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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library© 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Morton-Halsey Papers, Accession 3995, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library
The Morton-Halsey Collection was loaned to the Library by Mr. G. Morton Halsey, II, "Lessland," Culpeper, Virginia, in September 1952. It was made a gift to the Library by the great-grandchildren of Jeremiah Morton: Mrs. Frances Halsey Towe, Mrs. Harriet Halsey Bartlett, and Mr. Glassell Morton Halsey in September 1978.
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
The Morton - Halsey collection consists of ca. 21,000 items (39 Hollinger boxes, ca. 14 linear shelf feet), ca. 1786-1938 composed of correspondence, financial and legal papers, business records, account books, bills, receipts, newsclippings, broadsides, and other printed materials, chiefly concerning Jeremiah Morton and his son-in-law, Joseph J. Halsey .
Jeremiah Morton (1799-1878) of Racoon Ford, Orange County, Virginia , was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia . He was educated at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University ) and at the College of William and Mary . Morton began his career as lawyer in 1822, but abandoned his practice due to poor health. He was elected by the Eighth District of Virginia to the thirty-first United States Congress (1849-1851) but failed to gain re-election in 1850.
The correspondence from the Civil War years documents Morton's attendance at the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 , his appointment as a colonel in the cavalry by Governor John Letcher , and his attempts to amass food during shortages of 1864. Of related interest is a lengthy autobiographical account of the career of William "Extra Billy" Smith , written in 1873 when Smith was running for U. S. Senate. The account includes his election to public office as Virginia state senator (1836), governor (1845), and U. S. congressman (1853-1859), and describes some of his Civil War experiences. A comparison of Morton's pre-and post-war correspondence illustrates the plummeting of family and business fortunes which followed the Confederate defeat. Such conditions are illustrated in Morton's correspondence with his brother, Senator Jackson Morton of Milton, Florida ; with Jackson's son, W. Chase Morton ; and with Henry Ahrens , a Florida businessman.
Throughout his life, Morton was involved in a variety of land investment and business ventures which are documented in his correspondence. Among these ventures was a slave trade centered in Virginia and in Mobile, Alabama ; an investment in the spa White Sulphur Springs, Virginia ; and a tentative speculation in West Virginia coal lands. Correspondence relating to the slave trade (ca. 1847-1863) is grouped with other relevant materials, including accounts and descriptions and values of slaves. (See also the listing of ledgers). Morton was also a member of the Texas Board of Trustees of the Southern Pacific Railroad while the railroad was being built across that state in the 1850's and early 1870's, and a part of a group of Virginians who made loans to Texans.
Other correspondence includes that of Richard H. Maury and William Maury or R. H. Maury and Company of Richmond (1867) discussing the sale of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad , national politics, and Virginia finances; of Alexander H. Stephens concerning his book, A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States ; of John S. Barbour, Jr. concerning proposed land purchases by the Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad ; of Reverend John Cole concerning the rebuilding of Culpeper churches (1866-1868); of B. J. Sage commenting on politics; and of Frederick J. Gamble , giving an account of the yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans in 1867. Related materials consist of the Morton family land grant (1786) signed by Governor Patrick Henry , Jeremiah Morton 's property in New Orleans .
Joseph J. Halsey (ca. 1820-1894) was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey , and was educated at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University ). He moved to Virginia around 1840, eventually to farm and practice law in Culpeper County . After his marriage to Mildred Morton in 1848 he became an increasingly close friend and business associate of her father, Jeremiah Morton . Halsey served as a captain in the Confederacy army during the Civil War, after which he returned to his farm and legal practice. Joseph and Mildred Halsey had two sons, J. Morton Halsey and B. B. Halsey , and two daughters, Fannie Halsey and Annie Halsey .
J. J. Halsey 's correspondence has been divided into two main series: general correspondence, which is chiefly concerned with business matters centered in Culpeper County ; and family correspondence, which consists of letters from his father and siblings in New Jersey and with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Early general correspondence (1840-1848) documents Halsey's attempts to begin a career and establish himself financially. He appears to have first considered an academic career, for he applied for the job of superintendent of Baltimore, Maryland public schools, and for a professorship at the newly-founded University of Mississippi . He also attempted to establish his own academy. After his marriage and the beginning of his legal career, Halsey's general correspondence becomes concerned mainly with legal and business matters, although it does include some discussion of farming and of slave trading. There is a limited amount of personal correspondence.
The Civil War correspondence documents Halsey's career, first as a captain in the Virginia Cavalry Volunteers , and then as quartermaster of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry . In 1863, in response to a charge that he had been away without leave, Halsey wrote an account of his wartime activities until that time: a cycle of activity, failing health, leave, recovery, and return. The post-war correspondence includes accounts of Halsey's involvement as a shareholder in the Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad , his operation of a sawmill, and his dealings with the Emigrant Aid and Homestead Company as agent for the sale of large tracts of Virginia land .
Later correspondence (1870-1894) includes an account of the destruction of the Halsey estate, " Lessland , " by fire in 1870. Architectural estimates, plans, and costs relating to the rebuilding are included in the related materials which follow the correspondence. Through the 1870s, Halsey continued to be an agent for the sale of Virginia lands. In 1884 he attempted to expand his agricultural concerns to include the raising of sheep and sale of wool. He died at " Lessland " in 1894.
The correspondence of J. J. Halsey also includes letters and maps concerning the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, and correspondence and papers related to Dr. B. B. Halsey 's case with the newly formed state board of medical examiners, contesting their right to license physicians. Related materials include essays and verse by J. J. Halsey , materials relating to the rebuilding of " Lessland , " B. B. Halsey 's examinations at Williston Seminary , Virginia , and papers concerning tuition, board and incidental expenses of Irena Louisa Halsey at Piedmont Female Institute . Of particular note is an 1855 registration form for Andrew Johnson , "a person of colour," indicating his status as "born free in the County of Orange, Virginia , " and identifying him by his color, stature and marks or scars upon his face, head or hands. Also included are two pages from the notebook of Mildred Halsey , which offer a day-by-day account of life while her husband is at war and Union forces occupy nearby areas.
The family correspondence of J. J. Halsey contrasts life in New Jersey and in Virginia during the period 1848-1894. Correspondents include Halsey's father, Samuel B. Halsey ; his brothers, Samuel S. Halsey , Edmund Halsey , and Alexander Halsey ; and his sisters Susan Halsey and Anne Halsey ; as well as his wife, children and grandchildren. Especially interesting are the political exchanges, occasionally heated, between J. J. Halsey and his younger brothers Samuel S. Halsey and Edmund Halsey , on subjects such as slavery, abolitionism, secession, the elections of Presidents Buchanan and Lincoln, the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas - Nebraska Act, reconstruction, and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson . More personal issues discussed include Halsey's marriage, his fears for his wife and daughters during their wartime separation, and financial problems in the difficult post-war years, when many prominent Virginia families went into bankruptcy. In 1868, the New Jersey Halseys convinced Mildred Halsey to send her two daughters north for their safety and education. J. J. Halsey 's shocked letter when he heard of the arrangement and his conjectures about their trip to Washington , traveling "unprotected...with nine pence and a carpetbag," (July 4, 1865) illustrates conditions in Virginia at the time and indicates the tremendous emotional strain on the family.
In addition to the New Jersey and Virginia correspondence, the collection contains letters of an elder brother, Abraham Halsey , from California . His letters provide an interesting sidelight on the controversies between the Virginia and New Jersey Halseys, and describe his own life as a rancher and as secretary to a large number of mining concerns.
The Morton-Halsey collection also includes correspondence and related papers of the Winston family , also of Culpeper County, Virginia . As executor of the estate of William Winston , J. J. Halsey received letters from Winston's sons, Wallace Winston , Walter C. Winston , and J. B. Winston . Halsey also came into possession of correspondence between the brothers, including letters from J. B. Winston and Timothy Foster in California , to Walter Winston in Virginia , discussing personal property matters and California politics. There are also letters of Wallace Winston from Arkansas .
The second major series in this collection consists of financial and legal papers of Jeremiah Morton , J. J. Halsey , and others. They date from ca. 1800-1895 and include business and personal accounts, bills, receipts, promissory nots, tax receipts and papers concerning bankruptcy and insurance. Also included are deeds, bonds, indentures, wills, land surveys, plats, charts and other material concerning the purchase or transferral of land. There are also files on court related matters such as bills of complaint, legal opinions, summons and other court notices. Of particular interest are itemized tax receipts which document the ownership of slaves.
Many of these documents are Morton's or Halsey's own personal records, including their accounts with area merchants. For the most part, however, the financial and legal papers in this series belong to a number of individuals, primarily residents of Madison , Culpeper or Orange counties, Virginia , whose affairs were handled by J. J. Halsey . As a lawyer, Halsey often acted as executor of an estate or counsel, and therefore acquired all the legal papers and business accounts of his clients and neighbors. Individuals and firms listed are: William C. Austin , Beechwood and Mallory , John Blackwell and Hannah Blackwell , Charles G. Britt and James Beckham , Bushrod Brown , Thomas Brown, Thomas , Frances Bunley and Susie Bunley , M. A. Carter , John Clark , James Clark and Reuben Clark , William D. Clark , Timothy Costello , J. W. Crittenden , Sarah A. Daniel , William P. Eliason , Adam Everheart , John Gaurd , John Glaspell and Mary Glaspell , Gray Family , Thomas I. Green , R. W. Hall , James Hansbrough , Jane Hansbrough and Peter Hansbrough , Eppa Hunton , Parchal Hutchenson , Philip Johnson , James Jones , Thomas A. Keith , George Morton , Thomas Morton , Martin Nalle and Philip Nalle , Lewis Nelson , George Pannill , Charles B. Payne , W. S. Peyton , Colonel John A. Porter , John C. Rayland , William Rixey , Reverend W. F. Robins , J. W. Shadrack and John H. Somerville , Samuel Shadrack , George A. Sleet , Daniel W. Smith , James Somerville , E. W. Stearns , Steeles Tavern , Augusta County, Virginia , James L. Stringfellow , John Terrill , C. R. Van Wyck and L. D. Winston , John Vaughan , C. S. Waugh and N. B. Waugh , [John] Thomas Morton Wharton , Wharton and Nalle , William Wharton , Colonel Bruce Williams , Walter C. Winston , Winston family , and Isaac Willis .
A series of printed material follows and includes business cards, personal calling cards, invitations, circular letters, blank forms, pamphlets and newspaper clippings. This series also contains numerous broadsides and advertisements. The printed material dates from ca. 1843-1911.
The ledger series of the collection consists of eighteen volumes, 1812-1882. They are divided into three categories: Volumes of Jeremiah Morton , Medical Volumes and Other Volumes. The volumes owned by Jeremiah Morton date from 1817-1844. Of particular interest is Morton's personal account book that lists expenses and disbursements and includes references to transactions involving the sale of slaves. This volume doubles as a notebok of legal questions with page references and sections headed "The Rights of Things," "Toller's Law of Executors," and "Reeves Domestic Relations." The second group of volumes, 1812-1819, consists of two journals and a corresponding ledger belonging to R. Briggs , M.D., of Madison, Virginia . Journal entries include services performed by the doctor such as "pulling of a tooth," "examining wound," and "opening an abcess (throat)," and notations of the medicines he dispensed. Included at the end of the ledger is a list of medical books and their costs. The final group consists of twelve volumes, 1856-1882, including ledgers, journals, and a daybook belonging to a variety of residents of Madison , Orange , and Culpeper counties. Several volumes appear to be in the hand of J. J. Halsey , while other volumes bear the names of Charles B. Porter , John A. Porter , B. W. Brown , and Nalle, Fishback and Company . All these individuals' accounts appear in Halsey's financial and legal papers.
There are envelopes, wrappings and other miscellaneous fragments filed at the end of the collection.
Selected list of correspondents. Also see correspondents in Topical Correspondents. Jeremiah Morton : John B. Barbour, Jr. , Robert Bolling , W. B. Caldwell , Allen T. Caperton , Reverend John Cole , R. H. Dulany , Frederick Gamble , Jedediah Hotchkiss , G. W. Leyburn , R. H. Maury , William Maury , A. M. Phillips , Riggs and Company , B. T. Sage , Slaughter, Franklin and Company , Alexander H. Stephens , George Terrill and B. R. Wellford . Joseph J. Halsey : John H. Antrim , J. L. Archer , Robert Bolling , W. C. Conrad , Peter V. Daniel , James Gaven Field , Dr. Jeptha Fowlker , A. J. Gordon , Colonel W. W. Gordon , Andrew Grinnan , Cornelia Grinnan , Ella Grinnan , M. G. Harman , General Eppa Hunton , General John D. Imboden , H. C. Marchant , Norton Marye , R. H. Maury , William Maury , B. T. Nalle , Phillip Nalle , Samuel H. Newbury , R.V. Richardson , William C. Rives , John Robertson , Taylor Scott , Francis H. Smith , John K. Taliaferro , Jacquelin P. Taylor , Tazewell Taylor , George Terrill , John Timberlake , C. S. Todd , Charles Wagner , Thomas P. Wallace , George Wederburn , and John Woolfolk .
This collection is divided into six main series: I. Correspondence; II. Financial and Legal Papers; III. Printed Material; IV. Ledgers; V. Envelopes, Wrappings, and Fragments; VI. Oversize Material.
The first series, I. Correspondence, is comprised of three sub-series: A. Correspondence of Jeremiah Morton (1. general correspondence, 2. topical correspondence and 3. papers, and related materials), Correspondence of B. J. J. Halsey (1. general correspondence, 2.family correspondence, 3. topical correspondence and 4. related materials), and C. Correspondence of the Winston Family . The material within each of these subdivisions is arranged chronologically. The sub-series called "Related Material" consists of papers of a personal nature, including essays, architectural estimates, Jeremiah Morton 's law certificate and examples of childrens schoolwork.
The second series, II. Financial and Legal Papers, is divided into three subseries: A. Packets (1. individuals whose financial and legal affairs were handled by Jeremiah Morton or J. J. Halsey , 2. Jeremiah Morton , and 3. J. J. Halsey ); B. Financial Papers (1. accounts and itemized receipts, 2. bills and receipts, 3. tax receipts, 4. checks, and 5. charts, tables and lists of numbers); C. Legal Papers (1. general legal papers, 2. promissory notes, 3. wills, 4. bankruptcy, 5. insurance, 6. land transactions and surveys, and 7. court related materials). In the first sub-series, the packets have been single-foldered and labeled according to the information on the original wrapping. These folders have been arranged in alphabetical order according to the name of the individual whose account Morton or Halsey managed. During the organization of this collection, it is apparent that it became apparent that all of the financial and legal material was at one time contained in packets. The names and dates on the envelopes and wrappings found in Series V. correspond to the names on the material not found in packets. Both Jeremiah Morton and J. J. Halsey kept their own personal financial and legal records bound up in packets and marked with a thin band of paper usually containing only the date. Packets which were found intact have been filed as a unit after the packets of the other individuals. Morton's records precede Halsey's, and both bear chronological arrangement. The financial papers are arranged chronologically by decade. The legal papers are also divided into smaller divisions. General legal papers include deeds, bonds, indentures, articles of agreement and some promissory notes. Most of the promissory notes have been removed and filed together following the general legal papers. These are followed by wills, materials concerning bankruptcy and insurance forms. Documents concerning land transactions include surveys, maps, plats and written agreements. The legal papers also include a number of court-related items including bills of complaint, legal opinions, summonses, and miscellaneous court notices. These papers are in chronological order within each subdivision.
The ledger series is divided into three sub-series: A. Volumes of Jeremiah Morton , B. Medical Volumes, and C. Other Volumes. Within each sub-series the volumes are arranged chronologically, with daybooks preceding journals and journals preceding ledgers. Dates and important annotations are entered on the list of ledgers in the text of this guide. Loose materials removed from the volumes are filed at the end of the ledger series in folders which correspond to the numbered volumes. The papers included in this group consist primarily of accounts, surveys, maps, newspaper clippings, and other printed material. There are numerous broadsides and advertisements, especially in the files which correspond to volumes 15 and 18. Personal letters were removed, noted, and filed with the correspondence series.
Envelopes, wrappings, and fragments comprise the next series. The envelopes and wrappings with annotations are filed in front of those which bear no autograph marks except name and date. One can get a more complete picture of the extent of Morton's and Halsey' practice and names of their clients by examining the names and dates on these wrappings as opposed to the incomplete list of names which appears in the packet series. Miscellaneous fragments are filed at the end of the last series.
The final series consists of oversize material, primarily broadsides and pages from account books.