A Guide to a Maude Terrill Hopkins Letter 1926 April 3 Hopkins, Maude Terrill Letter, 1926 April 3 11179

A Guide to a Maude Terrill Hopkins Letter 1926 April 3

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 11179


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Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
11179
Title
Maude Terrill Hopkins Letter 1926 April 3
Physical Characteristics
1 item
Language
English
Abstract
A round robin letter describes funerals of Georgia A. Ashton, an African American laundress and Major William Nelson, a Union Civil War veteran.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Maude Terrill Hopkins Letter, 1926, Accession #11179, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This letter was given to the University of Virginia Library by Mr. H. Parker Wayland, Jr., Knoxville, Tennessee, on May 4, 1995.

Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of a two-page typed letter, April 3, 1926, from Maude Terrill Hopkins, Keswick, Virginia, to her family, describing in great and vivid detail the funeral of her African-American laundress, Georgia (Anderson) Ashton, the wife of her butler, Nelson Ashton, and sister of the present laundress, Mollie. So many of her relatives came from all over the East Coast to do her honor at the funeral that the "Black Cat Road (colored town) had doubled its population and every house was overrun with guests." Three ministers came to preach at the funeral, one of whom declared that her chief virtue was that "under no circumstances or provocation did she ever answer back to her husband ."

Hopkins went on to describe the funeral of Major William Nelson (1840-1926), aide to General William T. Sherman, and present when Vicksburg fell. The funeral was preached by Dr. George L. Petrie (1840-?), an eighty-six year old former Confederate chaplain. The service was attended by the members of the Confederate Veterans, the Monticello Guard, and Sons of the Confederacy.