Farmville-Prince Edward Historical Society Archives
401 Redford StreetBenedict Chatelain
There are no restrictions to access or use for research purposes.
The checkbook in this collection, which originally belonged to Walter Grey Dunnington, was donated to the Farmville-Prince Edward Historical Society by Thomas Morrissett, Jr. in fall 2020.
Walter Grey Dunnington was born in 1849 in Farmville, Virginia to James W. and Sallie Madison Dunnington. In 1872, he joined his father in the family's tobacco business, Dunnington and Company and was responsible for establishing significant European contracts. In 1876, Dunnington married India Knight with whom he had five children, Sally Dunnington, Lucy Dunnington, James W. Dunnington, Walter Grey Dunnington, Jr., and John Dunnington. In 1897, W.G. Dunnington built Poplar Hill Manor (aka The Dunnington Mansion) where his family would reside until the late 1960s. Additionally, Dunnington served as a Trustee of Hampden-Sydney College and was a member of the Farmville Town Council. Walter Grey Dunnington passed away in 1922 and is buried at Westview Cemetery in Farmville.
This checkbook, issued by Planters Bank of Farmville, to W.G. Dunnington, Leaf Tobacco, dates from June 1921 to August 1922. The last five used checks in this checkbook were issued by Walter Grey Dunnington, Jr., and were utilized to settle his father's account after his death in 1922.