Washington and Lee University, James G. Leyburn Library Special Collections and Archives
204 W. Washington St.Lexington, VA 24450
camdent@wlu.edu
URL: http://library.wlu.edu/specialcollections
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Davidson Family Papers, WLU Coll. 0113, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.
In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections staff to verify the appropriate format.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of papers of Lexington, Virginia lawyer James D. Davidson and his daughter Mary Davidson and includes some correspondence, manuscript and printed poems of James D.Davidson, clippings, and some miscellaneaous papers from the family. James Davidson's printed and handwritten writings in the collection were compiled for his book "A Curiosity in the Chancery and Rhyme and Prose," (N.D., but likely 1876-81). The collection contains detailed genealogy of the Davidson, Greenlee, and McDowell families of Virginia and Kentucky. Other highlights are a typescript paper presented in 1915 by Greenlee Davidson Letcher to the Fortnightly Club of Lexington (Va.) on the life of Capatian Greenlee Davidson, son of James D. Davidson, who died fighting for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, a fragment of a handwritten 19th century recipe book, a small pen and ink drawing on Washington College stationary of the Virginia patriotic doodles and quotations, and a carte de visite photograph of the steamship "City of New York".
Separated Material
The copy of James D. Davidson's book, "A Curiosity in Chancery and Rhyme and Prose," was removed from this collection and cataloged for our rare book collection housed in Washington and Lee University Special Collections.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Cookbooks
- Correspondence
- Country lawyers
- Davidson family
- Davidson, Greenlee
- Genealogy
- Greenlee family
- Manuscripts
- McDowell family
- Poetry
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Davidson, Greenlee
- Davidson, James D. (James Dorman)
- Davidson, Mary
- Green, Thomas Marshall, 1837-1904
- Letcher, Greenlee D. (Greenlee Davidson)
- Pickett, Margaret Madison, 1806-1887
Container List
Content by James D. Davidson
Content in James D. Davidson's hand.
Includes handwritten and printed material by James D. Davidson. Materials in this folder seem to have been compiled for submission to the publisher (Lexington (Va.) Gazette Printing House)of his book "A Curiosity in Chancery and Rhyme and Prose". Includes a ticket stub for the "Natural Bridge Sunday School Convention Picnic and Music Festival, July 15, 1876".
Includes a complete single edition of "The Commonweath" newspaper of Covington, Ky., July 6, 1876. Clippings of Davidson's writings and interests - Davidson's account of the burial in Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Va.) of an artillery soldier, Richard W. Outland, formerly of his son Greenlee's "Letcher Battery" of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War; humorous description of the hand writing of a number of Lexington's prominent citizens of the 1860s-70s including James D. Davidson.; et al.
Letters written to Mary Davidson on genealogy of the McDowell family. There is one letter regarding genealogy written to Clara (Davidson) Estill, Mary's sister.
Handwritten recipes from the Davidson family.
Carte de visite of the "City of New York", Virginia patriotic pen and ink drawing (c.1865 - 75?, receipt, Washington College stationary, dried flowers, a chart (table) for finding the day of the week in any month