Richard G. Noble Correspondence, 1863

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Dr.
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 26041-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

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

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

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Richard G. Noble Correspondence, Ms2010-007, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Cubic Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Thacker, Amelia, Noble, Emily, and Noble, Richard G., b. abt. 1937
Language:
The material in the collection is in English.
Abstract:
The collection contains correspondence to Richard G. Noble of Alabama's 12th regiment, dated June 1863. It includes a letter from his sister, Emily Noble, and one from a Miss A. Thacker.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Richard G. Noble Correspondence, Ms2010-007, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of two American Civil War letters, an envelope, and a transcript.

The first letter is from Emily Noble to her brother, Richard Noble; it is dated June 11th 1863. In it, she talks about the hard times at home and thanks him for the flax thread he previously sent her. She also says that a Jimmy Thacker is dead and closes the letter with a prayer for her brother.

The second letter is accompanied by an envelope. It is from a Miss A. Thacker and is dated June 1st, 1863. She refers to a letter he sent her dated May 12th, and thanks him for a ring that accompanied it. She also talks about the crops. She closes by urging him to pray, telling him, "If you is not a praying man you is not too old to learn."

A transcript accompanies these two letters. It refers to Miss A. Thacker as Richard G. Noble's sweetheart.

Biographical / historical:

The recipient of the letters, Richard G. Noble, was twenty-six years old. He came from Autauga County, Alabama, from a farming family. He had many sisters, and his sister Mary, who wrote to him on June 11th, 1863, was at least thirteen years younger than him.

During the American Civil War, Richard G. Noble served in the Confederacy's 12th Alabama Infantry Regiment that was stationed in Richmond, Virginia during 1863. The regiment was organized in July 1861 by Lt. Col William H. Hundley and Major Albert G. Bennett, and it was immediately was sent to the front lines. It originally contained 1,196 men. Before it was disbanded on April 25, 1865, with only 125 men present, the regiment suffered heavy casualties.

Miss Amanda Thacker, who wrote to Richard G. Noble on June 1st, 1863, was twenty years old. She also lived in Autauga County, Alabama. Her parents were farmers, Catharin and W.L Thacker, and she lived in a large household of around eighteen people. On March 5th, 1863, she married Thomas M. Poole.

External sources:

Autauga County, Alabama Genealogical Information. USGenWeb project, 18 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alautaug/.

History of the 12th Alabama Infantry, CSA. The Friends of Myers Cemetery, 30 May 2003. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Archived online at https://web.archive.org/web/20100520235031/http://home.earthlink.net:80/~bronyaf/Friends_Myers/History12thAla.html, accessed April 21, 2023.

Twelfth Alabama Infantry Regiment. Alabama Department of Archives & History, 21 Nov. 1996. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20100317141426/www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/alamilor/12thinf.html, accessed April 21, 2023.

Acquisition information:
The Richard G. Noble Correspondence was acquired by Special Collections prior to 2009.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Richard G. Noble Correspondence was commenced and completed in February 2009.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard