Collections : [West Virginia and Regional History Center]

Photostat negatives of correspondence to Francis H. Pierpont concerning statehood and secession. Also includes a petition of Harrison County, (West) Virginia citizens to Brigadier General Kelly protesting the return and admittance to the county of former members of the Confederate Army (undated); a petition of Gilmer County, (West) Virginia citizens denouncing secession and pledging action to suppress rebellion (1861); and the act by which the Restored Government of Virginia gave permission for the new state of West Virginia to be formed from Virginia (May 12, 1863). Also includes a photostat negative of a typescript checklist of Pierpont manuscript material held at the Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia) (1916). Correspondents include: Arthur I. Boreman, John I. Brown, William G. Brown, A.W. Campbell, John S. Carlile, Spencer Dayton, James Evans, Thomas. M. Harris, J.H. Jordan, Daniel Lamb, J.A.J. Lightburn, A.F. Ritchie, Lewis Ruffner, Henry I. Samuels, J.C. Paxton, P.G. Van Winkle, and John O. Watson.

Papers of Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814-1899) of Monongalia and Marion Counties, West Virginia, who served as governor of the Restored Government of Virginia during the Civil War. Includes manuscripts, typescripts, printed materials, and photocopies consisting of genealogies, correspondence, college essays, speeches, official messages, articles prepared for newspapers, legal documents, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and ephemera. Topics include Pierpont's education; his career as governor of the Restored Government of Virginia at Wheeling, Alexandria, and Richmond; the West Virginia statehood movement; politics; and his later work in the Methodist Protestant Church. Notable series include Pierpont's personal and professional correspondence; his writings and speeches, which include several drafts of his reminiscences on Lincoln; correspondence and notes of Charles H. Ambler, biographer of Pierpont, in the Subject Files series; and a series of several hundred telegrams related to statehood and the Civil War. Pierpont's correspondents include Gordon Battelle, Arthur I. Boreman, John S. Carlile, Abraham Lincoln (copies), Waitman T. Willey, and others. For civil war telegrams related to this collection, go to wvhistory.org.

A letter from Peter G. Van Winkle (8 Nov. 1862) and another letter from Colonel T.M. Harris (4 Sept. 1862) to Francis H. Pierpont, Governor of Restored Virginia. Van Winkle's letter speaks of the poor prospects of the proposed new state's survival, particularly the guerrilla threat south of the Little Kanawha River. Colonel Harris conveys from a wounded Confederate officer a warning that General Loring is planning an offensive into western Virginia.

Correspondence between H. E. Matheny and Boyd B. Stutler who were antiquarian collectors of West Virginia and authors on the local history of the state. The correspondence is primarily about West Virginia imprints and historical literature. There is much discussion of the following topics as they pertain to West Virginia: colloquial language, frontier and pioneers, post offices and postal service, crimes and criminals, the Civil War, early oil industry, and printers, printing and newspapers. Historical figures often mentioned are: Harman Blennerhassett, Alexander Campbell, T. M. Harris, John Hardy, and John Brown and family. There is much mention of other colleague collectors including: Guy Tetrick, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bird Cook, Delf Norona, and Otis Zirkle. There is some discussion of family matters and the contemporary political situation, particularly regarding John F. Kennedy, his assassination, and the turmoil of the 1960s.

This collection contains documents and other material regarding the Civil War, including a diary, letters, reports, clippings, a muster roll, and other material. The majority of items in the collection regard the Civil War in West Virginia. Items within the collection are facsimiles and photocopies. Highlights of the collection include: the diary of Alex McGraw, who served with the West Virginia First Light Artillery; a letter from Captain Robert Coles of Virginia Fortieth Infantry, Wise Legion to Colonel Lucius Davis requesting certification to purchase necessary equipment; a letter from General John B. Floyd to A.W.G. Davis giving authorization to raise supplies for the Confederate Army of the Kanawha; a morning report of the Fifth Brigade, Confederate Army of the Northwest commanded by William Booth Taliaferro; and a muster roll of the Second Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, Company G. See "Scope and Content Note" for more detail.

Papers and artifacts of General Thomas M. (Mealey) Harris (1817-1906) who served with the 10th West Virginia Infantry and the Army of West Virginia during the Civil War. He was also a member of the military commission in the trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspirators in 1865. Letters, commissions, reports, a photograph, and newspaper clippings chiefly relate to Harris's military service in the 1860s. Items include military commissions; letters from 1862 about Harris's service in what is now West Virginia; Harris's official reports of the Civil War battles at Winchester and Cedar Creek in 1864 and Hatcher's Run in 1865; letters from 1892 about Harris's book on the Lincoln assassination conspirators; and copies of Harris's 1906 obituary. Box 1 contains two oversize military appointments, remnants of the flag from the 10th West Virginia Infantry, the epaulets and sash from Harris's uniform, and his ring.