Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Charles Doe Correspondence, Ms2010-058, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Charles Doe Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections in June 2010.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Charles Doe Correspondence commenced and was completed in July 2010.

Biographical Note

Charles Doe was born in Derry, New Hampshire, in April 1830. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he went on to practice law in Dover, New Hampshire. He served as Solicitor for Strafford County, and later as an assistant clerk to the New Hampshire State Senate (1853-1854). In 1859, he was appointed as a justice to the New Hampshire Supreme Judicial Court. The court was dissolved briefly during 1874 and 1875, but upon the creation of the State Supreme Court in 1876, Doe was reappointed, this time as Chief Justice. He remained Chief Justice until his death in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, in 1896.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of two letters written by Charles Doe to his family in Maine in 1850. Both were penned in Danville, Virginia, when Doe was traveling to the South. Each letter is around three pages in length.

The first is an eyewitness account of how the US Congress goes about their debates. References Congressmen Toombs, Webster, Clay, and Cass. It includes the quote "I imagine it will take some time for me to get used to these negroes. I would not mind a few, but everybody must have so many around them, that it requires some tact to more without stepping on them. I don't like to see them work. They move as if they had rheumatism in every joint."

The second is a description of church culture in Danville. It mentions churches of the following denominations: Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian, describing the physical arrangement of the church as women in front, men on the sides, and negroes in the gallery. Doe also relays that morning preaching is generally for whites and afternoon for blacks. He mentions there is a lack of free schooling and describes most people as ignorant and claims Virginia is "as far behind as any state" he has seen.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in chronological order.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Charles Doe Correspondence by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).