Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Middagh-Farrar Family Papers, 1824-1901. Accession 43506. Business records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Purchased.

Biographical Information

Daniel Middagh (ca. 1778-1853) married Elizabeth Gregory in 1813. They resided in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was a lawyer. Their daughter Georgianna Caroline Middagh (b. ca. 1815) married Dr. Joseph C. Farrar (ca. 1812-1878). Their daughter Maria E. Farrar (1836-1912) married William A. Pace (b. 1831). They resided in Petersburg, Virignia.

Scope and Content

Papers, 1824-1901, of the Middagh and Farrar families of Mecklenburg County, Virginia, most notably Daniel Middagh (ca. 1778-1853), and his son Dr. Joseph C. Farrar (ca. 1812-1878). Includes accounts and receipts, correspondence, estate papers of William H. Byassee (ca. 1808-1859), guardianship papers of the orphans of James Whittemore, papers regarding the sales of the property of Edwin Binford (1812-1884) and John J. Bowen, school compositions, tax tickets, and other items.

The bulk of the correspondence dates from 1848 to 1859. There are letters written to Maria Farrar (1836-1912) from her parents and a former teacher while she was away at school in Lunenburg County, and letters written by her while she was attending Warrenton Female Institute. There are also letters written by her when she was living in Petersburg following her marriage to William A. Pace (b. 1831). Topics covered include her studies, attending camp meetings, family news, and the health and death of their son Daniel Middagh Pace (1855-1857). There is also a notable letter on Reconstruction written in 1867 to Dr. Farrar.

Other items in the collection include agreements, clippings, court papers, fee bills, orders for payment or goods, poetry, promissory notes, recipes, and slave hire bonds.