{"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ruggles%2C+Samuel+B.+%28Samuel+Bulkley%29%2C+1800-1881\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=The+George+Washington+Presidential+Library+at+Mount+Vernon\u0026view=list","next":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ruggles%2C+Samuel+B.+%28Samuel+Bulkley%29%2C+1800-1881\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=The+George+Washington+Presidential+Library+at+Mount+Vernon\u0026page=2\u0026view=list","last":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Ruggles%2C+Samuel+B.+%28Samuel+Bulkley%29%2C+1800-1881\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=The+George+Washington+Presidential+Library+at+Mount+Vernon\u0026page=2\u0026view=list"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":2,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":18,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c28","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1857","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c28#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Charleston. Will not fear for New York while Mr. Ruggles leads it. Attitude toward Secession and George Washington influence converting Mr. Washington to selling Mount Vernon; Virginia State Legislature's position in purchase. Gives Mr. Washington's chief characteristics and opinions re: Mount Vernon. Sends correspondence with Governor Wise. 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Ruggles","title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"title_tesim":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1857"],"text":["Ann Pamela Cunningham to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1857","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856/1857","box 16","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","English.","A.L.S. Charleston. Will not fear for New York while Mr. Ruggles leads it. Attitude toward Secession and George Washington influence converting Mr. Washington to selling Mount Vernon; Virginia State Legislature's position in purchase. Gives Mr. Washington's chief characteristics and opinions re: Mount Vernon. Sends correspondence with Governor Wise. 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(Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Charleston. Will not fear for New York while Mr. Ruggles leads it. Attitude toward Secession and George Washington influence converting Mr. Washington to selling Mount Vernon; Virginia State Legislature's position in purchase. Gives Mr. Washington's chief characteristics and opinions re: Mount Vernon. Sends correspondence with Governor Wise. ER-11, p. 1\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Charleston. Will not fear for New York while Mr. Ruggles leads it. Attitude toward Secession and George Washington influence converting Mr. Washington to selling Mount Vernon; Virginia State Legislature's position in purchase. Gives Mr. Washington's chief characteristics and opinions re: Mount Vernon. Sends correspondence with Governor Wise. ER-11, p. 1"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#5/components#27","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. 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ER-11, p. 5"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#11/components#0","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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(Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"language_ssim":["English\n."],"total_component_count_is":5387,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c12_c01"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to S.B. 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MSS 900\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04","parent_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04"],"title_filing_ssi":"Ann Pamela Cunningham to S.B. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1856],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSigned \"Southern Matron\" - Hon. Edward Everett to deliver address on character of Washington in Philadelphia for benefit of Association. He will also deliver it in Washington City and New York if someone will extend him an invitation - begs him to extend invitation. MSS 900\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Signed \"Southern Matron\" - Hon. Edward Everett to deliver address on character of Washington in Philadelphia for benefit of Association. He will also deliver it in Washington City and New York if someone will extend him an invitation - begs him to extend invitation. MSS 900"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#3/components#5","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"language_ssim":["English\n."],"total_component_count_is":5387,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c06"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c21","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1858","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c21#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c21","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c21"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c21","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14","parent_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14"],"title_filing_ssi":"Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles","title_ssm":["Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"title_tesim":["Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1858"],"text":["Christie Johnson to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1858","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858","box 24","Johnson, Christie","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","English."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1858"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1858 July 1"],"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":1189,"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"containers_ssim":["box 24"],"creator_ssim":["Johnson, Christie","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Johnson, Christie","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["Johnson, Christie","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1858],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#13/components#20","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["McMakin, Mary A.","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["McMakin, Mary A.","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1866],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Recalls the assistance he rendered and asks for counsel re reaching the wealthy.  Has assumed her duties after long absence during War.  Revenues at Mount Vernon are insufficient.  Difficult to find successor Vice Regent for Hamilton of New York. ER-11, p. 141\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L. Draft. Mount Vernon. Recalls the assistance he rendered and asks for counsel re reaching the wealthy.  Has assumed her duties after long absence during War.  Revenues at Mount Vernon are insufficient.  Difficult to find successor Vice Regent for Hamilton of New York. ER-11, p. 141"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#53/components#11","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. 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Ruggles, 1858","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13_c20#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13_c20","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13_c20"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13_c20","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13","parent_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c13"],"title_filing_ssi":"Mary Morris Hamilton to Samuel B. Ruggles","title_ssm":["Mary Morris Hamilton to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"title_tesim":["Mary Morris Hamilton to Samuel B. Ruggles"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Mary Morris Hamilton to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1858"],"text":["Mary Morris Hamilton to Samuel B. Ruggles, 1858","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858","box 23","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","English."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1858"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1858"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1858 May 30"],"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":1137,"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"containers_ssim":["box 23"],"creator_ssim":["Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1858],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#12/components#19","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. 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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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(Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. 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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"names_ssim":["Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1858],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. Buffalo. Acknowledges receipt of Appeal for purchase of Mount Vernon sent to Mrs. Fillmore during her illness; consents to use of her name. ER-12, p. 174\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. Buffalo. Acknowledges receipt of Appeal for purchase of Mount Vernon sent to Mrs. Fillmore during her illness; consents to use of her name. ER-12, p. 174"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#13/components#18","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"language_ssim":["English\n."],"total_component_count_is":5387,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c14_c19"}},{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16","type":"File","attributes":{"title":"Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham, 1856","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. 2 pp. Sends copy of N.Y. Commercial, with editorial notice of Bill for Virginia legislature. Asks for official copy of Bill, the Constitution, contract of sale, etc. ER-10, p. 45\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04_c16","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04","parent_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c04"],"title_filing_ssi":"Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham","title_ssm":["Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham"],"title_tesim":["Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham, 1856"],"text":["Samuel B. Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham, 1856","Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856","box 14","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","English.","A.L.S. 2 pp. Sends copy of N.Y. Commercial, with editorial notice of Bill for Virginia legislature. Asks for official copy of Bill, the Constitution, contract of sale, etc. ER-10, p. 45"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1856"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1856 March 22"],"level_ssm":["File"],"level_ssim":["File"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":671,"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"containers_ssim":["box 14"],"creator_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"names_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1856],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. 2 pp. Sends copy of N.Y. Commercial, with editorial notice of Bill for Virginia legislature. Asks for official copy of Bill, the Constitution, contract of sale, etc. ER-10, p. 45\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. 2 pp. Sends copy of N.Y. Commercial, with editorial notice of Bill for Virginia legislature. Asks for official copy of Bill, the Constitution, contract of sale, etc. ER-10, p. 45"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#3/components#15","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"names_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"names_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1856],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. New York. Acknowledges letter giving manifold difficulties in securing charter. Sends his form of procedure for raising and securing funds in their region. Delayed by J.A. Washington's refusal to sell. ER-10, p. 47\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["A.L.S. New York. Acknowledges letter giving manifold difficulties in securing charter. Sends his form of procedure for raising and securing funds in their region. Delayed by J.A. Washington's refusal to sell. ER-10, p. 47"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#3/components#22","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. 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(Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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Ruggles to Ann Pamela Cunningham, 1857","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c16#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. New York. Assures her of his interest in securing Mount Vernon but is troubled about the influence of critical times in U.S. Regrets J.A. Washington's attitude which must be cleared before public can be expected to support this worthy effort. ER-10, p. 49\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c16#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c16","ref_ssm":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c16"],"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06_c16","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06","parent_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06","parent_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","Series 6. Correspondence, 1852/1951","Correspondence, 1856/1857"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06","vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38_c06_c06"],"title_filing_ssi":"Samuel B. 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Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"persname_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"names_ssim":["Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875"],"language_ssim":["English."],"date_range_isim":[1857],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA.L.S. New York. Assures her of his interest in securing Mount Vernon but is troubled about the influence of critical times in U.S. Regrets J.A. Washington's attitude which must be cleared before public can be expected to support this worthy effort. 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ER-10, p. 49"],"_nest_path_":"/components#5/components#5/components#15","timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:25:04.771Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_ssi":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_root_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","_nest_parent_":"vimtvl_repositories_2_resources_38","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/MV/repositories_2_resources_38.xml","title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association"],"unitdate_ssm":["1853 - 1951","1853-1875"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1853 - 1951"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1853-1875"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"text":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875","A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38","This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.","Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35","The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs","The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.","The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.","Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers","Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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(Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","English\n."],"collection_title_tesim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"collection_ssim":["Early Records of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1853/1951, bulk 1853/1875"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"unitid_tesim":["A.MVLA.ER","/repositories/2/resources/38"],"repository_ssm":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"repository_ssim":["The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon"],"creator_ssm":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_ssim":["Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"creators_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  (George Brinton), 1826-1885","Slough, John Potts, -1867","Schuyler, Mary Morris Hamilton, 1818-1877","Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865","Pellet, Susan L., 1808-1893","Riggs, George Washington, 1813-1881","Sweat, Margaret J.M. (Margaret Jane Mussey), 1823-1908","Hoyt, Elizabeth Orpha Sampson","Blanding, Magdalen Gordon, 1823-1885","Hill, Alice Hale, 1840-1908","Goodrich, Mary Boott, 1807-1868","Barry, Elizabeth Willard, 1814-1883","Van Antwerp, Jane Yates, 1815-1870","Little, Abba Isabella Chamberlain, 1816-1893","Goldsborough, Eleanor Rogers, 1822-1906","Farnsworth, Hannah Blake, 1802-1879","Hale, Sarah King, 1798-1865","Conover, Helen Field, 1833-1914","Walker, Letitia Morehead, 1823-1908","Pickens, Lucy Petaway Holcombe","Fogg, Francis B., Mrs., 1800-1872","Mitchell, Martha Reed, 1818-1902","Dickinson, Alice London, 1814-1881","Ritchie, Anna Cora Mowatt, 1819-1870","Sibley, Sarah Steele, 1823-1869","Lambdin, James Reid, 1807-1889","Herbert, Upton","Townsend, Justine Van Rensselaer, 1828-1912","Cunningham, Louisa Bird, 1794-1873","Gilmer, John H. (John Harmer), 1812-","Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893","Murat, Catherine Willis, 1803-1867","Sigourney, L.H. (Lydia Howard), 1791-1865","Johnson, Christie","Washington, Eleanor Love Selden, 1824-1860","Macfarland, W.H. (William Hamilton), 1799-1872","Johnson, Joseph, 1785-1877","Johnson, Arete E., 1829-1904","Custis, George Washington Parke, 1781-1857","Walton, Elizabeth McKnight Tilden","Ruggles, Samuel B. (Samuel Bulkley), 1800-1881","Brooks, Mary Cunningham Randolph, 1816-1882","Ritchie, William F., 1813-1877","Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879","Le Vert, Octavia Walton, 1810-1877","Wise, Henry A. (Henry Alexander), 1806-1876","Tyler, John, 1790-1862","Rush, Richard, 1780-1859","Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895","Miles, William Porcher, 1822-1899","Petigru, James Louis, 1789-1863","Yancey, William Lowndes, 1814-1863","Hodge, Hugh L. (Hugh Lenox), 1796-1873","Yulee, Nancy Wickliffe, 1822-1885","Ogden, Phebe Ann, 1790-1865","Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891","Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874","Long, Ellen Call, 1825-1905","Cooper, Susan Fenimore, 1813-1894","Eyster, Nellie Blessing, 1836-1922","Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862","Godey, Louis Antoine, 1804-1878","Hamilton, James A. (James Alexander), 1788-1878","McMakin, Mary A.","Harper, Emily L. (Emily Louisa), 1812-1892","Otis, Harrison Gray, Mrs., 1796-1873","Crutchett, James, 1816-","Pendleton, Mary Alicia Key, 1824-1886","Johnston, Harriet Lane, 1830-1903","Thane, Elswyth, 1900-1984","Macalester, Charles, 1798-1873","Jones, George, 1810-1875","Ingersoll, Joseph R. (Joseph Reed), 1786-1868","Chesnut, Mary, 1775-1864","Kip, William Ingraham, 1811-1893","Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892","Butler, Frances Parke, 1799-1875","Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804","Fitch, Harriet Satterlee","Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882","Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893","Phelps, Lincoln, Mrs., 1793-1884","Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866","Townsend, E.D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893","Van Rensselaer, Henry, 1811-1864","Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910","Stanton, Edwin M.  (Edwin McMasters), 1814-1869","Hunt, Anne Lucas, 1796-1879","Comegys, Joseph P. (Joseph Parsons), 1813-1893","Ridgely, Eliza Eichelberger, 1803-1867","Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882","Halsted, N. Norris (Nathaniel Norris), 1816-1884","Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878","Corcoran, W.W. (William Wilson), 1798-1888","Mason, Betsey (Elizabeth Price), 1802-1873","Lee, Robert E.  (Robert Edward), 1807-1870","Washington, Ella Bassett, 1834-1898","Ball, Emma R., 1838-1918","Cunningham, Emma Floride, 1841-1919","Taylor, Benjamin Van Campen, 1846-1906","Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891","Lee, George Washington Custis, 1832-1913","Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert, 1830-1889","Thomas, Henry W.  (Henry Wirtz), 1812-1890","Blake, Levi Lowell, 1830-1904","Barnes, Mary Fauntleroy, 1824-1912","Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905","Broadwell, Elizabeth Lytle","Ward, Jennie Meeker (Sarah Jane), 1833-1910","Holstein, Anna M. (Anna Morris)","Hollingsworth, Virginia Nicholls, 1825-1895","Leiter, Mary Theresa, 1844-1913","Longfellow, Alice M. (Alice Mary), 1850-1928","Brown, Cynthia Pillow Saunders, 1810-1892","Fleming, Robert Isaac, 1842-1907","Riggs, Elisha Francis, 1851-1910","Finch, Fannie Louisa Augusta Washington, 1828-1900","Dodge, Harrison Howell, 1852-1937","Comegys, Harriet Clayton, 1840-1927","Blanchard, Newton C. (Newton Crain), 1849-1922","Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845","Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924","Young , James","Rathbone, Elizabeth Adams, 1837-1923","Ames, Anne Carrington Dwight, 1849-1904","Graham, Christine Blair, 1852-1915","Herbert, Leila","Richardson, Ida Ann Slocomb, 1830-1910","Flandrau, Rebecca Blair, -1911","Washington, Lawrence, 1854-1920","Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927","Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860","Meikleham, Septimia Randolph, 1814-1887","Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"access_terms_ssm":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"extent_tesim":["25 Linear Feet 117 legal-size clamshell flat storage boxes, 1 oversize clamshell flat storage box"],"date_range_isim":[1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["This collection is open for research during scheduled appointments. Researchers must complete the Washington Library's Special Collections and Archives Registration Form before access is provided. The library reserves the right to restrict access to certain material for preservation purposes."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some items from this collection have been digitized. Please see the online collection here: http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll35"],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series: \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1. Administrative Records \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.1. Administrative, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.3. Civil War \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.4. Minutes of the Council\t\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.5. Reports\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.1. Financial Documents, General\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.2. Checks and Receipts\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The original organization of the collection was item-level in chronological order. A card catalog was created for the collection with detailed information on each item. Later attempts to reorganize the collection led to its current arrangement. Correspondence, the bulk of the material, remained intact in chronological order but other records were pulled out and filed by content or subject matter, such as financial documents, appeals, etc.  The separated material was placed into series and subseries, and then filed chronologically. The correspondence series still holds several financial and administrative items that were never removed. The Early Records of the MVLA contains the following series:","Series 1. Administrative Records","Series 1.1. Administrative, General","Series 1.2. Governing Documents (Acts of Incorporation, Bylaws)","Series 1.3. Civil War","Series 1.4. Minutes of the Council","Series 1.5. Reports","Series 1.6. Wills \nSeries 2. Appeals","Series 2.1. Appeals of the MVLA","Series 2.2. Appeals to States\nSeries 3. Financial Documents","Series 3.1. Financial Documents, General","Series 3.2. Checks and Receipts","Series 3.3. Subscriptions\nSeries 4. MVLA Histories and Biographies\nSeries 5. Printed Material and News Clippings\nSeries 6. Correspondence\nSeries 7. Bound Volumes\nSeries 8. Photographs"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFor the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eToday the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the first Regent of the Association. The purpose of the MVLA was to purchase Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in order to restore the property and open the grounds to patriots and admirers who wanted to visit Washington's home and tomb. Ann Pamela Cunningham became interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon when her mother, traveling down the Potomac River in 1853, viewed the house in its neglected and dilapidated state and wrote to her daughter of its condition. Both women thought it shameful to allow the first President's home to fall into ruin. A determined Ann Pamela Cunningham assembled twenty-two likeminded women, each one from a different state, to be Vice Regents of the MVLA. Together they aimed to raise money to purchase the property, pay off all debt, and return the Mansion, gardens and grounds to the condition in which they were left by Washington himself. John Augustine Washington III, George Washington's great-grandnephew and the owner of Mount Vernon at the time, delayed several years in selling the home to the Ladies' Association. He preferred a sale to the State of Virginia or the federal government, both of which declined purchase. In 1858, he finally agreed to sell Mount Vernon to Ann Pamela Cunningham and the MVLA for $200,000.","For the next few years, the women of the MVLA endeavored to make other Americans aware of their quest to save Mount Vernon, often via newspaper articles and pamphlets, in order to raise enough money to purchase the property. As Regent, Ann Pamela Cunningham spearheaded these efforts, while the Vice Regents oversaw fundraising in their individual states. Their cause was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.  Mount Vernon's contentious location between Union and Confederate boundaries made it very difficult for potential visitors to travel there.  In spite of these unfavorable conditions, the Ladies of the MVLA continued to raise money for the care of Mount Vernon, and hosted hundreds of visitors including Union and Confederate troops. The post-war period brought other challenges, but the MVLA always maintained constant care and security of the historic areas at Mount Vernon.","Today the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is remembered as the first organization in the United States dedicated solely to historic preservation. The Association remains loyal to its original goals, the restoration and care of George Washington's Mount Vernon, while also opening the estate to visitors 365 days a year. Members of the MVLA continue under the structure designed by the first women who joined, operating as the executive board of this historic home with one Regent and over twenty Vice Regents, each from a different state. The estate now consists of not only the Mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and tomb of Washington, but also a Pioneer Farm, Gristmill, Distillery, museum and education center, the National Library for the Study of George Washington, gift shops, a food pavilion, and a restaurant."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["[Name and date of item], Early Records of the MVLA, [Series name and number], Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington [hereafter Washington Library], Mount Vernon, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The nucleus of this collection was created from papers given to the Association by Ann Pamela Cunningham around the time of her retirement as Regent. Several other Vice Regents followed her example and later donated their papers as well. These records were referred to as the \"Early Records\" since the time they were first established as an archival collection. A large portion of this collection is correspondence concerning the founding of the MVLA and the operation of Mount Vernon as a historic site. Other important resources are the appeals written by Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Vice Regents, governing documents, subscription or donation lists, printed material or publications, and bound volumes such as ledgers or scrapbooks. Individual items were added to the collection as they were acquired. The Early Records includes items dated 1852-1951, however the bulk of the material dates from 1858 to around 1880."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterial can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Material can be reproduced for study or personal use upon written approval from library staff."],"corpname_ssim":["Archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association","Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union","Harper \u0026 Brothers"],"persname_ssim":["Cunningham, Ann Pamela, 1816-1875","Comegys, Margaret Douglass, 1816-1888","Tracy, Sarah, 1820-1896","Laughton, Lily Macalester Berghmans, 1832-1891","Chace, Abby Wheaton Pearce","Jeffrey, Rosa Vertner, 1828-1894","Hudson, Susan Edwards Johnson, 1825-1913","Everett, Edward, 1794-1865","McWillie, Catherine Anderson, 1812-1873","Washington, John Augustine, III, 1821-1861","Morse, Margaretta Wederstrandt, 1816-1893","Greenough, Louisa Ingersoll, 1813-1891","Brown, David Paul, 1795-1872","Cutts, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk Jarvis, 1809-1879","Eve, Philoclea Edgeworth Casey, 1813-1889","Riggs, Janet Shedden, 1815-1871","Tiffey, S.W.","Craig, James Y., 1839-1926","Hollingsworth, John McHenry, 1823-1889","Halsted, Nancy Marsh, 1817-1891","Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866","McClellan, George B.  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