Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records, 1881-1886 Ms.2009.045

Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records, 1881-1886 Ms.2009.045


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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

John M. Jackson, Archivist

Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.2009.045
Title
Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records 1881-1886
Quantity
0.2 Cubic Feet, 1 box
Creator
Thomas Wood and Company (Max Meadows, Va.)
Creator
Wood, Thomas, 1812-1891
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
The collection includes bills for freight shipped on the Norfolk & Western Railroad and received by Thomas Wood and Company, a general mercantile business.

Administrative Information

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

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records, Ms2009-045, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records were purchased by Special Collections in 2009. The documents had been part of a larger group of railroad-related materials compiled by a collector (see "separated material" section).

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Thomas Wood and Company Freight Records commenced and was completed in March 2009.


Biographical Note

Thomas Wood, proprietor of Thomas Wood and Company, appears in the 1880 Wythe County, Virginia census as a 67-year-old merchant, placing his birth year around 1813. Born in England, Wood immigrated to Virginia and married Margaret Elizabeth Crockett in November 26, 1840. This union produced many children: William, Robert, Grafton, Thomas Bamford, Mary Agnes, Margaret Louise, Elizabeth Graham, John, Ann(e), Virginia, and Josie Wood.

Wood is likely the Thomas Wood (June 20, 1812-March 29, 189[1?]) buried in Crockett Cemetery in Wytheville, Wythe County, Virginia. His tombstone states "Born in Cumberland Co. Eng."

External sources:

U.S. Census, 1850-1880

"Thomas Wood", Virginia Compiled Marriages, 1740-1850, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/144572:3723 , accessed March 29, 2023.

Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70982170/thomas-wood , accessed March 29, 2023.

Administrative History

Thomas Wood and Company served the community of Max Meadows, Virginia as a general mercantile business during the latter nineteenth century. The firm dealt largely in foodstuffs, clothing, alcohol, common household items, hardware, and agricultural equipment. Wood and Company seems to have succeeded an earlier business, Wood, Kasey and Wood, a general store that also shipped locally mined zinc ore to works in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Scope and Content

This collection contains records relating to freight shipments made to Thomas Wood and Company of Max Meadows, Virginia. The collection consists largely of freight bills from the Norfolk & Western Railroad for goods shipped to the company at Max Meadows. The bills list the date of receipt and the goods shipped, including such items as foodstuffs, hardware, clothing, agricultural equipment, furniture and other household goods. While most of the goods were shipped from Baltimore, Maryland; Bristol, Virginia; and Lynchburg, Virginia, frequent shipments of salt and plaster from Saltville, Virginia are also noted, as are periodic shipments from Wytheville and other Southwest Virginia locales. Appearing on some of the bills are the names R. R. Wood and G. C. Wood. The collection also includes five pieces of correspondence relating to freight shipments.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type, then chronologically.

Related Material

See the Wood, Kasey, and Wood Account Books, Ms2008-035 , also at Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives.


Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
  • Railroad

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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

Container List

Freight bills
1881-1886
  • box-folder 1 folder: 1 1881-1882
  • box-folder 1 folder: 2 1883
  • box-folder 1 folder: 3 1884
  • box-folder 1 folder: 4 1885-1886
box-folder 1 folder: 5
Correspondence
1881