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West Virginia and Regional History Center
1549 University Ave.P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Business Number: 304-293-3536
wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com
URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Granville Davisson Hall (1837-1934) Papers, A&M 0042, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Biographical / Historical
Granville Davisson Hall (September 17, 1837 – June 24, 1934) was an American journalist, businessman and politician who helped found the state of West Virginia. He was born in New Salem, Virginia now Harrison County, West Virginia where he began his career as a school teacher at the early age of 17. In 1859, he left Harrison County to work in the printing office of the Wheeling Intelligencer . He remained in Wheeling only a few months, but he returned to record the proceedings of the Wheeling Conventions, 1861-1863. He was also an editior and writer for that newspaper. Hall served as the Secretary of State of West Virginia, 1865-1867, and as the private secretary of the first governor, Arthur Boreman. After the Civil War, Hall became involved in the railroad industry in Kentucky and eventually became President of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Later he moved to Glencoe, Illinois where he continued writing and served as the village clerk. He died there at the age of 96. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Dolly Hancher Hall, originally from Wheeling, and by two sons.
Adapted from articles in Wikipedia and the West Virginia Encyclopedia, as well as his obituary in the Wheeling Intelligencer and a roadside marker near Shinnston, West Virginia.
Scope and Contents
Correspondence and writings of Granville Davisson Hall, reporter for the Wheeling Intelligencer during the Wheeling conventions, 1861-1863; secretary of state of West Virginia, 1865-1873; and author of numerous works of fiction and historical studies about West Virginia. Includes correspondence (1861-1947, undated), mainly regarding personal matters, the early statehood period, and Civil War activities in West Virginia; and typescript copies and drafts of numerous articles by Hall (some of which were published) on topics including West Virginia statehood, the U.S. Constitution and government, and other historical subjects (ca. 1896-1925, undated). Also includes miscellaneous typescript articles, newspaper clippings, and memoranda regarding politics and history (1863-1928, undated); and miscellaneous printed material from the First Constitutional Convention of West Virginia (1861-1863). The majority of the correspondence and miscellaneous material post-dates statehood.
Series include:
Series 1. Correspondence; 1861-1947, undated; box 1.
Series 2. Writings by G.D. Hall; ca. 1896-1925, undated; box 2, folders 1-47.
Series 3. Miscellaneous; 1863-1928, undated; box 2, folder 48 - box 3.
Series 4. Printed Material; 1861-1863; box 4.
Separated Material
Pamphlet titled "Ordinances of the Convention Assembled at Wheeling, on the 11th of June, 1861," printed by authority of the Convention, Wheeling, Va., 1861, will be bound and added to main WVHRC stacks. Digitized version will be added to Printed Ephemera Collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Borah, William Edgar, 1865-1940
- Campbell, Archibald W., 1833-1899.
- Carlile, John S. (John Snyder), 1817-1878
- Cook, Roy Bird, 1886-1961
- Dawson, William M.O.
- Faulkner, Charles James, 1806-1884
- Fleming, A. B. (Aretas Brooks), 1839-1923
- Goff, Nathan, 1843-1920
- Hall, Granville Davisson, 1837-1934
- Haymond, Henry
- Hubbard, C. D. (Chester Dorman), 1814-1891
- Hubbard, Dana L.
- Hubbard, William P.
- Leonard, Flora Farnsworth.
- Northcott, R.S.
- Politics and government.
- Siviter, Anna Pierpont, 1859-1932
- Stevenson, W. E. (William Erskine), 1820-1883
- Tumulty, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick), 1879-1954
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- West Virginia - Politics and government - 1861-1865.
- West Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- West Virginia. Convention (1861 : Wheeling)
- Willey, Waitman T. (Waitman Thomas), 1811-1900
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Borah, William Edgar, 1865-1940
- Campbell, Archibald W., 1833-1899.
- Carlile, John S. (John Snyder), 1817-1878
- Cook, Roy Bird, 1886-1961
- Dawson, William M.O.
- Faulkner, Charles James, 1806-1884
- Fleming, A. B. (Aretas Brooks), 1839-1923
- Goff, Nathan, 1843-1920
- Hall, Granville Davisson, 1837-1934
- Haymond, Henry
- Hubbard, C. D. (Chester Dorman), 1814-1891
- Hubbard, Dana L.
- Hubbard, William P.
- Leonard, Flora Farnsworth.
- Northcott, R.S.
- Siviter, Anna Pierpont, 1859-1932
- Stevenson, W. E. (William Erskine), 1820-1883
- Tumulty, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick), 1879-1954
- Willey, Waitman T. (Waitman Thomas), 1811-1900
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- West Virginia - Politics and government - 1861-1865.
- West Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Container List
This series includes correspondence (1861-1947, undated), mainly regarding personal matters, the early statehood period, and Civil War activities in West Virginia. The majority of the correspondence post-dates statehood. Correspondents include: William E. Borah, Archibald W. Campbell, John S. Carlile, Roy B. Cook, William M.O. Dawson, Charles J. Faulkner, A.B. Fleming, Nathan Goff, Henry Haymond, C.D. Hubbard, Dana L. Hubbard, William P. Hubbard, Flora Farnsworth Leonard, R.S. Northcott, Anna Pierpont Siviter, W.E. Stevenson, Joseph P. Tumulty, and W.T. Willey.
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
Correspondence1861-1864
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
Correspondence1865-1867
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3
Correspondence1868
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
Correspondence1869
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
Correspondence1870-1884
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6
Correspondence1900-1902
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Correspondence1903-1904
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 8
Correspondence1906-1907
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9
Correspondence1908-1909
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10
Correspondence1910-1912
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11
Correspondence1913-1915
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Correspondence1916-1917
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13
Correspondence1918-1919
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 14
Correspondence1920-1922
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Correspondence1923-1927
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 16
Correspondence1937, 1947, undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 17
Correspondence with Governor Dawson of West Virginia1902-1915
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 18
Undated Correspondence, Shorthand Letters, and Notesca. 1866-1902
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 19
Newspaper Clippings of Articles by Hall; Article on Hanging of Associates of John Wilkes Booth1914, undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 20
Correspondence and Receipts1861-1870
This series includes typescript copies and drafts of numerous articles by Hall, some of which were published. Article topics include West Virginia statehood ("How the W.Va. Convention Tried to Conserve Slavery"), the U.S. Constitution and government ("The Failure of the 14th Amendment"), and other historical subjects ("Church's Life of Cromwell").
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 1
Articles Written by G.D. Hall; Contents (list of articles in folders 2-47)
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 2
"A Historic Old Virginia Town"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 3
"John Brown, The Unforgotten"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 4
"A Son of the Old Dominion"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 5
"Texas, the Fruit of Violence"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 6
"The Missouri Compromise"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 7
"The Virginia Debt Case"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 8
"The Virginia Masons"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 9
"Thomas Jefferson, Politician"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 10
"The Location of the National Capitol in 1790'
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 11
"A Domestic Peril, Unequal Representation"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 12
"A New Angle in an Old Topic"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 13
"11th Amendment to the United States Constitution"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 14
"Relations of the United States and Canada"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 15
"Suffrage and Representation"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 16
"The Failure of the 14th Amendment"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 17
"Constitutional Limitations: Are They Adequate?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 18
"Is the United States a Judicial Monarchy?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 19
"A Sixty-Two Year Old Trial"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 20
"Andrew F. Ritchie of Fairmont"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 21
"The Name of W.Va. - It Was Lawfully Named Kanawha"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 22
"Virginia: Some of Her Forgotten History"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 23
"The Farnsworth Charge at Gettysburg - 1600 or 300?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 24
"How the W.Va. Convention Tried to Conserve Slavery"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 25
"The Flick Amendment"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 26
"The Sowing of the Dragon's Teeth in 1787"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 27
"The Plantation Life in Virginia Slavery Days"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 28
"The Color Line in the United States, Who Is to Blame?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 29
"Mormon Surgery under Brigham Young"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 30
"The Wiard Built-Up Steel Cannon"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 31
"Is It Prosperity, Is It Ruin?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 32
"The Pennsylvanian Tightens Belt"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 33
"Church's Life of Cromwell"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 34
"The Dartmouth College Case"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 35
"Journalism, the Noblest Profession"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 36
"Woman and War"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 37
"The Fort Sheridan Flag"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 38
"'Amber': the Tragedy of Her Life and Death"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 39
"A Peep into the Twentieth Century"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 40
"England Eighty Years Ago"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 41
"Inwood Pictures"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 42
"Old Spanish Gold: a Study of 'Don Quixote'"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 43
"Concerning Motion"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 44
"Monopoly, Deadly Tyranny"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 45
"Soul or Faculty"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 46
"Whence-What-Whither?"
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 47
Miscellaneous Material Originally in Notebooks Containing Writings of G.D. Hall
This series includes printed material, typescripts and drafts of articles, newspaper clippings, memoranda, ephemera, and pamphlets. Subjects include the early statehood movement in West Virginia, Virginia and West Virginia history, general American history and politics, G.D. Hall and his books, and other topics.
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 48
Miscellaneous and Unpublished Papers Worth Rewriting (includes printed material about the West Virginia Constitutional Convention (1863); typescripts and drafts of articles, some submitted for publication [topics include the statehood movement, prominent West Virginians, autobiography, Virginia history, and other topics]; and ephemera, including an advertisement for a book by Leon Trotzky [1918]1863-1928, undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 49
Miscellaneous Memoranda (includes printed material; news clippings; memoranda, including shorthand; and typescripts on general politics and history)1919-1927, undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 1
Miscellaneous Typescript Articles (includes articles on Virginia and West Virginia history, the Missouri Compromise, and drafts of items in Series 2)1917, undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 2
Miscellaneous Memoranda (includes typescript articles and memoranda on early statehood, general American history, the Bible, and ancient Greeks)undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 3
Miscellaneous Printed Material and Newspaper Clippings (includes Anna Pierpont Siviter's book of poetry, Songs of Hope; newspaper clippings on William Hubbard, Hall's books, Maulsby Bridge, and other topics; pamphlets, including "The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861" by Hon. John Goode; and a map of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington D.C. [1925])1899-1925, undated
This series includes miscellaneous printed material from the First Constitutional Convention of West Virginia (1861-1863).