Preferred Citation

MSS 16392, Jonathan A. Bishop papers, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Provenance

Purchased, 25 and 30 July 2018.

Biographical Note

Jonathan "Al" Bishop, 1866-1914, was Quartermaster Sergeant in the 3rd Regiment of the Virginia Volunteers and a member of Company D of the Monticello Guard during the Spanish-American War. He wrote letters to his wife, Florence Collier Bishop from 1898-1899 when his regiment was mustered into service at Richmond, Va. between May 13 and 26. After the war he returned home to his wife and residence, 1303 West Main Street, Charlottesville, Va. where he served as a policeman for the University of Virginia. He died on May 18, 1914 at age 48 from blood poisoning after a medical procedure. He was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. Bishop was the son of Robert Bishop and a nephew of Jonathan Bishop who also died circa 1914.

Source based on obituary found in the Daily Progress digitized microfilm: http://fedoraproxy.lib.virginia.edu/fedora/objects/uva-lib:2104104/methods/djatoka:StaticSDef/getStaticImage

Scope and Contents

The Jonathan A. Bishop papers (1897-1924; 0.25 cubic feet) consist of his letters to his wife, Florence Collier Bishop, during his service as a Quartermaster Sergeant in the Spanish-American War (1898-1899) and government documents regarding a pension for his wife (1897-1924), totaling over 80 items. There is also one letter from his wife describing a lynching of an African American man named John Henry James on July 12, 1898 at Wood's Crossing, Charlottesville, Va. Also included is a letter dated August 19, [1898] in which Sergeant Bishop describes the reactions of the soldiers to African American officers in the camp.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into two series: Series 1. Letters, and Series 2. Government documents and letters.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Lynching -- Virginia
• letters (correspondence)