Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Octavius Hileman Papers, Ms2008-085, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Octavius Hileman Papers were purchased by Special Collections.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Octavius Hileman Papers commenced and was completed in October 2008.

Biographical Note

Octavius Hileman, the son of Joseph B. and Anne R. Hileman, was born in Pennsylvania in 1853. He lived with his family in Altoona and attended Gettysburg College from 1870 to 1871. After working in the lumber business in Michigan during the 1870s, Hileman moved to Virginia, where he engaged in the mining and shipping of iron ore, under the company name Hileman & Waring (later, the West Iron Gate Land Company). During the 1890s, Hileman served as the secretary/treasurer of the Luster Manufacturing Company. He retired to Athens, Georgia in 1931 and died there in 1943. In 1874, he had married Sarah A. Kimberley; the couple had three children: Marjorie, Joseph, and Grace.

Scope and Content

This collection contains papers of Octavius Hileman, secretary/treasurer of the Luster Manufacturing Company. Written primarily by J. O. Luster, a manufacturer and dealer in tin and sheet iron ware in Fincastle, Virginia and president of Luster Manufacturing, the letters relate mostly to the company's business. He mentions the dissolution of the company and the unsettled accounts of stockholders. Luster writes that Hileman has not paid his salary and that he is prepared to take legal steps. The last letter relates to the sale of the company's machinery and Hileman's approval of the transaction.

The collection also contains letters from Alleghany County Treasurer Joseph T. Fudge, relating to Fudge's campaign for re-election and his party's slate of candidates. Fudge mentions his opponent's campaign, particularly among African American voters, and the people who are trying to defame him by publishing untrue allegations. Fudge ends with his capabilities and the reasons why people will vote for him.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Related Material

See the West Iron Gate Land Company Ledgers, Ms1989-012 , also Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Octavius Hileman Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).