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], George W. L. Kabrich Family Papers, Ms 2019-013, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The George W. L. Kabrich Family Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in July 2015.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the George W. L. Kabrich Fmaily Papers commenced in April 2019 and was completed in May 2019.

Biographical Note

The George W. L. Kabrich Family Papers relate to the activities of Kabrich (sometimes Kabrick) and his family in Blacksburg, Virginia. The son of George and Elizabeth Kabrich, George Washiongton Lewis Kabrich (b. 1824) taught school and Sunday school, worked as Overseer of the Poor for Blacksburg Township, and was on church councils for local Lutheran churches. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in April 1862 as a private in Company D, Virginia 45th Infantry Regiment (Confederate States of America), mustering out a month later.

On August 18, 1846, George Kabrich married Susan Ann (or Amanda) Surface (1829-1919), the daughter of John and Elizabeth Surface. The couple had five children: Sarah E. (1849-1935), Mary C. "Mollie" (ca. 1854-1895), Marion W. (b. ca. 1858), Arthur J. (1862-1941), and Effie May (1867-1927). Sarah married Joseph E. Francis on January 3, 1872, and Marion married Mollie M. Price on October 6, 1885. The couple had a daughter, Florence A. (1886-1963). Florence later lived with Susan, Arthur, and Effie.

Isaiah Kabrich (1827-1899), the brother of George W. L. Kabrich, was the grandfather of cousins Robert Kabrich (1825-1994) and Effie Kent "Billie" Kabrich Shanks (1903-1966). Both attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute: Billie was one of the first five full-time women students to enroll in 1921, and Robert attended after serving in World War II.

Scope and Content

The George W. L. Kabrich Family Papers, 1850-1947 [bulk 1850-1904], contain correspondence, legal records, financial records, and religious documents. The collection is divided into six series, based on material type: Series I: Correspondence, Series II: Legal Papers, Series III: Financial Papers, Series IV: Religious Papers, Series V: Assorted.

The first series, Correspondence, 1850-1904, undated, is subdivided by correspondent: George W. L. Kabrich, 1850-1889; Effie Kabrich, 1903-1904; and Assorted, 1880, 1904, undated. Letters include correspondence with George's brother Isaiah, church members, George's daughter Effie, George's granddaughter Florence, and people asking for money or goods, possibly because of his job as Overseer of the Poor.

The second series, Legal Papers, 1855-1880, undated, includes promissory notes, articles of agreement, and a contract for G. W. L. Kabrich to teach a school for local families.

The third series, Financial Papers, is subdivided into Account Balances, 1859-1890, Tax and Tuition Receipts, 1860-1978, and Assorted, 1872, 1888, 1932, undated. Accounts document balances and payments for local goods and services, and the tax and tuition receipts include tax payments for G. W. L. Kabrich and his father-in-law John Surface as well as tuition receipts for students at Kabrich's school. Assorted contains financial notes, bank items, and printed documents.

The fourth series, Religious Papers, 1870-1887, relate to George W. L. Kabrich's involvement with local Lutheran churches. Items include meeting minutes from church councils, Sunday School class book, and a donation envelope.

The fifth series, Assorted, 1947, undated, includes an advertisement for female regulating pills, genealogy of births and deaths in the 1850s-1860s, and a Rat Belt which is believed to have belonged to Robert H. Kabrich, the grandson of George's brother Issiah. (Rat belts were - and are - worn by freshmen in the VPI Corps of Cadets.)

Arrangement

The collection is organized in the following series:

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Kabrich family
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• Students and alumni
• University History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the George W. L. Kabrich Family Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your- work/public-domain/cc0/ ).