Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of the Gambrel Family, 1777 (1849-1850)1861, Accession #6070-c,-d, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Gambrel family collection was given to the Library by Mr. Wayne Wallace of Charlottesville, Virginia on June 29, 1962, and on October 18, 1984.

Scope and Content Information

This collect consists of fifteen items, 1777-1861, chiefly letters, 1849-1850, from William, Robert, and Smith Gambrel to family members in Randolph County, Missouri, concerning their journeys west to California and Kansas, respectively. A legal summons, accounts, a poem, "The Southern Hymn, "and miscellaneous correspondence comprise the remainder of the collection. Items of particular note include: the letters of William Gambrel to his mother, Lavinia L. Gambrel, describing his trip west to participate in the California Gold Rush and a cholera epidemic among the travelers, May 25, 1949; the harsh conditions of life on the plains and his hopes of stopping at Salt Lake City, the "Mormon City", July 11, 1849; conditions while prospecting for gold in the California mountains, April 6, 1850; his explorations in the area of California declared impassable by John C. Fremont, July 1, 1850; a note signed by William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, July 21, 1860; and a letter, February 16, 1861, of J.G. Holloway to Mrs. Mary M. Pitts concerning his opposition to the break-up of a slave family for sale. Other correspondents include: Hiram Carver, Lavinia Gambrel, Robert Gambrel, Smith W. Gambrel, and William Smith.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.