Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Gaines Family Papers, Accession #3596, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection is deposit of Mr. Richard V. Gaines of Do Well, Virginia, November 8, 1950.

Scope and Content Information

The Gaines family papers, principally those of Richard V. and Richard H., consist of roughly 1700 items, 1810-1928, dealing primarily with the activities of that family of Charlotte County. Among the business papers there are materials on the Virginia grange (Patrons of Husbandry) and some information on farming and education in Virginia and New York State. The bills and receipts range from 1840 to 1902. There are a number of hand copied music manuscripts of Italian, French and German composers, miscellaneous classroom notes and a folio of one hundred portraits of famous individuals. The miscellaneous series also contains genealogy of the Gaines family, and speeches regarding the 1860 election and secession.

Of interest is a ledger containing ages of slaves, pedigrees of horses, etc., 1810-1827.

Organization

There was no basic organization to the unsorted collection and has therefore been arranged into Personal and business correspondence, Business papers, Miscellaneous notebooks, song books, and ledgers, and finally a Miscellaneous group. Due to the small size of the collection it was not arranged into series but is merely listed as to box contents.