A Guide to the Leroy S. Edwards Papers 1853-1899

Access and use

Location of collection:
Randolph-Macon College
McGraw-Page Library
Randolph Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
305 Henry Street
Ashland, VA 23005
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Laurie Preston
Phone: (804) 752-4718
Phone: (804) 752-3203
Fax: (804) 752-7345
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

[The Leroy S. Edwards Papers, Accession ,R-MC Shelves 6B2 ,Archives and Special Collections, McGraw-Page Library, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.

Summary

Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[The Leroy S. Edwards Papers, Accession ,R-MC Shelves 6B2 ,Archives and Special Collections, McGraw-Page Library, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains letters and other personal materials, primarily diaries. Diaries included in the collection were written by Leroy Edwards, his wife, and his son, Leroy Jr., and span 1853-1899. Some additional material onthe Edwards Family is available in the R-MC Alumni files.

Primarily dealing with reunion and other matters concerning the Virginia Division of the Army of Northern Virginia

Manuscript copy of Letters of Leroy S. Edwards Written During the War Between the States . Compiled by Terry A. Walton.(E467.1 E48 1985)

Material is by multiple authors, although primarily Leroy S. Edwards.

The President's Book of "The Lynchburg Youth Debating Society"

Diary - Sophomore and Junior years at Randolph Macon College

Diary - Senior year at Randolph Macon College

Contains "jottings" from University of Virginia, 1859-1860, Civil war diary entries from 1862 (Lynchburg) and 1863 (Richmond)

Rollbook from Farmville Female College, March 25, 1861/also contains diary entries 1865-1868, some written by his wife, Elizabeth

Roll of the members of the H. Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, ab initio, in the order of initiation. Sessions 1854-55, 55-56, 56-57 (UVA),

Thank you note from "the Senior Class"

Resolution of the Jefferson Society of UVA, June 16, 1860, to give $50 to Mrs. Cle(?), mother-in-law to Edgar A. Poe

Class notes and lectures 1868-1869

Class notes

Clippings: ("Man's Life" (poem), "The Dear Dead Woman Up Stairs" (poem), "The Voiceless" (poem))

Notes on Exodus XX: 4-6 / Biblical/Personal notes/ Civil War/ political

Programme of the Commencement Exercises of the Farmville Female College on the 28th of June, 1866.

Leroy Edwards Jr. diary - begins at RMC 1989

  • Inaugural Address delievered in the Franklin Leterary Society, May 15, 1858
  • Valedictory Address to the FLS Commencement Night, June 22, 1859
  • "Modern Poetics" Second Senior Speech, Feb. 11, 1859
  • "David" Feb., 1868
  • "Odes of Horace" May and June, 1854, Feb., 1855
  • "Alas,Poor Chatterton", First Senior Oration, Dec.10, 1858
  • "Literary Dietetics" Graduating Oration, Wed., June 22, 1859
  • Virginia election memorabilia, 1877
  • Soldiers Pocket Bible
  • RMC Commencement, 1875-76
  • Virginia Division Association, Army of Northern Virginia
  • Catalogue of the Female Collegiate Institute 1869-70
  • Invitation to participate in the Inauguration of the Jackson Statue, October, 1875
  • Scrapes of Randolph-Macon College History; and Personals of old Students, Professors and Trustees: a series in the Richmond Christian Advocate 1878-79 (incomplete)
  • R-MC
  • Misc.
  • Local Governmanet - City Councilman representing Clay Ward 1878-1884 (?)
  • Family
  • Virginia Division of the Army of Northern Virginia - Confederate Veterans

For Senate - W.C. Knight, P.H. Starke

  • Bound Book of R-MC materials
  • Phi Kappa Sigma - Rolls of Chapters (1858-1860)

Leroy Edward's R-MC Diploma

Biographical / historical:

Leroy Summerfield Edwards was born November 27th, 1839 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was the oldest of three sons born to Rev. John Ellis Edwards, D.D. and Elizabeth A. Clark Edwards (daughter of Col. John Clark). His father was a prominent Methodist pastor, serving in the North Carolina Conference and then in the Virginia Conference, and as a Trustee of Randolph Macon College. Leroy attended Randolph-Macon College, then in Boydton, VA, from 1857-1859, receiving an A. B. He then attended the University of Virginia from 1859-1860. He was teaching at Farmville Female College in 1861 when he enlisted in the 12th Virginia Infantry, Company E. He was injured in 1862, and captured in May, 1864. He was sent to Point Lookout Prison Camp in Maryland and transferred to Elmira, New York around August, 1864. He returned to Richmond around March, 1865. Apparently he returned to R-MC, where he received an A. M. degree in 1866. On August 8, 1866 he married Elizabeth Ferguson, and their son, Ellis, was born May 14, 1867. By 1868 he and fellow R-MC alumnus E.E. Parham had founded the Female Collegiate Institute at Richmond. Another son, Leroy Jr., was born October 3, 1881. Leroy, Jr.'s Randolph-Macon diary is included in the collection as well. It is assumed there were other children. Leroy Edwards died in 1901 and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

Acquisition information:
The collection belongs to Randolph-Macon College. Much of the collection was donated to the college by Mrs. Frederick N. Thompson, grandaughter of Leroy Edwards.
Arrangement:

The material didvided into letters and other materials. Its arranged chronologically when possible, although several notebooks skip years.

Chronological

Chronological

Arrangement is chronological when possible, although several journals contain non-consecutive material.

chronological

Physical description:
The collections is contained in 4 archival boxes