Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

W.E. Bibb Papers, Accession 4171, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Acquisition Information

Gift 1955 February 17

Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Scope and Content

This collection consists of the papers of the Louisa County lawyer, W. E. Bibb (1848-1910) and other Louisa County families, ca. 1830-1940, ca. 18,250 items (44 Hollinger boxes, 2 oversize folders and 2M volumes) of a non-official character removed from private offices on the premises of the Louisa County Court House. Among the earliest items are those of Dr. Baldwin M. Buckner and the Buckner family of Louisa County . Other persons or subjects in the collection include Captain Boyd M. Smith , Reuben Lindsay Gordon , John G. May , William Worth Smith, Jr. , Virginia State senator, Louisa County election materials, Mineral City Mining , Manufacturing and Land Company , Robert F. Moss (d. 1883), Louisa County sheriff, and John Q. Rhodes .

The papers include correspondence, business & legal papers, political papers, and bound volumes, arranged alphabetically under the name of the family or individual. Papers within each folder are arranged chronologically unless otherwise noted in the guide. A number of prominent Virginians appear in this collection and are cited in The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections but unless they are specifically mentioned in this guide or have their own folder the subject of the letter is usually a legal or business matter; this is especially true of the prominent people who are lawyers.

The collection has been arranged in five series, 1) William Emmet Bibb and the Bibb Family (Boxes 1-14), 2) Miscellaneous Louisa County Families (Boxes 15-24), 3) Boyd Smith Papers (Boxes 24-26), 4) William Worth Smith, Jr. Papers (Boxes 26-33), and 5) Bound Volumes pertaining to people in all of the previous four series (Boxes 34-43). These papers were given to the Library by Carl Nolting , Chairman of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on February 17, 1953.

Series I: W.E. Bibb and Bibb Family Papers

William Emmet Bibb (1848-1910), son of William T. Bibb (d. 1891) and Lucy A. Bibb (d. post 1899), was a University of Virginia alumnus (1868-1869), a lawyer, businessman, and former State senator (1887-1895), of Roanoke and Louisa County, Virginia , whose correspondence and other papers (Boxes 1-14) were chiefly concerned with his law practice and allied business activities, especially real estate development and mineral speculation companies, which were widespread but centered in the Roanoke - Salem , Charlottesville , Lynchburg , Waynesboro , and Louisa County areas, and correspondence pertaining to Virginia and Louisa County politics. Bibb was also involved with the Mineral City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company of Mineral, Virginia , but these papers have been separated and grouped together (see Boxes 20-23, and Boxes 40-42, & 2M bound volumes listing, for bound volumes pertaining to the company).

Also present in this series are the papers of other members of the Bibb family , including the correspondence between W.E. Bibb and his brother, James E. Bibb , his sons, John Pendleton Bibb and William C. Bibb (Box 1), and the Bibb family correspondence including his mother and father, sisters, and others (Box 8). Bibb married Kate Lester Cammack (1855-1942) on December 28, 1876, and they had five children: Janet Herndon Bibb (1878-1959), Emmet Cammack Bibb (1879-1888), William Chew Bibb (1882-1942) who married Rebecca Sterrett Bibb (1888-1941), John Pendleton Bibb (1884-1963), and Kathleen Bibb (1890-1964) who married Walter N. Cole .

Several individuals or companies who frequently corresponded with Bibb over business or legal matters have their own folders (see boxes 5-7) and include: the Arminius Chemical Company , W.L. Bishop , J.R. Crank , Charles Goodloe , Thomas J. Harmon , Mrs. B.M. (Hasher) Loving , Mining Properties (miscellaneous), Ella R. Moss , Nelms & Wise , Samuel H. Parsons , J.F. Reynolds , and Helen Summers .

The correspondence between James E. Bibb (1855-1927) a University of Virginia alumnus (1871-1872) and his brother, W.E. Bibb , is chiefly concerned with business deals they have in common, especially a plan by James Bibb to purchase a fire clay deposit on Ogg's farm in order to make bricks, eventually called the Clay Valley Brick and Tile Works , beginning with his letters of April 1891 and continuing through 1894, including the mention of a strike by African-American workers at the brick works (1891 Sep 14). Other topics include: a purchase of a mill in Basic City (1890 Dec 9), sale of Basic City lots and James Bibb 's collateral (1890 Nov 20), land schemes involving buying up land around Hanover junction (1890 Dec 8), and a list of lots purchased in the name of the Guarantee Title & Investment Company of Roanoke (1891 April 1). James E. Bibb was also a part of the Real Estate Exchange office of Bibb, Harmon & Company , with W.E. Bibb (attorney), T.J. Harmon (real estate), and James E. Bibb (notary public). Also occasionally mentioned is James Bibb 's involvement in the publication of weekly newspapers. James E. Bibb and J.T. Booz were both editors and proprietors of Waynesboro City Times , established January 6, 1891. Bibb also established the Democratic newspaper the Louisa News and Farmer in 1879, changing its name to the Louisa County News in 1891, and continuing to edit it until its sale in 1903. For other reference to common business deals with his brother see Mining Properties in Box 7.

The papers of John Pendleton Bibb (1884-1963), son of W.E. Bibb and Kate Crammack Bibb (1855-1942), consist mainly of business and legal papers with some personal correspondence about social events. The business and legal papers include those related to the Louisa Guano Company partnership between John P. Bibb and John H. Chandler set up to manufacture guano in Louisa County , inquiries about the purchase of various pieces of machinery, and his work settling the accounts as a trustee for Rich & Cornevin , Grocers and Meat Dealers , Louisa, Virginia (separate folder).

The papers of William Chew Bibb (1882-1942), another son of W.E. Bibb and Kate CrammackBibb , include business & legal papers predominantly related to his legal practice in partnership with his father as Bibb & Bibb, Attorneys at Law and papers pertaining to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows .

The papers of William E. Bibb are separated according to the type of material, such as accounts & receipts, business correspondence, correspondence with particular individuals or businesses, Bibb family correspondence, legal cases with the divorce proceedings filed separately, correspondence pertaining to his legal practice, personal correspondence, and correspondence of a political nature with some individual folders.

Business correspondence includes land transactions in Basic City , Waynesboro , Staunton , Louisa County , and Roanoke, Virginia ; business matters of the Guarantee Title & Investment Company of Roanoke , Virginia, and the Louisa Lumber Company ( Bibb was the President of both companies); medical bills of Mrs. Kate Crammack Bibb (see also personal correspondence); children's educational bills; tobacco sales to George A. Haynes , general commission merchant, Richmond ; interest in an hotel property (1891 Jan 11 & 1891 Jan 21); disagreements over bills and requests for payment; orders for merchandise and machinery; the sale of Bibb 's 150 acre farm in Louisa County (1890 Jun 9 & 1890 Jul 1); inquiries concerning a teaching job; a Louisa County woman having to close her boarding house because her daughter had scarlet fever (1892 Dec 29); cancer treatment (1894 Jan 6); property of the Farmer's Alliance Co-operative Manufacturing Company (1894 Apr 9); Hazelbrook Home School , Trevilians, Virginia (1895 Apr 18 & 1895 Apr 23; 1896 Feb 14); and African-American tobacco sellers (1899 Feb 14).

Bibb 's correspondence with Arminius Chemical Company Mineral, Virginia , includes many letters from the company's general manager William Henry Adams (1842-1930) son of General Henry Perry and Elizabeth Adams , and mining engineer, to W.E. Bibb concerning the legal aspects of the mining and marketing of pyrites and sulfur ore. Adams took an option on the property from its owner in New York in March 1883. Bibb served as the local legal representative of the company. In one letter, Adams asked Bibb to secure legal protection against a Mr. Rogers who had been threatening to shoot Adams on sight (1895 Apr 8-1895 Apr 10); this correspondence also discusses a lawsuit against the Arminius Chemical Company [ca. 1897 ?].

W.L. Bishop (1855-1915), an engineer and surveyor, was employed to lay out the Reuben Davis lands as the town site of Mineral and he drew up the original plan of lots for sale in Mineral City, Virginia , in 1890. W.E. Bibb and several others decided to promote Mineral City through the Mineral City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company , and Bishop purchased several lots in Mineral for himself. Their correspondence discusses Bishop 's lots in Mineral , development of the Goodwin tract (1893 Aug 17), other properties, and legal questions. Bishop eventually went bankrupt after the Panic of 1893. Bishop was also apparently associated with Boyd Smith (see boxes 24-26) in the Pyrites Chemical Mining Company .

Other individuals who merit a separate folder based on the quantity of their business correspondence include J.R. Crank and J.F. Reynolds , both manufacturers of pine and white oak lumber; Thomas J. Harmon , a member of the Waynesboro office of Bibb, Harmon and Company , along with Bibb and his brother James, handling real estate deals whose correspondence discusses some of the same business as those of James E. Bibb ; several women with detailed correspondence about their financial affairs, Mrs. B.M. (Hasher) Loving , Ella R. Moss , widow of Louisa County Sheriff Robert F. Moss , and Helen Summers ; the law office of Nelms & Wise ; Samuel H. Parsons , Louisa County court clerk concerning his proposed book on legal forms; and Bibb 's cousin, Charles Goodloe , a postal clerk of Henrico County , accused of embezzlement.

Also included in this group are three folders of correspondence dealing with speculation of miscellaneous mining properties by W.E. Bibb , as business ventures. These letters include negotiations with lawyers, real estate agents, the owners of mining properties and representatives of companies wishing to purchase mined ore or options on various properties. Subjects in these files include the following mines: Slate Hill Mine , Arminius Mine , Walnut Grove Gold Mine , Morrison Mine , and the following topics: Bridgewater Mills , barytes, pyrites, and the suit of Smith vs The Pyrites Mining & Chemical Company . Bibb was appointed Special Commissioner to sell The Pyrites Mining & Chemical Company in November 1900.

Individuals with letters in these files include: Richard P. Bell (law office); A.C. Braxton (lawyer); James R. Caton (attorney); Fairfax Cary Christian ; Coalter & Wise law firm ; M.H. Crump (land agent); Charles W. Cunningham ; Dingee, Weinman & Company (barytes); Oliver Duncan ; John B. Dye ; Horace M. Engle ; Edward L. Evans ( South Planing Mills ); S.G. Evans ; John Fleming ( Virginia Pyrites Mining Company ); D.C. Gallagher ; W.S. Harris ; Ernest A. Hoen ; Samuel Morais Hyneman ; W.B. Jeffrey ( New Pinos Altos Company , Chihuahua, Mexico ); R.F. Knox ; T.C. Leake, Jr. ; J.B. Levy ; W.A. Little ; H.M. McDonald ( Dominion Mining & Chemical Company ); Robert F. Morris (barytes); George W. Palmer ; John A. Partridge ; R.N. Pool (President of Ingalls Iron & Coal Company ); William B. Tinsley (attorney); John F. Walker ; J.J. Weicher (manager of The Caledonia Mine ); James D. West ; and J.F. Wingfield .

The family correspondence reflects the occasional strained relations between Bibb and his brother and sisters, and includes correspondence with Bibb 's cousin Rosa P. Chiles , author of Down Among the Crackers (1890 Sep 11; 1894 Aug 13; 1895 Nov 19; and n.d.); his father, William T. Bibb (?-1891); his sisters, Lucy Bibb , Mollie Bibb , and Ella Rachel Broadhead , his brother-in-law, J.F. Bickers , and cousins E.G. Briscoe and George [Cammack ?] . Family letters discusses the following subjects: morphine addiction (1890 May 8 and [ante 1891 Mar 18]); death of William T. Bibb (1891 May 18); mention of the marriage proposal of Clarence A. Bibb to Lucy Bibb (1891 Apr 29); dress-making business and marital problems of Lucy Bibb (1891 Oct 8, Nov 5, & Dec 18, and following); reference to a lynching of African-Americans at Clifton Forge, Virginia , probably the participants in the riot of 1891; see Clifton Forge Virginia Scenic Busy Friendly by Elizabeth Hicks Corron , page 55 (1891 Nov 5); Janet Bibb 's illness while at Richmond Female Seminary (1895 Apr 19 & May 4); death of William F. Broadhead , husband of Ella Rachel Bibb Broadhead , Cismont, Virginia (1899 Jan 3, Apr 18, 21, & 24) and her subsequent problems as guardian of his children and the settling of the estate (1900 Jan 9 -1902 Feb 14); Uncle J.H. Bibb 's notes on Bibb genealogy (1903 Mar 15 & Sep 5); and references to the Spanish-American War and a possible trip to Cuba (n.d.). Also present are undated letters written by Bibb 's cousins E.G. Briscoe and George [Cammack ?] to Bibb while he was a patient at the Pasteur Institute , New York , mentioning political offices, Theodore Roosevelt 's drive for applicants for his police force, places to see in New York , and political affairs.

The small number of legal cases of W.E. Bibb are arranged alphabetically with separate folders for the divorce cases and the suit between John J. Trice and the executors of the Samuel Andrews Estate. His legal correspondence files are more extensive and include letters concerning typical legal tasks such as abstracts of title, the drawing up of wills and deeds, conducting lawsuits, estate settlements, and correspondence with other lawyers about legal cases and trials.

Legal correspondence involving mental illness or asylums include: sorcery & theft (1898 Dec 14); suicide threat (1898 Dec 28 & 29); the mental instability of a sister involving the orchestra leader Louis H. Wondree (1901 Aug 14 & Sep 30 attached); a case of sexual impropriety (1897 Nov 18, 22, 30, & Dec 13); the female asylum too crowded (1899 Apr 25); the "colored insane" asylum too crowded so the inmates are kept in jail (1899 Oct 5); a brief report on two inmates at Central State Hospital (1898 Feb 8); a report on Isaac Harris (1899 Nov 8) and a woman said to be on a "rampage" (n.d.).

Other topics include the witness of an ex-slave, Robert Barret , to the Union sentiments of the father of James G. Boxley (1899 Apr 3); the sale of whiskey on election day (1900 Jun 26); the alleged Union service of Frank Mills (1899 Apr 12); pensions for old ex-Confederate soldiers (1900 Mar 7); the murder trial of Susan Waddy involving an infant (1900 Jul 7); a debtor whose husband is in the Williamsburg asylum (1900 Sep 7); a strike on the railroad (1900 Jun 11); the sale of whiskey to mine employees (1901 Jun 4); application for payment for services rendered the Union under General Philip Sheridan for three months by African-American John Wallace (1895 Nov 25); possible Bibb relatives (1896 Apr 10); the Valley Seminary , Waynesboro , Dr. J.B. Winston & Mrs. Winston , Principals (1896 Nov 30 & Dec 26); and a seduction charge (1897 Nov 12).

Personal correspondence contains the following topics: a discussion of politics with an anti- Cleveland slant (1892 Apr 24); Janet Bibb at Hollins Institute (1892 Dec 24); Janet and the Richmond Female Institute (1893 Jul 28 & 1894 Oct 15); the search for a Jim Bibb , by another member of the Sturdevants Battery, Light Artillery, Army of Northern Virginia (1895 Jun 10); an autobiographical sketch written by W.E. Bibb (1895 Oct 12); Bibb bitten by a possibly rabid dog (1896 Apr 4); the governor's race (1896 Dec 21); sons to attend William and Mary (1897 Jul 12); Dr. R.B. Shackelford re Bibb 's mother at Cismont, Virginia (1898 Feb 2 & 10); the Cuban Ricardo Sugar Estate belonging to C.H.R. Doringh (1815? -?) ruined by the Spanish-American War (1898 May 5 & 18, and 1899 Jan 14); Pantops Academy (1898 Aug 17 & 25, and Sep 6); Randolph-Macon College (1898 Sep 5); Bibb 's interest in joining the Episcopal Church (1898 Oct 26); a stamp collector (1899 Jan 17); Dr. Edna Beckwith for mental treatment in New York (1899-1900); Brown's University School (1901 Jul 4, Nov 13, Dec 7; 1902 Jan 29); and the Key Family genealogy (1904 Jan 14).

The political correspondence discusses Louisa County politics, the Democratic party nominations and political recommendations for jobs based on party loyalty. Topics include: the reorganization of the Grange in Louisa and Alex J. Wedderburn (1893 Jan 25); Bibb 's campaign for senator (1893 Apr 8 & 10); violence in the Louisa County courthouse (1893 Jul 11 & 13); many letters supporting Bibb for commonwealth's attorney in 1895, some mentioning compensation for missing work to vote (1895 scattered); African-American support for Bibb (1895 May 6); a proposed amendment to the Constitution to allow ex-slave owners to be recompensed for the emancipation of their slaves (1896 Feb 7 & 22, Apr 1 & 14; 1903 Feb 20 and attached undated copy of the bill); the "silver question" (1896 Feb 22); mention of his treatment at the Pasteur Institute (1896 Apr 10); a very full political letter discussing the Democratic lock on Virginia elections and the 1896 Presidential contest (1896 Oct 12); letters from persons seeking the office of Chairman of the Roanoke Democratic Convention (1897 Jun 29, Jul 1, 4, 5, 7, 15, 22; and Aug 6); Bibb seeking the position of railroad commissioner (1897 Jul 25, 29, 31; Aug 20, 24; Sep 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 27; Oct 3, 4, 8, 9; Nov 10, 19); letter stressing the strength of the current railroad commissioner, James C. Hill (1897 Oct 4); voting tendencies by the men at the Arminius Chemical Company mine (1897 Oct 30); direct tax question (1897 Nov 8 -1898 Jan 24); mining lands bill (1898 Jan 26; Feb 18 & 22; and 1900 Feb 21); the Virginia senatorial contest of 1899; Claude Swanson 's nomination for governor (1901 Jun 3); advisability of holding primary elections (1903 Aug 13); and prohibition and the local option bill (n.d.).

Some of the correspondents in the political files include:

R.E. Boykin (1897 Dec 14)

Paul C. Edmunds (1893 Nov 10)

H.D. Flood (1897 May 14, Sep 21)

James Hay (1892 Nov 16)

Jed. Hotchkiss (1898 Feb 18; n.d. postal card)

Eppa Hunton, Sr (1893 Jun 23; Jul 1)

William A. Jones (1897 Sep 10)

W.H.F. Lee (1890 Apr 18; 1898 May 16)

William McComb (1896 Sep 18, 30; Oct 17)

William B. McIlwaine (1897 Sep 21)

James Mann (1897 Sep 20)

S.R. Moore (1897 Nov 8, 15, & 20)

F.F. Ninde (1892 Sep 5)

W.B. Pendleton (1898 Jan 30; 1899 Mar 21)

Henry R. Pollard (1897 Mar 23)

R. Carter Scott (1893 Jul 6 & 12)

Claude Swanson (1901 Apr 19; May 11)

J. Hoge Tyler (1900 Mar 2)

Samuel W. Williams (1901 Jan 12, Jun 3, Aug 10; 1903 Jun 15)

George D. Wise (1893 Dec 6)

Individuals in the political correspondence files who have their own folders include: United States Senators John W. Daniel , Lynchburg, Virginia , and Thomas S. Martin , Scottsville, Virginia ; J. Taylor Ellyson , the Chairman of the Virginia State Democratic Committee ; William A. Little , a Virginia Senator representing Louisa County ; E.E. Meredith , John F. Rixey , and Charles T. O'Ferrall , members of the United States House of Representatives ; and R.R. Powell .

Series II: Miscellaneous Louisa County Families & Businesses

This group of papers consists of miscellaneous Louisa families, Louisa County elections and miscellaneous political papers, and businesses not large enough to merit a separate series, arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual, family, or business. Individuals and families include: John Boxley ; H.C. Buck, Jr. ; the Buckner family ; John Chiles ; Mary Fletcher ; R.L. Gordon ; George H. Johnson ; John G. May ; Joseph R. Mosby ; Robert F. Moss ; J.Q. Rhodes ; Ellis Sharp ; and J.G. Thomasson .

Several of these files involve the settling of an estate or the setting up of a guardian for children; these include the estate of John Boxley and the accounts of his children John J. Boxley, Jr. and Virginia Boxley ; the estate of John Chiles , which includes a list of slaves (1846 Jan 3); the estate of Mary Fletcher , administered by Dr. Baldwin M. Buckner ; the estate of Joseph R. Mosby , administered by James E. Bibb ; and the guardianship of the brothers and sisters of J.G. Thomasson . The letters of Ellis Sharp and his wife discuss their separation and divorce proceedings.

The papers of H.C. Buck, Jr. are concerned with a court case involving a lawsuit between H.C. Buck, Jr. Company , Newark, New Jersey , and W.S. Poindexter of Louisa, Virginia , over Poindexter 's failure to fulfill a contract to cut, saw, and deliver timber on Poindexter 's property to cars at Louisa according to specifications. The law firm of Bibb and Bibb apparently represented the H.C. Buck, Jr. Company in the dispute.

The Buckner family papers are among the earliest in this collection and are chiefly those of Dr. Baldwin M. Buckner , a Louisa County physician, who married Mary, "Moldy" (d. 1864), the daughter of [William P. ?] Townshead . Items in the accounts & receipts of the Buckner family include: the accounts of the parsonage committee for the Methodist Episcopal Church on Madison Circuit, Virginia Conference (1838 Apr 21-25, May 12 & 24; 1839 Mar 28); Pottierville Post Office account (1850 Jan; 1851 Jan); marriage license for William Baughan and Elizabeth P. Sledd (1850 Jan 31); John Marshall Division Temperance Hall rental receipt (1850 Nov 20); Goochland Academy tuition (1852 Dec 29; 1853 Jan 1 & 23; 1855 Nov 2); Louisa County education receipt (1855 Dec 10); receipt for teacher's services, Alice E. Wyatt (1864 Jul 30), Bettie B. Brick (1865 Mar 15; 1866 Mar 15); fee for delivery of baby (1865; 1866 Jun 12); tuition of poor children paid by Buckner (1853 Dec 24); the sale of the Southfield Church, Methodist Episcopal, South (1876 Apr 10); and a reference to brandy and a still (1870 Oct 4).

Accounts and receipts involving slaves or slavery include: tax receipts for slaves (1851; 1857; 1861; 1862; and 1863); the estate sale of two slaves (1853 Jan 1); bill of sale for a girl named Mary Grace from Garland J. Harris (1853 Dec 22); a slave hire of Winston from Mary Harris (1856 Apr 24); a bill of sale for two men, Joseph and Sandy , from Henry Francisco (1857 Jan 6); a slave hire of Joseph from Buckner to Lewis Johnson to learn the art of shoemaking (1862 Feb 24); receipt for medicine and a visit for a slave woman (1863 Sep 19); the service of overseer Richard Lewis (1858 Dec 30; and 1859 Dec 28); slave hires for Nelson , Harvey , and Austin (1865 Jan 1); and a receipt to E.R. Watson "for defending a slave" (1862 Nov 16).

Also present are receipts for several persons hired by Buckner after the Civil War, some of which are known freedmen and may include other former slaves. These individuals include:

Annie Brown (1881 Dec 14)

Bonnie Brown (1883 Aug 8)

James Henry Bullock (1869 Jan 21)

Lewis Holliday (1875 Sep 11)

Benjamin Marshall , freedwoman's son (1869 Jan 6)

Robert Mason (1875 Jul 14)

Robert Mino r, freedman (1868 Jul 11; Oct 7; Dec 24; 1869 May 1 & 14)

Henry Meredith (1881 Jan 7)

Andrew Myers (1882 Feb 15)

Franklin Page , son of freedwoman Elizabeth Page , by consent of husband James (1870 Jan 14)

A.V. Parrish (1885 Mar 6)

Richard Petters (1870 Nov 14 & Dec 23)

Elisha Purington (1872 Apr 1)

Charles Rollins (1881 Sep 19)

William A. Tompkins (1883 Jan 9; 1885 Jan 10)

Buckner business correspondence mentions the following subjects: slaves belonging to the mother of E.B. Brock (1855 Dec 22); the lack of success in getting farmers to come to Virginia to work the farms for half shares (1870 Dec 15); the widow of John Terrell seeking a pension based on the service of her husband with Captain Bentley Brown's Company (1871 Dec 20); the estate of Buckner 's mother (1873 Aug 21); references to prejudice, " Clayton will not rent again if any of the negroes do" (1873 Sep 10); malpractice accusations of C.T. Brown and squabbles over the teaching payments (1874 Sep 25, Oct 1, 3, & 5); an inquiry about a pyrite mine near Buckner (1884 Apr 7); a marriage certificate needed for A.J. Yarbough and W.S. Kirk , married 1881 Oct 11, due to death of husband in an accident (1885 Sep 12); Warner Hall disability certificate (1885 Sep 20); and the dependence of Susannah D. Mills on the hire of her slaves to pay family expenses [pre 1865].

The Buckner family personal correspondence is chiefly between Dr. Buckner and his wayward son, Horace Buckner (d. 1888), out West in St. Louis , Baton Rouge , and elsewhere, and includes: the birth of a son to Baldwin and Moldy (1854 Oct 11); the death of little Matt (1856 Nov 9); the visit of Yankees frightening Buckner 's wife Moldy and the death of Moldy (1864 Apr 20); Horace Buckner with General Johnston in Georgia and his participation in the Battle of New Hope Church (1864 Jun 23); Horace Buckner from Mobile, Alabama , describes the replacing of all southern officials by a military government and Yankee sympathizers, African-Americans working on shares in agricultural jobs, the emigration to Brazil of a flourishing colony of Southerners, an offer to take charge of a mercantile business on a branch of the Amazon River , and a request to present a speech before the Philo Mathematician Society on July fourth (1867 Jun 8); a "testimonial" for chances in advancement out West (1869 Dec 11); a description of Nebraska and Minnesota (1870 Dec 24); a reference to astrology (1871 Apr 24); and industrial accident in Horace Buckner 's dyeing and tailoring establishment (1871 Sep 26); a reference to "Mardi Gras" in Baton Rouge (1874 Feb 22); Horace Buckner 's problem with gambling and drinking (1875 May 13); Horace Buckner has his hand bitten through in a fracas on Saturday (1876 Feb 9); his brother Robert Buckner about Horace Buckner ([187?); a testimonial that Captain H. Buckner is not dissipated (1880 May 11); and the amputation of a woman's knee due to cancer (1882 Sep 14 & 27).

The papers of Reuben Lindsay Gordon (1855-1939), Commonwealth's Attorney for Louisa County for sixteen years, elected to the House of Delegates in 1914 where he served until 1928, and member of the Constitutional Convention in 1901-1902, consist of business and legal papers and correspondence. Gordon was born in Edgewoth, Albemarle County and educated privately by his father, William F. Gordon , and was married (1884) first to Alice Maud Winston (1860-1919) and subsequently to Nellie Blair Hunt . The business and legal papers include a reference to elections in Louisa County , including Daniel Gordon and R.L. Gordon, Jr. (1881 Sep 6); a mention by Maury Morris of fox hunting (1880 Sep 16); a suit involving an African-American male (1886 Jul 13); and the death of Gordon 's mother (1887 Apr 9).

Correspondents include A.B. Grymes , William F. Gordon, Jr. , Mary Jane Gordon (1852-1891), Alexander T. Gordon (1862-1943), his brother-in-law, J.O. Winston , sister, B.L. Gordon , and Cassius Carter . Subjects in the correspondence include opportunities for lawyers in Texas (1884 Aug 26); work as a locating engineer for a railroad in Texas (1887 Apr 3); and the poor postal service in Metz, Texas (1887 Aug 27).

The papers of John Goodwin May are chiefly concerned with his legal duties as a practicing lawyer in Louisa County , with separate folders for correspondence concerning the installation of an electric light plant for the town of Louisa (1903) and the inventory of stock of John F. Tolley & Bro. (1905). The legal cases folder contains a suit by Mary L. (Baker) Massie vs the Grand Lodge Knights of Pythias ; the estates of W.J. Underwood and Jeff Porter ; and the Mamie Thomas and J.B. Thomas Divorce Case. His personal and political correspondence includes: a disagreement with the Rev. L.J. Haley (1904 Sep 1; 1905 Aug 30); the death of May's father (1913 Mar 18); a controversy with R.L. Gordon (1913 Mar 25); correspondence with George S. Shackelford (1914 Jun 16); the Cumberland Sanitorium , Lebanon, Tennessee (1916 Jul 3); offer of services to the government during World War I (1917 Jun 30-Aug 27); warning not to use cocaine with another remedy (1917 Nov 8); and a description of her student life by his daughter Gladys May in Baltimore during World War I (1917 Nov 23, n.d.).

The business and legal papers of Robert F. Moss (d. 1883), sheriff of Louisa County , include: a letter from William Gilman to Moss regarding the next election to the Virginia House of Delegates where, "I trust Louisa will be redeemed and that instead of negroes and white Radicals I will meet a simon pure Virginian delegation from your good old county," (1875 Oct 25); notification of the escape of an inmate from the Central Lunatic Asylum near Richmond who was probably headed for Louisa (1881 Feb 16); and concerning the primary election, H.V. Winston asking for support in the upcoming election (1880 Jul 1).

John Q. Rhodes was the law partner of W.C. Bibb in the 1920's and his business and legal papers chiefly pertain to his legal work in Louisa County . In 1936, Rhodes became director of the Division of Motor Vehicles for Virginia . He served as a member of the House of Delegates from 1930-1934. His correspondence contains very little personal material and is chiefly concerned with the legal cases he represented. An unusual item in the business and legal papers is a prospectus of the Haile Gold Mines, Inc. (1937 Jul 15).

The personal and political folder contains a booklet of admission tickets for delegates to the 1924 Democratic National Convention in New York and the declaration of Rhodes for candidacy with supporting papers for the House of Delegates from Louisa County to Carl H. Nolting , Chairman of the Louisa County Democratic Committee (1933 May 9).

Among the papers related to Louisa County elections and politics are: the Louisa Camp Confederate Veterans Roll; election returns (n.d.); poll books; used primary election ballots for 1905; and voting lists (1895 & n.d.) with separate "white" and "colored" lists. There is also some political material in a folder labelled "Miscellaneous: Political & Miscellaneous Documents."

Businesses represented in this series include: Craig Kennels and Game Farm , Trevilians, Virginia , all concerning debt collection; a lawsuit involving the Jackson Telephone and Telegraph Company ; The Old Dominion Phonograph Company , Roanoke, Virginia , containing an annual report (1890) and stock certificates belonging to W.E. Bibb ; and the Mineral City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company . The directors of this company were R.P. Talley (President), W.H.F. Lee (Vice-President), W.R. Goodwin (General Manager), P.B. Porter (Secretary & Treasurer, replaced by A.G. Hill in June 1890), W.E. Bibb (Attorney), W.O. Smith , J.F. Bickers , and J.W. Flannagan . Most of the correspondence was handled by P.B. Porter and then A.G. Hill , and was concerned with a new C & O Railroad depot (1890 Apr 11 & 19), a petition to change the name of the town of Tolersville to Mineral City (1890 Apr 17), questions about the charter, the prospectus of the company, the purchase of stock shares, and advertisements concerning the property. Other types of papers include: bills & receipts, financial statements, pay rolls, printed material, and a time book (for bound volumes pertaining to the Mineral City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company see Boxes 40-42). For a recent discussion of the history of Mineral and the Mineral City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company see the Louisa County Historical Magazine, Spring 1990 Mineral Centennial Issue, Volume 21, No. 1, pages 15-27.

Series III: Boyd Smith Papers

The Boyd Smith mines were first opened about 1886 by Boyd Smith , who was also President of the Pyrites Mining & Chemical Company . The mines were never as successful as the nearby Arminius Mines and much of his business and legal papers deal with claims made against Boyd Smith and his company, law suits against Boyd Smith , and attempts to interest various mining companies in purchasing his mines in Louisa County . There is a fair amount of correspondence with W.E. Bibb who was his legal representative in Louisa and who was appointed Special Commissioner to sell the Pyrites Mining & Chemical Company in November of 1900. These files also contain Boyd Smith 's personal business and legal papers such as late life insurance payments, bills, and other matters. Also present are inventories of the stores and tools at the pyrite mines listed for potential buyers of the property (1900 August & October; 1901 Apr) and examples of the Pyrites Chemical & Mining Company store script (see separate folder).

The folder of family and personal correspondence, 1897-1903, contains mainly letters from his son, D. Boyd Smith to his father, one from his wife [Bliss ?] (1902 May 14), and a photograph of [Bliss ?] and Mrs. Bibb (1901).

Series IV: William Worth Smith, Jr. Papers

This series consists chiefly of the legal cases handled by William Worth Smith, Jr. (1887-?), a Virginia State Senator from 1924-1934, arranged alphabetically by the name of the claimant. William Worth Smith Jr. 's papers are concerned predominantly with the collection of debts for his clients but they also contain separate folders of a slander case, cases of divorce, the purchase of "Ionia Farm, and law suits. William Worth Smith Jr. 's correspondence folder includes letters of a political nature from Claude Swanson , Charles C. Carlin , Howard W. Smith , and A. Willis Robertson . William Worth Smith Jr. was born in Fauquier County to William Worth Smith and Lucinda Lewis Smith and was educated at Randolph-Macon College and the University of Virginia , receiving his law degree in 1910. He was married to Lucy Winston Sims , daughter of Judge F.W. Sims , and became a dairy farmer in Louisa County . His only brother was Representative Howard Smith of the Eighth District.

Series V: Bound Volumes & Oversize Material

This series has three subseries based on the size of the items, a) boxed bound volumes, b) 2M bound volumes and c) oversize folders, and arranged alphabetically within subseries according to the name of the individual or business concerned with the item.