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The Borland, Green, and Godwin families are related in the following manner. George Godwin, son of Jeremiah Godwin, married Fanny Green (whose mother was Mary (Giles) Green) in 1805. Dr. Thomas Wood Borland (d. 1830 or 1831), father of Roscius Cicero Borland, married Harriott Godwin, daughter of Jeremiah Godwin and Sarah (Wilkinson) Godwin.

The collection includes: correspondence and land records of Robert "King" Carter; correspondence and land records of his sons Robert Carter (1704-1731) and Landon Carter (1710-1778); correspondence, accounts, land records and the appointment to the Virginia Council of Robert Carter (1728-1804), son of Robert Carter (1704-1731); correspondence, diaries, land records and accounts of Robert Wormeley Carter (1734-1804), son of Landon Carter of Sabine Hall; and correspondence and land records and papers concerning the estate of Robert Carter's grandson, Landon Carter (1757-1820).

Typescript copies of letters and extracts, written by Edward Coles (1786-1868), who held the positions of secretary to President James Madison and Governor of Illinois. Subjects covered by the letters include James Madison and the War of 1812; Madison's not emancipating persons enslaved by him at his death; the claiming of public lands by individual states; the estate of James Monroe; Andrew Jackson; Thomas Jefferson's authorship of the Ordinance of 1787; and Jefferson's relationship with John Adams. Typescripts of letters written by Edward Coles to Nicholas Biddle, Joseph C. Cabell, Henry Clay, Albert Gallatin, Thomas Jefferson, Dolley Madison, James Madison, Joel R. Poinsett, Henry S. Randall, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, William Cabell Rives, Charles Sumner, Martin Van Buren and Robert C. Winthrop, among other correspondents.

Letters and papers of the Floyd, Johnston, and Preston families, as well as newspaper articles principally concerning Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Judge Robert William Hughes. The central figures in the collection include Gen. John Preston, his brother Gen. Francis Preston, Gen Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891), his niece, Eliza Hughes (1825-1908), and Harriet Lane, niece of President Buchanan. The collection also contains the correspondence of or papers relating to Congressman Charles C. Johnston (1795-1832), Judge R.W. Hughes (1821-1901), Alexander von Humboldt, and Governor/ Secretary of War John B. Floyd (1806-1863). Spanning 154 years (1753-1907), this collection contains references to the Mexican War and the Civil War and also touches on the issues of Indians and slavery.

Correspondence of the Garrett family of Williamsburg, Va., concerning family and social news, politics, and the Civil War. Earlier letters deal mainly with business and political news, as several Garrett family members, including Richard R. Garrett, Alexander C. Garrett, and Dr. Robert M. Garrett, were involved in the politics of 19th century Virginia. Correspondence of Dr. Robert M. Garrett and his brothers Alexander C. Garrett and B. F. Garrett concerning the sale of "Yardley," Northampton County, Va. There are letters written to Dr. Robert M. Garrett's daughter, Lottie Garrett, by David E. Cronin concerning his memoir of the Vest Mansion and the Civil War occupation of Williamsburg and portraits owned by Lottie Garrett.

Papers, 1806-1860, primarily 1823-1845, of James Monroe (1799- 1870). Letters relate to his military career, family life, and politics. Included is correspondence to his uncle, President James Monroe.

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.

The personal papers of Mills E. Godwin, Jr., dating from 1947 to 1978, consist of 24 boxes of correspondence, 1,100 copies of speeches, schedules and appointments. Also included are 40 scrapbooks of news clippings and photographs, 159 citations and plaques, and one box of audiovisual materials, all of which pertain largely to Godwin's personal involvement in the government, political life, activities, organizations and institutions of Virginia during the 30-year period. The majority of the items comprising this collection were microfilmed by the Virginia State Library.

Papers, 1797-1850, of the Tazewell family. Includes letter, 1797, written by Samuel H. Smith to Henry Tazewell concerning his paper, The Universal Gazette and discussing foreign affairs; and letters, 1804-1850, written by Henry S. Foote and William Nelson, Jr. to Littleton Waller Tazewell; and one anonymous letter addressed to Tazewell and John Tyler (1790-1862) concerning army promotions.

Papers, chiefly 1834-1863, of Thomas W. Thomas, soldier, lawyer, and judge of Elberton, GA concerning his law practice and his friendship with US Senator Robert Toombs. His papers primarily concern his various legal cases, but also discuss politics, the Civil War, and other topics sporadically. Included in the collection are papers, 1834-1864, of Drury B. Cade who operated a canal boat on the Savannah River. Items of special interest include letter, 3 April 1842, from John Reeves Jones Daniel attacking the Whigs; letter, 1849, to Zachary Taylor concerning liquor seized during the Mexican War; letter, 1857, concerning a suit to secure title to land originally granted to Eli Whitney; and there are a number of Civil War letters in the collection.