Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Ewing Family papers,1806-1926, Accession # 10799, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These papers were purchased by the Library from Franklin Gilliam Rare Books of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of the personal correspondence of the Ewing families of Rockbridge County, Virginia, and Kanawha County, West Virginia, and contains about 250 items (1 Hollinger box), 1806-1904, 1926, and undated. Also present are four photographs of Dr. William P. Ewing of Kanawha County, West Virginia, and various papers pertaining to his medical practice, and papers concerning William M. Ewing of Rockbridge County and his attendance at Washington College, Lexington, Virginia.

The correspondence naturally falls into several distinct groups. The first group of letters, 1806-1810, are those of Drusilla Tate, her fiance Rev. John D. Ewing, and other suitors and friends, including C.H. Chambers, James C. Willson, Matthew D. Willson, H.W. Houston, and C.H. Sevier, which are mainly concerned with matters of courtship and social life.

Topics of note among these are: a fourth of July celebration (1806 Jul 11); a description of poor whites and black slaves in Albemarle and Buckingham Counties (1806 Nov 20); the sentiments of a young man about slavery (1807 Jun 3); and a fire in Fredericksburg which destroyed about a hundred houses (1807 Oct 17).

The next group of correspondence, 1837-1855, pertains to Dr. Philander D. Ewing, son of Rev. John D. Ewing and [Drusilla Tate Ewing ?], who studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and emigrated from Virginia to the West to pursue his career. Dr. Ewing moved to Canton, Mississippi in 1838, where in addition to practicing medicine, he became a member of the Mississippi State Legislature about 1846. Because of poor health he returned to Fancy Hill, Rockbridge County, Virginia in 185[3 ?].

In this correspondence are letters of introduction and recommendation furnished to Philander by friends of the family to help him become established as a physician. These were written by William H. Letcher, William H. Caruthers, Robert R. Barton, Charles Williams, and Jack M. Ruff, to family and acquaintances in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Two were written to General Samuel Houston of Texas (1837 Oct 8 & 14).

Letters of special note include: John Martin Elder's discussion of a scheme to divert 500,000 acres of state land in Mississippi from its original purpose and exchange it for Planter Bank bonds and warning that it will precipitate speculation (1846 Jan 25); a discussion of a petition before the Mississippi state legislature concerning the estate of W.A. Cottingham, one of the legatees of Amos Lott's will who died before reaching the age of twenty-one (1846 Jan 28); the "Briscoe Bill" amendment before the Mississippi Senate having to do with limiting the number of years a creditor could sue a citizen of Mississippi and preventing the introduction of such judgments as evidence in Mississippi courts after three years where previously creditors had up to twenty years to make a claim (1846 Feb 7 & 11); the "Torry Bill" which dealt with the bankrupt and insolvent banks of Mississippi by combining the principles of the bankruptcy and insolvency laws (1846 Feb 18); the complaints of a practicing attorney of Westville, Mississippi about the uncultivated females in the state who lived the lives of "drudges" (1847 Nov 15); a description of a yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mississippi, mentioning the Singleton family and their slaves which the writer says will financially ruin Singleton, and also the mention of business with Choctaw and soldier's scrip (1853 Aug 23); a visit to the healing springs at Cooper's Well, Mississippi, and a discussion of the dangers of the Know-Nothing Party for the South, local Mississippi politics, and news of the progress of the Canton and Jackson Railroad (1855 Jul 12); the advance of the Know-Nothing Party in Camden, Mississippi and the work of the "old" Democrats against its progress (1855 Aug 31); political barbeques (1855 Sep 1); and yellow fever in Canton, Mississippi (1855 Oct 1 & 8).

The next group of letters are generally to John Tate Ewing of Lisbon, Bedford County and Fancy Hill, Rockbridge County, the grandson of Rev. John D. Ewing. Many of the letters from 1869-1871 are from his brother Will, who attended Washington College, Lexington, Virginia.

Letters of note among these are: a description of social life during the Civil War (1864 Jan 8); a letter from Lt. W.C. Howard, Cobb Legion Cavalry, Young's Brigade, Butler's Division, Hampton's Corps, Army of Tennessee, describing an engagement with [Hugh Judson ?] Kilpatrick, commander of General William T. Sherman's cavalry, near Goldsboro, North Carolina, and other news of General Sherman's Carolina Campaign (1865 Mar 25); an attempt to find employment with the Venezuelan Land Company because jobs were unavailable in Virginia (1866 Mar 8); and Will Ewing's discussion of the local society and his teaching experiences in Charleston, West Virginia, and the fight with the "Radicals" over public education in Charleston (1871 Jan 29 & Mar 3).

The family of Dr. W.P. Ewing and Annie P. Ewing moved to Charleston, West Virginia in 1871. Two sons, Henry and Will, emigrated from West Virginia to the West and engaged in mining, teaching, and other activities beginning about 1875. Their letters back home to Kanawha County form the next set of letters.

These include: a description of the Comanche County, Texas area, avoiding Indians, hunting buffalo, fervent but aberrant forms of religion, and women dipping snuff (1875 May 11 & Nov 22); the social life in Texas, a decision to take up bounty hunting, and talk of the flood of Southern immigrants into Texas (1876 Jan 30); work on the Transcontinental Railroad, Paris, Texas, and various other employments (1876 Jul 24); plans to take a wagon of bacon to Arizona by way of Ft. Worth, Ft. Choncho, El Paso, and through Mexico to avoid the Apaches, and to continue prospecting for gold and silver (1877 Mar 17); a description of Arizona (1878 Feb 22); a description of muscal and Spanish soap weed plants, and the Chinese immigrants in the Sacramento Valley of California (1878 Aug 11); and the failure of the Hackberry Mining Company, Arizona, and the subsequent argument over payment of the miners resulting in sixteen deaths (1879 Mar 13).

The last group of letters primarily concerns the family of Fannie Ewing Scott, a daughter of Dr. W.P. and Annie P. Ewing, who married M.W. Scott prior to 1894 and moved to California. Among these are several pertaining to the prevention of cruelty to animals (1894 Nov 30; 1895 Apr 22; and 1897 May 1 & 19) and references to the genealogy of the Ewing family (1895 Feb 1).