Unidentified Author – Virginia Woman's Forum

Unidentified Author, Letters, 1883. 3 items. Mss2Un3f.
Consists of letters, 1883 August 9, 25, and 29, written by "Aunt Emma" (otherwise unidentified) while at Alleghany Springs and Washington Springs, to her nephew "Charlie" (otherwise unidentified). Subjects discussed include instructions for her household staff, apparently supervised by "Charlie" in her absence, with regard to planting a fall garden, cutting wood for the coming winter before cotton picking time, and painting and cleaning the house before her return. Also, include news of a younger "Emma" (i.e., Immogene, possibly a niece, whom Aunt Emma appears to be chaperoning) and her beaus and social activities. There is also discussion of her various side trips, including visits to Saltville, Luray, and Natural Bridge, as well as Knoxville, Tenn., and a planned trip to the "Exposition" (presumably the 1883 Southern Exposition in Louisville, Ky.) before returning home the latter part of September.

Unidentified Compiler, Notes on Glen Allen, Va. 8 items. Mss7:2G4843:2.
This small collection includes materials concerning people and places in Glen Allen. Of particular interest is "A Study of Henrico County—Some Notes" by Susan Garland Poindexter, which includes a history of Glen Allen, Walkerton Tavern, Forest Lodge, the post office, Glen Allen Baptist Church, and Glen Allen School; "This Week in History" by Frederick Jarrard Anderson concerning Bessie Trevvett Lewis (b. 1891) of Glen Allen; and "A History of Glen Allen High School" by Mildred C. Waleski.

Union Academy, Records, 1838–1986. 7 items. Mss3Un31a.
Established as a private school for boys in Campbell County (now Appomattox County), Union Academy first admitted girls in 1862. The school closed in 1874, but reopened in 1906 as a public school; it remained in operation until 1920. The papers include a volume of minutes, 1838–1920, of the Board of Trustees and a copy of an account book, 1860–1874, kept by Chapman Hunter Chilton (1832–1917), one of the school's principals (sections 1 and 2). Chilton became the first superintendent of Appomattox County public schools in 1870. The diary, 1893–1895, of his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Elliott) Chilton (1842–1920), discusses the operation of the Chilton's farm and the activities of family members, including her reading club and her husband's public school visits (section 4).

United Daughters of the Confederacy, Virginia Division, Scrapbook, 1913–1957. 1 volume. Mss5:7Un33:1.
This scrapbook, maintained by the members of the U.D.C., Virginia Division, Chapter No. 157, in Boydton, Mecklenburg County, consists primarily of printed clippings on Virginia history. There is also information on national and local activities of the U.D.C., and typed reminiscences of various Confederate soldiers, most from Mecklenburg County. The volume has been partially indexed by the staff of the VHS.

United Daughters of the Confederacy, Grand Division of Virginia, Minutes, 1894, 1896, and 1898–1899. Photocopy, 34 pp. Mss4Un3008b.
These minutes of the meetings of a group reported to have been the first organization to bear the name United Daughters of the Confederacy include information on the election of officers, formation of committees, membership requirements, and addresses by members.

Valentine, Lila Hardaway Meade, Papers, 1913–1922. 20 items. Mss2V2345b.
The collection opens with a letter, 1913, written by Richmond suffragist Lila Hardaway (Meade) Valentine (1865–1921) from a suffrage convention in Washington, D.C., to her sister Kate Fontaine Meade (1873–1965). It also contains newspaper clippings describing the convention and a half-dozen pamphlets and two broadsides issued by the National American Woman Suffrage Association. There are a few papers of the Equal Suffrage League of Richmond and a copy of a resolution honoring Valentine passed by the Richmond League of Women Voters in 1922, as well as a pamphlet concerning the establishment of a college in Virginia to provide women with educational opportunities parallel to those available to men at the University of Virginia.

Valentine, Lila Hardaway Meade, Papers, 1865–1937. 507 items. Mss1V2345a.
The collection contains the papers of Richmond civic activist and suffragist Lila Hardaway (Meade) Valentine (1865–1921). Valentine's correspondence, 1892–1921, includes letters written to her mother, Jane Catherine (Fontaine) Meade (1833–1909), and sisters, Kate Fontaine Meade (1873–1965), Marianne Everard Meade (1876–1970), and Louise Fontaine (Meade) Cadot (1871–1949), while travelling in western Europe (section 3). There is also correspondence with friends, including fellow suffragists Mary Johnston (1870–1936), Adéle Clark (1882–1983), Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow (1873–1945), and Nora Houston (1883–1942). Valentine served as the first president of the Richmond Equal Suffrage League, as president of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, and as honorary president of the Virginia League of Women Voters. This collection contains information on all of these organizations, as well as Valentine's correspondence with national suffrage leaders Alice Stone Blackwell (1857–1950), Carrie Chapman Catt (1859–1947), and Kate Lee Langley Bosher (1865–1932). Also included is information on the Men's League for Woman Suffrage, newspaper articles on suffrage and education collected by Valentine, and her own speeches on suffrage (section 5). A commonplace book, ca. 1901, contains notes on beauty and socialism (section 4). Papers of Valentine's husband, Benjamin Batchelder Valentine (1863–1919), include a letter of appreciation to her and his observations on her activities (section 1).

Valentine, Lila Meade, Memorial Association, Papers, 1927. 3 items. Mss4V2345a1.
The collection contains a letter from Adéle Clark (1882–1983), chair of the Lila Meade Valentine Association, to Marianne Everard Meade (1876–1970), Valentine's sister, announcing that the General Assembly of Virginia has passed a joint resolution honoring the reformer by authorizing the erection of a memorial to Valentine in the capitol building and soliciting funds for it. Names of association members appear on the back of the letter. Also included is a broadside detailing the association's history and a donation card.

Van Lew, Elizabeth Louisa, Album, 1845–1897. 1 volume. Mss5:5V3257:1. Microfilm reel C309.
This album belonged to Elizabeth Van Lew (1818–1900), a native of Richmond and a Union spy during the Civil War. It contains documents concerning the hiring and purchase of slaves, Confederate passes for Van Lew and for slaves, a few materials pertaining to friends and family members, and newspaper clippings of various war stories. There are also letters expressing gratitude for Van Lew's assistance during the war and supporting her appointment as postmistress of Richmond by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Virginia Association of Ladies for Erecting a Statue to Henry Clay, Papers, 1859. 1 volume. Mss4V8192a1.
This leather-bound, gilt-edged volume contains a handwritten list of more than 2500 women's names, arranged alphabetically by county for Accomack through Orange counties. Lists of names for Montgomery and Pittsylvania counties appear on a separate list. The statue was unveiled on Capitol Square in Richmond in 1859 and moved to the Old Hall of the House of Delegates in 1930.

Virginia Woman's Forum, Records, 1949–1989. 101 items. Mss3V8198a.
Blanche (Kidd) Satterfield, Counselor on Women's Organizations for Miller & Rhoads, Inc., in Richmond, founded the Virginia Woman's Forum in 1949. Representatives from women's clubs, garden clubs, business and professional associations, and service organizations met annually to hear national and international speakers discuss various topics focusing on the place of women in a changing world. Records include general files, 1985–1989, containing correspondence with and information on speakers (section 1); annual programs, 1949–1988 (section 2); five volumes of scrapbooks consisting of clippings and photographs documenting the Forum's activities (section 3); and biographical information on its directors, Blanche Satterfield and Emma Z. Brown (section 4). The Forum ended in 1989 with the loss of the sponsorship of the Miller & Rhoads department store.

Updated 2007