The collection is open for research.
Permission to publish material from John Thomas Ruff Martin Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: John Thomas Ruff Martin Letter, Ms2018-041, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The John Thomas Ruff Martin Letter was purchased by Special Collecions in October 2018.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the John Thomas Ruff Martin Letter was completed in May 2019.
The collection consists of a letter by student, John Thomas Ruff Martin, written from Salem. Virginia, March 4, 1861, to his father in Baltimore, Maryland. In the letter, Martin references a college contest, likely academic, held on February 22, 1861. He remarks on the mood of the residents in the Salem area regarding Lincoln's election. Martin also mentions his study habits for exams and amounts owed to Mr. Holland for room and board and tuition for Mr. Yonce.
The envelope is postmarked "Salem College." The Salem College Martin refers to may have been an early name for Roanoke College which was chartered in 1853 by Lutheran ministers. Although no obvious evidence supports this, Roanoke College had a Dr. William B. Yonce as a professor of ancient languages and literature at Roanoke College from 1854 to 1895.