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], Randolph Family Papers, Ms2010-011, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Randolph Family Papers were donated to Special Collections in prior to 2005.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Randolph Family Papers commenced and was completed in March 2010.

Biographical Note

The Randolph family is a prominent family of Virginia, with influential roots back to the mid-seventeenth century. James Innes Randolph, a congressional clerk in the Virginia House of Representatives married Susan Armistead Randolph in 1828. They had eight children together: Peyton, Innes, John, Robert, Mary, Wilton, Anne, and Sue Randolph. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between Sue Randolph and her son, Peyton. Peyton Randolph graduated from Columbian College (now George Washington University) in Washington, D.C. Peyton became an engineering officer in the confederate army after beginning his career with an Alabama rifle unit. Peyton Randolph worked for several railroad companies before the war and was the General Manager of the Richmond & Danville railroad until his death.

Scope and Content

Represented in this collection are letters from James Innes Randolph, Susan Peyton Armistead and their children. James Randolph's correspondence includes a letter (1851) to Peyton Randolph about retaining his position with the House of Representatives, one from Mary Randolph (1862) about her husband and the state of the American Civil War, and one from John Randolph (1861) about obtaining a military position closer to home. The bulk of the collection contains 42 letters between Susan Armistead Randolph and son Peyton Randolph, spanning the years 1851-1865.

The collection also contains copies of some of the original handwritten family letters, a picture of the Randolph male children, some Railroad documents, Peyton Randolph's confederate military records, and pictures of the Armistead monument at Gettysburg. The poem "The Rebel" by Innes Randolph and selected war era items of John T. Harris are also included.

Arrangement

The collection is bound in the following arrangement: Part I: Letters, Part II: Related documents from the James Madison University Library Collection, and Part III: Related items not from the James Madison University Library Collection.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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