Inventory of the Jay Johns Papers 1918-1974 Johns, Jay, Papers, 1918-1974 Mss. 74 J64

Inventory of the Jay Johns Papers 1918-1974

A Collection in the
Manuscripts and Rare Books Department
Collection Number Mss. 74 J64


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Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary

Special Collections
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794
USA
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Email: spcoll@wm.edu
URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/

© 2001 By the College of William and Mary

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Staff

Repository
Special Collections, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Collection number
Mss. 74 J64
Title
Jay Johns Papers, 1918-1974.
Extent
4,525 items.
Creators
Phillips Brooks, Harry Ashby de Butts, Harry Flood Byrd, George Washington Parke Custis , Albert Gallatin, Carter Glass, Mills E. (Mills Edwin) Godwin, Albertis S. (Albertis Sydney) Harrison, Daniel Harvey Hill, Stonewall Jackson, Jay Johns, James Jackson Kilpatrick, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Richard Henry Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward)Lee, George C. (George Catlett) Marshall, Morton G. Thalhimer, William M.(William Munford) Tuck.
Language
English
Abstract
Personal and business correspondence of Jay Winston Johns, Jr. (1888-1974), coal industrialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later an "adopted son" of Virginia, becoming a leader in preserving homes of renowned Virginians.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to all researchers.

Publication Rights/Restrictions on Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred Citation

Jay Johns Papers, Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information

Gift: 4,507 items, 12/01/1974.
Gift: Acc. no. 80-14; 7/01/1980.
Gift: Acc. no. 83-42; 15 items, 9/01/1983.
Gift: Acc. no. 85-46; 1 item, 10/01/1985.
Gift: 2 items, 2/01/1988.

Biographical/Historical Information

Jay Winston Johns, Jr. was a coal industrialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who moved to Virginia and became a leader in preserving homes of renowned Virginians. He married Helen Lambert (1881-1964). Johns became blind in the late 1950's.

He and his wife owned "Ash Lawn," Albemarle County, Virginia which had been the home of James Monroe and designed by Thomas Jefferson. Johns was founder of the Lee-Jackson Memorial, Inc., a foundation dedicated to preserving the memory of Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson and the South's part in the Civil War; and a founder of the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization whose main purpose was that of purchasing, restoring, and maintaining for the public, homes of renowned men specifically, the Lee-Fendall House in Alexandria, Virginia.

Johns, himself was a strong Democrat and corresponded with and publicly supported all of the prominent Virginia political figures of his time. He was a spirited supporter of the Virginia Military Institute as a member of the Board of Visitors, and as an honorary member of the Alumni Association; a charter member, and later trustee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and a member of the Virginia Chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati. He also received an honorary degree from the College of William and Mary in 1967.

Scope and Content Information

The collection contains mostly personal and business correspondence of Jay Winston Johns, Jr., including papers of the Atlas Fuel Corporation of New York, New York and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Lee-Jackson Memorial, Inc.; the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation; and "Ash Lawn," now owned by the College of William and Mary.

The correspondence of Johns includes correspondence with Virginia Democratic Party figures such as Albertis S. Harrison, William M. Tuck, Mills Godwin, Harry F. Byrd, Sr. and Carter Glass. Other prominent correspondents are Morton G. Thalhimer, Harry de Butts, James J. Kilpatrick, and George C. Marsall. There are records of social occasions given by Mr. and Mrs. Johns, correspondence relating to her illness and death, and papers relating to his death.

The collection includes a manuscript collection by Johns including original items by Phillip Brooks (1835-1983), George Washington Parke Custis(1781-1857), Albert Gallatin (1761-1849) and D. H. Hill (1821- 1889); as well as typescripts and photocopies of Includes letters written by Thomas Jonathan Jackson, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Mary Custis Lee, Richard Henry Lee, and Robert E. Lee; and materials concerning James Monroe and Ezekial Moses.

Arrangement

Organization

This collection has been organized into ten series. Series 1 contains personal papers; Series 2 contains papers from the Atlas Fuel Corporation; Series 3 contains papers from Lee-Jackson, Inc.; Series 4 contains papers from the Virginia Trust for Historical Preservation; Series 5 contains miscellaneous materials; Series 6 contains miscellaneous interests; Series 7 contains papers pertaining to Ash Lawn; Series 8 contains the manuscript collection; Series 9 contains manuscript volumes and other miscellany; and Series 10 contains oversized material.

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged into series with multiple subseries. The subseries, for the most part, have been arranged alphabetically by persons last name or by subject and then further ordered chronologically by date. Additional descriptions concerning the arrangement of specific subseries can be determined at the subseries level.

Related Material

This collection of James Monroe Papers was donated by Jay Johns and includes Includes letters by, to and concerning James Monroe, as well as a few printed items.

Jay Johns Collection of James Monroe Papers, Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, Swem Library, College of William and Mary. Jay Johns Collection of James Monroe Papers, 1780-1834. 84 items. Mss. 68 M75

Index Terms


Additional Descriptive Data

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Components List

Personal Papers, 1930-1974, n.d.
Box 1-2
Series 1: Personal Papers

For additional material relating to this series see Series 10: Oversized Material located at the end of the collection.

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Atlas Fuel Corporation, 1920-1967, n.d.
Box-folder 2:21-24
Series 2: Atlas Fuel Corporation
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Papers of Lee-Jackson, Inc., 1859-1974, n.d.
Box-folder 3:1-22
Series 3: Lee-Jackson, Inc.

For additional material relating to this series see Series 10: Oversized Material located at the end of the collection.

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Virginia Trust for Historical Preservation, 1967-1974, n.d.
Box-folder 4:1-14
Series 4: Virginia Trust for Historical Preservation
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Miscellaneous Papers, 1774-1971, n.d.
Box-folder 4:15-21
Series 5:Miscellaneous Papers
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Miscellaneous Interests 1928-1954, n.d.
Box-folder 4:22-28
Series 6:Miscellaneous Interests
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Ash Lawn, 1930-1974, n.d.
Box-folder 5:1-11
Series 7: Ash Lawn

For additional material relating to this series see Series 10: Oversized Material located at the end of the collection.

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Manuscript Collection,
Box-folder 6:1-7
Series 8: Manuscript Collection

For additional material relating to this series see Series 10: Oversized Material located at the end of the collection.

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Manuscript Volumes, and Miscellany, 1919-1973, n.d.
Box 7-9
15 items.
Series 9: Manuscript Volumes and Miscellany.

Contains manuscript volumes, scrapbooks, journals and awards.

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Oversized Items, 1792-1979, n.d.
Box-folder Oversize:1-8
Series 10: Oversized Items
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