Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of R. Samuel Meade, Accession #4337, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection was a gift to the Library from Mrs. Olga Trail of American Lake, Washington, on June 6, 1953.

Scope and Content Information

This collection, ca. 620 items, 1896-1943, contains the papers of R. Samuel Meade and his second wife, Alice Exall Meade. Mr. Meade lived and practiced law in Lebanon, Virginia from about 1910 to 1936. During that time he worked as the Russell County Clerk, an U. S. Commissioner for Russell County, a surveyor, and an insurance salesman. Mr. Meade was also a Mason and a churchgoer, and had at least two daughters, Grace and Virginia. Virginia married three times, once to Douglas Exall whom she divorced, then to a Mr. Wolfe who died in a car accident, and then to a Mr. Godsey. Virginia had at least two daughters and she lived, for a time, in Bristol, Tennessee. Meade married Alice Exall, a teacher from Richmond, Virginia, in 1919. She apparently did not move to Lebanon following the wedding, but resided there during the later 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Meade was considerably older than Mrs. Meade and was a heavy drinker and ill during much of their marriage; Mrs. Meade spent much of the marriage supporting him either emotionally or financially. During the Depression, Mrs. Meade tried to gain employment to support her husband and herself.

Among the personal correspondence and papers are letters of Alice Exall Meade and her mother, Annie Exall Burbank. There is also a letter, September 4, 1934, from Representative John W. Flannagan, Jr., concerning Alice Meade's inquiry as to a job. There are also papers regarding Alice Meade's involvement with the Work Projects Administration. Miscellaneous papers include poems, satires, and other humorous writings from the era. Mrs. Meade's teaching papers offer a glimpse into education during the early 1900s.

The business and legal papers contain cases which include dockets and legal briefs. There are also two legal writing pads that contain Mr. Meade's notes on cases and accounts. There are also has three ledgers that Meade kept to record Russell County financial information during his clerkship.