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Papers of James ("Jim") Franklin Comstock of Richwood, West Virginia, whose position as editor of the West Virginia Hillbilly and avocation as collector and advocate of all things West Virginia led to the preservation of much of the state's physical, visual, and textual history. The collection includes materials Comstock collected about West Virginia history as well as his own personal and professional papers. Materials include: general series of historical documents such as letters, deeds, and county court cases pertaining to a diverse range of subjects (1717, 1754-1988, undated [includes facsimiles]); letters of Lucy Prichard, former instructor at Marshall College (now Marshall University) (1925-1927, undated); clippings and typescripts of Wirt County resident and Atlantic Monthly writer Louis Eckert Reed (ca. 1960-1975, undated); account books concerning economic development and commercial activities in the northern part of the state in the 19th and early 20th centuries (1830-1938); printed material about West Virginia schools, businesses, and events as well as non-West Virginia books and pamphlets (1829-1995, undated); Comstock's personal and professional correspondence (1882-1995, undated); a wide variety of photographs, including images of West Virginia cities and towns, among many others (ca. 1850s-1995, undated); microfilmed records of the Civil War and Dunmore's War (undated); glass lantern slides, which include views of scenery and buildings in Wheeling and various other locations in Ohio County, WV (1871-1897, undated); Grand Army of the Republic and U.S. military history scrapbooks (1883-1918); broadsides, including advertisements for a circus in Moundsville (ca. 1827-1960 [includes facsimiles]); and maps and atlases of pre- and post-statehood West Virginia, counties, colonial North America, and other topics (1730-1976, undated [includes facsimiles]). An addendum of 2013/05 includes additional personal and professional correspondence, publications, newspaper morgue files, photographs, audio-visual material, artifacts, scrapbooks, account books, and maps. For more information on Jim Comstock, see the Historical Note.

A family history and genealogical record of the Mercer family of Monongalia County, WV with mention of the allied families of Brown and Campbell. Robert Mercer was the first of the family to settle in what is now West Virginia near Morgantown in 1766. He was the son of Gideon Mercer and the grandson of John Mercer, the earliest known family member in America. John Mercer was a Quaker merchant of New York City and an extensive landowner of Manhattan Island. Also noted is the movement and settlement of the family, particularly of the line of Robert Mercer's son Joseph, into Pennsylvania and Ohio. Noted are the frontier activities of Joseph Mercer's children: Phoebe and Nottingham, the latter being a veteran of the War of 1812. Two sons of Phoebe, Henry Marshall Campbell and James Campbell, served in the PA 46th Volunteer Infantry, Company F during the Civil War with James being killed in Virginia at the battle of Cedar Mountain. Material covers the years 1766-1933.

A history of the Stateler/Statler family of West Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois from Stephen Statler (ca. 1710-ca. 1784) to Rebecca Margaret Stateler Dougan (1838-1911). The family's settlement patterns start with Stephen Statler disembarking in Philadelphia from Germany in 1749. The family alternately settled along the frontier in Hardy Co. and Monongalia Co., WV; Fayette Co. and Greene Co., PA; Licking Co., OH; and Marshall Co., IL. Their settlement in southwestern Pennsylvania and north central West Virginia corresponded with the Revolutionary War in which Jacob Statler (1748-78), as a soldier, was killed by Indians; and Jakes Run in Monongalia County is named to honor him. Although this collection is primarily a genealogy which is the original intention of its compilers, there is much history of the Jakes Run and Pentress, originally Statlerstown, portions of Monongalia County including maps and illustrations. Other head members of the family mentioned are John Statler, Jacob Stateler, John Stateler, Stephen A. Stateler and David Stateler. Also mentioned are the related families of Brown/Braun and Hannum.

Collection consists of family history manuscripts, academic files, and publications of William D. Barns, professor of history at West Virginia University and founding member of the West Virginia Historical Association.