John W. Norwood Letter to Francis T. Stribling, 1851

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

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Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], John W. Norwood Letter to Francis T. Stribling, 1851, Ms2023-038, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Cubic Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Norwood, John W. (John Wall), 1803-1885 and Stribling, Francis T. (Francis Taliaferro), 1810-1874
Abstract:
The John W. Norwood Letter to Francis Stribling discusses the mental health of Norwood's wife and her paranoia torward the people they enslave.
Language:
The material in this collection is in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], John W. Norwood Letter to Francis T. Stribling, 1851, Ms2023-038, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The John W. Norwood Letter to Francis Stribling, the superintendent of the Virginia Western State Lunatic Asylum, discusses the mental health of Norwood's wife and seeks advice on how to help her. The letter outlines the psychological effects of enslaving human beings upon an enslaver with fragile mental health. The fear of the people she enslaved was apparently driving her mad, and she feared not only the violence of an uprising, but the letter hints at her fear of being poisoned as well.

Biographical / historical:

John Wall Norwood (1803-1885) was an attorney and member of the North Carolina General Assembly. During the American Civil War he acted as a superintendent of relief for families of Orange County, North Carolina. After the war, Norwood joined with others in an effort to suppress the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. Norwood died at Poplar Hill at age eighty-two.

External source:

"Norwood, John Wall", ncpedia.org, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/norwood-john-wall, accessed on June 5, 2023.

Acquisition information:
The John W. Norwood Letter to Francis T. Sribling was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in January 2018.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the John W. Norwood Letter to Francis T. Stribling was completed in June 2023.