Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Maury Family Papers, Accession 6742, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Acquisition Information

This collection was transferred to the Library from the Maury family home attic in Piedmont through Carl L. Epley of the University of Virginia on March 10, 1962.

Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Scope and Content

This collection consists of 100 items, 1793-1874, n.d., and includes correspondence, business papers, legal papers, and miscellaneous material. A number of these pertain to Matthew Fontaine Maury, Jr. , of Albemarle County, Virginia . There are numerous letters written during the Civil War.

Correspondence of the Maury family dates 1822-1874, n.d. A letter dated November 4, 1823 from the Albemarle Court states that Thomas W. Maury has been appointed as School Commissioner. On January 13, 1837, from the House of Delegates , Alexander Rives complains to Thomas Maury that "our party here, alack the day! is so far behind the spirit of their constituents, that they are most ingloriously succeeding on many occasions, to their enemies." On November 2[ ], 1855, A. J. Meigs writes to Maury and mentions the latter's "disorder." There are letters of recommendation and introduction for Matthew Fontaine Maury, Jr. during 1852 and 1857. J. Delafield writes to Matthew Fontaine Maury, Jr. , in Liverpool , on March 26, 1862, introducing Captain Clemenshaw who is recommended to Maury as a navigator in the Confederate Navy . A copy of a letter, August 27, 1862, from Rutson Maury, Jr. to Rutson Maury , sends news of the family, the actions of Federal troops, and Union designs on Confederate ports, and mentions the absence of James. There are several letters to Maury from J. Delafield and A. S. Elmiger between 1862-1863, requesting to see him, apparently in relation to a financial dispute between them; letters of May 30, June 11, and June 16, 1863, detail the dispute. On April 7, 1863, Keating and Company writes to J. Delafield asking for his opinion on the present state of the Confederate loan, and the prospect of recovery. "Hawkeye" writes to Maury on April 17 and 20, 1863, in regard to a controversy over an article in The Mercury entitled "Exposure of Northern Ladies," and a Mr. Spencer's actions concerning it. There is an interesting letter, April 25, 1863, from James Maury to "Skinny Murphy," containing a cypher to "defy the inquisitors of even these miserable Yankees," and mentioning doing business with a Jew "in whom is plenty of guile" and having an interest in acquiring English milking cows and seed. Rutson Maury writes to Matthew Fontaine Maury, Jr. , on April 28, 1863, mentioning that he had been reading a story for Sunday school children, "Little Ben, the motherless boy." Ann Maury writes to Matthew Fontaine Fontaine, Jr. , on June 12, 1863, concerning personal matters, and mentions living in an atmosphere of tobacco and coal smoke with the comment "perhaps you think smoke is the best air for the lungs." Rutson Maury writes to Matthew on January 10, 1868, in a hand similar to gothic, that it is not yet decided who the Latin professor at Columbia College would be. In a letter dated March 1, 1869 from, New Orleans, "Alex" writes to Maury confidential news of jealousy against Maury in the office. In a letter dated July 16, 1869, Abraham writes to Matthew Fontaine Maury requesting a copy of the "Fontaine and Maury" family book. Included with a March 13, 1870 letter from A. M. Clayton to Maury, there is a newpaper article, which mentions a railroad accident near Oxford, Mississippi on Southern RR track and includes the official comment by Col. Sam Tate , president of the railroad. Walker Maury writes to "Liz," on May 5, 1870, mentioning that Matthew may be back from England in mid-October. Among the undated correspondence, J. R. Lawrence claims that he will send money to Maury once he is paid.

The business papers date 1793-1869 and n.d. There is a report, "Staves Most Suitable for the English Market," from the Drysdale Brothers dated October 12, 1866. From 1867, there is a tide and shipping record, which includes an account with Maury and Company , noting import duties on alcoholic beverages, and an attached card, "Rates of Compressing Cotton from Cotton Press Association of New Orleans " for the year ending August 31, 1868. There is also a telegram sent from the Maury Bros. to the Adderly Bros. on August 24, 1869: "Tobacco much shortened by drought," with a note warning of tobacco speculation. There are minutes of the Albemarle Agricultural Society re preparation for the annual show.

Legal papers are for the period 1806-1823. For January 25, 1806 is the will of Benjamin Maury , bequesting his property to Matthew R. Maury, Sr . There is an October 23, 1823 subpoena for Thomas Maury to testify on behalf of Nelson Barksdale .

Miscellaneous papers date 1863-1867, n.d., and include a pamphlet, January 7, 1863, called the "Second Letter . . . to British Cotton Operatives," from a talk given by John Cowell on September 12, 1862 and published in the London Times four days later. The author demands English (and French) intervention in the South's war with the North to help the Southern cotton industry. Also, there is a card from the Medical Department of the University of Louisana --an "Order of Lectures" for the 1866-1867 session. Among the undated items is a fragment of an ancient history text which mixes history and mythology legends; a notebook which contains lecture notes from scientific or technological coursework; recipes for milk punch and good ink; a detail of a rampart arc from a European gothic church, either French or Italian, with the caption in both tongues: "Dettaglio Di un' Arco Rampante" and "Detaile D' Un Arc Rampart."