Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Noland Family Papers, Accession 2718-d, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Acquisition Information

The heirs of the estate of Mrs. William C. Noland of Richmond, Virginia, Mr. Nelson B. Noland of Colorado Springs, Mrs. Karl Young, Jr., of Roxbury, Connecticut, and Mrs. Allan R. Spreen of Ponte Verde, Florida, gave the Noland Family Papers to the Library through Edmund Berkeley, Jr. on March 13, 1989.

Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Scope and Content

The papers of the Noland family of Hanover County, Virginia , consist of about four hundred items, (3 Hollinger boxes, 1 linear foot), 1814, 1823-1948, chiefly letters to the three brothers, Thomas Nelson Berkeley Noland (1846-1913), Frank Noland (1854-1898), and William Churchill Noland (1865-?), the sons of Callender St. George Noland (1816-1879) and Mary Edmonia Berkeley Noland (1823-1901).

Other miscellaneous papers of the Noland family include miscellaneous correspondence, photographs, newsclippings, printed material, an arithmetic example book belonging to Thomas Noland (1799-1857), a brother of Callender Noland , diaries (1843, 1845-1849), miscellaneous business and legal papers, and confederate currency and postage stamps.

Letters to Nelson Noland

An early letter, undated but written on the reverse side of a note from Mr. Morrison of Rugby Academy which was dated February 11, 1851, speaks of the sale of stock, crops, farming implements and slaves, excluding the "best behaved" slaves, from both plantations, [ Dewberry ?] and [ Endfield ?]. In the fall of 1861, Nelson attended a school in Richmond, Virginia , run by Heath J. Christian . Most of the letters to Nelson were written to him from his mother and father, and brother Frank, while he was away at school, first at Christian's and then at the Virginia Military Institute , which he entered in August of 1863. These letters contain news of life and events during the Civil War. Nelson's father, Callender St. George Noland , served as Commandant of the battery at Mulberry Island Point defending the James River . In his letter January 12, 1862, Callender Noland mentions receiving three dispatches telling him to look for the enemy, who he wishes would come up and fight or else go on out to sea, and being on board one of the two steamers stationed near the battery to protect the James River .

Other letters to Nelson mention: selling barrels of corn and stacks of fodder to the Quartermaster (January 16, 1862); death of an old slave, Fanny (January 27, 1863); Dr. Richard Berkeley (1819-?) accepting the position of assistant surgeon under Dr. Wiley in the Confederate Army and several social gatherings involving General Pendleton's staff and Captain Kirkpatrick's Company, and the presence of General [Stuart] at the wedding of Dr. Fontaine after a ride of forty miles (February 14, 1863); and the progress of Nelson at school and his hopes of entering Virginia Military Institute (August 1, 1863).

Other letters include: news of Colonel Norborne (1823-1911) and Major William Noland [Berkeley] (1826-1907), prisoners of war in a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland , and Captain Charles [Fenton Berkeley] (1832-?), a prisoner at Sandusky, Ohio (August 17, 1863); the selling of "Endfield" (August 18, and December 3, 1863); the movement of the Army of Northern Virginia to Tennessee in preparation for a great battle (September 10, 1863); the construction of an ice pond, and mention of Colonel Norborne Berkeley at Johnson's Island (January 4, 1864); the scarcity of eggs at home, runaway slaves, and difficulty in slave management (January 18, 1864); a fox chase (February 4, 1864); the hiding of all but one of the horses at "Airwell" and the "capture" of a "fine Yankee horse" with a cavalry saddle, lost during the raid upon Richmond by the Federal forces of Col. Ulric Dahlgren and General Judson Kilpatrick , who had passed the house on February 28th (March 5, 1864); the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid on Richmond , short food rations of the Confederate soldiers in the city and the high cost of food for the city dwellers of Richmond (March 9, 1864); his parents replies to Nelson's proposed resignation from VMI (March 30 and April 2, 1864); Frank's reference to the participation of the VMI Cadets at the Battle of New Market (June 7, 1864); the mention of a cockfight, and Nick Carter 's band of outlaws (July 10, 1865); a description of a military school in Aiken, South Carolina , by Cadet Wharton Sinkler (November 8, [ca. 1861-1865]); and a suggestion to seek employment at a foundry in Baltimore or Philadelphia (September 10, 1866).

Nelson's adult correspondence includes the following subjects: the murder of George O'Connor , City Marshall of Leadville, Colorado (May 7, 1878); a discussion about dissolving his business partnership with G.T. McDonald in Kokomo, Colorado (February 17, 1882); the claim of Lt. Callender Noland against the United States Government for three months pay for services in the Mexican War (May 15, 1882); and the claim of Nelson Noland against the government of Peru (August 2, 1888).

Beginning in 1889, Nelson's correspondence is mainly about proposed business deals with the Philadelphian architects Walter Cope , and John and E.L. Stewardson , especially the purchase of the Newmarket Property, which contained a quarry site of red granite. The early correspondence also discussed a possible wheel and wagon factory, water power estimates for the property and other calculations, and the possibilities of business in the "new South" (August 8, October 31, November 9, 16, 23, 25, and December 26, 1889).

In 1890, Cope wrote Noland concerning: an option on the Hanover Junction property (January 2); the possibility of a silk mill (January 19); a description of the property Noland and Cope wished to purchase (June 23); an interest in the North Anna property (July 7); the terms for D.G. Bibb 's Mill property (November 17); the need for secrecy in purchasing Bibb's property (November 19); the terms to accept William C. Anderson into the partnership with Noland, Cope, and the Stewardsons (November 21); and the arrangements concerning the quarry and granite company to be constructed upon the Newmarket property close to the Verdon Railroad Station (January 29, and May 6, 1891).

Other topics include: F.L. Galt about the opportunities in the Amazon and Andes regions (February 4, 1903); Fannie V. Candler 's reference to Theodore Roosevelt 's invitation to Booker T. Washington to dine in the White House and its effect upon the South in an election year (July 3, 1904); concessions from the Peruvian government for explorations in Peru for the purpose of extracting minerals, especially gold (May 8, 1906); genealogical data concerning Dr. [Richard ?] Berkeley 's descendants, and Edgewood , built ca. 1796 (April 3, 1907); news of "old Amazon friends" (July 16 &: 18, 1907); and a discussion of the possible sale of the "Edgewood" and "Airwell" properties with Thomas Nelson Page (n.d.).

Letters to William Churchill Noland

Frank Noland writes from Comanche, Texas , to his brother with tales of the "wild West" (June 4, and December 3, 1876); Other topics and correspondents include: William's Civil Service examination and a position in the Office of Supervising Architect, Treasury Department (May 17 and July 9, 1889); Edward E. Hendrickson 's training of architectural draftsmen at the Spring Garden Institute , Philadelphia (September 13, 1893); Thomas Nelson Page concerning plans for an addition to his Oakland House in Hanover County and later modifications to lower costs (August 15 and September 22, 1893); a proposed trip to Penzance, England , to visit William R. Whitmore who asks him to procure some Confederate stamps for his son (May 5, 1894); Frank Noland and models of his invention, a "bug machine" (May 22, 1894); John Stewardson (May 30, 1894); William's discharge from the architectural firm of M.J. Dimmock due to hard times (June 19, 1894); Francis P. Berkeley 's discussion of the collapse of one of the roofs in the Rotunda during its rebuilding and the coroner's investigation into the resultant death of one of the workmen, with a sketch of the Rotunda and a newsclipping about the accident (October 21 &: 25, 1896); Hilary P. Jones re the construction of a house (October 24, and November 7 &: 28, 1919); H.S. Osborn concerning plans for St. Paul's Church , Miller's Tavern (March 21, 22, &: April 8, and 17, 1924); and Fiske Kimball (November 30, 1928).

Letters to Frank Noland

Most of this correspondence is from Frank's mother, Mary Edmonia Noland , and was written to him while he was at Anderson, Grymes County, Texas (1876 February), Comanche, Comanche County, Texas (1876 March-July), and Gainsville, Alabama (1876 August-1877 February) looking for work. News items include: Nelson's appointment as Deputy U.S. Mineral Surveyor and a description of trapping (February 17, 1876); a request that each child keep a personal journal for their descendants, in response to the nation's centennial (February 25, 1876); the lack of opportunity in California for Southern gentlemen (February 29, 1876); widespread interest in baseball in Hanover County (March 31, 1876); the long lasting negative effects of the Civil War upon the state of Virginia (April 12, 1876); Nelson's promotion to Chief Engineer of the Mines at Sts. John, Summit County, Colorado (May 5, 1876); home medical remedies (May 12, 1876); the suggestion that Frank go into journalism or find work in the Gainsville, Alabama area, near his Uncle Charles [Noland] (June 21, 1876); an enclosed letter from Nelson describing the mining operations in Sts. John, Colorado (August 15, 1876); description of the staff of the Ashland News (September 30, 1876); a discussion of the presidential election of 1876, feelings of political instability in Ulysses S. Grant 's administration and the U.S. Government, and suggested reading material for self improvement (November 13 and December 4, 1876); and efforts to return Frank to Virginia to work (February 15, 1877).

Miscellaneous correspondence includes: the pedigrees of several horses (September 15, 1837); a copy of John Bankhead Magruder 's (1810-1871) reply to Callender Noland 's request to turn over the battery and stores at Mulberry Island Point to the Senior Officer on duty at Fort [Powhatan ?] and return to the Army of the Peninsula (November 17, 1861); a letter from General F.H. Smith at the Virginia Military Institute (November 25, 1863); and a description of an attack by the Army of the Potomac upon the house at "Dewberry" and the surrounding area en route to Richmond, Virginia (May 31 and [June] 1864).

The second series of papers contains miscellaneous business and legal papers of the Noland family . Of special note are the papers concerning the settlement of the accounts of Nelson B. Noland and John S. James of the firm of James and Noland ; the settlement of the account of Nelson B. Noland with G.T. McDonald of Kokomo, Colorado ; papers regarding the estate of Mary Edmonia Noland ; and the memorandum of agreement between Nelson B. Noland and Elisha Jackson , where Jackson agreed to live at " Edgewood , " look after and run the farm for Noland (September 9, 1910).

The third series consists of miscellaneous papers. The newsclippings and printed material folder contains undated pictures of buildings designed by William C. Noland and his partner, including the New Beth Ahabah Synagogue , the Jefferson Davis Memorial , the Richmond and Chesapeake Bay Railway Company Terminal at Broad and Laurel Streets, the renovation of the Virginia State Capitol Building , Richmond, Virginia , Agnes McClung Hall, Mary Baldwin Seminary , Staunton, Virginia , Eastern State Hospital , Williamsburg, Virginia , Joseph Bryan 's Residence, Eagle Point, Virginia , and St. Paul's Church ; obituaries of Frank Noland (1898) and Major William N. Berkeley [1907]; a broadside concerning a Confederate Re-Union in Fredericksburg, Virginia , on August 23, 1883; and an article about Carter Berkeley (1939).

Miscellaneous papers contain the baptismal record of Mary Edmonia Berkeley (1823); a partial journal of Elizabeth E. Churchill Berkeley (1824); and an undated anecdote about General R. E. Lee at an officer's banquet in Mexico City after the American Army had taken the city.

Photographs include those of Mary Edmonia Berkeley Noland , [" Edgewood " ?], St. James Episcopal Church , Richmond, Virginia , and William Churchill Noland .

Organization

This collection is arranged in chronological order in three series, 1) Correspondence, 2) Business and Legal Papers, and 3) Miscellaneous Papers.