Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files will be provided for use upon request.
Varying for each item, please seen individual item for more information.
BOX 1: John M. Venable Account book BOX 2: Richard N. Venable Account book BOX 3: William L. Venable Account book BOX 4: Richard Nathaniel Venable Account book [right item in box], Andrew Reid Venable Account book [left item in box] BOX 5: Francis Watkins Account book [top item], Henry E. Watkins Account book [bottom item in box] BOX 6: Jacob and Bowly Account book [top item], Thomas B. Whiting Account book [middle item], A. B. Account book [bottom item] BOX 7: Unknown Account book [top item], George Schrader Account book [middle item], William Seay Account book [bottom item]
[Identification of item], Account Books, SC-000200, Hampden-Sydney College Archives and Special Collections, Hampden-Sydney, VA
Processed by Dawnelle Ion, May 2024.
Margaret Venable (nee Dickinson) letters, SC-000138; Letter from Nathaniel E. Venable to his daughter, 10010420; and Christmas letter to Thomas F. Venable from his mother, 10010404
The Account Books, SC-000200, contains 13 account books or ledgers written by various people. Some of the items track family accounts while others track business accounts. Not included in this collection are any daybooks or diaries pertaining to the daily lives of the individuals. Each account book spans a couple of years while some cover a larger amount of time but altogether, the account books were created in the 19th century.
The nature of the Hampden-Sydney College Archives and Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. As a result, Hampden-Sydney College claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g. cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning and individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the College assumes no responsibility.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
John McCampbell Venable (1831-1899) was the son of Richard N. Venable Jr. (1806-1841) and Magdalene McCampbell (1807-1856). His grandfather was Richard N. Venable Sr. (1763-1838) who was one of the sons of Nathaniel Venable (1733-1804), one of the founders of Hampden-Sydney College and the original builder and owner of Slate Hill. The Slate Hill house and plantation was passed to Richard N. Venable Sr. after Nathaniel died and he passed it down to his son Richard N. Venable Jr. When John's father died, the Slate Hill house and plantation was inherited by his brother Henry Venable (1835-1861) but he did not have the property long before he died in the beginning of the Civil War which left the property to John. John and his wife Bettie (1835-1932) never had any children so after John passed, the property went to his other brother, Richard Morton Venable (1839-1910). John was also served in the Civil War, a member of the 21st Virginia Infantry and his resignation was accepted by the Secretary of War on 22 December 1863.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
Richard N. Venable was born in 1763 and died in 1838. He is the son of Nathaniel Venable Sr., who was one of the founding fathers of Hampden-Sydney College. After Nathaniel died, Richard inherited the main house on the Slate Hill Plantation, which was later demolished in 1971. He was on the Hampden-Sidney College Board of Trustees for many years after he was elected in 1792. He was the treasurer of the college from May 1813 to April 1832. In his 20s, he fought in the Revolutionary war, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, but as an adult he was a lawyer and politician, serving as a Virginia State Senator.
Gift of Charles E. Pearson, December 09, 2021.
William L. Venable was born in 1780 and died in 1824. He was the son of Nathaniel Venable Sr. of the Slate Hill Plantation, brother to Richard N. Venable (from the prior account book), a planter, a merchant, and a trustee of Hampden-Sydney College. The entries in the account book begin after the 1840s so it is believed to have been used by William's son, Thomas Franklin Venable (1812-1881) who was also a merchant and planter. He attended Hampden-Sydney College and lived on the College grounds for some time in what eventually became known as the "Thornton House."
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
There are two sections of this account with two different owners. The first section is the accounting portion which belonged to Richard Nathaniel Venable who was born in 1763 and died in 1836. He was the son of Nathaniel Venable Sr., who was one of the founding fathers of Hampden-Sydney College. After Nathaniel died, Richard inherited the main house on the Slate Hill Plantation, which was later demolished in 1971. He was graduated from Hampden-Sydney in 1782 and was on the Hampden-Sidney College Board of Trustees for many years after he was elected in 1792. He was the treasurer of the college from May 1813 to April 1832. In his 20s, he fought in the Revolutionary war, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, but as an adult he was a lawyer and politician, serving as a Virginia State Senator.
After the accounting section, which regards the building of a church at Hampden-Sydney College, there is an essay portion that belonged to Richard Morton Venable. Richard M. Venable was born in 1839 and died in 1910. He is the grandson of Richard N. Venable, the original owner of the book, and he attended and graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 1857. After leaving HSC, he went on to practice and teach law in Baltimore, MD.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
There are two Andrew Reid Venables from the same era that this account book might have belonged to. Unfortunately, without further information on the item and a lack of personal information within the item, it is not currently possible to declare the right A. R. Venable that owned the item. With that being said, a brief history on both of them will be included.
Andrew Reid Venable was born in 1830 and died in 1913. He served in the Civil War, was often referred to as Major Venable, and was a farmer. The other Andrew Reid Venable was born in 1832 and died in 1909. He also served in the Civil War, was referred to as Major Venable, and was also a farmer. Due to the fact that there were two Major Venables in the same area and around the same age, the younger Venable began going by Junior as a nickname. A.R.V. (1832-1909) also attended and graduated from Hampden-Sydney College. A.R.V. (1830-1913) was the grandson of Richard Nathaniel Venable (1763-1838) and A.R.V. (1832-1909) was the grandson of Samuel W. Venable (1756-1821). Their grandfathers, Richard and Samuel, were brothers, the sons of Nathaniel Venable (1733-1804).
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
Francis Watkins was born in 1745 and died in 1826. He was the son of Thomas Watkins of Chickahominy, VA. As a youth and young man, he was largely self-taught. In 1765, he married Agnes Woodson (1748-1820) who was sisters with Elizabeth Woodson, Nathaniel Venable's wife, making the two men brother in laws. During the Revolution he served on the Prince Edward Committee of Safety. After several years as Deputy Clerk for Prince Edward County he was elected Clerk of the Court in 1783. He was a founder of Hampden-Sydney College along with Nathaniel Venable and from 1776-1792 he served as a Trustee of the College.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
Henry E. Watkins was born in 1782 and died in 1856. He was the son of Francis Watkins (see prior account book) & Agnes Woodson Watkins. He attended Hampden-Sydney, Washington College, Princeton A.B. and William & Mary for law. He was later on the Board of Trustees for Hampden-Sydney College. He was married to Agnes Venable daughter of Samuel Woodson and Mary nee' Carrington Venable. He conducted a law school from his home and had an extensive political career. He was a Commonwealth Attorney from 1810-1813, a member of the House of Delegates from 1812-1833, and a member of VA Senate from 1833-34. In 1818, he was on the commission to choose the site location for the University of VA. He served as a Captain in the War of 1812 and was involved with his company at the Battle of Bottom's Bridge.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
This item was originally believed to have belonged to John A. Bowly but upon further inspection, it was found to have been split by two men, Henry Jacob and John Bowly, with the name of the from reading Jacob & Bowly. Despite this newer discovery, it is unclear who either of these men were and we are unable to confirm them without further information as there are a significant number of individuals with the same name from the same area and timeframe.
unknown
Unfortunately, without further information from provenance or from within the item, we are unable to confirm the background of Thomas B. Whiting as there are a significant number of individuals with the same name from the same area and timeframe.
unknown
Without further information from within the item from the provenance, it is currently impossible to know who this item belonged to or who A.B. was.
unknown
Without further information from within the item from the provenance, it is currently impossible to know who this item belonged to.
unknown
George Schrader was born in 1787 in Virginia, he was a farmer, served in the War of 1812, and died in 1867.
The provenance of the item is officially unknown but it is believed to have been transferred from the Eggleston Library at Hampden-Sydney College.
Unfortunately, without further information from provenance or from within the item, we are unable to confirm the background of William Seay as there are a significant number of individuals with the same name from the same area and timeframe.