Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16738, Southern pre-Civil War poetry album, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Lord Durham Rare Books by the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on July 10, 2020.

Content Description

This collection consists of thirty-four leaves of a poetry album from Richmond, Virginia. Four poems are those of John Esten Cook (1830-1886), an American poet, novelist, and Confederate soldier, lawyer, and biographer of Jefferson, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. The other thirty pages consist of poems written by a variety of other authors noted by initials or their names. Many of the poems are to a woman named Edmonia or "Monie." These pages appear to be extracted from an album dedicated her.