Title:: Ann Lettice Murdoch Diary 1845-1864

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

Ann Lettice Murdoch Diary, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Summary

Extent:
0.05
Creator:
Murdoch, Ann Lettice, 1785-1865 arrangement
Language:
The papers are in: English
Preferred citation:

Ann Lettice Murdoch Diary, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Background

Scope and content:

Diary of Ann Lettice Murdoch (1785-1865) of Frederick County, Maryland. She was the wife of Richard Potts (1786-1865). The diary contains a lot of entries of religious nature as well as aphorisms. In addition, Ann L. Murdoch frequently recorded deaths in her family and community - including the death of black servants - and of friends and family members in other states. She also talks about her church, local politics and mention Richard Potts' and other family members' professional obligations, like being called away to Fort Levensworth, Kansas and being elected president of the local bank, going to San Francisco as a surgeon, etc. Other topics are an orphanage and a farm that both Ann Murdoch and her husband were involved in managing.Furthermore there are comments on epidemics, national politics and emigration to Liberia. Ann Murdoch mentions exchanging letters with her African-American friends, sending a package to Liberia, and having a visitor from Liberia come to town to encourage Blacks to emigrate.Also included in the back of the volume are two photographs of Ann Lettice Murdoch and Richard Potts.For more details and selected excerpts from the diary, see folder link below.

Biographical / historical:

Wife of Richard Potts (1786-1865). Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: <a href="http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Ann Lettice Murdoch">http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Ann Lettice Murdoch</a>.

Acquisition information:
The materials were acquired by Special Collections Research Center on 10/08/2009.
Processing information:

Accessioned and minimally processed in October 2009 by Ute Schechter. Further description by Marty Limber, SCRC Staff, in April-May 2010.

Physical description:
1 volume.