Search

A ledger and financial records of Logan Osborne (1836-39) also containing the will of Balamm Osborne. The ledger contains accounts of an assortment of general store goods from perishables such as food and candles to durable goods such as tools and carriages. There are Osborne family deeds, land contracts and letters about family matters and debt (1808-89). There are early nineteenth century state bank script from Louisiana, Virginia, and North Carolina. There are land indentures and legal papers from eighteenth century Virginia, mainly of Matthew Rankin and Thomas Rutherford who contended for property in Ohio County. There is the thirty-eight page diary of Cleon Moore, a Confederate soldier from Charles Town. As a volunteer regiment member he was eyewitness and participant in the siege and capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry. His unit was again called out prior to Virginia's secession resolution. He recounts their early maneuvering, stationing and being consolidated in the Virginia Second Cavalry which served at the First Battle of Bull Run. The account ends with the early 1862 campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley of General "Stonewall" Jackson. There is Civil War related material of Logan Osborne including records of loans to the Confederate government, letters to family and friends recounting and justifying the events and cause of the Confederacy and an 1861 January 28 broadside, entitled: "To The People of Jefferson County...", of Logan Osborne as a Unionist candidate to the Virginia Secession Convention. Also there are early West Virginia political papers pertaining to Jefferson County such as an attempt to move the county seat to Sheperdstown. Also included are George Shutt business letters and certificates as a geologist; certificates from the United Daughters of the Confederacy to Mary M. Shutt; and Osborne family history, genealogy and obituaries of descendents.

Papers of Dr. Margaret Byrnside Ballard (1900-1991), regarding the history of Monroe County, West Virginia, and the Ballard family. As a genealogist and author of local history, she was an avid collector of the historical materials contained in this collection, most of which relate to her family and Monroe County. The collection includes personal papers, business records, historical and genealogical research material, scrapbooks, bibles, memorabilia, artifacts, photographs, broadsides, paintings, and postage stamps. See the Historical Note for more information about Dr. Ballard.

Papers of a pioneer Monroe County family, including a manuscript ciphering book, 1790, a diary of a journey to southwestern Ohio, 1810, a manuscript militia manual and company roster, and various business, church, and legal papers of county militia captain, Peter Larew. The papers of his son, John M., include a general merchandise account book, the estate papers, and various business and legal documents. The collection also contains a series of letters, 1876-1892, from John Larew's sons in California commenting upon school teaching, agriculture, and travel in the Far West.

A ledger, receipts, notes, and account statements for the general merchandise retail business of Robert T. Moore, Wellsburg, 1797-1826. Also, several account statements for the wholesale and retail meat business of George M. West, Wellsburg, 1909.

Mainly papers of Samuel T. Tolbert, a onetime constable of Lewis County and postmaster at Frenchton, who operated a general store and acted as agent and surveyor for out-of-state landowners. Included are the papers of Zadock Lanham, J.S. Wilson, John L. Jacob, and W.C. Tolbert. There are surveys, legal papers, correspondence, and lottery certificates from Ohio and Delaware, and Democratic state and county election tickets. Correspondents include Lewis Maxwell, J.M. Bennett, and F.H. Pierpont.

Indentures, deeds, court papers, land grants, letters, church notices, tax and other receipts, bills, notes and other materials concerning the Bluestone River area in Summers County, West Virginia, especially the Josiah Meadows and Robert Lilly families. Includes a Church of Christ minute book kept by Thomas Lilly, 1802-1817; a land grant to Jesiah Meador signed by Governor James P. Preston, 1809; and a letter from William Sellergrit Lilly from upper Louisiana Territory telling of earth tremors, sickness, and expected Indian trouble. Places mentioned include Mercer, Raleigh, Montgomery, and Giles counties, and Sinking Creek.

Correspondence and financial records of the firm of Dudley Woodbridge and Company of Marietta, Ohio, pertaining to Woodbridge's partnership with Harman Blennerhassett. Subjects include early Ohio River trade, transportation, and markets; Blennerhassett's financial misfortunes; the Burr conspiracy; and family and social affairs. Included in the collection are extracts from the Silas Brown letters in the Library of Congress relating to the Burr Conspiracy; and an unpublished manuscript by Josephine Phillips, "The Blennerhassett-Woodbridge Partnership: An Experiment in Chain Store Operation, 1798-1806.