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], Peter Saunders Family Papers, 1873-1886, Ms2024-094, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Peter Saunders Family Papers was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in July 2021.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Peter Saunders Family Papers was completed in September 2024.

Biographical Note

Peter Saunders (1823-1904) was a lawyer and farmer from Franklin County, Virginia. Saunders came from a very well-known family. His grandfather was Peter Saunders, Sr., coined as the "Pioneer of Franklin County," and his father was Judge Fleming Saunders (1778-1858), who enslaved over 150 people. Peter Saunders married Elizabeth Dabney in 1855. Together they had four children. Their oldest son, Edward Watts Saunders (1860-1921), was a member of Congress, judge of the Circuit Court, and a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Peter Saunders had a sister named Ann M. Saunders (1825-1911) who married in 1846 to Thomas L. Preston, professor at the University of Virginia and grandson of Col. William Preston.

External Sources:

United States Federal Census, 1860.

"Fleming Saunders" entry, findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118549296/fleming-saunders, accessed on September 27, 2024.

National Register of Historic Places, Bleak Hill, Callaway, Franklin County, Virginia, National Register #10244018, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/033-0002_Bleak_Hill_2002_Final_Nomination.pdf, accessed on September 27, 2024.

"Ann M. Saunders" in the Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2346591:60214/, accessed on September 27, 2024.

"Anna Mariah Saunders Preston" entry, findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83199701/anna_mariah_preston , accessed Oct. 23, 2024.

"Edward W Saunders" in the Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/255817:9278 , accessed Oct. 23, 2024.

"SAUNDERS, Edward Watts, 1860 – 1921", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/S000077 , accessed Oct. 23, 2024.

"Edward Watts Saunders" entry, findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33419197/edward-watts-saunders, accessed on September 27, 2024.

Scope and Content

This collection contains correspondence, receipts, and leaflets belonging to Peter Saunders, a farmer from Franklin County, Virginia. The items in this collection dated 1874-1886 contains correspondence to Peter Saunders about his farm as well as receipts and advertisements for farm equipment from various companies, including the Lee, Taylor, and Payne Leaf Tobacco Company, the Watt and Call Sole Agents of Richmond, Virginia, and Poole and Hunt. Additionally, three letters dated January 1884 discuss the appointment of Edward Watts Saunders, Peter Saunders' son, as the judge of Franklin County, Virginia. Three letters dated 1873-1874 are from a person with the initial M addressed to a woman named Annie, who may be Peter Saunders' sister Ann Saunders Preston.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by correspondent. Each folder is arranged chronologically with undated materials at the end.

Related Material

Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives also has a letter, possibly from Ann Saunders' husband Thomas L. Preston, in the Thomas L. Preston Letter, Ms2008-041.

See also the Irvine-Saunders Family Papers, Accession 116, housed at the University of Virginia's Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Agriculture
• History of Food and Drink
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Preston family (Montgomery County, Va.)
• Saunders family

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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