Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Crowder Family Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Crowder Family Papers, Ms2013-016, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection was purchased by Special Collections in December 2009.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Crowder Family Papers was completed in March 2013.

Biographical Note

The following individuals appear in the Crowder Family Papers: Thomas W. Crowder, to whom a majority of the documents pertain, John E. Crowder, Willson Crowder, and Richard Hughes.

The Virginia census lists both Thomas W. Crowder and John E. Crowder as residing in Cumberland County in 1850. The 1860 census, however, only lists John E. Crowder. The last dated item relating to Thomas W. Crowder is an 1857 promissory note. Papers relating to John E. Crowder date from 1853 to the mid-1870s.

Although Wilson Crowder does not show up in the Virginia Census, two letters written to him appear in this collection, one of which is dated to 1853.

One payment receipt from 1840 lists Elizabeth as a daughter of Thomas W. Crowder. An Elizabeth is also cited as the wife of Richard Hughes in Hughes's undated will. These may be the same Elizabeth.

Scope and Content

The Crowder Family Papers includes receipts, legal documents, correspondences, and accounts that date from 1821to 1875 and are associated with the Crowder family of Cumberland County. This collection contains the papers of the following individuals: Thomas W. Crowder, to whom a majority of the documents pertain, John E. Crowder, Willson Crowder, and Richard Hughes.

Financial records form the majority of the collection. These records relate to both Thomas W. Crowder and John E. Crowder, though most pertain to the former. Much of the correspondence in this collection involves business transactions and financial matters, including a letter requesting payment for a delinquent account. One letter expresses a doctor's condolences for a patient that did not survive. These letters reference Thomas, John, and Wilson Crowder. The legal documents include a will ascribed to Richard Hughes, a contract between Thomas W. Crowder and Alexander Hendrick, and two records of the estate of John Holman that was administrated by John E. Crowder.

The collection contains an additional document relating to John N. Rucker. It is unclear how he is connected to the Crowder family.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by material type.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South