Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia© 2003 By the Library of Virginia.
Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Processed by: Alex Lorch
There are no restrictions.
Microfilm reel in Box 5 is for reference use only; duplication is prohibited.
Nan Overton West Papers, ca. 1959-2001. Accessions 37849 and 38300, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
These collections were given to the Library of Virginia by Nan Overton West in 2000 and 2001.
Nan Overton West is a life-long resident of Lubbock, Texas. She attended Lubbock Public Schools, Texas Technological College, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, and The University of Texas, where she graduated with a B.A. degree in 1941. After retiring from the family businesses, she published a genealogical history of her husband Pete's family, The Wests and The Rays and Their Allies: Southern Families from the Colonies to Texas. In 1991 this book was awarded First Place for Family History and Grand Prize for Writing by The Texas State Genealogical Society. In 1992 she published He Wore a Pink Carnation, a biography of Dr. Marvin C. Overton, her father and a pioneer physician in West Texas. She also has written The Overtons: 700 Years with allied families from England to Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas (1997) which will be followed by another genealogical history about the Jennings families and twenty related lines.
Papers, ca. 1959-2001, consisting of the genealogical research files on the Overton, West and Ray families and their allied families compiled by Nan Overton West. Folders principally consist of research files concerning specific individuals and families and correspondence exchanged with individuals concerning specific families. The research files contain genealogical notes concerning family lines abstracted and/or copied from census records, military records, Bible records, patriotic organization applications, family group sheets, pedigree charts, extracts from published sources, newspaper clippings, family descendants' newsletters, photographs, genealogical charts, and court records, including deed books, order books, will books, and marriage records. Correspondence concerning family lines also appears in this collection and often includes research files along with their letters. This material remains within the respective correspondents file. Miscellaneous correspondence concerning a certain family is filed by the family's surname and arranged chronologically.
These research files were the principal resource material Nan West used to write The Wests and The Rays and Their Allies: Southern Families from the Colonies to Texas and The Overtons: 700 Years with allied families from England to Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas. The files generally remain in the order kept by Nan West.
Research files exist for the following Overton allied family surnames: Bickley, Booker, Bosley, Briscoe, Brockman, Burch, Burkham, Clough, Compton, Crook, Garland, Garnett, Gerard, Goldsmith, Grundy, Harratt, Harris, Jennings, Lawson, Leake, McCarty, Muscoe, Poindexter, Shipp, Slye, Snow, Swan, Taylor, Terrell, Waters, and Whitworth. West allied family surnames are Ashley, Berry, Boatner, Culver, Dashley, Egner, Martin, Norris, Sanford, Smith, Swain, Ward, Weideman, Weyman, and Wyatt. Ray allied family surnames include Caldwell, Culpepper, Dean, Gillespie, Grant, Harrison, King, Kirk, Peek, Richards, Tatum, Wyatt, and Young.
Within each series, files are arranged alphabetically.
OrganizationThe collection is organized into the following series:
I: Overton Family II: Overton Allied Families III: West Family IV: West Allied Families V: Ray Family VI: Ray Allied Families