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Thomas Henry Bayly Papers, 1837-1854. Accession 23830b. Personal Papers Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Purchased, 20 May 1952, from Aldine Book Company, Brooklyn, New York.
Thomas Henry Bayly was born 11 December 1809 in Accomack County, Virginia, to Thomas Monteagle Bayly (1775-1834) and Margaret Pettit Cropper Bayly. He attended private schools, then attended the University of Virginia where he studied law. Bayly was admitted to the bar in 1831. In 1836 he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and represented Accomack County there until 1842. In 1837 he was appointed a general in the Virginia militia. In 1842, Bayly was elected a judge on the circuit court, but resigned in 1844. That same year he was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served until his death. Bayly held several important committee chairs and supported the Compromise of 1850 while in Congress. He married Evelyn Harrison May (1819-1897) of Petersburg, Virginia, 11 May 1837 and they had 2 daughters. Bayly died 22 June 1856.
Papers, 1837-1854, of Thomas Henry Bayly (1809-1856) of Accomack County, Virginia, consisting of letters, 1837-1852, concerning Bayly's subscription to the Washington Globe ; Bayly's forwarding of letters; Bayly asking for a correction of a speech published in the Congressional Globe ; a controversy between Bayly and New York Congressman James Brooks; a request to Bayly to arrange an interview for William Birkus with the United States Navy; and legislation concerning the army. Papers also contain an note, 3 June 1854, to Riggs and Company for payment of $450; note, no date, regarding the French Spoilation Claims Commission; and a subscription, no date, for Bayly's speech on the revenue bill.