Collections

This collection consists of an account of the USS Princeton disaster, handwritten by United States Congressman George Sykes and sent as a letter to his sister. The first-hand account describes the lead-up to the disaster, the explosion itself that killed six people, including the Secretary of State, President John Tyler's enslaved servant, and the father of Tyler's fiancée, and the aftermath and funeral. Also included are Sykes' official invitation to the event that led to the disastor, and a newspaper clipping giving another witness' account.

Letters 18 March and 17-30 May 1862, written by Ned Hoxie, Camp Brightwood, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, [Va.] while serving in a Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. The letters are to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Hoxie, Northampton, Massachusetts and concern the fighting in Virginia, the occupation of a Tyler family home, and also mention picking up weapons from the Battle of Williamsburg. The letterhead is stamped with "The Shield of Liberty, 1776-1861" on one sheet and "The Flag of the Free, 1776-1861" featuring Lady Liberty on another.

This collection contains photocopies of typed copies of a diary (1840-1841) and correspondence of the Gardiner family of New York, with information about their business dealings, political associations, and their relation to the Tylers of Virginia. The photocopies contain Seager's annotations.

This collection contains Robert Seager II's typed summaries, quotations and annotations about the family papers from the Sherwood Forest estate comprising correspondence of the Gardiner and Tyler families.

Papers, 1716-1944, of the John Tyler family of "Sherwood Forest," Charles City County, Va. The collection contains correspondence, 1818-1862, of John Tyler concerning politics, War of 1812 claims, presidential election of 1840, land purchases in western Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois, "Sherwood Forest," business matters and his family.

Correspondence and accounts of "Tyler's Quarterly", edited by Lyon G. Tyler and Sue Ruffin Tyler.

Papers, 1939-1951, of Sue Ruffin Tyler concerning a projected work, The Women of Virginia. Includes biographical sketches of women, correspondence with women who had sent sketches and were subscribers, and correspondence of Robert Hendrix who collected money from the subscribers but was unable to publish the book. Sue Ruffin Tyler contracted to write the historical material for a book on women in Virginia, to have been entitled The Women of Virginia. Living women were to submit sketches of themselves and their organizations and to subscribe to the volume. The volume was never published.

Collection consists of letters, historical sketches, wills, genealogical charts and coats of arms of Virginia families. The majority of these papers are genealogical inquiries made to Lyon Gardiner Tyler. Very few of Tyler's responses are included but the inquiries contain information.