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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], A. E. Wood Letter, Ms1989-006, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The A. E. Wood Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1989.
The processing and description of the A. E. Wood Letter commenced and was completed in January 2022.
Research on the names in this letter suggest that the principal writer was Ann Eliza Wood of Glen Wilton (Botetourt County), Virginia. Ann Eliza Wood, daughter of Samuel D. and Panthea Ann Davis Wood, was born in Virginia on July 28, 1848. In the 1870 census, she appears as a 23-year-old woman living in the Botetourt County home of her parents. She married Samuel Fisk Spencer (1848-1930) in Botetourt County on October 11, 1871, and the couple would have four children. Ann Eliza Wood Spencer died in Dallas, Texas on June 23, 1916 and was buried in Grove Hill Memorial Park, Dallas. The identity of the other writer could not be determined but appears to be "M. Jones."
This collection consists of a single sheet containing two letters written by A. E. Wood and M. [Jones?], two young women living in Virginia, during the Civil War. Written to "Aunt Ann," the two letters relate to the local depredations of Union soldiers: "Cousin Joe Moores family seven in all are still here ... The Yankees have everything they had even to knives & spoons. They burnt several houses mills & stores in the nieghborhood of cousin Joe & took all the people prisoners they could get." The two writers also convey news of family and neighbors, including births and deaths.
Though the letter is dated September 23, 1861, it was likely written November 23. (The letter dates the birth of cousin Lelia Damarius as occurring three months earlier (Lelia Damarius Wood was born in Botetourt County on August 7, 1861), and it mentions the recent deaths of William Reynolds (William A. Reynolds died in Botetourt County on October 10) and Jimmie Circle (James Wood Circle died in Botetourt County on Oct. 1). Moreover, the second writer notes the day of the week (Saturday), and November 23, 1861 fell on a Saturday, while September 23, 1861 fell on a Monday.)
The guide to the A. E. Wood Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
This collection had originally been assigned the title "West Virginia Civil War Correspondence," but a closer inspection on processing revealed the identity of one of the writers and that the people named in the letter were residents of Botetourt County, Viginia.