Collections

Miscellaneous papers collected by the Clarksburg Public Library, including Harrison County land papers of John Lang, 1782-1821; General Land Office Warrant of Thomas Cunningham, an 1812 veteran for 160 acres in Illinois; letter from Melville D. Long from Point Lookout prison, April 1865; letter to Mrs. John J. Davis, Clarksburg, telling of an unexpected invasion of Baltimore by the Rebels in July 1854; and farm diary, 1856-1861 of P.R. Page, Gloucester County, Virginia. This volumes gives accurate and detailed information on the operation of a grain and livestock farm in eastern Virginia

Facsimiles of historical documents. Land grant to William Cleaver and others for 1,000 acres on the Monongahela River, 1782; certificate for money due B. Cleaver for service in the Virginia Militia, 1783; affidavits concerning the military service of William and Benjamin Cleaver, 1774-1782, in Dunmore's War, at the Falls of the Ohio, and on General George Rogers Clark's expedition against the Indians, including the Shawnee. There is also a petition, 1777, by residents of the Tygart Valley, West Fork of the Monongahela, and Buckhannon Creek settlements requesting the formation of a new county. There are four typed pages dated January 1-9, 1969, with information about the Cleaver Family - William and Hannah; William, Jr.; Benjamin; and Stephen.

Letters written to the Rev. Clement M. Butler, Rector of St. John's Church, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., relating to the deaths and funeral obsequies of victims of the explosion on board the "U.S.S. Princeton" on February 28, 1844. The "Princeton" was the first screw-steam warship in the United States Navy. The 1844 accident occurred on board when a defective gun burst during a shooting demonstration, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and others.

Letters received by John Philip Cline, a Lutheran clergyman at New Market, Va and Smithburg, Washington County, Md. Includes fourteen letters, 1824-1832, written by John G. Morris concerning his education; the Henkel family; his pastorate; and [Samuel Simon] Schmucker.

Membership ledger, 1843-1877, of the Clinton Commandery Encampment #5 of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. This group is a member of the Knights Templar, itself a member of the York Rite of Freemasonry, and can therefore be considered as a part of the general Freemasonry movement.

The collection also contains miscellaneous manuscripts and account books. Included in this material are: land grants, 1761 and 1766, for land in Fairfax and Frederick counties, Va.; eighty-five survey maps of Frederick, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties, Va. and Berkeley and Hampshire counties, W. Va.; road petitions, 1743-1828, for Frederick County; affidavits for Revolutionary War service; correspondence, 1923-1930, of the Improved Order of Redmen, Great Council of Virginia; letters written to W. H. H. Flick; account books of merchants in Frederick County, , Lexington, Va. and Harrisonburg, Va.; and account books of the Richmond Whig (1837), the Lexington Gazette; and the Southern Collegian (student newspaper at Washington and Lee College). There is also a daybook which contains copies of letters, notes and bonds written by Philip Nelson to Powhatan R. Page; notes on the Washington and Custis families and the building of "Arlington"; and notes concerning John Randolph of Roanoke and the Underwood Constitutional Convention in Richmond.

Papers of Dr. Stapleton Coates (1807-1890) of Henrico County, Virginia, and his descendants. Other prominent surnames, related by marriage, are Deitrick and Sutton; names of unspecified relation include Wingfield and Pettus. The collection consists of correspondence, sermon notes, property agreements and drawings, probate documents, tax receipts, obituaries, and a tintype of an unidentified man.

Papers include letter, 13 March 1838, from Charles Carter at University of Virginia to C[ary] Charles Cocke; letter, n.d., of Jesse Pound to W. E. Webb; letter, 24 June [18]46, of W. E. Webb, "Loch Lomond," Goochland Co., Va. to [John Hartwell] Cocke, Bremo, Fluvanna Co., Va.; letter, 27 June 1884, of W[illiam] R[uffin] C[oleman] Cocke, Philadelphia, to Charles [Hartwell Cocke ?]; account, 1885, of Cary Charles Cocke; and list, n.d., of slaves at "Bremo" and "Lower Bremo" Fluvanna Co., Va.