Randolph's stay at Bizarre in Cumberland County, and provide family, local, and political news. Letter, 29 March 1808, to Joseph Bryan discusses relations between the United States and Great Britain. Letter, 23 December 1814, to Richard Stanford contains general news. Letters, 1822, 1828, and 1831, to William Leigh discuss Randolph's travels in England in 1822, his instructions to Leigh regarding his plantation in 1828, and his ocean voyage from England to the United States in 1831. Letters, 1831, to John Randolph Clay give Clay instructions while serving as United States charge d'affaires at the Russian Court in St. Petersburg, Russia. Letter, 17 September 1832, to (Benjamin) Watkins Leigh or his overseer Mr. Ashby concerns a slave Randolph has sent for work at Leigh's plantation. Letter, 28 February 1822, from George McDuffie to Randolph states that comments made in remarks by McDuffie were meant for Randolph and if were insulting, "they were such as the occasion demanded."
LVA accessions 19829, 19830, 19831, 19832, 19833, 19834, 19835, 19836, 19837, 19838, 19839, and 19840 are filed with accession 19828