Collections

The collection includes photocopies of land grants (1798, 1801, 1802, and 1832), treasury warrant records (1779-1780), survey maps, and property maps (two originals, ca. 1966) relating to landholdings, family farms, and tracts in Monongalia County, West Virginia containing Pittsburgh coal seams owned by Thomas Lazzell, Robert Courtney, Michael Courtney, and their descendants in Monongalia County, West Virginia. There are also photocopies of church baptism records (1756-1825) and a War of 1812 militia payroll record (including the company commanded by Captain Robert Courtney); and there are several genealogy charts and correspondence regarding court records, repository materials, and family history (1963-1966). Material covers the years 1756-1994.

Correspondence, book reviews, certificates and pictures of Waddell, a pioneering black veterinarian and author. His books (People Are The Funniest Animals, The Black Man in Veterinary Medicine, Universal Veterinarianism, and Historical Facts of the Black Veterinarian) document the little known contributions of African-Americans from antebellum times to the present in the field of veterinary science. They also indicate his beliefs that the veterinarian profession can also help heal misunderstandings among mankind. After graduation in 1935 from the University of Pennsylvania, one of the first schools to admit blacks into its veterinarian program, he taught and worked at Tuskegee Institute where he co-founded the first program in veterinary science at a black American college. During World War II, he joined the Ninth Cavalry, a famed black unit of which he includes some of its history among his papers. After the war, he established a private practice in West Virginia eventually locating in Monongalia County where he also served on the board of the Monongalia County Mental Health Association. His home near Morgantown served as a social center for some of the first black students who attended West Virginia University. He was also instrumental in fostering integration of other institutions within the county. After 1963 he moved to North Dakota where he worked on the Chippewa reservations of Turtle Mountain and Fort Totten. Waddell offers his observations on the aspirations of Native Americans and how they are discriminated against and neglected.

Papers of the Dickinson, Gordon, and related families of the Cheat Lake area of Monongalia County, West Virginia. Includes series of Papers of Deborah Gordon, Miscellaneous, Genealogy Records, Pamphlet and Ledgers, Artifacts, and Oversize. Papers of Deborah Gordon includes "Order of Rainbow" material (ca. 1950s), and a scrapbook documenting West Virginia University athletic events (she was a cheerleader), travel, and special events. Genealogy Records includes information regarding William Norris of Cheat Neck (settled 1781); also includes information on George Baker, George Norris, Addison S. Vance, and the Sturgiss-Lincoln families. See scope and content note for details.

A card file of the Greene County Historical Society, Pennsylvania, containing genealogical notes and index entries for genealogical sources relating to Greene County, PA and the surrounding region for the period ca. 1740-1980. The cards are alphabetized by name.

Papers of James S. Watson relating to the Watson and Jollife families. Watson served in Civil War and was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Includes calling card, books, genealogical information, and photographs. See scope and content note for detailed information.

Three clippings notebooks compiled by Blacksville, West Virginia resident Karen Haught regarding primarily the history of Monongalia County, West Virginia and Greene County, Pennsylvania in the period ca. 1800 to 1980. Clippings were culled from local newspapers.

Records of the League of Women Voters, Morgantown-Monongalia County, West Virginia. Includes membership lists, minutes, proposals, plans for conventions and environmental projects, and guides to government officials. See the scope and content note for detail.

Papers of Hu Maxwell (1860-1927), historian, editor, and author of several county histories of West Virginia, along with papers and records of other family members. There are manuscripts of fiction, verse, and local history written by Maxwell, as well as a number of his manuscripts and publications dealing with forestry which were prepared while he was a member of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Maxwell kept a diary during the years 1901-1919 while residing in Morgantown, Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., which is extensive for the period of World War I and which contains notes on the diary of Rufus Maxwell (1855-1907). See scope and content note for more detail.