A Guide to the Papers of Philena Carkin 1866-1902 Carkin, Philena Papers, 1866-1902 11123

A Guide to the Papers of Philena Carkin 1866-1902

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 11123


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Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
11123
Title
Papers of Philena Carkin 1866-1902
Physical Characteristics
There are three items in the collection.
Language
English
Abstract
This collection contains a bound journal written by Philena Carkin of Massacusetts, describing her experiences in Charlottesville during Reconstruction as a teacher commissioned by the American Freedmen's Aid Commission. There is also related documentation: a carte-de-visite potrait of Carkin and a copy of her certificate of ommission.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Philena Carkin Papers, 1866-1875, Accession #11123, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection (which also contains copies of the originals) was acquired from Ronald T. Rasi of Quaker Hill, Connecticut in October 1993, and was assigned accession number 11,123 on November 5, 1993.

Biographical Note

Philena Carkin was a Massachusetts schoolteacher of freedmen in Charlottesville, Va., 1866-1875, under the auspices of the American Freedmen's Aid Commission.

Scope and Content Information

The collection contains a bound manuscript journal Reminiscences of my Life and Work among the Freedmen of Charlottesville, Virginia, from March 1st 1866 to July 1st 1875. Vol. 1 (140 pages), together with a carte-de-visite portrait, n.d., of Carkin by Charlottesville photographer William Roads, and a copy of her certificate of commission as a teacher of ex-slaves issued by the Eastern Department of the American Freedmen's Aid Commission.

In her reminiscences Carkin describes her arrival; the town of Charlottesville; military occupation; the University of Virginia and its students; Monticello; fellow teachers, particularly Anna Gardner, Isabella Gibbons and Paul Lewis; schoolhouses, schoolrooms, teaching duties, and students; entertainment; and travel, including a trip to Grant's inauguration and one to the Virginia constitutional convention of 1867-1868.

She discusses the lives of the freedmen and their desire for an education; religious revivals; harassment of the school staff and the freedmen by townspeople and university students; celebrations and social events; trips to town by local mountaineers; and a Rivanna River flood in 1870. Aspects of local life different from New England are noted particularly in the purchase of food and fuel, lack of sanitation, and casual cruelty to animals.

Thomas Jefferson Randolph and Alexander Rives are mentioned briefly.