Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

George Fitzhugh. Letter, 1839 Jan. 31. Accession 38701, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Purchased 28 February 2000.

Biographical/Historical Information

George Fitzhugh, lawyer and author, was born 4 November 1806 on what was known as the Brenttown tract in Prince William County, Virginia. His father was Dr. George Fitzhugh of "Belmont," King George County and his mother Lucy Stuart. When he was six, George Fitzhugh moved with his parents to Alexandria. There he received his education. In 1829 he married Mary Brockenbrough, and then moved to Port Royal, Caroline County, where he practiced law and specialized in criminal cases. The couple had nine children, six who lived beyond infancy. During President Buchanan's administration, Fitzhugh worked in the attorney general's office. By the late 1850's, Fitzhugh began to write and to advocate the advantages of the southern slave system. His best-known formal works were "Sociology for the South" and "Slaves Without Masters." He died at Huntsville, Texas on 30 July 1881.

Scope and Content Information

Letter, 31 January 1839, sent from George Fitzhugh (1806-1881), an attorney in Port Royal, Caroline County, Virginia, to William Briscoe Stone (1797-1872), an attorney in Port Tobacco, Maryland, concerning the estate of William Thompson's daughter.