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Guide to the Emma Simpson Glover Family Papers, 1834-1953

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Descriptive Summary

Title
Emma Simpson Glover Family Papers, 1834-1953
Creator
Glover, Emma Simpson
Extent
2 Linear Feet
ca. 410 Items
Repository
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
Language
English.
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Administrative Information

Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The status of the copyright interests in the family papers of Emma Simpson Glover is unknown. For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], The Emma Simpson Glover Family Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The family papers of Emma Simpson Glover, of Nelson County, Va., were purchased by the Manuscript Department in 1974.
Processing Information
Processed by: Scott L. Moore
Completed July 27, 1988
Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note

Emma Simpson Glover, daughter of Germaine Franklin and Margaret (?) Simpson, was born during the late 1870s or 1880s in Midway Mills, Nelson County, Va. The papers also document the existence of at least two sisters, Mary and Mabel; a brother, Walter Charles; and an uncle, Charles H. Simpson, who later published several novellas based on his experiences in Montana. Emma remained in Midway Mills until she married Samuel Ridout Glover, a physician, in 1911, when she moved to nearby Howardsville, Va. Emma's mother died around 1896; her father died in 1906.

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Collection Overview

The papers consist of correspondence, legal and financial papers, photographs, account books, a memoir book, and miscellaneous papers and span the time period from 1834 to 1953. The bulk of the papers consists of correspondence between 1862 and 1914. This correspondence falls roughly into three major periods, each one consisting of two or three dozen letters.
The first period lasts until the 1890s and focuses on G. F. Simpson's involvement with the construction of a silver ore-crushing mill in Helena, Montana Territory, a venture shared with his brother, Charles H. Simpson; land investments in Kansas; and, after the 1860s, iron ore mining operations in Virginia. The letters from Montana and Kansas also document the harsh life on the American frontier. Included with this mostly business correspondence are a few letters from Thomas B. Sykes describing his experiences at Camp Chase, a Union prisoner-of-war camp near Columbus, Ohio, and as a resident of Aberdeen, Miss. during Reconstruction.
The second period, from the 1890s to 1910, consists chiefly of letters to Emma or her sisters Mary and Mabel, which discuss news of family and friends.
The last period, 1910-1914, consists mostly of correspondence between Emma and her husband Dr. Samuel R. Glover during their courtship and early marriage. Dr. Glover's letters include a limited discussion of his medical practice.
The legal papers include a will, mortgages, and land deeds. The financial papers include receipts and notes, some belonging to the firm of Simpson, Bass and Co. of Richmond, Va., operated by Charles H. Simpson and L. L. Bass, who were commission merchants in flour, grain, hay, and other provisions. The miscellaneous papers include clippings and printed material. There are photographs of Emma Simpson Glover, J. W. Simpson, and Mrs. Margaret Simpson.
The bound volumes consist of two ledgers and accounts, 1914-1921, of Dr. Glover's medical practice; ledger and accounts, 1877-1882, of a general store in Nelson Co., Va., which includes entries for farm and farm labor; and a memoir or scrap book of Mary Simpson, consisting of printed material, clippings, ribbons, and other memorabilia. The memoir book originally served as the cash book of an unknown Virginia firm for 1834-1836.
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Subject Headings

These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
List of Series in Collection
Emma Simpson Glover Family Papers, 1834-1953
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Detailed Description of Collection

Emma Simpson Glover Family Papers, 1834-1953

(3 boxes)
Box 1-2
Correspondence, 1862-1953, chiefly 1862-1914.
Business correspondence with G.F. Simpson, personal correspondence with his daughter Emma Simpson Glover from friends and family prior to her marriage, and courtship letters between Emma and her husband, Dr. Samuel R. Glover. Arranged chronologically.
Box 2
Legal Papers, 1867-1910.
Will, mortgages, and land deeds.
Box 2
Financial Papers, 1865-1882.
Receipts, notes, and other documents belonging to G.F. Simpson, and Simpson, Bass and Co. of Richmond, Virginia.
Box 2
Miscellaneous
Clippings, printed material, and memorabilia.
Box 2
Photographs
Photographs of Emma Simpson Glover, J.W. Simpson, and Margaret Simpson.
Box 2
Memoir Book
Mary Simpson's memoir book, which had earlier served as the cash book of an unidentified Virginia firm.
Box 3
Account Books, 1834-1921.
Account books of Dr. Glover's medical practice, and of a general store in Nelson County, Va.