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Burnley Family papers Burnley Family papers MSS 15926

Burnley Family papers MSS 15926


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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
URL: https://small.library.virginia.edu/

Ellen Welch

Repository
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
Identification
MSS 15926
Title
Burnley Family papers 1808-1964
URL:
https://archives.lib.virginia.edu/ark:/59853/138141
Quantity
1 Cubic Feet, Burnley family correspondence, school records, military, legal papers, and receipts in cloth files, 3 legal size document boxes and oversize cloth apron with original receipts
Language
English .

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

MSS 15926, Burnley Family papers, 1839-1964, Small Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Virginia

Biographical / Historical

The Burnleys were a well-known family in nineteenth-century Albemarle County, Virginia. Nathaniel Burnley (1786-1860) owned the Hydraulic Mills complex as well as Rio Mills on the South Fork of the Rivanna River. The Burnley family may have originally descended from [John Burnley 1760-1810 of England] who bought land in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Nathaniel Burnley (the patriarch-great grandfather in this collection) married Sarah (Sallie) Sutton Drury Wood(1795-1879) in 1811. They lived near Stony Point and owned a tavern. In 1829, Nathaniel Burnley and his partner, Rice W. Wood bought the Rio Hydraulic Mills, which was at the junction of Ivy Creek and the South Rivanna River.

Nathaniel and Sarah Burnley's children were Martha Caroline Burnley (1820-1904), Emily (Emma) Garth (1824-1896) (married to Garland Garth), Lucy Vest (1828-1903), Horace Buckner Burnley (1822-1891), Sarah Frances Burnley (1831-1901), Cornelia Rice Railey (1834-1896), Drury Wood Burnley (1826-1906), James Fendall Burnley), Dr. William Rice Burnley (1815-1842), and Mary Jane Garth (1818-1890) (married to Burwell Garth). Martha Caroline Burnley married Samuel Goodman Burnley (1800-1875) (who was a cousin of her father Nathaniel Burnley).

Samuel Goodman and Martha Caroline Burnley's son, William Henry Burnley (1840-1919) married Emma C. Dyson Burnley. Their son was William Samuel Burnley (1868-1942). William Samuel Burnley was a teacher and writer. He was married to Lula Payne Burnley and their children were Byron, William, James Henry, and John Nathaniel Burnley (1916-1964). Samuel Goodman and Martha Caroline Burnley also had a son named James Nathaniel Burnley (1848-1908). Both James Nathaniel Burnley and Dr. William Rice Burnley attended the University of Virginia. Carrie Cornelia Burnley, Charlottesville school teacher and principal is not in this collection but these are her uncles and aunts.

Scope and Contents

This collection of Burnley Family letters, 3 cubic feet, contain family correspondence and papers of a prominent Albemarle County, Charlottesvile, Virginia family from 1808 to 1964 which include civil war and slave documents, military papers of Company F, 7th Infantry orders, teaching papers of Samuel Goodman Burnley, political letters about Harry Flood Byrd, writings of William Samuel Burnley, and letters reflecting the turn of the century family life, friends, church services, and family and local news.

Also included is University of Virginia Law professor John B. Minor's advice to student William Samuel Burnley (1890); and a record book for Rockbridge Academy (1841) and a yearbook for Charlottesville High School, 1924.

Correspondents include Sarah (Sallie) Stoddard Wood Burnley, Samuel Goodman Burnley, Martha Caroline Burnley and her siblings, William Henry Burnley, Emma C. Dyson Burnley, James Nathaniel Burnley, William Samuel Burnley, N.B. Early, Byron Burnley, John Nathaniel Burnley, and James Henry Burnley.

Arrangement

There are four series for this collection, Series 1. Correspondence 1842-1964, Series 2. Legal 1808-1816, Series 3. Military 1862-1864, Series 4. Personal 1913-1924

Related Material

Other Burnley family members (brother and niece) MSS 7871, MSS 4902

Container List

Correspondence
0.022 Cubic Feet 11 folders in one legal size document box.. Box 1
1842-1964English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 1 1
    Samuel Goodman Burnley letters
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1842; 1873English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 2
    Sarah (Sallie) Stoddard Wood Burnley letters to her children
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1859-1863English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 3
    Mrs. Samuel Goodman (Martha Caroline) Burnley letters
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1859-1883English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 4
    James Nathaniel Burnley letters to his father Samuel Goodman Burnley
    1869-1882English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 5
    William Henry Burnley letter to his son William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1910English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 6
    James Henry Burnley letters to his father William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1910-1928English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 7
    Byron Burnley letters to his father William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1911-1924English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 9
    John B. Minor letters to William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1890English.
    Existence and Location of Originals

    Originals temporarily removed by preservation.

  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 10
    William Samuel Burnley correspondence with his wife Lula Payne Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1914-1928English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 11
    Mrs. William Henry (Emma Dyson) Burnley letters to her son William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1914-1925English.
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Legal papers
0.16 Cubic Feet Four folders in one legal size document box. Box 1
1808-1879English.
Scope and Contents

Legal papers, 1808-1879, including the sale of Nathaniel Burnley's estate and slaves executed by James F. Burnley and Samuel Goodman Burnley; Deeds and wills. Horace and Jenny L. Burnley 1873; Samuel G. Burnley and debts to Thomas Gilbert and Ann B. Michie; (James F. Burnley, James H. Burnley, Cornelia Burnley); Land in Albemarle County to James H. and Mildred Jane Burnley, James F. and Amanda Burnley, Drury Wood Burnley, Martha Caroline Burnley 1879; auction of Burnley's property (signed D. R. Goodman), receipts from Henry Mills Burnley as executor of Abner Burnley's estate, token, and coat of arms. One of the terms of sale documents (James Fendall Burnley and Samuel Goodman Burnley selling the estate of Nathaniel Burnley) notes that "in selling the negroes any defect that is known will be mentioned, but the negroes will not be warranted in any way."

  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 12
    James Burnley debts, payments, and coat of arms
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1809-1816English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 13
    Nathaniel Burnley estate
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1868-1879English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 14
    Samuel G. Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1857-1875English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 15
    William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1893-1922English.
  • Mixed Materials box: 3 [X030899270] folder: 1-19
    Photocopies of receipts from document apron
    0.5 Cubic Feet Legal document box. Box 3
    1833-1875English.
  • Oversize document apron containing receipts
    0.5 Cubic Feet Oversize box.
    1833-1875English.
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Military papers
0.04 Cubic Feet One folder in one legal size document box. Box 1
1862-1864English.
Scope and Contents

Military papers including orders, muster rolls, pay and clothing accounts, ordnance and ordnance stores accounts, morning reports, requests for leave, passes, receipts. Most are signed by or on behalf of Jeremiah Newcomb McMullan. Of interest is an 1861 muster roll "of Captain John B. Magruder's company of light infantry from the County of Albemarle known as Rivanna Guards" (Co. H., 57th Virginia Infantry). There are many comments about deaths and injuries of soldiers (e.g."Killed at Malvern Hill", "Badly wounded and captured at Gettysburg", "Deserted", "Died in hospittle [sic]", etc.) Also included are several mail sorting bags.

  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 16
    Company F, 7th Virginia Infantry orders and related papers
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1862-1864; 1941English.
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Personal papers
0.012 Cubic Feet 3 folders in a legal document box. Box 1, 4 folders in a legal document box. Box 2
1913-1922English.
Scope and Contents

Personal papers of John Nathaniel Burnley include school papers, photograph of John, photograph of Burnley, Vest, and Wingfield family, McGuffey school program for "Hiawatha" 1923, newspaper clipping and photograph of John marching in the George Washington re-enactment, and military discharge papers.

Also included are personal and school papers for Byron Burnley. There are also miscellaneous newspaper clippings about Grover Cleveland and an editorial about J. R. Wingfield.

  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 17
    Byron Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1911English.
  • Mixed Materials box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 18
    John Nathaniel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1913-1942English.
  • Manuscripts box: 1 [X030899269] folder: 19
    William Samuel Burnley
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1877-1939English.
  • Mixed Materials box: 2 [X030899271] folder: 2
    Samuel G. Burnley grade book for Rockbridge Academy
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1841English.
  • Mixed Materials box: 2 [X030899271] folder: 3
    Charlottesville High School yearbook
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    1924English.
  • Mixed Materials box: 2 [X030899271] folder: 4
    Burnley Holy Bible
    0.04 Cubic Feet One folder.
    UndatedEnglish.
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