Clarke Family Papers, 1854-1890

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Clarke family papers, 1854-1890. Accession 22095, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Clarke family papers, 1854-1890. Accession 22095, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers, 1854-1890, of the Clarke family of Gloucester County and Richmond, Virginia, consisting mainly of personal correspondence between Colin Clarke (1792-1865) of Gloucester County and Maxwell Troax Clarke (1830-1911) of Richmond, Virginia, discussing business and personal matters. Most of the correspondence discusses conditions in Gloucester County during the Civil War, especially the departure of slaves and the hardships of military occupation. The collection also includes correspondence to and from Mary Goode Lyle Clarke (1801-1884), Colin Douglas Clarke (1832-1862), Elizabeth Berkeley Cooke Clarke (1833-1906), Powhatan Clarke (1837-1917), Ellen Scott Clarke (1830-1908), and Sally Bland Clarke Manning (b. 1828). The collection also includes Maxwell T. Clarke's Civil War reminiscences, genealogical notes of the Clarke family, recipes, memorandums, certificates, commissions, oaths, military records, drafts, powers of attorney, receipts, lists, and accounts.

Biographical / historical:

Colin Clarke (12 September 1792-17 October 1865) was born at "Keswick" in Powhatan County, Virginia. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1811 and later served on the school's board of visitors. He represented Powhatan County in the House of Delegates from 1816 to 1819, and Chesterfield County, Virginia, from 1826 to 1828. Clarke married Mary Goode Lyle (25 October 1801-22 December 1884) of Chesterfield County on 16 April 1818. They had nine children, all but two of whom survived to adulthood. In 1834, Clarke purchased "Warner Hall" in Gloucester County, Virginia, and moved his family there. One daughter, Sally Bland Clarke (b. 1828) married John Laurence Manning (1816-1889) who became governor of South Carolina.

Maxwell Troax Clarke (10 June 1830-21 December 1911) attended the University of Virginia and became a merchant in Richmond, Virginia. He served in the Confederate navy during the Civil War. He served under William Francis Lynch (1801-1865) in the sounds of North Carolina and as a commander in the James River Squadron. After the war, he returned to his business and also served as a justice of the peace for Richmond. He married Ellen Scott (27 March 1830-2 June 1908) 2 June 1857 and they had 4 children. Colin Douglas Clarke (22 May 1832-10 April 1862), a farmer before the war, served in the quartermaster's department, becoming a major. He married Elizabeth Berkeley Cooke (1 November 1833-4 February 1906) and they had 4 children. John Lyle Clarke (16 December 1833-6 January 1898) served as a lieutenant colonel in the 30th Virginia Infantry Battalion. After the war, he lived in Baltimore, Maryland. He married Martha May Clark (23 August 1834-29 January 1867) and they had 1 child. Powhatan Clarke (1837-1917) became a doctor, moved to Louisiana, and also served in the Civil War. After the war, he practiced medicine in Baltimore. He married Louise F. Boyce (1839-1900) of Louisiana. Many of the Clarke family members are buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Acquisition information:
Lent for copying by J.G. Hamilton, 10 March 1943.
Physical location:
Personal Papers Collection, Acc. 22095. Located in Oversize.
Physical description:
70 items (180 leaves).
Note:

Located in oversize.