The collection is open for research use.
Noblet Herbert, Jr. (1826-1852) is a great-great nephew of George Washington, through his mother, Mary Lee Washington Herbert (1796-1827). Her parents were Corbin (1765-1799) and Hannah Lee Washington (1766-1801), her grandparents were John Augustine Washington (1736-1787) and Hannah Bushrod Washington (1738-1801). John Augustine Washington was a brother of George Washington. Noblet Herbert, Jr. at about age twenty-five joined the Charles Town Mining Group participating in the California Gold Rush and was unfortunately murdered in the gold fields in 1852 by Mexicans that he had hired to run a mule train for him. This letter to his Aunt Jane Washington (sister of Corbin Washington) was one of his last letters.
MSS 16214, Noblet Herbert, Jr. letter to Jane Charlotte Blackburn Washington, Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia
Noblet Herbert, Jr. letter to his aunt Jane Charlotte Blackburn Washington, January 25, 1852, 0.03 cubic feet, and one of the last letters during his life. He wrote during his trip to California with an expedition of about 80 Jefferson County men participating in the California "Gold Rush" with descriptions of the land and the costs of various livestock. Also included is an article in the California Historical Society Quarterly v. 29 no. 4 regarding a different letter from Noblet dated December 27, 1850.