Since December, I had the luck to research a letter
collection from the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, Virginia. This collection
has never been analyzed or seen beyond the family members who held it and the
staff of the library. These letters were the basis of the thesis I wrote for my
MSc. Currently, this collection is still going through processing and is not available for viewing without an appointment.
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| Image of the letters when they arrived at the library in 2016. |
The director of the library is allowing me to do an ongoing
series of posts about my findings. Best of
all, I am continuing my research at the library. For my thesis, I only studied
a portion of the letters from the first 15 years of the collection. There is
still a lot more work to do! The ultimate goal being the digital images, and transcriptions of the letters, I am creating will be on their website available to the public.
Here is a bit of background. The Dr Armistead Randolph Mott
family letters contain an estimated 500 letters which cover the Mott family, their
friends, community members, and extended family from the 1830s to early 1900s.
It includes detailed descriptions of life in Leesburg and other locations across
the United States. The Mott family connections are extensive and go to many of the founding families of Virginia.
Personal and family
letters are of particular interest to genealogists and historians as they are
an intimate look into a family and their associates. Through Leesburg’s history,
it was a diverse settlement which included slaves, free blacks, immigrants of
various backgrounds, and multiple generations of Virginians. For genealogists researching
persons from Leesburg, knowing the names and details of the people with whom
the Motts interreacted, are details which may not be found anywhere else.
I hope you will find
the information I present through these posts as interesting as I do. So sit
back, relax, enjoy the stories, and get ready to see that our ancestors were
just as quirky as we are!
Was look for information on Doctor Mott and found your blog. In my great grand fathers military pension application he says he was cared for by Dr. Mott in 1866. He was a member of the 5th US Cavalry Co. C and they were stationed near Leesburg VA. in July/August 1866. He was run thought the back with a saber by a man under his command. Look to have been under personal care of Dr. Mott for about 2 week the in the Leesburg hospital for another 2 week the sent to the hospital in Winchester VA. Look forward to the when you cover 1866 in the letters to see if Patrick Rigney or his case is mentioned
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