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], Blacksburg, Virginia, Bank Embezzlement Collection, Ms2011-080, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in August 2011.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Blacksburg, Virginia, Bank Embezzlement Collection was completed in September 2011.

Biographical Note

Nicholas M. Ronald was the son of William S. Ronald and Mary Crow. Before the American Civil War, Ronald worked as a merchant in Blacksburg, Va. He and his fellow merchants served as an original director of the Blacksburg Savings Institute. Ronald was the younger brother to confederate soldier Charles A. Ronald. The latter led the 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment of the Stonewall Brigade during the Civil War, but he resigned from service in September 1863 after a debilitating thigh injury sustained in battle. Both brothers owned the Phillips-Ronald house (Five Chimneys) in Blacksburg--the home of their widowed sister Sarah Kent.

Scope and Content

The eight documents (ca. 1865) within the collection detail a bank embezzlement case from the Blacksburg Branch of the Farmers Bank in Virginia. The testimonies recorded within the collection name Nicholas M. Ronald, a bank teller, as the main suspect.

Ronald's modus operandi involved him instructing patrons to write him checks that would supposedly pay off account deficits. One Oscar Callison "paid N. M. Ronald, Teller of the Farmers Bank..$131.30 the balance of Mrs. M.A. Callison's Account." Another George T. Gray "paid...Ronald...$135 to be placed to the credit of P. w. Evang [Evangelist?]." Ronald supposedly pocketed these, and many other, checks.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by material type

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Farmers Bank (Blacksburg, Va.)
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• Roanoke (Va.)
• Ronald, Nicholas M.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Blacksburg, Virginia, Bank Embezzlement Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).