Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Thomas David Perry Collection, Ms2008-006, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Thomas David Perry Collection was donated to Special Collections in 2002. Additional materials were donated in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

Processing Information

The collection is unprocessed. This inventory is adapted from a guide created by the donor. A digital version of the donor's guide, which provides a more detailed description of its contents, may be found here .

Biographical Note

Born in 1960, Thomas David Perry graduated from Virginia Tech in 1984. He founded the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust in 1990, serving as its president from 1990 to 1992; he has also served at various times on the trust's board of directors and has served on the boards of directors of the Jubal Early Homeplace and the Patrick County Historical Society. In North Carolina, Perry has been a founding member of both the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and the Surry County Civil War Round Table. Perry has presented numerous speeches on Patrick County, "Jeb" Stuart, and the Civil War; he has also conducted several symposia and tours and published several works on these topics.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials gathered by Virginia Tech graduate (class of 1984) and historian Thomas David Perry during more than 20 years of research and writing on the history of Patrick County, Virginia. Much of the material is devoted to the life, family and birthplace of Confederate General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart. The collection contains such materials as manuscript drafts, printed materials, correspondence, scrapbooks and photographs. Much of the material relates to the research and writing of three of Perry's books, Ascent to Glory: the Genealogy of Jeb Stuart; Stuart's Birthplace: a History of Laurel Hill Farm; and The Free State of Patrick: Patrick County, Virginia in the Civil War. The collection also contains press and promotional material relating to the effort to preserve Stuart's birthplace.

Arrangement

The collection is unprocessed and remains largely in the order in which it was received. Generally, the collection is arranged within the following categories: Patrick County in the Civil War; genealogy of J. E. B. Stuart; history of Laurel Hill Farm, Stuart's birthplace; records of the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace; general Civil War and Patrick County history files; and Perry's personal papers.

Separated Material

The following books were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Patrick County (Va.) -- History
• Stuart, Jeb, 1833-1864
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Thomas David Perry Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).