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Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Landon Family Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally processed by Benjamin Bromley in March 2011. Processed, organized, and finding aid written by Austin W. Smith, SCRC Staff, in May 2011.

Biographical Information:

Thompson Landon was born November 18, 1830 in Lansingburg, New York and the fourth child of parents Seymour Landon (1798-1880) and Phebe Thompson (1797-1879). Thompson Landon earned his B.A., then his M.A. in 1855, and later his D.D. in 1906. A reverend by profession, Thompson taught at the Amenia Seminary 1852-53 and at Pennington Seminary 1854-1857. He was stationed as a pastor in Newark, NJ, 1858-60; Franklin, NJ, 1860-62; Little Falls, NJ, 1862-64; Belvidere, NJ, 1864-67; Phillipsburgh, NJ, 1867-69; Montclair, NJ, 1869-72; Madison, NJ, 1872-74; Rahway, NJ, 1874-77; Port Richmond, NY, 1877-78; Succasunna, NJ, 1878-81; Elizabeth, NJ, 1881-83; Paterson, NJ, 1883-85; Thiels, NY, 1885. Thompson had been married to Sarah Durland on May 18, 1864. In 1885, Thompson Landon became the principal of the newly established Bordentown Military Institute in Bordentown, NJ.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, diaries, and papers of Thompson Hoadley Landon (1830-1917) and his son Thomas Durland Landon (1865-1934). Several of the papers and correspondence relate to the Bordentown Military Institute of Bordentown, New Jersey of which both Thompson and Thomas were part of the senior administration for several years.

Series 1 of the collection contains the correspondence of Thompson H. Landon including correspondence with his father Seymour Landon (folder 1), a fellow pastor and friend James B. Faulks of East Orange, NJ (folders 2, 3, & 4), and others (folder 5).

Series 2 contains papers of Thompson H. Landon including returns (receipts) of certificates of 31 marriages that Thompson performed between 1878-1889 (folder 6) and programs from Wesleyan Academy where one of his sons Seymour Landon (1867-1930) attended (folder 7).

Series 3 is the correspondence of Thomas Durland Landon including correspondence with his father, Thompson Landon (folder 8), his brother, Seymour Landon (folder 9), a woman named Myrta Leontine Kenaston (c.1868-1958) (folder 10), a woman named Jessie May Anthony (folder 11), a man named "Woody" (folder 12), a man named "Will" (folder 13), and several others (folder 14). Among the letters in folder 14 are a group from someone in the French military written in French. Covers addressed to Thomas Landon with missing letters (folder 15) and letters that could have been sent to Thomas or Thompson (folder 16), but require more research for determination are also included in Series 3.

Series 4 contains diaries written by Thomas D. Landon for the years 1886 (folder 17), 1889 (folder 18), 1890 (folder 19), and 1891 (folder 20), each with daily entries. An account booklet with expenses, book lists, grocery lists, and various notes is also included (folder 21), as well as an album of cards (folder 22).

Series 5 contains papers of Thomas Landon including a roster of the Sixth Regiment of the National Guard of New Jersey for 1888 (folder 23), Landon's certificate of election to Captain of the same company in 1893 (folder 24), and other miscellaneous notes, ephemera, and clippings (folder 25).

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is arranged into 5 series: Series 1: Corresondence of Thompson Hoadley Landon; Series 2: Papers of Thompson Hoadley Landon; Series 3: Correspondence of Thomas Durland Landon; Series 4: Diaries and Account Booklet of Thomas Durland Landon; Series 5: Papers of Thomas Durland Landon.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Bordentown Military Institute
• Diaries
• Education--New Jersey
• Letters (correspondence)
• New Jersey--Social life and customs
• Teachers--Diaries