Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Richards-Woody Family Papers 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: Richards-Woody Family Papers, Ms2015-029, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

Richards-Woody Family Papers was donated to Special Collections in 2004.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Richards-Woody Family Papers was completed in July 2015.

Biographical Note

King David Richards was the son of David and Mary Hodges Richards and great-grandson of Edward Richards, who served in the American Revolution War. King David Richards married Harriet Love Richards before joining the 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment, part of the Army of Northern Virginia of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. He died participating in Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Scope and Content

The Richards-Woody Family Papers contain Civil War-era correspondence of King David Richards, photographs, obituaries, legal documents, and family history records pertaining to the Richards-Woody family of southwest Virginia.

Correspondence, 1862-1863, 1992-1993, includes photocopies and transcriptions of Civil War correspondence written by King David Richards to his wife, Harriet Love Richards, while he served in the 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army. In his letters, Richards details the movements of his regiment as part of the Army of Northern Virginia and their participation in the battles at Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Drewry's Bluff, and Suffolk. Additionally, there are letters from Robert Krick, an historian with the National Park Service, written to a Mrs. Daphne Woody discussing Richards' letters and his service in the 57th Virginia Infantry. Krick also discusses the question of Richards's final resting place after dying on the field of Battle at Gettysburg. A letter from Jack Huber written to Mrs. Daphne Woody discusses information in the Richards letters pertaining to the battles of Fredericksburg and the march to and from Fort Powhatan.

Photographs, 1892-1957, are photocopies depicting Harriet Love Richards, Mary Catherine Richards Woody, and the children of Joseph Willis Woody Sr.

Dating from 1891 to 1976, Obituaries include photocopies of private and published obituaries of Richards-Woody family members. A photocopy of an article in the Franklin News-Post discusses the tragic traffic accident that claimed the life of Herbert D. Woody, Sr.

Legal documents span from 1803 to 1905 and comprise photocopies of marriage licences, property appraisals, and the final will and testaments of members of the Richards-Woody family.

Family History, 1989-1990, consists of data sheets on individual members of the Richards-Woody Family, which list family members' birth, marriage, and death information. Typed notes summarize the history of the branches of the Richards-Woody Family. A photocopy of a hand drawn family tree graphically depicts the branches of the Richards-Woody Family, and a short history titled "57th Virginia Infantry " by Charles W. Sublett discusses the regiment.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by type of material.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

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