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James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
880 Madison DrivePhillip Wong
The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Catlett Family Papers, 1850-1933 (bulk 1901-1929), SC 0276, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
This collection was acquired through the Large Antiques and Firearms Estate auction held by Green Valley Auctions on January 16, 2018.
The collection was received in no particular order other than general groupings of correspondence and financial files. The archivist imposed an order on any unordered documents, created discrete series, and filed accordingly.
Numerous voided checks were originally part of the collection. A representative sample of these checks were retained and are filed in the collection with Paid Checks and Statements. The remainder have been discarded due to their duplicative nature. A December 6, 1926 issue of The Evening Leader was also discarded due to its condition and duplication elsewhere.
Richard Henry Catlett, born April 19, 1828 near Warren County, Virginia, served with the Confederate Army during the Civil War working as an aide, an acting assistant adjutant general, and as head of reserve organization. After the war, he moved to Staunton, Virginia and established a law firm in 1865 with two war acquaintances to help develop the economy of West Virginia and Virginia. He died in March 1898.
He had his first two children, Charles (1866-1945) and Richard Henry (1868-1940), with Mary Mercer Patton (1838-1871). After her death, he married Fannie Bolling Gay (1847-1938) and had four daughters: Margaret Erskine (1878-1958), Fanny Gay (1879-1838), Amy Pendleton (1883-1972), and Elizabeth Gay (1884-1948). The family remained active in the daily affairs of Staunton, and the children traveled extensively over the course of the early twentieth century. Most notably, Amy Pendleton and Elizabeth Gay Catlett travelled in France while Charles Catlett (a geologist and chemist) and Fannie Bolling Gay Catlett remained prominent figures in the Staunton community, contributing to the naming of areas such as Woodrow Wilson Park, and donating to local businesses.
The Catlett Family Papers, 1850-1933 (bulk 1901-1929), consists of two boxes containing the personal correspondence, financial records, and personal materials of the Catlett Family of Staunton, Virginia. The materials in this collection provide a small glimpse into early twentieth century life through the eyes of the Catlett family. The collection is divided into two series: Correspondence and Personal Papers and Ephemera. Topics of conversation in the correspondence can range from education to travel to day-to-day activity, while financial records comprise of receipts and checks usually directed to or filled out by Fannie Bolling Gay (noted as Mrs. R.H. Catlett). Ephemera include personal affects held by unspecified family members and business-related materials of the time period.
The collection is divided into two series. All series are arranged chronologically.
Correspondence, 1901-1929 Personal Papers and Ephemera, 1850-1933This series contains the correspondence between Catlett family members. The bulk of correspondence is addressed to the matriarch, Fannie Bolling Gay Catlett (under the name Mrs. R.H. Catlett), with most being sent by Elizabeth Gay Catlett (who signed these letters as "Dib"). Other family members gave the nickname "Baby" to Fanny Gay and a slew of other illegible nicknames to Amy Pendleton. The correspondence itself covers family and community news: Fannie Catlett would update her children about the goings-on of Staunton, Elizabeth would write her family about school experiences at Edgeworth College in Baltimore, Maryland, and Amy Pendleton wrote about her travels in Europe. Some items of potential interest include Elizabeth Catlett's monthly report cards or letters to Amy Catlett from a gentleman admirer.
This series contains personal financial records and ephemera collected by the family. Many of the receipts are from local businesses around Staunton (e.g. the Augusta Meat Market, the Hogshead Drug Store, Woodward's Cleaning and Dyeing Works). The canceled checks are largely paid to family members and the city in the form of tax payments and service bills. Materials in French can be found in both Amy Pendleton Catlett's date book (written in both English and French) as well as the Printed Materials and Personal Effects folder in the forms of poetry, newspaper articles, and other notes. Other items of note include programs for a reception for members of the Iron and Steel Institute and the American Institute of Mining Engineers, dated July and August 1906.