A Collection in the Special Collections Research Center
Accession Number Mss. Acc. 2004.24, 2006.54
Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Special Collections Earl Gregg Swem Library College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794 USA Phone: (757) 221-3090 Fax: (757) 221-5440 Email: spcoll@wm.edu URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/
Armistead, Dora Travis, 1890-1979 Armistead Family Armistead, Cary Champion, d. 1944 Armistead, Cary Peyton, 1856-1901 Armistead, Gregory Armistead, Maria, 1858-1897 Armistead, Meriwether Irving, d. 1945 Armistead, Rowland Cara Conkey, Ruth Ewell, Benjamin Stoddert Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, 1853-1935
arrangement
Language of Materials
The papers are in:
English
Abstract:
Papers from the household of Dora Travis Armistead (1890-1979) and Rowland Cara Armistead, sisters of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Includes letters, personal, financial and business papers of Cary Peyton Armistead (1856-1901), father of Dora and Cara, Steward
of Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital), and prominent local Episcopal Church and school leader; Eudora Ester
Armistead (d. 1940), mother; Cary Champion Armistead (d. 1944), brother, and lawyer for a time in Detroit, Michigan; Meriwether
Irving Armistead (d. 1945), brother, and lawyer in Williamsburg; and Dora and Cara Armistead, elementary school teachers;
along with materials related to relatives in the Armistead family, most notably Gregory Armistead, brother, who died at an
early age; and Julia Maria Armistead (1858-1897), sister of Cary Peyton. The papers pertain primarily to Armistead family
finances, health and personal affairs, the financial operation of the asylum/hospital, and school and church issues. Also
included are a number of undated and unlabeled photographs, schoolwork of the Armistead siblings as children and college students,
letters to Cary Peyton from College of William and Mary Presidents Benjamin S. Ewell and Lyon G. Tyler, and a long series
of letters to Cary Champion from girlfriend Ruth Conkey.
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections
Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Preferred Citation
Dora and Cara Armistead Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information
The materials were acquired by Special Collections Research Center from Hamilton's Bookstore. on 00/00/2006.
Processing Information
Processed by Zach Hilpert, P.J. Bell and Samantha Besora in 2006.
Information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Dora
Travis Armistead
Papers from the household of Dora Travis Armistead (1890-1979) and Rowland Cara Armistead, sisters of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Includes letters, personal, financial and business papers of Cary Peyton Armistead (1856-1901), father of Dora and Cara, Steward
of Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital), and prominent local Episcopal Church and school leader; Eudora Ester
Armistead (d. 1940), mother; Cary Champion Armistead (d. 1944), brother, and lawyer for a time in Detroit, Michigan; Meriwether
Irving Armistead (d. 1945), brother, and lawyer in Williamsburg; and Dora and Cara Armistead, elementary school teachers;
along with materials related to relatives in the Armistead family, most notably Gregory Armistead, brother, who died at an
early age; and Julia Maria Armistead (1858-1897), sister of Cary Peyton. The papers pertain primarily to Armistead family
finances, health and personal affairs, the financial operation of the asylum/hospital, and school and church issues. Also
included are a number of undated and unlabeled photographs, schoolwork of the Armistead siblings as children and college students,
letters to Cary Peyton from College of William and Mary Presidents Benjamin S. Ewell and Lyon G. Tyler, and a long series
of letters to Cary Champion from girlfriend Ruth Conkey.
Tax and Health Permits for Armistead Guest House Operation, 1962 to 1974. 10 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 5
Dora (I) Armistead Banking Papers and Receipts. 111 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 6
Cara Armistead Receipts. 72 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 7
Cara Armistead Banking Papers. 15 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 8
Cara Armistead Cancelled Checks. 78 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 9
Champ Armistead Receipts. 29 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 10
Champ Armistead Banking Papers. 27 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 11
Champ Armistead Banking Papers. 248 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 12
Meriwether Armistead Receipts. 4 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 13
Dora (II) Armistead Bills. 3 items
box: 2 box: 2 Folder: 14
Julia Armistead Finances. 2 items
box: 2 Folder: 1
Family Tax Materials, 1919 to 1945. 18 items.
box: 2 Folder: 2
Family Account Books. 2 items.
box: 2 Folder: 3
Family Account Books. 1 item.
box: 2 Folder: 4
Tax and Health Permits for Armistead Guest House Operation, 1962 to 1974. 10 items.
box: 2 Folder: 5
Dora (I) Armistead Banking Papers and Receipts. 111 items.
box: 2 Folder: 6
Cara Armistead Receipts. 72 items.
box: 2 Folder: 7
Cara Armistead Banking Papers. 15 items.
box: 2 Folder: 8
Cara Armistead Cancelled Checks. 78 items.
box: 2 Folder: 9
Champ Armistead Receipts. 29 items.
box: 2 Folder: 10
Champ Armistead Banking Papers. 27 items.
box: 2 Folder: 11
Champ Armistead Banking Papers. 248 items.
box: 2 Folder: 12
Meriwether Armistead Receipts. 4 items.
box: 2 Folder: 13
Dora (II) Armistead Bills. 3 items.
box: 2 Folder: 14
Julia Armistead Finances. 2 items.
box: 3
Dora (I) Armistead Cancelled Checks,
1902 – 1918
Correspondence
box: 9
Family Correspondence. Armistead Family Letters and Correspondence.
box: 9 Folder: 1
Dora (I) Armistead’s Correspondence – Undated. 6 items.
box: 9 Folder: 2
Dora (I) Armistead’s Correspondence – 1890 to 1909. 11 items.
box: 9 Folder: 3
Dora (I) Armistead’s Correspondence – 1910 to 1939. 6 items.
box: 9 Folder: 4
Dora (II) Armistead’s Correspondence. 12 items.
box: 9 Folder: 5
Cara Armistead’s Correspondence. 24 items.
box: 9 Folder: 6
Meriwether Armistead’s Business Correspondence. 11 items.
box: 9 Folder: 7
Meriwether Armistead’s Christmas Cards. 8 items.
box: 9 Folder: 8
Meriwether Armistead’s Christmas Cards. 8 items.
box: 9 Folder: 9
Letter Fragments, Undated. 18 items.
box: 9 Folder: 10
Letters to Unknown and Unrecognized Recipients. 23 items.
box: 9 Folder: 11
Registered Mail Receipts. 3 items.
box: 9 Folder: 12
Emily Waltrip’s Correspondence. 8 items.
Sub-Series: 1
Armistead Family Letters and Correspondence.
Sub-Series: 2
Correspondence from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4
Armistead Family Letters and Correspondence.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 1
Champ Armistead Correspondence – Business and Employment-Related. 9 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 2
Champ Armistead Correspondence with Friends. 22 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 3
Champ Armistead Correspondence with Hazel/”Carolina”. Note that Hazel – last name unknown – is occasionally referred to in
these letters as “Carolina.” 9 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 4
Champ Armistead Correspondence with Margaret [perhaps Tyler], Virgie [last name unknown], Dick Lawson, and Copie [last name
unknown]. 21 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 5
Correspondence among Armistead Family Members, undated. 14 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 6
Correspondence among Armistead Family Members, 1885 to 1895. 11 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 7
Correspondence among Armistead Family Members, 1896 to 1899. 17 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 8
Correspondence among Armistead Family Members, 1900 to 1940. 15 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 9
Correspondence among Armistead Family Members, 1941 to 1944. 9 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 10
orrespondence Between Meriwether and Dora (II) Regarding the Addition of a Bathroom to the Family Home. 10 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 11
Empty Envelopes. 74 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 12
Empty Envelopes. 72 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 4 Folder: 13
Empty Envelopes. 75 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5
Correspondence from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead. The letters in this box, and the next two, were written by a friend and
admirer, Ruth Conkey, whom Champ met during his time at the College of William and Mary. The correspondence continued for
four years from 1919 to 1922, as Champ moved from Williamsburg to Wilmington, Del., and then Detroit, Mich. Letters are arranged
chronologically by date.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 1
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, May 1 through May 20, 1919. 11 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 2
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, May 21 through May 31, 1919. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 3
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, May 21 through May 31, 1919. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 4
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, July 1, through July 13, 1919. 8 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 5
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, July 14 through July 31, 1919. 7 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 6
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, August 1919. 11 items
Sub-Series: 2 box: 5 Folder: 7
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, September 1 through September 18, 1919. 8 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6
Correspondence from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 1
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, September 19 through September 30, 1919. 8 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 2
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, October 1 through October 16, 1919. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 3
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, October 17 through October 31, 1919. 14 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 4
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, November, 1919. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 5
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, December, 1919. 8 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 6
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, January, 1920. 10 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 6 Folder: 7
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, February through March 1920. 10 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7
Correspondence from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 1
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, February, March and April, 1920. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 2
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, April through May, 1920. 7 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 3
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, June through July, 1920. 14 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 4
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, August through September, 1920. 12 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 5
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, October through December, 1920. 10 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 6
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, 1921. 10 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 7 Folder: 7
Letters from Ruth Conkey to Champ Armistead, 1922. 6 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8
Cary Armistead Correspondence. Correspondence related to personal business (finances, property) and friendly communication.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 1
Correspondence Between Cary and Julia Armistead. 20 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 2
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, Undated. 11 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 3
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, 1885 to 1889. 23 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 4
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, 1890 to 1892. 33 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 5
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, 1893 to 1895. 17 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 6
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, 1896 to 1897. 26 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 7
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal Business, 1898 to 1901. 19 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 8
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal, 1888 to 1892. 32 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 9
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal, 1893 to 1896. 11 items.
Sub-Series: 2 box: 8 Folder: 10
Cary Armistead Correspondence – Personal, 1897 to 1901. 14 items.
Letters from William and Mary President Benjamin Ewell to Cary Armistead. 9 items.
Sub-Series: 3
Cary Armistead Correspondence.
Sub-Series: 4
Family Correspondence. Armistead Family Letters and Correspondence
Other Family Materials
box: 10
Armistead Family Education and Teaching Materials.
box: 10 Folder: 1
Armistead Children Report Cards. 8 items.
box: 10 Folder: 2
Dora (II) and Cara Armistead’s Teaching Materials. 16 items.
box: 10 Folder: 3
Cary Armistead’s Notes for 1878 Law Class. 2 items.
box: 10 Folder: 4
Dora (II) Armistead’s Homework. 21 items
box: 10 Folder: 5
Champ Armistead’s Homework. 8 items.
box: 10 Folder: 6
Armistead Children Homework and Class Notes. 4 items.
box: 10 Folder: 7
C. 1850 Spelling Book. 1 item.
box: 10 Folder: 8
Jefferson High School (Roanoke) 1926 Yearbook and Class of 1918 Clipping. 2 items.
box: 11
Armistead Family Social, Cultural, and Property Materials.
box: 11 Folder: 1
Plats, Lease Contracts and Other Paperwork for the Pine Crest Subdivision of Williamsburg. 17 items.
box: 11 Folder: 2
Sales Paperwork for the Lot Next to the Armistead Lot. 2 items.
box: 11 Folder: 3
Documents Relating to Fuel Oil Rationing in Colonial Williamsburg Area Homes, 1944. 5 items.
box: 11 Folder: 4
Newspaper Clippings Related to Colonial Williamsburg, including W.A.R. Goodwin, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Henry Ford.
3 items.
box: 11 Folder: 5
Meriwether Armistead Office Space in Colonial Williamsburg, Leases and Other Documentation. 15 items.
box: 11 Folder: 6
Correspondence Between the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Armistead Family. 2 items.
box: 11 Folder: 7
Contour Map of the Armistead Lot. 1 item.
box: 11 Folder: 8
Jamestown 350 Celebration – 1957 Information on Queen Elizabeth’s Visit. 6 items.
box: 11 Folder: 9
Confederate Memorial Lawsuit of 1932 – Legal Documents. 11 items.
box: 11 Folder: 10
Confederate Memorial Lawsuit of 1932 – Signed Relocation Petition. 1 item.
box: 11 Folder: 11
Confederate Memorial Lawsuit of 1932 – Clippings and Letters. 4 items.
box: 11 Folder: 12
Commencement Invitations. 6 items.
box: 11 Folder: 13
William and Mary-Related Materials – Bulletins, Newsletters, Fraternity Letters. 15 items.
box: 11 Folder: 14
William and Mary Event Programs. 5 items.
box: 11 Folder: 15
October 14, 1934 Virginia Gazette. 2 items.
box: 11 Folder: 16
Plat of the Keck Farm, James City County. 2 items.
box: 11 Folder: 17
Rental Agreement Between Cary Armistead and H.L. Hundley. 1 item
box: 11 Folder: 18
The Application of Hallie Sinclair English Oliver for Membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. 1 item.
box: 13
Armistead Family Issues and Interests. Issues included here are church materials, politics, the Travis House, collected advertising
materials, seed and bulb advertisements, Cara’s contest entries, Dora (I)’s family tree, and pro- and anti-Ku Klux Klan clippings.
box: 13 Folder: 1
Cary Armistead Church Materials – Correspondence, 1885 to 1894. 12 items.
box: 13 Folder: 2
Cary Armistead Church Materials – Correspondence, 1895 to 1901. 20 items.
box: 13 Folder: 3
Cary Armistead Church Materials – Finance. 18 items.
box: 13 Folder: 4
Cary Armistead Church Materials – Printed Materials. 29 items.
Cara Armistead’s Newspaper and Magazine Contest Entries. 34 items.
box: 13 Folder: 18
Cara Armistead’s Seed and Bulb Advertisements. 25 items.
box: 13 Folder: 19
Dora (I) Armistead – Jones and Tinsley Family Trees. 2 items.
box: 13 Folder: 20
Pro- and Anti-Ku Klux Klan Clippings Sent from Champ to Dora (I) Armistead. 3 items.
box: 14
Photographs. Note that, when possible, the photographs have been removed from the original folder, envelope or sleeve. When
done, the original folder or sleeve has been filed with its accompanying photograph. These items are included in the item
total for each folder (i.e., one photograph and its accompanying folder are considered two items).
box: 14 Folder: 1
Photos of William Junell, Francis Stevens, John Wear and an Unidentified Male, Posing in Front of a Statue of Thomas Jefferson
on the Campus of the University of Virginia. 12 items.
box: 14 Folder: 2
Undated Portrait Proofs of Meriwether Armistead. 5 items.
box: 14 Folder: 3
Portraits – Two of Champ Armistead, One of Champ, Gregory and Meriwether Armistead. 6 items.
box: 14 Folder: 4
Unidentified Portraits. 8 items.
box: 14 Folder: 5
Portraits of Family Friends. 4 items.
box: 14 Folder: 6
Portraits of Armistead Family Members – One Possibly Cary, One Possibly Col. Robert H. Armistead, One of Family. 5 items.
box: 14 Folder: 7
Photos of Historic Items and One of the Pulaski Club (Note that some photos have duplicates, which are stored in the same
sleeve). 13 items.
box: 14 Folder: 8
Scaling Photos of Plaster Architectural Fragments. 14 items.
box: 14 Folder: 9
Photo of Shirley Temple with Facsimile Autograph and a Photo of a Painting of Winston Churchill. 3 items.
box: 14 Folder: 10
Two Photos of the Jones House (Now Restored as the Surveyor’s Office) and an Unidentified House. 5 items.
box: 14 Folder: 11
Photos of Cara and One Possibly of Meriwether Armistead. 7 items.
box: 14 Folder: 12
Unidentified Portraits. 31 items.
box: 14 Folder: 13
Photos of Classes and Groups (Unidentified). 5 items.
box: 14 Folder: 14
Photos from an Outdoor Fair. 4 items.
box: 14 Folder: 15
Photos of Colonial Williamsburg Sites (Including the Cary Armistead House), and an Unidentified Factory. 7 items.
box: 15
A Box of Virginia Law Firm Cards and an Unidentified, Extremely Fragile Rolled Photograph.
Sub-Series: 1
Armistead Family Education and Teaching Materials
Sub-Series: 2
Armistead Family Social, Cultural,and Property Materials.
Sub-Series: 3
Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital) Materials.
Sub-Series: 3 box: 12
Cary Armistead – Eastern Lunatic Asylum (now Eastern State Hospital) Materials. See Box I for financial materials.