Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions to access or use for research purposes.

Ownership and Custodial History

This item was donated to the Farmville-Prince Edward County Historical Society Archives in March 2021 by a representative of the Mint Hill Historical Society in Mint Hill, North Carolina.

Biographical sketch

Born July 28, 1831, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Henry Thweatt Owen entered the Confederate Army as a Captain of Company C, 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment on 23 April 1861 in Burkeville, Virginia. He was arrested on June 5, 1861, but by order of court martial was restored to command on July 1, 1861. He was again placed under arrest, this time for disobeying orders in regard to some sick men in his company, on September 11, 1861, by order of Colonel R. E. Withers, his commanding officer, and was cashiered on November 22, 1861. However, his order of cashier was vacated, and he was elected Captain by his company on April 26, 1862. He was reported absent from the lines in Chesterfield County, Virginia, on December 28, 1864, by reason of his being under arrest and imprisoned in Castle Thunder. Following the war, he served for a time as Postmaster in Green Bay, Virginia and later as a clerk in the Second Auditor's Office in Richmond. He devoted his spare time to investigating the Land Office records for genealogical information, and compiled preliminary maps showing plats of land grants in Prince Edward County. His wife was named Harriet, who bore him twelve children: Elizabeth Mildred (1852-1867), Henry Clay (1853-1883), Michael Melancthon (1856-1949), Harriet Louisa (b. 1860), Jacqueline Rosa (b. 1865), William Temple (1867-1879), Herman S. (b. 1868), Benjamin Hilton (1868-1896), Sallie Marshall (b. 1871), Helen Mercer (b. 1873), Mary Eliza (Mamie) (b. 1875), and Charles Archer (1877-1879). Owen died in Richmond on October 8, 1921.

Scope and content

This collection consists of a family Bible published in 1892, which was owned by the Owen Family. The Bible contains inscriptions regarding the birth, marriage, and death of immediate family members. Also included are three items previously inserted between pages of the Bible.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Owen Family.
• Owen, Henry Thweatt, 1831-1921.

General Note

This collection is part of the Farmville-Prince Edward Historical Society Archives which are housed at Greenwood Library Archives and Special Collections