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This collection of historic manuscripts dates from 1607-1933, with the bulk of materials dating from 1738-1868. The correspondence, journals and diaries, legal and financial records, estate documents, and printed ephemera in the collection primarily relate to the Washington and Custis families, the Revolutionary War, and society life in antebellum Washington D.C. and Virginia.

This collection contains correspondence to or from Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, the lifelong friend of Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. The majority of the collection contains letters to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson from Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. The correspondence focuses on the Gibson and Lewis families, political events, and the people of Philadelphia. The dates of the material in this collection ranges from 1794-1851, with the bulk of the material dating between 1820-1840. This collection was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association in 1952, from the estate of Roland S. Morris, of Philadelphia. The Morris family inherited these letters through their familial connection to the Shippen Family, who served as executors to the estate of Elizabeth Bordley Gibson.

This collection (269 letters) includes correspondence regarding family matters, farm business, legal questions about various wills, including that of George Washington, buying and selling of slaves and land, letters from friends, travels, and business interests. Also included are financial papers, including accounts and bills for various services, many dealing with daily life, building materials, education expenses, books, taxes paid/owed, and financial transactions.