Sharp family history papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16822, Sharp Family History papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
8.4 Cubic Feet 4 cubic foot boxes, 5 document boxes, 1 half-size legal document box, and 2 bibles in CMI boxes.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16822, Sharp Family History papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Sharp family papers that include correspondence, documents, diagrams, architecture and photographs of the Limestone farm which was built by his ancestor in the eighteenth century. William McQuiddy family letters and images, cased photographs, a photo album, carte-de-visites, and family bible records. Sharp family genealogy and court records in Virginia.

The Muslim Outlook was started as a daily in 1922. This was the first daily English newspaper ever owned by a Muslim and was brought out with the object of voicing the feelings of the Muslims in North-Western India. In the first year of its publication the paper enjoyed a circulation of 1,800 copies a day.

The Muslim Outlook was a champion of the Pan-Islamic movement and was a modern paper in every sense. The display of news was quite up-to-date with two to five-decker head-lines set in different varieties of type. When the paper ceased its publication in 1932, its circulation had risen to 2,260.

Source: NewsKit Publishing Platform Accessed 5/14/24 https://www.dawn.com/news/1358484

Biographical / historical:

Robert Sharp bought 590 acres of land from Nelson Anderson in 1761 in Keswick, Virginia. He gave about 200 acres of the land to his son in 1780. Robert Sharp Jr. built Limestone Farm in 1794. James Monroe bought 175 acres of the land from Thomas Sharp in 1816. George C. Blaetterman bought the property in 1828. Bill and Pooh Johnson are the current owners of the property and successfully applied for a National Historic Landmark Registry. The limestone is thought to have been used by Thomas Jefferson for Monticello and the University of Virginia. Included is Al Sharp's research about Hemings family members that were enslaved at Limestone Farm by President James Monroe.

Included are family papers of relatives of the Sharp family: Colonel John Todd McQuiddy (1828-1885)

Acquisition information:
This collection was a gift from Al Sharp to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 30 December 2019, January 2020, and 22 February 2023. The collection came in as three accretions.
Arrangement:

The collection is organized into 4 series. Series 1. Limestone Farm. Series 2. James Monroe and Enslavement of Hemings family members. Series 3. McQuiddy family papers. Series 4. Sharp Genealogy and Court Records in Virginia.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard