Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Dr. W. B. Conway and Julia Ellen Thomas 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: Dr. W. B. Conway and Julia Ellen Thomas Correspondence, Ms2014-015, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Dr. W. B. Conway and Julia Ellen Thomas Correspondence was donated to Special Collections in 2014.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Dr. W. B. Conway and Julia Ellen Thomas Correspondence was completed in December 2014.

Biographical Note: William B. Conway

Dr. William B. Conway was born in Ellerslie, Virginia, in 1845. Conway studied at Virginia Military Institute for a year, but left school to enlist as a private in Company C, 4th Virginia Cavalry. He served through the war, and afterwards studied medicine under the tutelage of Dr. Alfred Taliaferro at Culpeper Courthouse. He then studied at Washington University in Baltimore and graduated in 1869. Upon graduation, he left Baltimore to practice medicine at Mount Vernon Iron Works in Rockingham County, Virginia.

Biographical Note: Julia Ellen Thomas Conway

Julia Ellen Thomas was born in 1848 in Blacksburg Virginia the daughter of Col. William Thomas. Julia and William were married in 1870 and settled for a time in Blacksburg where William became a surgeon for the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech). They had five children: Daisy, Alfred, William, Archie, and Mary, all of which, except William, reached adulthood. Julia died in 1916. William died in College Park, Georgia, in 1920.

Scope and Content

This collection contains approximately sixty letters exchanged between Dr. William B. Conway and Julia Ellen Thomas (later Conway) during their courtship in 1869-1870. The letters discuss a number of topics including the couple's relationship, their families, mutual friends, and local and national events.

Arrangement

The letters in the collection are arranged chronologically.

Related Material

W. B. Conway and Julia Thomas Conway Correspondence (Ms2019-018). Finding aid available online .

Julia Thomas Conway and Mary Black Thomas Luster Correspondence (Ms2019-019). Finding aid available online .

Catlett Conway Correspondence (Ms2012-039). Finding aid available online .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (1872-1896)