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This collection contains twentieth century papers pertaining to the history of the Fridley and Ripoll (pronounced "Ripple") families of Fayette, Boone and McDowell counties of West Virginia and their descendants, including the Thompson and Sarver families. Topics include the family homestead, finances, religion, travel, education, careers and military service. The collection features a variety of materials such as photographs, certificates, military artifacts, financial records and correspondence.

Papers of the William George and Gladys Bennett Guy family of Williamsburg, Virginia with additions from Joan Eastman Bennett. Includes correspondence, invitations, minutes, clippings, oral histories, notebooks, reports, photographs, written memories, essays and printed materials. Papers include items about water and gas, Williamsburg Landing, American Red Cross, Williamsburg United Service Organization, Williamsburg Female Academy, College of William and Mary and zoning regulations. Includes ephemera of Williamsburg, Virginia and personal material and correspondence of the Bennett Family and Guy Family of Williamsburg, Virginia. The original accession was received in 1985 with additions added through 2011.

This collection consists of the papers of the Hall and Moore families of New York, Richmond, Va. and Williamsburg, Va. Includes wills, estate papers, legal and financial transactions, 1810-1915, of Jacob Hall, Sarah Hall and Cunningham Hall; and Bishop Richard Channing Moore, Virginia Moore, Harriet Glenworth Moore, Margaretta Moore and Louise Moore. Contains correspondence, 1854-1876, between Zebulon S. Farland and Ellen Douglas Gordon Farland; letters, 1906-1928, to Margaret (Farland) Hall, from her children, Emily Hall, Channing Hall, Joseph Hall, and John Lesslie Hall concerning education and World War I; and correspondence, 1887-1889, between Margaret (Farland) Hall and John Lesslie Hall, Sr. The collection also includes teaching notes, professional writings, and alumni correspondence with John Lesslie Hall, Sr. Prominent correspondents of Hall include Lyon G. Tyler, Thomas Nelson Page, Joseph Dupuy Eggleston and Basil Gildersleeve. Includes items removed from "The Writing of English"(PE1408 .M38 1929), a book owned by Emily M. Hall.

Personal and professional papers, 1896-1987, of Bishop John Boyd Bentley, Bishop of Alaska and Director of Overseas Missions for the Protestant Episcopal Church and personal papers, 1895-1983, of his wife Elvira Carr Bentley.

Correspondence between WVU professor John H. Johnston and British World War I poets, including David Jones, Herbert Read, and Siegfried Sassoon. There are fourteen letters authored by David Jones, a British World War I poet widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century by his contemporaries. The letters include a "discussion" between Johnston and Jones, mostly regarding Johnston's critique and analysis of the World War I poets, and also the thoughts and philosophies that influenced Jones's work (especially "In Parenthesis"). There are also two letters authored by Siegfried Sassoon and one authored by Sassoon's son, George, upon his father's death. Siegfried Sassoon was a British World War I poet best known for his critical view of the war following his service. Also includes publications by and about David Jones, and one piece of published greeting card artwork by David Jones with signature and note.

Scrapbooks, diaries, correspondence and papers of the noted lawyer and 1924 presidential aspirant for the Democrats, John W. Davis, kept by his daughter, a famous author, Julia (McDonald) Davis Adams. Noteworthy is a 1948 official publication in tribute to Davis' career as Solicitor General of the United States (1913-1918). There is a typescript copy of his diary recounting his wartime and post-war tenure (1918-1921) as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. His letters include some of his candid feelings about the political events of his day such as the New Deal and tributes to his scholarly approach to practicing law from Supreme Court Justices Robert H. Jackson and Felix Frankfurter.

The Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. papers consist primarily of the following:

• Unpublished memoirs and accompanying documents
• Photograph albums and scrapbooks dating from Shepherd's years as a VMI cadet, as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, and from his service as President of the Inter-American Defense Board
• An interview with Shepherd conducted by the archivist of the MacArthur Library regarding Shepherd's role during the Korean War, assault at Inchon
• Correspondence
• Clippings
• Certificates and resolutions
• Printed material

Papers of Louis Arthur Johnson, (1891-1966), Clarksburg lawyer, and Washington, D.C. politician who co-founded the law office of Steptoe & Johnson. Johnson studied law at the University of Virginia and upon graduation immediately took up residence in the booming oil and gas town of Clarksburg, W. Va. and began the firm with Philip P. Steptoe. He served in France and Germany during and immediately after the First World War, and upon his return married Ruth Maxwell from Clarksburg. From 1937-1940 Johnson was the Assistant Secretary of War under President Roosevelt and later served as the second United States Secretary of Defense under President Truman from March 1949 to September 1950. Asked to resign by President Truman, Johnson returned to his law practice in Clarksburg until his death in 1966. This collection is minimally processed.