A Guide to the Philip H. Scott Letters, 1951-1953 SC 0019

A Guide to the Philip H. Scott Letters, 1951-1953 SC 0019


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James Madison University Libraries Special Collections

880 Madison Drive
MSC 1704
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Telephone: (540) 568-3612
library-special@jmu.edu
URL: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/

Dillon Thomas

Repository
James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
Identification
SC 0019
Title
Philip H. Scott Letters 1951-1953
Quantity
0.08 cubic feet, 1 legal folder
Creator
Scott, Philip H., 1873-1962
Language
English .
Abstract
The Philip H. Scott Letters, 1951-1953, consist of four letters, three of which are addressed to Philip H. Scott, a seventh generation descendant of James Madison, from the Office of the Dean at Madison College. The fourth is a handwritten draft letter from Scott to Percy H. Warren, Chairman of the Madison Day Celebration.

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Provenance

The letters were originally donated to the Montpelier Foundation by Ann Belfield Thornton, Madison descendant and niece of Philip H. Scott.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Philip H. Scott Letters, 1951-1953, SC 0019, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Allison Deeds, former Director of Curatorial Operations at the Montpelier Foundation in Orange, Virginia, donated the letters to Special Collections on behalf of the Montpelier Foundation in December 2011.


Bio/Historical Note

Philip Henshaw Scott (1873-1962), was a native Virginian and a seventh generation descendant of James Madison. He was a member of the National Society of James Madison Family descendants and was in possession of several family heirlooms relating to Madison. Scott married Martha Moore Leitch on April 29, 1903. They went on to have five children: Philip Henshaw (1904-1914), William Wallace (1906-1931), Martha Moore (1908-1979), Meredith Leitch (1915-2002), and Johnny (1918-2009). He served as a career United States Coast Guard officer and commanded the USS Seminole .

In 1951-53, while living in Gordonsville, Virginia, Scott was asked to visit Madison College to tour the campus and its facilities for certain days honoring James Madison. Scott approved of the state of the college and believed it held up it its namesake.

Scope and Content

The Philip H. Scott Letters, 1951-1953, consist of four letters, three of which are addressed to Philip H. Scott, a seventh generation descendant of James Madison, from the Office of the Dean at Madison College. The fourth is a handwritten draft letter from Scott to Percy H. Warren, Chairman of the Madison Day Celebration.

The first letter, by W. J. Gifford, Dean of Madison College, is dated March 21, 1951 and includes the envelope addressed to Scott. Gifford writes to Scott to thank him and his wife, Martha Moore Leitch Scott, for visiting Madison College for the celebration of James Madison's birthday.

The second letter, by Percy H. Warren, Dean of the Summer Session at Madison College and Chairman of the Madison Day Celebration, is dated March 22, 1951. Similar to the first letter, Warren thanks Scott and his wife for making the visit to Madison College for the 200th anniversary of Madison's birth. The envelope addressed to Scott is included.

The third letter, handwritten by Philip H. Scott, is undated, but is in response to Warren's letter of March 22, 1951. In it, Scott thanks Percy H. Warren for the hospitality of Madison College and conveys that he greatly enjoyed the festivities of Madison Day. There are several edit marks on the back half of the letter, indicating this was likely a draft copy.

The fourth letter, by W. J. Gifford, is dated November 16, 1953 and includes the envelope addressed to Scott. Gifford writes to thank Scott for donating a copy of John Adams' eulogy given at James Madison's funeral to the Madison College Library (possibly the eulogy contained in SC 2099). He goes on to express his condolences on the death of Scott's wife who died June 21, 1953.

Arrangement

The Philip H. Scott Letters are housed in one legal folder. The letters and corresponding postal envelopes are arranged chronologically and placed in their own paper folder within the legal folder.

Related Material

Scott family papers, 1867-1931. Accession 43713. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

W. W. Scott papers, 1891-1924. Accession 44929, 50464. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

James Madison Memorabilia, 1796-1951, SC 0119, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Madison College -- History
  • Madison, James, 1751-1836 -- Anniversaries, etc

Bibliography

Chapman, C. Thomas, "Descendants of Ambrose Madison, the Grandfather of President James Madison, Jr." May 22, 2006. Accessed November 10, 2016. http://www.jamesmadisonfamily.com/docs/AmbroseMadison.pdf.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • Madison, James, 1751-1836 -- Anniversaries, etc
  • Scott, Philip H., 1873-1962

Container List

Mixed Materials [1000885757] box: 1 folder: 1
Philip H. Scott Letters
1951-1953