Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of the Nolting Family of Brackett's Farm, Louisa County, Va., Accession #13944, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquistion Information

The papers were a gift of George C. Nolting for the Elizabeth Aiken Nolting Charitable Foundation, Gordonsville, Va., 2007 Aug. 17.

Processing Information

This collection is not fully processed.

Biographical/Historical Information

The papers are primarily related to Carl H. Nolting and Elizabeth Aiken Nolting and other members of the Nolting family such as Carl's brothers, Frederick E. Nolting, Otto Nolting and sisters, Loulie Nolting, Mrs. R. Tate Irvine, Dr. Margaret Nolting and Carl Nolting's nephew G. Freeland Peter.

Major George Frederick William Nolting was Carl H. Nolting's grandfather and he came to Virginia in 1839. His son was Emil Otto Nolting who exported tobacco and built the "Monticola" estate in Howardsville, Virginia in 1887. The Film, "Virginia" was filmed there starring Fred MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll. He married Susanne Horne.

Carl H. Nolting owned the Midloch Pony Farm in Trevillians, Virginia. He was also former chairman of the State Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries and Chairman of the Louisa Board of Supervisors. He was also involved with the Democratic Party, the telephone company, Chesapeake and Ohio Railways, oil drillings in Texas, banks, and mines across the United States. He was also interested in many farms including Harkwood.

Elizabeth Aiken Nolting lived on Bracketts Farm in Trevillians, Virginia and created the Green Springs Inc. She was also active in the American Red Cross. [1945]

Scope and Content

This collection is not fully processed and at this time contains 7 cubic boxes and a handful of oversize materials. There is significant correspondence and financial information for Carl H. Nolting, his niece, Elizabeth Aiken Nolting and other members of the Nolting family. Most of the correspondence is related to Carl Nolting and his business of acquiring and selling Welsh and Shetland ponies but also includes his interests in the telephones, banks, oil, railroads, mining, real estate, stocks and politics.

Elizabeth Aiken Nolting of Brackett's Farm in Trevillians, Virginia, was active in the American Red Cross during World War II and established the historic district for Green Springs, Virginia where Brackett's Farm is located. There is information about farming, archeological history, Brackett's Farm, Green Springs, Inc. and information about Virginia estates and historical sites including Kennilworth, Castle Hill, Cobham Park. Grace Episcopal Church, St. John's Chapel and the founding of the Keswick Hunt Club.

The correspondence mentions the hard times for miners and the shutting down of the Sulphur Mining & Railway Company and the San Rafael Mines in 1912.

There is also correspondence about the loss of Carl Nolting's political seat in Louisa, Virginia in 1911.

There is interesting correspondence between Carl Nolting and Duncan Wright pertaining to evidence against the Scotsman for having relations with a Miss Nichols and subsequent information about establishing an anti-nuptial contract with his wife. (Frederick Wilmer Sims letter) The correspondence also includes a letter from Carl Nolting that accuses a detective of paying the "darkies" to tell a different version of the story against Wright.

Important correspondents include Claude Swanson, Richard Evelyn Byrd, Governor E. Lee Trinkle, and Thomas S. Martin.

Other correspondents are customers of the Pony Farm and friends and colleagues from his various interests, such as Henry Lee Dean, J. B. Baylor, [Matty] Bolling, John A. Curtis, Edwin P. Cox, W. C. Bryan, Porter Emerson Browne, Julian Morris, [ ] Hilleary, W. D. Gillespie and Parker Jones.

There is personal correspondence from Carl Nolting's mother and other family members including information about a lawsuit between Carl Nolting and Loulie Nolting.

There is a biographical sketch of the Eugene Davis and Morris family.

There is also a typed manuscript by Amélie Rives, titled "The Ballad of Hell."

There is information about naturopathic medicine from one of the Nolting family members (Mark Harrison Nolting) who obtains a degree in this field.

There are photographs and information about Civil War Re-enactments.

There are news clippings, photographs, photo albums, postcards, address books, copy books, school notebooks and logbooks for Bracketts' farm and other record books.

There is a news clipping about the Noltings generations passing on the role of Belgian Consul starting with Emil Otto Nolting, to his son Otto Nolting, to his brother, Frederick E. Nolting (given the honor of being the Knight of the Order of Leopold) and to Frederick's son, A. S. Buford Nolting in 1950.

There are also news clippings about the artwork of Chica Tenney and Lindsay Nolting.

Also included in this collection are horseshow ribbons, a horse bit, and printing blocks for various catalogs. There is also printed material including a history of the Watson Family.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by topics and types of materials and is chronological within each folder.