McCarthy Family – Myers Family

McCarthy Family Papers, 1839–1865. 40 items. Mss1M1275a. Microfilm reel C301.
This collection contains the correspondence of several members of the McCarthy family of Richmond. Letters, 1858–1865, of Florence McCarthy, Jr. (b. 1838), primarily to his sister, Jane Elizabeth McCarthy (b. 1838), discuss his life as an instructor at the Franklin Female College in Franklin, Tenn., including an account of musical entertainments in the town, and camp life while serving in the Confederate army (section 1). Letters, 1862–1865, to Jane McCarthy from other family members concern army life and family news (sections 4–5). There are a few papers pertaining to other family members.

McCluer, Anna Lee Blanton, Memoir, 1934. 4 pp. Typescript. Mss5:1M1326:1.
In this account Anna Lee (Blanton) McCluer (1863–1939) recalls her attendance at The Misses Carrington's Select School for Young Ladies at Sunnyside in Mecklenburg County from 1880 until her graduation in 1882 for her daughter, Elizabeth Gilmer (McCluer) Calhoon. A copy of a letter, 1885, written by McCluer to one of her former classmates, and a genealogical chart of the Blanton, Diell, McCluer, amd Platt families accompanies the memoir.

McClure, Elizabeth Ann Cooley, Diary, 1842–1848. 94 pp. Mss5:1M1328:1
The diary of Elizabeth Ann (Cooley) McClure (1825–1848) documents her life as a seventeen-year-old living with her family in Grayson County; her marriage to James McClure, a teacher, in 1846; and their emigration from Carroll County, Va., to Independence, Mo. As a girl, Cooley describes sewing, spinning, attending school, and going to Quaker Meetings. She records her aspirations to become a teacher and move west and her eventual desire to marry. The diary includes an account of her journey from Virginia through Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana to Missouri. McClure died of a fever at the age of twenty-two, and her husband makes the last few entries in the diary. Part of the diary has been published in the Missouri Historical Review 60 (1966): 162–206. The VHS also holds the diary (Mss5:1R5412:1) of McClure's sister, Amanda Jane (Cooley) Roberts (1820–1854).

McCue and Robertson Family Papers, 1831–1927. 131 items. Mss1M1395a.
Contains papers of several members of the McCue, Robertson, and related Stuart families of Augusta County and Staunton. Most of the collection is made up of the papers of Alexander Hall McCue (1852–1912), his brother Henry McDowell McCue (d. 1939), and Alexander Farish Robertson (1853–1938).

Nearly a third of the collection consists of receipts, 1898–1910, for taxes on land in Augusta County, and Staunton, owned by Alexander Robertson's wife, Margaret Briscoe (Stuart) Robertson (1855–1932), and her sisters Susan Baldwin (Stuart) Gibson (1849–1903) and Mary (Stuart) McGuire (1844–1933) (section 27); and leases, 1897–1906, of Alexander, his wife, and her sisters regarding the family farm Wayside (section 26). Also in the collection is an essay, ca. 1846, written by Sarah Hall Douglass while a student at the Augusta Female Seminary [now Mary Baldwin College] in Staunton (section 33).

McDonald Family Papers, 1767–1951. 912 items. Mss1M1455a. Microfilm reels C470–472.
The collection primarily consists of correspondence of Marshall McDonald (1835–1895) of Berryville and his wife, Mary Eliza (McCormick) McDonald (1840–1934). Marshall was a graduate and faculty member of the Virginia Military Institute and later served both as Commissioner of Fisheries of Virginia and as the first U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries in Washington, D.C. His correspondence, 1868–1893, both personal and professional, includes a lengthy series of letters between himself and his wife, especially while she lived at Frankford in Clarke County (section 3). Mary McDonald's personal correspondence, 1857–1925, contains extensive exchanges with her sisters and sisters-in-law and other McCormick and McDonald family members (section 10–13). Her commonplace book, 1860–1863, contains copies of poems, as well as some entries written by male friends (section 15). The correspondence, 1877–1951, of their daughter, author and playwright Rose Mortimer (MacDonald) Skoggs (1871–1953), who changed the spelling of the family name, is with prominent historians, political leaders, and writers regarding her career and public life (section 24). Essays, plays, and other writings, especially on historical topics, are also included (section 25).

McDowell Family Papers, 1777–1963. 216 items. Mss1M1485a. Microfilm reels C433–434.
This collection contains the papers of four generations of members of the McDowell family and their Preston kin. It documents the group's geographic dispersal during the nineteenth century as men moved into positions of state and national leadership. Subjects addressed include national politics, the dynamics of family life, and a family's reinterpretation of its own past. The correspondence, 1795–1821, of James McDowell (1770–1835) of Rockbridge County with his son, nephew, and brother illuminates family relationships among men in the early Republic (section 5). Correspondence, 1813–1850, of his son, James McDowell (1795–1851) of Lexington, Va., who served as governor of Virginia, is primarily with family members about family matters; it includes a letter, 1848, to his young daughter "Lilly," Eliza Preston Benton (McDowell) Wolff (1840–1923), written while he served in the U.S. Congress (section 6). The papers of "Lilly" Wolff of Rockbridge County, Va., and Atlanta, Ga., include others' reminiscences of her father (section 20); a scrapbook, 1854–1886, containing religious poetry (section 22) and her memoir of South Carolina's secession (section 23); a muster roll, 1861–1865, for the "McDowell Guards," the second Rockbridge County Artillery Battery of the Confederate States Army, named in her honor (section 32); and correspondence, 1850–1914, much of which reflects her interest in her own family's history and heritage (section 20). Papers, 1881–1916, of her son, Charles Bernard Wolff (1868–1916) of Atlanta, contain information on his education, medical career, and memberships in civic organizations (sections 25–29). There are also a few letters of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Preston family members (section 1–4).

McDowell Family Papers, 1825–1927. 50 items. Mss1M1485b. Microfilm reel C434.
This collection consists primarily of correspondence of Susan Smith Preston (McDowell) Carrington (1832–1909) of Rockbridge and Halifax counties. Letters, 1843–1849, from her father, James McDowell (1795–1851), discuss her education and religious conversion and his life in Washington, D.C., while serving as a member of the U.S. Congress (section 1). Letters, 1840–1845, from her mother, Susanna Smith (Preston) McDowell (1800–1847), offer insights into the operation of a geographically dispersed female kinship network and advice on conduct (section 2). Correspondence, 1847–1857, with her sister, Sally Campbell Preston (McDowell) Thomas Miller (1821–1895), dates from both before and after her marriage and discusses religion and childbirth (section 3). There are a few scattered papers of other family members.

McGuire Family Papers, 1813–1912. 290 items. MssM1795a. Microfilm reel C473.
This collection contains papers of members of the McGuire, Nelson, and Harrison families of Mecklenburg, Clarke, and Charles City counties. It includes a small amount of personal correspondence, 1851–1863, of Francis Howe McGuire (1809–1865) (section 1) and scattered correspondence, 1838–1873, and accounts, 1868–1874, of his wife and widow, Mary Willing (Harrison) McGuire (1812–1876) (sections 3 and 4). Papers of their daughter, Lucy Carter McGuire (1841–1917), who never married, include letters, 1858–1865, and other materials pertaining to her brother, Benjamin Harrison McGuire (1843–1863), who died serving in the Confederate army (section 9); correspondence, 1854–1897, from various family members and friends (section 7); and papers, 1881, concerning a land transaction in Clarke County (section 10). Correspondence, 1870–1893, of her brother, Francis Howe McGuire (1850–1895), consists primarily of letters to Lucy (section 12). There are scattered correspondence, 1847–1867, and accounts, 1859–1869, of Abby Byrd Nelson (1792–1868) and Ann Rosalie Nelson (1795–1869), sisters who lived in Clarke County and never married (sections 14–18). The collection also contains a commonplace book, 1831–1839, of poems kept by Anna Mercer Harrison (d. 1846) of Charles City County (section 20), along with nearly one hundred of her drawings (section 21). There are a few papers pertaining to other family members.

Mackenzie, Sarah Eleanor Noland, Papers, 1849–1850. 2 items. Mss2N7127b.
Correspondence of Ella Noland ([i.e., Sarah Eleanor (Noland) Mackenzie (b. 1832)] at Baltimore, Md., and Philadelphia, Pa.) with Jane Nicholas (Randolph) Kean ([1831–1868] of Edgehill, Albemarle County, regarding weather conditions, Lucy Haywood (Minor) Fry [b. 1829], and Dr. Frank Fry's possible move to California) and her mother, Elizabeth Winn (Smith) Noland ([b. 1801] describing Ella's attendance at a concert by Jenny Lind and her social life in Philadelphia).

McLaughlin, Mollie Belle, Papers, 1921–1942. 432 items. Mss1M2225a.
Chiefly letters received by Mollie Belle McLaughlin (1901–1972) of Richmond, a young single woman who worked as a bookkeeper. The letters are from her family members in Dunmore and other places in West Virginia and her friends in Richmond and elsewhere, in particular her fiancé, P. S. M. "Heck" Heckman (section 1), and later her boyfriend Marcus W. Collins (section 4). Topics include social activities, economic conditions, health issues, and family news. Following the sudden death of Heck Heckman in May 1931, there are a number of letters of condolence (section 2). Other materials include scattered financial papers and miscellany (sections 5 and 6).

Madison, Dolley Payne Todd, Papers, 1836. 8 items. Mss2M2653c.
This collection consists of resolutions honoring President James Madison (1751–1836) passed by various organizations shortly after his death and sent to his widow, Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison (1768–1849). Organizations include the American Colonization Society; the Democratic Young Men's Convention of Philadelphia; the Independent Highlanders of Nashville, Tenn.; the Franklin Literary Society of Randolph-Macon College; the Fluvanna County Court; the Louisa County Court; and the citizens of Petersburg, Va.

Madison, Dolley Payne Todd, Papers, 1835–1848. 5 items. Mss2M2653a.
This group of papers contains miscellaneous social and business notes written by Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison (1768–1849), while living in Washington, D.C., and at Montpelier in Orange County. Notes to women discuss visits (a1, 4 and 6); a note, 1835, to the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger concerns publishing one of President James Madison's (1751–1836) articles on the Missouri Compromise (a2). The collection also contains a brief poem (a3) and receipts, 1837, for legacies paid to her husband's nieces out of advanced royalties for his report of the proceedings of the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787 (a5).

Madison, Dolley Payne Todd, Papers, 1809–1835. 2 items. Mss2M2653d.
The collection contains letters to Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison (1768–1849) of Washington, D.C., and Montpelier in Orange County. The letter, 1835, of Sarah (Coles) Stevenson (1789–1848) of Richmond, describes political dinners for supporters of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren and discusses former President James Madison (1751–1836). The letter, ca. 1809, of Mary Elizabeth (Hazlehurst) Latrobe (1771–1841) of Philadelphia, concerns a carriage, china, hats, and interior decorations for the White House.

Madison, Dolley Payne Todd, Papers, 1815–1838. 6 items. Mss2M2653b.
This collection contains letters written to Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison (1768–1849) in Washington, D.C. Several letters from both men and women petition Madison to persuade her husband, President James Madison (1751–1836), to intercede on their behalf (b3 and 5). A letter, 1815, from John Mason (1766–1849) discusses the sale of wool for her in Philadelphia (b2).

Madison, Lettie Marie Coleman, Papers, 1925–1995. 161 items. Mss1M2656a.
Lettie Marie (Coleman) Madison was born in 1909 in Montpelier, Hanover County. She was educated at Hampton Institute Academy, Dana College (now Rutgers University) in Newark, N.J., and in the School of Social Science at Fordham University in New York City. Except for a brief stint in the administrative offices of Hampton Institute in the 1930s, she devoted herself to a career in social work when few African American women had entered that field. She was employed by the welfare department of Montclair, N.J., as a psychiatric social work supervisor at Essex County Overbrook Hospital in Cedar Grove, N.J.; then, returning to Virginia in 1965, she joined the faculty of Virginia Union University. At VUU, she founded the Department of Social Work, from which she retired in 1977. Her papers in this collection focus on these various aspects of her education, her pioneering social work and teaching career, and her retirement in Richmond. They include correspondence, 1933–1990, primarily with colleagues, educators and employers, and friends, as well as two early letters written to her mother while Madison attended Dana College (section 1); educational materials (section 2); writings, 1949–1992, including essays, articles, and research papers in part concerning African American families, the socialization of African American children, and African American religion and history; some essays written in retirement include reminiscences of Richmond and Hampton Institute (section 3); newspaper clippings, 1963–1995, concerning Madison (section 4); and other biographical and miscellaneous materials about her (section 5).

Mahon, Jane E. Owen Smith, Album, 1834–1845. 1 volume. Mss5:5M2795:1. Microfilm reel C507.
Kept by Jane E. Owen (Smith) Mahon while living in Washington, D.C., this album contains lines of romantic verse copied by her friends, and the signatures of several notables, including Henry Clay.

Majette Family Papers, 1812–1908. 999 items. Mss1M2886a. Microfilm reels C283–286.
Papers of three generations of the Majette family of Southampton County. James Majette (1803–1862) and his wife, Penelope Ann (Darden) Majette (1804–1881), account for the earliest materials in the collection. James's papers include his correspondence, accounts, and other items relating to his farming activities and land speculation (sections 1–11). Penelope's consist of letters, 1864–1865, written to her by George W. Vick (while in the Confederate Army) regarding his efforts to hire out slaves belonging to Penelope (section 12); accounts, 1863–1881, concerning personal and agricultural expenses (section 13); and materials relating to Penelope Majette's estate, including her will, 1875, and an inventory of her personal property, 1881 (section 14).

The largest portion of the collection consists of the papers of James and Penelope Majette's son Roswell Sparks Majette (1841–1900) and his wife, Mary Effa (Smith) Majette (1841–1913). Roswell Majette's papers include correspondence, materials concerning his service in the Confederate Army and membership in the Freemasons, and financial records (sections 16–24). Roswell's account book, 1881–1894, contains accounts relating to his executorship of the estate of his mother, Penelope Majette (section 17). The papers of Roswell's wife, Mary Effa Majette, include her correspondence, 1852–1906, mostly with family members discussing family news and offering condolences on the deaths of her children and other members of Mary's family (section 25); and account books, 1899–1901, concerning farming operations at Oakland, Southampton County, and payment of William Hunter for his services as agricultural laborer at Oakland (sections 26 and 27). Also, in the collection are papers of Roswell and Mary Effa Majette's children, John Goodman Majette (1874–1897) and Mary Elizabeth Majette (1877–1897). John G. Majette's papers consist of correspondence, 1891–1897, with female family members and other friends (section 28). The papers of his sister Mary include her correspondence, 1885–1897, with family members and friends concerning, in part, the death of her brother John (section 29); essays, geometry exercises, and poetry of Mary while a student at Suffolk College, Suffolk (section 30); and a deed, 1891, for land in Marion County, Fla., owned by Mary Elizabeth Majette (section 31).

Mann, Lizzie Jackson, Memoir, n.d. 19 pp. Photocopy of typescript. Mss5:1M3154:1.
In this memoir Lizzie Jackson Mann, daughter of a Gloucester County minister, reminisces about her childhood during the Civil War. She includes stories about the Federal occupation of Gloucester and physical deprivation during the war and Reconstruction. The memoir also contains a defense of slavery and discussion of race relations.

Mansfield Family Papers, 1852–1933. 186 items. Mss1M3178a.
Contains papers of the Mansfield family of Spotsylvania County. Those of John Christian Mansfield (1826–1906) primarily relate to the operation of a general store in Spotsylvania County. Papers of his daughter, Julia Baker Mansfield (1856–1944), include correspondence, 1883–1933, with family members and friends discussing news (particularly of the death of her brother John Pelham Mansfield [1865–1921]) and social activities (section 5); an address book, ca. 1900 (section 6); a commonplace book, ca. 1900, kept in Spotsylvania County regarding the education of children (section 7); and a minute book, 1913–1914, of the women's missionary society of the Hebron Baptist Church, Spotsylvania County, kept by Julia Mansfield and Mary Virginia Peyton (b. 1842) (section 8). Other items include an autograph album, 1852–1853, kept by Cordelia Daniel (Powell) Mansfield (1829–1900), containing lines of verse quoted by friends (section 4); and a certificate, 1917, issued to Nettie Hamner (Jerrell) Mansfield (1883–1960) by the Virginia Department of Public Instruction regarding her service as a teacher at the Rudder School in Spotsylvania County (section 9).

Martin, Katharine Westwood Sinton, Commonplace Book, 1904–1905. 1 volume. Mss5:5M3643:1.
This volume in the Vertical Round Handwriting Books series (Boston: Ginn & Company, 1896) contains penmanship exercises completed by Katherine Westwood (Sinton) Martin (1891–1968).

Minor, Ellen Temple Hill, Album, 1856–1875. 1 volume. Mss5:5M6663:1. Microfilm reel C286.
Ellen Temple (Hill) Minor (b. 1835) maintained an "Album of Affection" at Woodruffs in King William County. She and her friends and relatives copied lines of verse into the album, which also contains engravings of Biblical scenes and American sites.

Mary Washington Monument Association, Papers, 1945–1955. 4 items. Mss4W2795b.
The collection includes a brief history of the Mary Washington Monument Association written by Vivian Minor Fleming, and an abstract of the association's meeting in 1955.

Mason Family Papers, 1813–1943. 5,634 items. Mss1M3816c. Microfilm reels C415–424.
Chiefly the papers of Lewis Edmunds Mason (1822–1897) of Fortsville, Southampton County, relating to agricultural operations at Fortsville and at Day's Neck, Isle of Wight County, ownership of slaves in Virginia and Coahoma County, Miss., land interests in Sussex County, and his activities as agent for and executor of the estates of his parents, John Young Mason (1799–1859) and Mary Ann (Fort) Mason (1803–1870). Papers of John Young Mason document his service as U.S. Secretary of the Navy and Minister to France, and personal affairs.

Also included are papers of John Y. Mason's wife, Mary Ann (Fort) Mason, consisting of her correspondence, 1845?–1871, with friends and family (section 40) and accounts, 1854–1868 (section 41). Other materials generated by women in the collection include correspondence, 1849–1928, and accounts, 1855–1891, of John Y. and Mary Ann Mason's daughters: Frances Ann (Mason) Cook (1831–1908) (sections 82 and 83), Mary Ann (Mason) Anderson (1834–1928) (sections 89 and 90), Sarah Olivia Mason (1837–1926) (sections 92 and 93), Emma (Mason) Barksdale (1839–1900) (section 94 and 95), and Susan Harriet Barksdale Mason (1841–1921) (sections 96 and 97). Also included is a diary, 1856–1858, kept by Mary Ann (Mason) Anderson while traveling in France and Italy (section 88).

Mason Family Papers, 1825–1902. 4,972 items. Mss1M3816d.
This large collection primarily concerns the family of attorney, statesman, U.S. secretary of the Navy, and diplomat John Young Mason (1799–1859) of Greensville and Southampton counties. Included in section 5 is a letter, 1848 February 25, of Samuel Drewery of Drewerysville to Mason concerning Mrs. Wilmer's School in Alexandria and commenting that "it appears to be the fashion of the day for Virginia to send most of her daughters north to complete their education." Also in this section are 2 letters dated in April 1848 and written by Henry V. D. Johns and William Meade Addison, both of Baltimore, concerning the death of Col. Hebb, keeper of the Marine arsenal at Washington and the possibilities of letting his widow, Sarah, take his place as keeper and remain in the cottage by the magazine, to help her provide for their ten children, eight of which are daughters.

Section 6 contains a letter, 1851 March 11, to John Young Mason from S. Helen De Krofft (1818–1915), of Richmond, asking Mason's assistance in selling her "little book" to members of the Virginia legislature. Presumably this was her 1850 book, A Place in Thy Memory, a collection of her letters to friends expressing her thoughts and feelings concerning life in mid-nineteenth-century America.

Sections 6 and 7, containing the papers of John Young Mason and section 32, containing the papers of Elizabeth Harris “Betty” (Mason) Heath, include letters from Ann G. Wight, a former nun (Sister Gertrude) and well-known Washington socialite. Ann's correspondence with Mason primarily concerns American and European politics, the Crimean War, and Mason's salary as minister to France, while her correspondence with Mason's daughter Betty concerns the illness of Betty's father, members of the Mason family, and mutual friends and acquaintances.

Section 64 concerns the Mason family's attempts to continue with normal daily routines and at the same time move from one area to another in Virginia to protect themselves from harm during the early years of the Civil War. A letter written by Ellen G. Anderson to Susan Harriet Barksdale Mason concerns the ladies in Richmond gathering at one of the churches to make sand bags and uniforms for the soldiers. The men, especially Lewis Mason, wrote with instructions for things that needed to be done in their absence, while the women primarily wrote to each other concerning their loneliness and asking each other for assistance.

Mason, Ethel Watson White Legg, Papers, 1946–1948. 6 items. Mss1M3812c.
This collection contains volume two of Ethel Watson (White) Legg Mason's (1886–1948) manuscript, Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia (1948), as well as four volumes of notes used in compiling the work.

Mason, Ethel Watson White Legg, Papers, 1934–1947. 1,088 items. Mss1M3812a.
Ethel Watson (White) Legg Mason (1886–1948), genealogist, author, and chronicler of the history of colonial Gloucester County, wrote under the pen names Polly Cary Legg and Polly Cary Mason. Her papers include manuscripts of "The Story of Elmington", published in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 55 (1947): 247–258, and "The History of White Marsh, Gloucester County," as well as research notes used in compiling these works and her Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia, 2 vols. (1946 and 1948). Among the notes are seventeen small notebooks containing references to primary sources on colonial Gloucester County and about twenty-five plats, probably of tracts in Gloucester County (box 2). Correspondence, 1909–1947, contains letters concerning publications and accounts of sales for volume one of Mason's book (box 4). There is also correspondence with George C. Mason, who became her second husband, and letters to his children. Two volumes of accounts, 1943–1945 and 1922–1945, document Ethel's expenses before her marriage to George and her securities and investments (box 3).

Mason, Ethel Watson White Legg, Papers, 1916–1946. 15 items. Mss1M3812b.
This collection contains volume one of Ethel Watson (White) Legg Mason's (1886–1948) manuscript, Records of Colonial Gloucester County Virginia (1946). It also includes Mason's genealogical notes on the Digges and Armistead families.

Matthew Fontaine Maury Association Papers, 1915–1931. 1,208 items. Mss3M4486a.
Elvira Evelina (Worth) Jackson Walker Moffitt (1836–1930), a North Carolina native and three-time widow who moved to Richmond with her son and his family in 1910, formed the Matthew Fontaine Maury Association to celebrate the contributions of that United States and Confederate States naval officer to oceanography and to southern life in general. Long interested in the history of the South and the preservation of its records and historical sites, Moffitt corresponded with historians, political figures, association members, and potential donors to raise funds for a monument to Maury in Richmond (unveiled in 1929) and to campaign for Maury's election to the Hall of Fame at New York University (sections 3–5). The collection includes her correspondence (section 1), notes (section 2), and commonplace books (section 8), along with correspondence (section 9) and accounts (section 10) kept by her daughter-in-law, Annie Hyman (Philips) Jackson, who served as treasurer of the Association, and correspondence, membership records, minutes, and miscellaneous materials of her son, Herbert Worth Jackson (1865–1936), who served as a trustee (sections 11–13).

Meade Family Papers, 1886–1942. 671 items. Mss1M4618c.
The collection consists almost entirely of correspondence of two sisters, Kate Fontaine Meade (1873–1965) and Marianne Everard Meade (1876–1970), of Iron Gate, Allegheny County, and Richmond (sections 2 and 3). Their correspondence is with family members and friends primarily regarding religion and Episcopal church life, the college life and experiences of male acquaintances, and visits to Virginia springs, health spas, and other resorts. Scattered materials pertain to other Meade family members, and there are a few papers of Benjamin Batchelder Valentine (1863–1919) and his wife, Richmond educator Lila Hardaway (Meade) Valentine (1865–1921) (sections 1 and 5).

Meade Family Papers, 1837–1981. 153 items. Mss1M4618d. Microfilm reel C609.
This collection contains papers of three generations of members of the Fontaine and Meade families of Richmond. Correspondence, 1851?–1873, of Jane Eliza (Hardaway) Meade (1801–1876) contains letters exchanged with female family members that discuss family news (section 2). There is one long letter, 1874, written by Maria Louisa (Shackelford) Fontaine (1807–1876) of Hanover County to her grandchildren that discusses the rearing of her own children (section 5). Correspondence, 1857–1865, of her husband, Edmund Fontaine (1801–1869), includes letters exchanged with their daughter, Catherine (Fontaine) Meade (1833–1909) (section 3); there are also financial and legal papers, 1861–1869, documenting a transfer of land from the Fontaines to Jane Eliza Meade's son, Richard Hardaway Meade (1831–1880), who married their daughter (section 4).

Papers of Richard Hardaway Meade include correspondence, 1853–1878, with women in the Archer family and other female relatives that discuss family news (section 6); accounts, 1856–1880 (section 7); and other financial papers. Papers of his wife, Jane Catherine (Fontaine) Meade, contain an account book, 1860–1864, and correspondence, 1850–1874, consisting primarily of family letters, including several to Confederate soldiers (sections 10 and 11). There is also a letter, 1870, from Bettie Heath, an African American domestic servant, announcing that she is leaving service to marry (section 10).

Correspondence, 1872–1904, of Richard Hardaway Meade (1867–1951), son of Richard and Catherine Meade, contains a second letter, 1872, from Bettie Heath stating her intention to return to work (section 12). This collection also includes a small amount of correspondence, 1872–1886, of Lila Hardaway (Meade) Valentine (1865–1921), Richmond reformer, educator, and suffragist, and the daughter of Richard and Catherine Meade (section 13). Valentine's correspondence is primarily with family members and friends but it, too, includes a letter from Bettie Heath. There are a few papers pertaining to other members of the Meade, Fontaine, Archer, and Maury families.

The Medical Society of Virginia Alliance, Records, 1922–1998. ca. 4,400 items. Mss3M4686aFA1.
The Medical Society of Virginia Alliance was founded in Norfolk, in 1922 as the Woman's Auxiliary to the Medical Society of Virginia, a service organization that primarily included the wives of Virginia physicians as members. The organization sought to develop public awareness about health issues through education and to assist in supplying proper public health care to the indigent. In 1976, the organization was renamed the Medical Society of Virginia Auxiliary; in 1993 it became the Medical Society of Virginia Alliance.

The records of the Medical Society of Virginia Alliance primarily document the governance of the organization by an executive board, headed by an annually elected president, the work of officers and committees, the development and implementation of special projects and programs, and the meetings of members. Records include minutes of board meetings (series 2, boxes 1–2), annual reports (series 3, boxes 2–3), annual meeting/convention files (series 4, boxes 3–4), presidents' correspondence (series 8.1, box 15), treasurers' records (series 9, boxes 15–17), scrapbooks (series 7, boxes 6–14), records of local auxiliaries (series 10, box 18), files concerning the relationship with the American Medical Association Alliance (series 11, boxes 18–19), and special project files (series 12, boxes 19–20).

The records document the organization's traditionally active role in promoting public health, especially among children, youth, and women, through education, service, and philanthropy. The Woman's Auxiliary, for instance, exercised crucially important leadership in this field during the years of the Great Depression and its members were heavily involved in the war effort and in promoting public health on the homefront during World War II. Among the more significant efforts documented in this collection are the Auxiliary's use of the national medical journal Hygeia for public education (particularly in Virginia schools) and its persistent attempts to influence state and national legislation relating to health care and the medical profession.

Meredith, Jessie H., Scrapbook, 1955–1986. Photocopied from original. Incomplete. Mss5:7M5416:1
Scrapbook, compiled on the occasion of Jessie H. Meredith's ([b. 1924]of Glen Allen, Va.) retirement from A. H. Robins Co. of Richmond, Va., on October 31,1986. Meredith retired from the packaging department after working there for 31 years. Includes memorabilia and photographs of A. H. Robins Co. employee vacations to Cuba and Miami, Fla.

Mettauer, John Peter, Papers, 1812–1858. 128 items. Mss1M5677a. Microfilm reel C426.
The physician John Peter Mettauer (1787–1875) of Prince Edward County, who pioneered in developing a surgical technique to correct vesico-vaginal fistula, treated men and women from all social ranks for a variety of ailments. His papers include letters from slaveholders requesting his services for their slaves (section 1) and an account book, 1819–1847, containing cryptic references to patients' diagnoses and their treatments, as well as fees charged (sections 2 and 3). Additional Mettauer papers are at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia.

Mihalap, Hope Christopoulas, Papers, 1947–1996. 3 items. Mss2M5882b.
This small collection includes programs of plays performed by Hope Christopoulas (later Hope (Christopoulas) Mihalap) and other students of Miss Turnbull's School for Girls ("Skull and Cross Boners" and "When We Put Out to See"); and a historical aricle, "A Look Back at Miss Turnbull's School," written by Joyce Newbegin in the June 1996 issue of the Downtowner, Norfolk.

Miller Family Papers, 1854–1916. 160 items. Mss1M6196a.
This collection centers on Fanny Braxton (Young) Miller (1859–1913) and her mother, Fanny Churchill (Braxton) Young (1828–1894) of West Brook in Henrico County. Young's papers consist of a small amount of correspondence, 1854–1886, mostly with her children (section 2), and a cookbook, 1870–1916 (section 3). Miller's papers primarily date from before her marriage and include correspondence, 1874–1894, from family members, friends, and potential suitors (section 7); a scrapbook, 1871, containing clippings of poems and pictures (section 8); two autograph albums, 1876–1887 and 1878–1883 (sections 9–10); and examinations in Latin and arithmetic (section 11). A few papers pertain to Miller's husband, James Mason Miller (section 5).

Miller Family Papers, 1910–2003. 72 items. Mss1M6196e.
Primarily concern the operations of the farm at Pomona, in the Bedford County community of Forest, by William Perry Miller (1900–1967) and the life of his family at that location. Documents reflect the difficulties of farming during the early years of the Great Depression and the efforts to diversify agricultural operations in those years. Of particular interest in this collection is a 1952 article concerning the use of a freezer by Mrs. W. Perry Miller (i.e., Ruby Howard (Rose) Miller [1904–1985]) on the farm at Pomona; account books, 1922–1923, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1932, and 1933–1950, regarding various aspects of farming at Pomona (some volumes were later used by Rubinette Rose (Miller) Niemann [1935– ] as student notebooks and essay books); a typescript diary, 1931, kept by Florence Miller concerning a trip from Virginia through the mid-western United States and portions of Canada to the Pacific Northwest and back taken by her, her twin brothers, William Perry Miller and Sheffey Guy Miller (1900–1961), and two friends; and an undated recipe book kept by Ruby Howard (Rose) Miller at Pomona.

Miller, Joseph Lyon, Papers, 1610–1964. 427 items. Mss1M6154a.
Joseph Lyon Miller (1875–1957), a practicing physician in Thomas, W. Va., assembled this collection of papers documenting the work of physicians in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York, and Great Britain. Women appear primarily as patients, although a receipt, 1829, in the papers of John D. McGill (1806–1855) of Urbanna, Va., documents the work of a slave midwife (section 5). The collection contains information on obstetrics and gynecology in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as on ailments and treatments common to both men and women. Among the most useful materials for the study of women are notes on midwifery and the diseases of women, 1769–1770, kept by James McClurg (1747–1823) of Williamsburg while attending the University of Edinburgh (section 3); commonplace books, 1813 and 1818, of Joseph Miller (b. 1784) of Christiansburg listing symptoms of diseases and treatments (section 15); notes in French on obstetrics, 1858, taken in Paris for Robert Bolling (1832–1903) (section 16); and papers, 1782, pertaining to infanticide accusations levelled at Ann Cook of Lincolnshire, Eng. (section 53). Physicians' accounts and correspondence, especially for the nineteenth century, provide insights into the establishment of the medical profession and the nature of relationships among physicians and between doctors and patients. Miller also collected rare medical treatises; both books and papers are at the VHS on long-term loan from the Richmond Academy of Medicine.

[Miller, Rebecca], Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, Policy, 1845. 1 item. Mss4M9855a4.
This fire insurance policy was issued by the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia in Richmond to Rebecca Miller for a house in Winchester.

Minor Family Papers, 1810–1932. 4,305 items. Mss1M6663c. Microfilm reels C610–618.
This collection consists primarily of the papers of Robert Dabney Minor (1827–1871), an officer in the United States and Confederate States navies, and his wife, Landonia (Randolph) Minor (1830–1912) of Linden in Fauquier County.

Robert Minor's papers include extensive correspondence, 1849–1871, documenting his service in the U.S. Navy, especially his participation in the Paraguay Expedition, 1858–1859, and with Matthew C. Perry in China in 1854, and his Confederate service on the ironclad "Virginia" (formerly the "Merrimack"), in command of the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works in Richmond, and on the James River Squadron during the siege of Petersburg (section 11). Lengthy exchanges of letters with his wife discuss family news and plantation operations and include frank expressions of affection; they also illuminate his wife's relationship with her father, Charles Carter Randolph (1778–1863), and provide details of the life and death of her brother, Robert Randolph (1835–1864), who was killed in the war. A letterbook, 1868–1869, supplies supplementary information on Minor's postwar career as superintendent of mining and transportation for the Dover Company at its iron mines in Amherst and Appomattox counties (section 10).

Landonia Minor's papers consist of correspondence, 1830–1912, with family members (especially her daughters) and friends that discuss her activities in the Episcopal Church (section 38); personal accounts, 1852–1912 (section 39); legal and land records concerning her property in Richmond (section 41); and her commonplace book, 1858–1869, containing personal accounts and lists of clothing and linen at Linden (section 40).

Among the papers of other family members are correspondence, 1859–1872, of Robert Minor's brother, George Buckner Minor (1808–1879) of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography of the Confederate States Navy (section 8) and correspondence, 1863–1916, of Robert and Landonia Minor's daughter, Mary Washington Ball (Minor) Lightfoot, of Richmond and Linden (section 58), as well as an account book, 1917, regarding her fundraising for the Richmond Young Men's Christian Association (section 59). Family and personal correspondence, 1863–1871, of Mary Beverley (Randolph) Ball (1826–1869) of Springwood in Loudoun County (section 50) includes information on the Springwood Select Home School for Young Ladies, which she operated with her husband, George Washington Ball, and a commonplace book, 1868–1869, containing poetry (section 51). Materials of Frances Harrison Marr (1835–1918), a Fauquier County teacher and published poet, document the education of the daughters of Robert and Landonia Minor (section 65). The collection also contains scattered correspondence and commonplace books of other members of the Ball, Carter, Minor, and Randolph families.

Miscellaneous Virginia Family Letters, 1861–1862. 6 items. Mss2V8194b.
Include letters written by Mary E. Beall of Charles Town, Va. [now W. Va.], concerning her courtship with Thomas Smith of Berryville; Daniella Morton Grinnan (1830–1888) of Brampton, Madison County discussing her opinion of Confederate naval efforts against the Union blockade, the social life of friends in Galveston, Tex., and the effect on the local population in Madison County of the impending retreat of the Confederate army from Manassas in early 1862; and V.C.W. (otherwise unidentified) regarding her personal religious convictions.

Mitchell, Mary Rebecca Combs, Scrapbook, 1860–1899. 1 volume. Mss5:7M6945:1.
This scrapbook, compiled by Mary Rebecca (Combs) Mitchell (1825–1902) of Lexington, Ky., opens with a newspaper account of her arrest for suspicion of conveying information to Confederates; she was cleared of the charge. The volume also contains clippings concerning the Civil War and obituaries of various men and women.

Mitchell Family Papers, 1818–1853. 5 items. Mss2M6966b.
Consist of letters written by or addressed to Melinda L. (Saunders) Bouldin (of Glasgow, Mo.), J. Brown (while a student at Princeton College [now Princeton University]), Ann D. (Saunders) Mitchell ([d. 1807?] of Oakland, Bedford County, concerning family and social life), E. Rosalie Mitchell, Samuel P. Mitchell (while teaching school in Amherst County, Va.), and Dr. Thomas P. Mitchell ([b. 1790?] while representing Bedford County in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1839).

Moffitt, Elvira Evelina Worth Jackson Walker, Papers, 1911–1930. 46 items. Mss1M7244a.
The collection contains correspondence of Elvira Evelina (Worth) Jackson Walker Moffitt (1836–1930), a civic activist living in Richmond (section 2). Letters, 1911–1930, discuss her involvement in the American Peace Society, including the establishment of a local branch in Richmond; her work as president of the Matthew Fontaine Maury Association in raising money for a statue commemorating the naval officer and oceanographer; and her role in an attempt by the National Society of Colonial Dames to establish a free public library in Richmond.

Moler, Nellie May Hendricks, Papers, 1902–1952. 786 items. Mss1M7323a.
The collection consists primarily of correspondence, 1906–1952, of genealogist Nellie May (Hendricks) Moler (1879–1953) of Shepherdstown, W. Va., regarding genealogical research for families in West Virginia, western Virginia, and western Maryland (sections 1–2). There are also historical writings by Moler and others chiefly about Civil War battles (section 3) and newspaper clippings regarding local events in Jefferson County and Morgantown, W. Va. (section 4).

Monroe, Mary Alice Tipton, Album, 1928. 1 volume. Mss5:1M7575:1.
The Bride's Journal: A Record of Treasured Thoughts (Richmond, 1928) was presented to Mary Alice (Tipton) Monroe and her husband, Benjamin Edward Monroe, by the merchants of Richmond. It contains printed advertisements and recipes and manuscript notes concerning the Monroes' wedding.

Monument Avenue Crest Garden Club, Richmond, Records, 1946–1975. 72 items. Mss3M7692a.
This organization, named for a residential subdivision in the Westhampton area of Richmond, was founded in 1940. The collection of records described here primarily consists of scrapbooks compiled by club officers and members. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, club yearbooks, letters and memoranda, reports, photographs, award recognitions, programs, and related items. Many focus on the club's relationship with the Piedmont District of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., and the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.

The various scrapbooks also include information on local flower shows sponsored by the club (1954 and 1956), the beautification project in 1970–1972 at Center House, Inc., home to a number of social service agencies at 713 North First Street in Richmond (formerly St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Convent and later the United Givers Fund Senior Center that was destroyed by fire in 1973), a beautification and litter cleanup project on the median strips on Libbie Avenue in Richmond between Wythe and Guthrie avenues, 1970–1971, and support for the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs's garden center project at 4015 Hermitage Road (1970–1971).

Mordecai, Rosina Ursula Young, Commonplace Book, 1830–1835. 1 volume. Mss5:5M8115:1.
Friends copied lines of verse about friendship and love into this book, owned by Rosina Ursula (Young) Mordecai (1818–1906) of Westbrook in Henrico County; the cover is stamped "Rosina U. Young."

Mordecai, Julia Judith, Commonplace Book, 1847–1928. 1 volume. Mss5:5M8114:1.
Alfred Mordecai (1804–1887) incorporated a genealogical "Family Register" begun by his sister Julia Judith Mordecai (1799–1852) in 1847, into this book, which he created in 1879 for his niece, Caroline (Myers) Cohen (1844–1928). The register and a folder of loose papers concern the Cohen, Etting, Hays, Marx, Mayo, Meyers, Miley, Mordecai, and Myers families. Caroline Cohen added her reminiscences of Catharine, Harriet, and Julia Myers, and of Edward Cohen.

Morgan, Georgia Bazacos, Papers, 1952–2005. 6 items. Mss2M8219b
Routine employment documents concerning Georgia (Bazacos) Morgan's ([b. 1926] of Richmond, Va.) career at A. H. Robins Co in Richmond, Va. Morgan started at A. H. Robins Co. as a receptionist. She was promoted and eventually became the founding librarian for the company. The collection includes her drawing for the set-up of the library. She was charged with the task of ordering books, and furniture and designing the space where the library would be located. The collection includes her plan for the set-up of the library, and an autobiography regarding her employment at A. H. Robins.

Morrison, Mary E. Rambant, Memoir, 1865. 8 pp. Typescript. Mss5:1M8348:1.
Mary E. (Rambant) Morrison (1832–1904) remembers the evacuation of Petersburg on 3 April 1865, nearly a half-century after the event (1902). She describes the burial of a Confederate soldier as Grant's army advanced on the town.

Moses, Katherine Spiller Graves, Papers, 1849–1898. 101 items. Mss1M8532a. Microfilm reel C473.
The papers of Katherine Spiller (Graves) Moses (1834–1914) contain scattered correspondence, 1868–1897, with friends and relatives, including a few letters concerning her attempt to adopt a son (section 1); papers documenting her teaching career, 1871–1884, in Pittsylvania County (section 2); and a few business and financial papers (section 4). Among the teaching materials are contracts, a list of textbook regulations, 1882, and a few letters from students.

Mott, Thomas Bentley, Papers, 1844–1945. 573 items. Mss1M8585a.
This collection contains the papers of Thomas Bentley Mott (1865–1952), author and U.S. army military attaché in Paris, France, who was born in Leesburg, Va., and his wife, Rose Gabrille Georgette (Saint Paul) Mott (b. 1891), infirmière-major of a military field hospital in France during World War I and founder of Aid to the Côte Basque, a relief agency that assisted French children during World War II. His papers include correspondence, 1904–1945, and newspaper clippings, ca. 1929–1937, concerning his biography of U.S. ambassador to France Myron T. Herrick (1854–1929) and his own autobiography, Twenty Years as a Military Attaché (1937) (sections 3 and 5); Herrick and U.S. General John Joseph Pershing (1860–1948) figure prominently among the correspondents. There are also offprints of articles, ca. 1898–1911, most published in military journals (section 4), and photographs of various European military personnel (section 8).

Georgette Mott's papers make up nearly one-quarter of the collection. Letters, 1909–1942, to her are mostly in French and discuss her war work (section 9). A scrapbook, 1940–1942, kept in New York City, documents her work for Aid to the Côte Basque (section 10). The collection also includes a file of citations and awards, 1917–1919, for her work in World War I; an unpublished manuscript, "What War Means . . . Extracts from the diaries of nurses at the front," ca. 1917; and a typescript of the war diary, 1914, of Caroline M. (Parmely) Herrick (d. 1918), probably used by Mott's husband in his research for Ambassador Herrick's biography (section 11). A few items pertaining to Georgette Mott also appear in the Thomas Bentley Mott Papers (Mss1M8585b) at the VHS.

Munford Family Papers, 1799–1964. 351 items. Mss1M9235b.
This collection centers on Beverley Bland Munford (1856–1910), and his wife, Mary Cook (Branch) Munford (1868–1938), educator and civic activist of Richmond. Beverley Munford's correspondence, 1884–1910, includes complimentary notes concerning his book Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession (1909) and letters to his young son, Beverley Bland Munford, Jr. (b. 1898) (section 4). There is also a scrapbook, 1883–1910, of reviews of the work and a file of research materials containing abstracts of manumission documents (section 5). Essays and speeches include "A Tribute to Southern Women" and "Lawlessness in Our Land," an essay on the testimony of women in rape trials (section 6). Mary Munford's papers include her correspondence, 1884–1938, containing letters written as a sixteen-year-old travelling in Europe to her mother, Martha Louis (Patteson) Branch (1831–1908), and notices of appointments to and commendations for Mary's service on educational and civic committees from presidents Woodrow Wilson and Herbert Hoover and various Virginia governors (section 11). The collection also contains Martha Branch's autobiography, 1904, recalling the Civil War, and a few papers of other family members (section 3).

Munford Family Papers, 1847–1948. 79 items. Mss1M9235a.
The collection contains papers of various Munford family members, most of whom lived in Richmond. Correspondence, 1874–1889, of Elizabeth Thorowgood (Ellis) Munford (1818–1900) with her brother, Powhatan Ellis (1829–1906), daughters, Etta Wythe Munford (1865–1957) and Margaret Nimmo Munford (1843–1920), and other relatives discusses family news (section 1). An account book, 1901–1942, kept by Fannie Ellis Munford (1850–1944), includes estate values of various deceased family members (section 3), and loose accounts illuminate the sale of the family's papers to Duke University and the University of North Carolina in 1939 and 1940 (section 4). The collection also includes seven poems on death, spirituality, and nature by Charles Henry Talbott (1840–1912), as well as papers pertaining to other family members (section 5).

Myers, Edmund Trewbridge Dana, Letter, 1890. 1 item. Mss2M9924a1.
Letter, 22 December 1890, from Edmund Trewbridge Dana Myers (1830–1905) to Mary Blair (Peachy) Wilkinson (b. 1832) discussing Mary's letter enclosing an unidentified object, presumably made by her, and a check Myers is sending in return, as well as holiday greetings.

Myers Family Papers, 1763–1923. 202 items. Mss1M9924a. Microfilm reels C301–302.
This diverse collection, formerly entitled the "Myers-Mordecai-Hays Papers," documents the lives of men and women in the Jewish mercantile families of Hays, Myers, and Mordecai as they emigrated from Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y., to Virginia and North Carolina. It illuminates the history of Judaism in America, trans-Atlantic trade, and the education of women in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A volume of receipts, 1763–1766, kept in New York City by Judah Hays (1703–1764) and his son Moses Michael Hays (1739–1805) contains signatures of the men and women who did business with them and listings of the goods or services that they provided (section 2). Also included is the marriage contract, 1796, of Judith (Hays) Myers (1767–1844) and Samuel Myers (1755–1836), a Virginia merchant (section 5). The papers of the younger Judah Hays (1770–1832) of Boston and New York, especially letters from Samuel Myers, pertain to the development of trans-Atlantic trade in the early republic (sections 7–8).

A single volume contains a letter, 1796, from Jacob Mordecai (1762–1838) to his children written on the death of his wife, Judith (Myers) Mordecai (1762–1796) (section 6). Mordecai founded the Warrenton Female Academy, a non-sectarian boarding school for girls, in Warrenton, N.C., around 1810. Several of his daughters served as teachers, and materials pertaining to them document the history of the education of women in the South. Included is the diary, 1816–1820, of Rachel (Mordecai) Lazarus (1789–1838) discussing the education of her younger sister, Eliza Kennon (Mordecai) Myers (1809–1861), whom she tutored (section 12). Several of Eliza's student notebooks, ca. 1825–1830, also survive (sections 19–20), as well as an account book, 1828–1829, kept by her sister, Caroline (Mordecai) Plunkett (1794–1862), that enumerates the expenses incurred by parents in educating their daughters (section 13). The collection contains correspondence of Eliza Myers with male and female family members in Virginia and North Carolina (section 18), as well as poems, memoirs, and short stories attributed to various Myers and Mordecai women (sections 23 and 26). Also included in the collection is a partial manuscript of Records of the Myers, Hays, and Mordecai Families from 1707 to 1913 (Washington, D.C., 1913) by Caroline (Myers) Cohen (section 30) and a Hebrew prayer book, Sefer Sefirat Ha-omer (Amsterdam, 1756) (miscellany box).

Myers Family Papers, 1842–1929. 81 items. Mss1M9924b. Microfilm reel C302.
This collection contains papers of the Myers and Paul families. Included are the letters, 1861–1869, of Gustavus Adolphus Myers (1801–1869) of Richmond to his friend and fellow attorney Conway Robinson (1805–1884) (section 1). In 1864 Myers's son William Barksdale Myers (1839–1873) married Martha West Pegram "Mattie" Paul (1845–1926). Her correspondence, 1865–1884, consists of letters from friends and relatives (section 6). A small amount of correspondence, 1860–1865, of her mother, Lelia Adela (Pegram) Paul Béraud (1821–1865), also survives and includes three letters to her daughter written in French (section 4). There are a few papers of other members of the Myers family.

Updated January 13, 2010