Grove Family Papers, 1884/1932

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, SC 0292, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Summary

Extent:
6.93 cubic feet 21 boxes
Creator:
Grove family and Green Valley Auctions, Inc.
Abstract:
The Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, consists of correspondence and ephemera from the Grove Family of Luray in Page County, Virginia.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, SC 0292, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Grove Family Papers, 1884-1932, consist of 21 boxes, primarily comprising family correspondence. The bulk of the collection is made up of family correspondence and the rest is made up of ephemera collected by the family. The correspondence is mainly letters sent to the group or individual indicated by the series, with the bulk of the correspondence in this collection being letters sent to Arthur and Julia Grove. Most of the letters concern updates concerning other family members and the community. Much of the collection consists of holiday cards sent to all members of the Grove Family over the years.

Series 1: Grove Family Correspondence, 1884-1932, comprises correspondence that is either addressed to the Grove Family or correspondence for which there is no discernable individual family member that is the sender. Correspondence addressed to Elizabeth P. Barry, a friend of Julia and Jessie Grove, is included in this series. Most of the series is made up of correspondence either to the Grove and Brother Store from satisfied customers (thanking them for gifts, discounts, etc) or small holiday cards and wedding invitations from other members of the community.

Series 2: Arthur Ashby Grove Correspondence, 1892-1932, deals with the correspondence received by Arthur Ashby Grove between 1892 and 1932. Some interesting items in this series include letters sent by family while he was away training with the national guard in Virginia Beach and Richmond, Virginia and in Brownsville, Texas (dropping hints about potential brides in the area), some documents pertaining to military orders,inspections, some letters written in French, a letter from Anita telling Arthur about her first music pupil, letters from former comrades, and a letter written in 1922 from a Bulah Patterson that briefly asks Arthur's opinion on the Ku Klux Klan.

Series 3: Julia Anita Grove Correspondence, 1900-1932, deals with the correspondence received by Julia Anita Grove between the years 1900 and 1932. Most of the correspondence in this series come from family members and friends asking her about her travels and updating her on day-to-day activities in Luray. Examples of updates include a new "Ford shop" being built and their parents buying a new car, and an item of note is a souvenir folder from Rochester, New York that holds drawings of landmarks and facts about the city.

Series 4: Jessie Grove Hershberger Correspondence, 1903-1932, comprises correspondence received by Jessie Grove Hershberger between the years 1903 and 1932. Most of the correspondence is addressed to "Mrs. William P. Hershberger" or "Jessie Grove." Some interesting items include a small note where Jessie and Harold are invited to a spelling bee and instructed to "impersonate country school-children" in 1907 and a letter from a friend named Lottie in which she recounts interactions with patients in a hospital and asks Jessie for relationship advice (telling Jessie to "destroy the letter" after reading it).

Series 5: Harold Elton Grove Correspondence, 1920-1932, includes correspondence received by Harold Elton Grove between the years 1920-1932. Much of the correspondence comprises postcards from his relatives, updating him on the weather and sights. Some of the postcards come from Wyoming, New York, and Atlantic City.

Series 6: Laura Brumback Grove Correspondence, 1886-1926, deals with correspondence received by Laura Brumback Grove between 1886 and 1926. Much of Laura's correspondence is from her children and step-children. Many of the envelopes are addressed not only to Laura but also to J.W (John William), but the greetings to these letters are always addressed to "Mama" or "Aunt Laura." Most of the correspondence during 1924 are letters of condolences and sympathies after John William Grove's death.

Series 7: John William Grove Correspondence, 1890-1924, deals with correspondence received by John William Grove between 1890 and 1924. Much of the correspondence comprises marriage and graduation invitations, holiday cards, and two letters written in 1924: one from his wife Laura and the other from his daughter Jessie.

Series 8: Charles H. Grove Correspondence, 1891-1930, deals with correspondence received by Charles H. Grove between 1891 and 1930. As with his brother John, Charles's correspondence includes marriage announcements and graduation invitations, some letters from hotels asking for his business, and a couple of postcards from Anita telling him about her travels.

Series 9: Ephemera, 1887-1932, includes myriad ephemeral materials that were accumulated the Grove Family. The series is arranged alphabetically. Some items of note within this series include military ephemera (containing some transfer orders and programs to numerous military events); music education ephemera (which include sheet music and small booklets pertaining to the popular songs of the time); some photos of a storefront and two unidentified individuals; and travel brochures, maps, and promotional materials of Virginia and other locations.

Biographical / historical:

John William Grove was born December 16, 1844, in Luray, Page County, Virginia. As an adult, he served as a Corporal with the Confederate Army from 1863-1865 as part of the 35th Battalion of the Virginia Cavalry until being paroled from the army on May 8, 1865. He then married Eliza Jane Koontz (1850-1871) in 1869 and had two children: Ella Grove (1870-1932) and William Wallace Grove (1872-1874). After Eliza's death on October 19, 1871, John William Grove married Laura Ann Brumback (1851-1926), and had four children with her: Arthur Ashby Grove (1883 - 1940), Jessimine "Jessie" Lee Grove (1887 - 1966), Harold Elton Grove (1889 - 1970), and Julia Anita Grove (1892 - 1976). In the mid-1880s, John William Grove opened the Grove and Brothers store with his brother Charles H. Grove (1849 –1925) in Luray. John William Grove's sons Arthur and Harold took over the store after their father's death in August 1924.

Arthur, often addressed as A. A. Grove, was a member of the National Guard and veteran of World War I, having fought in France as part of the 116th Infantry, 29th Division. He was also an active member of the community, participating in the Luray Rotary Club, the Summers-Koontz Camp No. 490, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and others.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in music from Vassar College in 1910, Julia "Anita" Grove became a music teacher and spent several months almost every year traveling throughout the United States visiting relatives (e.g., cousins, extended family) and friends of the family or friends from her time at school.

Jessie Grove married William Pendleton Hershberger on January 28, 1919.

Acquisition information:
This collection was acquired at the Large Antiques and Firearms Estate auction held by Green Valley Auctions on January 16, 2018.
Processing information:

Duplicates of brochures in the ephemera were discarded as well as blank envelopes or sheets of paper found amidst the correspondence.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in nine series, with the first eight series comprising family correspondence, arranged by recipient and chronologically. Series 9 consists of ephemera accumulated by the family and is arranged alphabetically.

  1. Grove Family Correspondence, 1884-1932
  2. Arthur Ashby Grove Correspondence, 1892-1932
  3. Julia Anita Grove Correspondence, 1900-1932
  4. Jessie Grove Hershberger Correspondence, 1903-1932
  5. Harold Elton Grove Correspondence, 1920-1932
  6. Laura Brumback Grove Correspondence, 1886-1926
  7. John William Grove Correspondence, 1890-1924
  8. Charles H. Grove Correspondence, 1891-1930
  9. Ephemera, 1887-1932
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard