Collections : [James Madison University]

Series 5: 2018 Accessions, 1867-1995, comprises materials acquired in two separate accessions in 2018. Personal papers, research and genealogical materials, and photographs relate directly to immediate and extended Yount family members, specifically the children of Myrtie Stephens Yount and J.B. Yount.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1857-1931, 1991, contains letters to and from several members of the Stephens and Yount families. Corresponding envelopes are included as are envelopes with no corresponding letter.

Series 5: 2023-0329 Accession, 1864-1923, includes Henkel family correspondence, Renalds family correspondence, and letters written to Ray Renalds while he was admitted to Rockingham Memorial Hospital in 1923 for an undisclosed illness.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1827-1913, chiefly contains letters written to Siram P. Henkel with correspondents including members of the Koiner/Coiner family of Augusta County, the Miller family of Winchester, and the Rupert family of Augusta County. The correspondents report on family and community news, marriages, health and illnesses, deaths, weather, harvest and planting updates, crop yields, and include fellow merchants requesting advice on the market of certain goods and numerous requests for Dr. Henkel's pills. Of particular interest are the letters written to Siram by his sons Lewis and Luther while serving in the American Civil War. The sons, and Luther in particular, write about camp life and general updates related to the war. In a December 21, 1861 letter to his father, Lewis P. Henkel writes from Winchester and mentions General Stonewall Jackson. He also refers to General Gilbert S. Meem as "Genl. Drunk."

Series is an addition to the collection and comprises photographs, family papers, and local history materials. The Wenger line of the family is documented in this series.

Series 1, Account Ledgers and Registries, 1870-1895, consists of a bound register (1870-1884), account ledger, and check stub registry. The register lists names alphabetically by race, date registered, and age. Initially presumed to have been an employee register, many of the names listed were prominent local citizens and/or businessmen who were not in the employ of the tannery; therefore it is likely that this was an unofficial voter register that somehow came to be housed in the same building as the tannery records, and may in fact have had nothing to do with the tannery itself.

Administrative Files, ca. 1830-2002, is comprised of documents which record the information used to manage the cemetery. As such, it contains reports and minutes compiled by the cemetery's various treasurers and presidents over the years, information relating to board meetings, insurance policy papers, and other similar documents created in the course of running the business.

Financial Files, ca. 1840-2006, is comprised of financial documents of various types. These include receipts for materials purchased by the cemetery for operations, including hardware, materials, landscaping services, and other expenses relating to the day-to-day care of the cemetery grounds and buildings. Cemetery account books, receipt books, and ledgers track the income and expenditures of the Cemetery, including payments made to the cemetery for the one-time purchase of plots and ongoing income from perpetual care plots. Additional information includes cemetery tax documents are returns, employee payment and salary information, banking documents (including deposit slips and account statements), donor pledges, and other related documents directly impacting the financial affairs of Woodbine cemetery. Certain folder within this series are restricted, due to the presence of personally identifying information.

Items in this series consist of ledgers and notebooks that document the administrative functions of the church and span from the earliest written records in 1844 to 1979. The earliest record book, Church Record Book 1, contains documentation of the first organization of the church in August of 1844, and lists the original members separately as male, female, and colored members. Church Record Book 2 contains the copied text of the original deed of Bethlehem Church from September 1844. Materials within this series contain information related to church business including membership lists, records of deaths, names of elected officials, financial records, and meeting minutes. Financial records in this series include accounts of payments made to the pastor's salary and records for various collections taken within the church. Most items have labels taped to the cover of the ledger or notebook that indicate dates and contents. It is unknown when these notes were written, or by whom.