Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], United Daughters of the Confederacy, Dr. Harvy Black Chapter Records, 1862-2010, Ms1990-050, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The United Daughters of the Confederacy, Dr. Harvy Black Chapter Records were deposited with Special Collections in 1990, with the exception of the scrapbooks and the Elisha Epperson letters, which were deposited in 1991. Additional minute books, scrapbooks, membership applications, and chapter correspondence and business records were donated in 2010, after the chapter disbanded. More materials were received in 2013 and 2017.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Dr. Harvy Black Chapter Records commenced in October 2003 and was completed the following month. Preliminary processing had been performed during the 1990s. Additional processing of the 2010 accrual was completed in December 2011. 2013 and 2017 accruals were processed in July 2017.

Biographical Note

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was established in Nashville, Tennessee in 1894. Comprised of female descendants of Confederate Civil War veterans, the organization was formed to preserve materials and places significant to Confederate history and to provide assistance to needy families of Confederate veterans. The Blacksburg, Virginia chapter, named in honor of local resident and Fourth Virginia Infantry surgeon Harvy Black, was formed in 1896. The chapter disbanded in 2009.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the records of the Dr. Harvy Black Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). Apart from the chapter's records, the collection also contains files devoted to local Confederate veterans--most noteworthy of which are the letters of Elisha Epperson (67th Virginia Infantry). Among the official chapter records are financial records, minute books, and membership applications. The collection also contains a small set of printed materials, including convention programs and proceedings, booklets, and newspaper clippings. A group of scrapbooks completes the collection.

Arrangement

The collection is divided among the following series:

I. Confederate Veterans, 1862-1967. This series includes a set of letters written from Giles County, Virginia by Elisha Epperson (67th Virginia Infantry) to his wife (accompanied by portraits of the Eppersons). The series also contains a set of local applications for Southern Crosses of Honor, many of which were completed and signed by the veterans themselves. Also found here are biographical data on local veterans and information on local World War I and II soldiers who descended from Confederate veterans. This series is arranged by material type.

II. Chapter Financial Records, 1896-1982. In addition to two early treasurer's books, this series also contains the chapter's membership tax lists and a file on the local Confederate Memorial Fund. This series is arranged by material type.

III. Chapter Minutes, 1896-2009. This series contains a set of books detailing the proceedings of the chapter's meetings and is arranged chronologically.

IV. Chapter Membership Records, 1896-1981. This series contains applications for membership in the Dr. Harvy Black chapter. The membership forms include information on the applicants, their family, and their ancestors' roles in the Civil War. The series also contains a small set of forms for members who transferred from other chapters. The series is arranged by document type, then alphabetically.

V. Printed Materials, 1897-1999. The Printed Materials Series contains both UDC and non-UDC publications. It includes a set of the Dr. Harvy Black chapter's yearbooks, as well as programs and proceedings for national and state UDC conventions. Among the non-UDC publications are several booklets devoted to various aspects of Civil War history. The newspaper clippings in this series contain information on UDC activities as well as historical topics, including articles on ex-Confederate immigrants to South America.

VI. General Materials, 1896-2009. Comprised of a wide variety of materials, this series includes such materials as correspondence, the chapter's charter, photos of Blacksburg's Smithfield Plantation, and a commemorative ribbon from the 1905 Confederate veterans' reunion in Christiansburg, Virginia. A 1994 oral history interview with Bernice Willard is also included.

VII. Scrapbooks, 1935-2005. The scrapbooks in this series contain such items as programs, essays and newspaper clippings on the United Daughters of the Confederacy and on Civil War history.

Separated Material

The following items were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:

The Capture of a Locomotive : A Brilliant Exploit of the War. Atlanta, GA: Franklin Printing, 1895.

Craig's Share in the War Between the States, 1861-1865 : A Historical Sketch. [New Castle, VA: Craig Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, c. 1912].

Custodians of Imperishable Glory. [Atlanta, GA: Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association, 1925?]

Hale, Gertrude Henkle. Mary Custis Lee. [Richmond, VA?: Virginia Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1936].

The History of the Home for Needy Confederate Women, 1900-1904. Richmond, VA: J. L. Hill, 1904?].

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• United Daughters of the Confederacy. Dr. Harvy Black Chapter (1896-2009) (Blacksburg, Va.)
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Dr. Harvy Black Chapter Records by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).