Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Repass/Spangler Correspondence must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Repass/Spangler Family Correspondence, Ms2012-061, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection was purchased by Special Collections in September 2012.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Repass/Spangler Family Correspondence was completed in October 2012.

Biographical Note

Henry Moore Spangler married Mary Adeline Repass on June 28, 1859. Mary was the daughter of Dr. Stephen and Rosanna Repass. J.A. Repass or James Augustus Repass is Henry Moore Spangler's brother in law. Mary Repass and J.A. Repass also had a sister, Eliza Jane Repass. Eli Repass was a cousin who lived on his father Samuel's farm located next to Stephen Repass in Bland County. Samuel and Stephen were brothers. All three of the Repasses--James Augustus, Stephen, and Eli--and Henry Spangler served with Stowers' Company, Virginia Militia.

Scope and Content

The collection includes two original letters, one 1936 handwritten copy of an 1861 letter, and an undated letter. All correspondence relates to the Repass and Spangler families of Wythe County, Virginia. Included is a letter from Stephen Repass to his sons, dated September 8, 1861 that discusses an outbreak of measles in Bland County, recounts his participation as a fife player in the Valley Company band, and updates his sons upon happenings around the area. On the same paper, a letter from Henry M. Spangler to his brothers discusses how he injured "little Alice" and caught eight muskrats. A handwritten copy (1936) of an 1861 letter from J. A. Repass to his wife (copy made by his granddaughter and contains a note by her) is also present in the collection, talking about Repass's recent marches and the success of his regiment in a recent battle. Also included in the collection is a likely undated letter from E. [Eli] J. Repass to his wife. This last is on translucent paper and difficult to read.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Wythe County (Va.)