JOHN T. HARRIS LETTERS, 1845-1899. A major portion of this subseries consists of letters from Harris's constituents requesting personal favors. The letters from 1860 to 1861 primarily address the issue of Virginia seceding from the Union. Echoing the sentiments of many residents of western Virginia, most of the letters express pro-Unionist feelings and encourage Harris to work for a compromise in the Congress to avert violent conflict. Moreover, the contents of these letters, despite the lack of any letters from him, suggest that Harris worked with and was a close friend of Stephen A. Douglas.

MISCELLANEOUS HARRIS FAMILY LETTERS, 1831-1937, consists consists chiefly of letters among various members of the Harris family. These letters provide little more than descriptions of family life. However, there are several letters to John T. Harris, Jr., himself a prominent lawyer in Rockingham County, from Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt.

PEYTON RANDOLPH LETTERS, 1846-1884, primarily consisting of letters from several college friends and his immediate family. Of these, those from college friend Henry Force are particularly enlightening. Force was the son of historian Peter Force and acted as surveyor on the Border Commission dispatched to study the newly acquired lands in present-day New Mexico and Arizona. In a series of letters to Peyton from 1850 to 1853, Force describes his encounters with Mexican soldiers and Apache Indians, as well as his duties on the trek from New Orleans to San Diego. Also worth noting are the letters to Peyton from his mother, Susan Armistead Randolph, which form the bulk of the Randolph letters. In her weekly four-page letters Mrs. Randolph describes life in Washington, D.C. during the 1850's, including the inauguration of Franklin Pierce and Henry Clay's funeral. Significantly, Susan Randolph was acutely aware of the political climate of her era and took particular interest in the Know-Nothing Party in the 1850's. In several letters she outlines the platform of the Know-Nothings and even urges Peyton to join the party. However, despite her vivid political commentaries and her proximity to the arena of the conflict, she surprisingly never mentions the issue of slavery. In addition to her political and social sketches, she provides detailed accounts of family life, including rather grisly descriptions of the deaths of various family members. Her letters from Richmond during the war describe the changes in life in that city through the course of the war and include detailed examples of the rampant inflation of prices on common goods such as bacon and flour. Of particular interest are Mrs. Randolph's inquiries concerning General Lewis Armistead, who was said to be the first Confederate soldier to cross into Union lines during Pickett's Charge at the battle of Gettysburg. She was, in fact, General Armistead's first cousin.

MISCELLANEOUS RANDOLPH FAMILY LETTERS, 1837-1928, consist mainly of miscellaneous letters from Susan Randolph to her other children and correspondence among Peyton's sisters, Mollie, Nannie, and Sue.

PEYTON RANDOLPH MISCELLANEOUS, 1844-1865, consisting of several items including a book of psalms which he carried during the Civil War.