Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Maury and Perkins Family Papers, Accession 10492-c, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to the Library by Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels of Storrs, Connecticut, on July 24, 1987.

Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Scope and Content

This material, assembled by Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels for her books, One American Family: Some Maury Memories, Legends, and Records and Some Distaff Forbears: Perkins, Henderson, Watson, Price, Norris, Opie, Kelly , consists of ca. 550 items, 1767(1883-1955)1985, and includes original letters and papers of the Maury and Perkins families as well as Mrs. Skeels' notes and copies of material from various repositories.

The correspondence and other material of the Maury and Perkins family pertain chiefly to the family of Eliza Norris (Watson) (1844-1936) and George Perkins (1846-1918) and their children and spouses, Hay Watson (Perkins) (1873-19 ) and George Rust Bedinger Michie (1870-19 ), Anne "Nannie" Henderson (Perkins) (1874-1960) and Henry Lowndes Maury (1875-1959), and William Allan Perkins (1880-19 ) and his wife Hazlehurst Bolton (1882-19 ). There are also letters from Hortensia Hay Watson (1838-19 ), Eliza Maury 's sister; letters from Nannie Jessie Maury (Mrs. Matthew Fontaine Maury ) to her son, Henry Lowndes ; and, a farm book of Egbert Reed Watson (1810-1887), Eliza Maury 's father.

The majority of the original letters are written to Anne "Nannie" Henderson (Perkins) Maury in Butte, Montana from her family in Charlottesville, Virginia and contain much personal news about family members and friends. One letter of interest, dated May 1, 1894, written to Haidee and Nannie Perkins from Bessie P. Woods , a missionary doctor's wife, in Tsing Kiang, China , describes the customs, language, and clothing of the people, and explains the needs for foreign missions. Another interesting letter, November 18, 1898, from Ellen Maury Slayden , in San Antonio, Texas , enlightens Nannie on living out west and describes the "differences between Eastern and Western people." During 1898-1935, Eliza Norris (Watson) Perkins wrote to her daughter, Nannie, discussing news of family and friends in great detail, and mentioning events in Charlottesville . There are two letters in 1901 with news of Charlottesville : April 15, concerning the election to the Virginia Constitutional Convention; and, May 23, describing the city and surrounding area during a flood caused by heavy rainfall, mentioning such sites as the new iron bridge, Holladay House , and Woolen Mills . There are also several letters mentioning persons associated with the University of Virginia : November 28, 1932 and October 16, 1933, John Lloyd Newcomb 's tea for Lord and Lady Astor and his appointment as President of the University; February 13, 1933, Frank Abbott 's death and John Staige Davis ' illness; and, July 16, 1934, John W. Davis ' speech at the Institute of Public Affairs. A December 13, 1934 letter describes her train trip from Butte, Montana to her home in Charlottesville .

George Perkins also wrote to his daughter, Nannie, after her marriage to Henry Lowndes Maury on November 22, 1898 and their subsequent departure to Butte, Montana . While he wrote personal letters to his daughter, he wrote more professional ones to his son-in-law. Many of his letters to Lowndes refer to the latter's legal business, especially his partnerships with Clayberg and Corbett and with Pemberton and Maury (August 25 and September 9, 1899), legal cases, and his being made President of the Bar Association in Butte (December 19, 1906). His letters offered support and advice concerning some of these matters. One interesting letter, December 26, 1910, gave a lengthy account of a distant relative's, Charles Alphonso Smith (1864-1924), a University of Virginia professor, successful visit to Berlin , including a lunch with Kaiser Wilhelm and a visit to the palace at Potsdam .

Other letters of interest to Nannie from her family include: September 4, 1899, from her brother, William Allan Perkins , describing a fishing trip that took him across West Virginia and Ohio to a camp near Sault Ste. Marie ; May 9 and June 3, 1918, from her aunt, Hortensia Hay Watson , mentioning the University of Virginia Base Hospital and occurrences during World War I.

In addition, there are travel journals, with transcripts, of Anne "Nannie" Henderson (Perkins) Maury and Eliza Norris (Watson) Perkins . During July and August 1891, Nannie kept a journal on her travels from Charlottesville to various places in Virginia and New York , and Washington, D.C. , describing the sites vividly. In July 1910, Lizzie Perkins travelled from Charlottesville to Butte, Montana to visit her daughter and her family, writing of the trip in a small notebook.

The research material includes Mrs. Skeels' correspondence and notes, biographies and genealogies, and copies of material from various repositories concerning the Maury , Perkins , Watson , Norris , and related families. There is much material pertaining to Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), the first great American oceanographer. Copies of original family letters, diaries, and papers have been placed in this series.

The material has been organized into three series: I. Maury and Perkins Family Papers; II. Research Material of Lydia Lowndes Maury Skeels; and, III. Oversize Material. Folders in the first two series are arranged alphabetically, and material within is in chronological order.