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The John S. Bagnall papers consist of the personal papers (seven items) of Bagnall. Included are two letters (dated 1921) from Eliza Clinedinst Crim, the New Market resident who came to the assistance of wounded cadets after the Battle of New Market. The letter of April 20 mentions cadet Moses J. Ezekiel caring for the mortally wounded cadet Thomas G. Jefferson. The papers also include an 1862 VMI grade report, two receipts for payment of tuition and diploma, and an envelope containing two of Bagnall's calling cards.

The John T. L. Preston papers consist of the personal papers of Preston, including:

• A farm account book (1834-1887)
• Bills
• Deeds
• Memoranda
• Receipts
• Correspondence
• A photocopy and transcription of Preston's Civil War journal ("Jottings"), which dates from his military service at Craney Island, Virginia from late July to October 1861. The original journal is held by the Library of Congress.
• Preston's United States passport (May 1851)
• Franklin Society membership certificate (1851)
• A typescript "brief historical sketch" of VMI written as a speech for the Institute's semi-centennial celebration in 1889 (the typescript contains handwritten corrections in ink; Preston's son delivered the address on behalf of his father).

Series 1: Group A, Acc. 78 T97 and 1992.63: Papers, 1856-1895, of John Tyler, Jr., post Civil War Republican Party activist. Subjects covered by the collection include alcoholism, Republican Party politics, Presidential elections, political patronage, Reconstruction, Methodist Episcopal Church, Florida, Braxton Bragg, and the Fenian Brotherhood. Prominent correspondents include Charles Francis Adams, Chester Alan Arthur, Pierre G. T. Beauregard, James Gillespie Blaine, James Buchanan, Jefferson Davis, Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, Henry Stuart Foote, Nathan Bedford Forrest, James A. Garfield, John Brown Gordon, Horace Greeley, Wade Hampton, Rutherford B. Hayes, Andrew Johnson, Joseph Eggleston Johnston, L. Q. C. Lamar, William Mahone, Raphael Semmes, William Henry Seward, John Sherman, Leroy Pope Walker, and William Lowndes Young. Acc. 1992.63 consists of letters of John Tyler, Jr., son of the President, to Mrs. Laura Holloway, author of a book on the ladies of the White House. Letters written from Washington, D.C.

Papers, 1793-1890, of sisters and Quaker educators, Mary and Hannah Gibbons. A small number of papers are directly related to their brother, Joseph Gibbons. Correspondence predominantly discusses relatives, friends, travels, and religious sentiments. The second series of items is family and personal papers, consisting of poems, copied scripture, drug prescriptions, and family records. The papers relating to the Infant School established by Mary and Hannah Gibbons make up the third series and include student work, account books, and promotional pieces.

Papers (including correspondence, legal documents, and accounts) of James McGavock (1728-1812), his son James McGavock (1764-1838) and his grandsons James McGavock (1804-1839) and Stephen McGavock (1807-1880). Many of the papers concern lead mines at Fort Chiswell, Va, slavery, agriculture, aspects of the Revolutionary War, and other. Included are a list of parish levies before 1776; receipts for supplies issued at Fort Chiswell, Wythe County, Va. and at Fort Patrick Henry, Tenn. for an expedition, 1776-1777, against the Cherokees; and county tax and fee bills for Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Washington and Wythe counties, Va. The collection includes genealogical information on the McGavock and Boyd families and letters written by members of the Cloyd family and by John Williamson McGavock while attending the University of Virginia.

Dated 1839-1880. Letters, 1859-1880, to Miles C. Selden of Henrico County, Va., from Hill Carter at Charles City County, Va. and from Andrew Johnston of Richmond, Va. Also includes accounts, invoices, and receipts, 1839-1863, of Selden as trustee for Beverly and Ann S. Heth.

Correspondence, 1857-1895, of members of the Mongle and Hughes families of Holston, Washington County, Va. and Evergreen, Tenn. Among the correspondents are J.J. Hughes, his sons William A. Hughes and Oliver F. Hughes and his daughter Sarah A. Hughes Mongle; and Samuel A. Mongle and James Mongle of Abingdon, Va. Includes papers, 1874-1884, concerning the registration of voters in Washington County, Va.; and accounts, 1832-1916, of Hughes Co., Mongle Hughes and J.B. Mongle Sons, merchants of Abingdon, Va. Also contains correspondence and papers concerning the Civil War; including an order, 10 Aug. 1861, requesting that J. B. Mongle and others patrol the 'Negro' quarters to prevent 'unlawful assembling of slaves.' (Fd 9) Also includes seventeen memorandum books.

Letters, chiefly 1862-1865, written by Nathaniel Venable Watkins to his wife Nancy Daniel Watkins. During the Civil War, Watkins served with Co. H, 4th Virginia Heavy Artillery, which became part of the 34th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Watkins appeared to have saw little combat, spending much of his time in defensive positions guarding artillery batteries. His unit was stationed at Gloucester Point (during the Peninsular Campaign), near Richmond (Chaffin's Bluff) and near Petersburg. His letters concern camp life, religion among the soldiers, his work as a clerk for courts-martial; and he gave directions to his wife concerning the management of their farm in Granville, North Carolina.