Administrative Information

Access

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

William P. Tams Notebook, mss 00023, Virginia Military Institute Archives, Lexington, Virginia.

Biographical/Historical Information

William Purviance Tams, the son of William Henry Tams and Marie Antoinette Smith, was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia on March 11, 1852. Following his graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in 1873, he taught for one year at VMI and then spent his career as a banker in Staunton, Virginia. Tams married Sue Lewis Frazier of Staunton on November 17, 1870; they had two sons, William Frazier and William P., Jr. Tams died in Staunton on January 30, 1920.

Scope and Content Information

The collection consists of one notebook that belonged to Cadet William P. Tams, Virginia Military Institute Class of 1873. Included are class notes for courses in Mineralogy, Civil and Military Engineering, and Chemistry; a copy of a lecture by Superintendent Francis H. Smith ("Lecture to the 1st Class on Moral Sense, November 5, 1872"); and grade reports in Chemistry, Physiology, Latin and Astronomy.