Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne Letter, Ms2009-072 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Acquisition Information

The Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne Letter was purchased by Special Collections in 1994.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne Letter commenced and was completed in May 2009.

Biographical Information

Elizabeth Barton Smith, the daughter of John Puller and Mary Gilbreth Barton Smith, was born in Fauquier County, Virginia on March 11, 1817. She married Dr. Amos Payne (1808-1887) in 1837. The couple had 10 children: Edward A., Martha E., Jacquelina M., Mary C., Hugh G., William U., Amos, John B. Elizabeth S., and Ernestine V. While the Paynes lived most of their lives in Fauquier County, they seem to have resided at least for a time in Taylor County, (West) Virginia, their children John and Elizabeth having been born there in 1855 and 1857, respectively. Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne died in Orlean (Fauquier County) on May 12, 1895.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a letter from E. B. Payne, a resident of Fauquier County, Virginia during the Civil War. The contents of the letter, coupled with research, indicate that the letter was written by Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne, wife of Dr. Amos Payne, on October 16, 1864. Writing from Orlean, Virginia to an unidentified friend, Payne mourns a loved one killed in battle (most likely her son, Edward Alexander Payne of the 7th Virginia Cavalry, killed at Parker's Store, Virginia in November 1863) and the loss of her husband's cousin, Robert J. Johnson, in the same battle. She describes a recent Union raid in which the Chancellor family's home was burned and mentions the arrest of her brother Golder and his captivity at Fort Delaware. ("He was well but fare bad water scarce & treatment harsh," she writes.) Payne states that the autumn apple harvest has been bountiful but that there is a constant fear of Union scouting parties. After conveying personal sentiments, she states that Hugh (her son, Hugh Golder Payne) is anxious to join the army but that she hopes to keep him at home until spring.

Index Terms

Subjects:

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