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Virden family papers

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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

This collection relates to the Virden (or Virdin) family of Delaware, specifically Samuel Virden (1793-1876) of Kent County and his descendants, including Edwin Virden, Sarah Elizabeth Virden Hall, and her husband John W. Hall, Jr. The Brown family, connected by marriage to the Virdens, is also represented.

Samuel Virden's great-grandfather, John Virdin (d. 1769), was among the earliest Virdens in Delaware. Samuel was born on June 21, 1793, the only child of Peter Lowber Virden and Elizabeth (Lowber) Virden. His first wife was Anne McKimmey Smock Virden (1797-1841), with whom he had eleven children. The family lived near Frederica on a farm called Lexington Mills, and later moved to a home on David Street in Frederica. In October 1842, ten months after Anne's death, Samuel married Eliza Anne Warren (d. 1878). He died in July of 1876 and was buried in a family cemetery at Lexington Mills.

Samuel's children and their spouses also figure prominently in this collection, particularly John W. Hall, Jr., the husband of Samuel's daughter, Sarah Elizabeth ("Lizzie"). John W. Hall, Jr., son of Delaware governor John Wood Hall (1817-1892, served as governor 1879-1883), became a successful businessman after taking over his father's mercantile firm in 1867. Records from the Hall family's shipping firm can be found among the collections of the University of Delaware Library (MSS 116).

The Brown family also appears in this collection. Samuel Virden's granddaughter, Blanche Virden, married Dr. Thomas A. Brown, and perhaps this is the source of the Brown family material. Their daughter was the renowned Delaware artist Ethel Penniwell Brown Leach, whose niece, Mrs. Samuel Sloan, donated this collection to the University.

Donald Odell Virden,The Virdens of Delaware and Related Families. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1991. "Hon. John Wood Hall," in Historical and Biographical Encyclopedia of Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware: Aldine Publishing and Engraving Company, 1882.

This collection relates to the Virden (or Virdin) family of Delaware, specifically Samuel Virden (1793-1876) of Kent County and his descendants, including Edwin Virden, Sarah Elizabeth Virden Hall, and her husband John W. Hall, Jr. The Brown family, connected by marriage to the Virdens, is also represented.

Samuel Virden's great-grandfather, John Virdin (d. 1769), was among the earliest Virdens in Delaware. Samuel was born on June 21, 1793, the only child of Peter Lowber Virden and Elizabeth (Lowber) Virden. His first wife was Anne McKimmey Smock Virden (1797-1841), with whom he had eleven children. The family lived near Frederica on a farm called Lexington Mills, and later moved to a home on David Street in Frederica. In October 1842, ten months after Anne's death, Samuel married Eliza Anne Warren (d. 1878). He died in July of 1876 and was buried in a family cemetery at Lexington Mills.

Samuel's children and their spouses also figure prominently in this collection, particularly John W. Hall, Jr., the husband of Samuel's daughter, Sarah Elizabeth ("Lizzie"). John W. Hall, Jr., son of Delaware governor John Wood Hall (1817-1892, served as governor 1879-1883), became a successful businessman after taking over his father's mercantile firm in 1867. Records from the Hall family's shipping firm can be found among the collections of the University of Delaware Library (MSS 116).

The Brown family also appears in this collection. Samuel Virden's granddaughter, Blanche Virden, married Dr. Thomas A. Brown, and perhaps this is the source of the Brown family material. Their daughter was the renowned Delaware artist Ethel Penniwell Brown Leach, whose niece, Mrs. Samuel Sloan, donated this collection to the University.

Donald Odell Virden,The Virdens of Delaware and Related Families. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1991. "Hon. John Wood Hall," in Historical and Biographical Encyclopedia of Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware: Aldine Publishing and Engraving Company, 1882.

Samuel Virden and Anne McKimmey Smock had the eleven children listed below.

  1. I. Samuel Virden (1793–1876) m.1 Anne McKimmey Smock (1797-1841)
  2. Samuel Virden (1793–1876) m.2 Eliza Anne Warren (d. 1878)
  3. I.A. McKimmey Smock Virden (1818-1849)
  4. I.B. Peter Lowber Smock Virden (b. 1818) m. Emma Closey (The couple had five children, including Blanche Virden, listed below.)
  5. I.B.1. Blanche Virden m. Dr. Thomas Brown. (The couple had three children, including Delaware artist Ethel Penniwell Brown Leach.)
  6. C. Elizabeth Lowber Virden (1820-1823)
  7. D. Luiza Morris Virden (1823-1823)
  8. E. Edwin Virden (1823-1899)
  9. F. Anna Smock Virden (1824-1892) m. George Sullivan
  10. G. Ruth Anna Virden (1826-1916) m. Alexander Virden (cousin)
  11. H. Samuel Virden (1829-1902)
  12. I. Sarah Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Virden (b. 1833) m. John W. Hall, Jr. (son of the Delaware Governor)
  13. J. James Alexander Virden (1836-1837)
  14. K. Adaline Lowber Virden (1838-1838)

The Virden family papers, spanning the years 1783-1901, consist of thirty-six letters, receipts, deeds, accounts, and other documents, mostly relating to the family of Samuel Virden of Kent County. Although the papers do not provide a well-rounded portrait of the Virden family, some of the estate papers, receipts, and letters can provide a rough estimation of Samuel Virden's business and financial dealings when considered together.

Some of the most noteworthy documents in the collection, however, have a historical significance discrete from the Virden family. These include an anonymous Revolutionary War era account book of household earnings and expenditures; several expressive letters written by the young Virden sisters and their friends between 1840-1862; an 1864 letter to John W. Hall detailing Civil War hostilities near City Point, Virginia; Edwin Virden's 1865 letter regarding life in post-Civil War Jackson, Mississippi; and a letter to Peter Lowber Smock Virden regarding Delaware politics during the free silver controversy of 1896.

The collection came to the University of Delaware in 1963 from Mrs. Samuel Sloan, a descendant of Samuel Virden through Blanche Virden Brown. Several items in this collection bear no obvious relation to the Virden family, and may have been grouped with the collection after its donation. Records indicate that the Virden family papers originally consisted of just twenty items, dating from 1820-1866.

The materials in the collection are organized in chronological order.

  1. Box 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes (1 inch)
  2. Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)

A digital copy of material in this collection is available at the University of Delaware Digital Institutional Repository.

Gift of Mrs. Samuel M. Sloan, 1963.

Processed by Carrie L. Foley, May 2004. Encoded by Natalie Baur, September 2009.

Publisher
University of Delaware Library Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
Finding Aid Date
2009 September 14
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Collection Inventory

Account book, 1783-1787.
Box 1 Folder F1
Scope and Contents

Unidentified author. Includes details of payments made for wood, brandy, tobacco, shoes, and other goods, as well as incoming credits for weaving, spinning, cutting wood, and other work. Includes many transactions with "negroes."

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt for Robert Young/Yong's Delaware taxes, 1816 April 24.
Box 1 Folder F2
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Bond between John Coon and Samuel Verden, 1818.
Box 1 Folder F2
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Account of Samuel Virden against estate of William Virden, 1821 January 23.
Box 1 Folder F2
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Sale agreement between Samuel Virden and Samuel Warren, 1823 March 5.
Box 1 Folder F2
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Document naming Samuel Virden as the administrator of the estate of Elizabeth Virden, 1824 May 20.
Box 1 Folder F2
Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Deed between Caleb Barratt and Sarah Harrington, 1825 December 29.
Box 1 Folder F2
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden from Job Townsend, 1826 February 4.
Box 1 Folder F3
Scope and Contents

Regarding the estate of Robert Young and the purchase of white oak planks.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter from William Jackson to Samuel Virden, 1826 September 24.
Box 1 Folder F3
Scope and Contents

Regarding the estate of Peter Smock.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden from Solomon Townsend, 1827 February 13.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden from Solomon Townsend, 1831 March 16.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden from Solomon Townsend, 1832 November 16.
Box 1 Folder F3
Scope and Contents

For Job Townsend.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden, 1832 December 1.
Box 1 Folder F3
Scope and Contents

For a subscription to the

Delaware State Journal .
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Scrap of an order between John Scott, William Saulsbury, and Samuel [Virden], 1833.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to the Virden family from Anna Smock Virden and Ruth Anna Virden, 1840 August 16.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to Ruth Anna Virden from her schoolmate Mary S. Paster, 1841 June 10.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden from A. Whiteley, 1843 December 20.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Deed to Thomas Brown from Sarah Brown, Samuel A. Short and wife, William C. Brown and wife, 1845 December 13.
Box 1 Folder F3
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Receipt to Samuel Virden and Nathaniel Young from Jonathan Carrow, 1849 January 24.
Box 1 Folder F4
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to Sarah Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Virden from Philena [Peterson], 1862 February 22.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Regarding Washington's birthday, the marriage of the Swedish opera star Jenny Lind, and other lighthearted news.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Fictional "Log of Yacht Nettle on an excursion down Delaware Bay commencing on Tuesday Nov. 19th 1862", 1862.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Fictional ship's log.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Account of sales to John W. Hall from Jas. L. Benley Co., 1863 September 7.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Regarding the sloop Golden Gale .

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to Samuel Virden R. Y. Townsend, 1864 March 16.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Regarding business opportunities.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to Mr. Hall from N. W. Lawson, 1864 August 17.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Regarding hostile encounters with Confederate soldiers during a mercantile expedition near City Point, Virginia.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Bill to John W. Hall from Henry Frederick's Building, House Keeping, and Agricultural Hardware Warehouse, 1864 September 30.
Box 1 Folder F4
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter from Edwin Virden to Father [ ], a Methodist priest in Frederica, Delaware, 1865 September 24.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Edwin is living on a plantation in Jackson, Mississippi with his brother, Samuel Virden, Jr. and his sisters Anna and Ruth. He offers commentary on the post-Civil War South and broad condemnation of the "indolent," "stealing" former slaves.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Deed to Thomas Brown from Edward and Hester Anderson, 1860 April 28.
Box 1 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

Signed April 20, 1860; recorded September 4, 1866.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to [Sarah H. Hall Lester] from John W. Hall, Jr., 1887 June 15.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Regarding the death of Rachel Whiteley. See also letters dated February 29, 1892, and May 1, 1901.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Deed to Thomas A. Brown from Joseph and Catharine Brown, 1890 March 11.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Signed March 11, 1890; recorded April 15, 1890.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Typescript of legal judgement, 1892 February 1.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Regarding the breach of charter lawsuit between John W. Hall and Hugh Kelly, written by J. Brown.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to [Sarah H. Hall Lester] from John W. Hall, Jr., 1892 February 29.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Regarding finding men to work on their vessels.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Deed to Sarah E. Brown from Joseph and Catharine Brown, James and Susan A. Quillin, Thomas A. and Mary B. Brown, and Mary L. Brown, 1881 April 20.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Signed April 20, 1881; recorded September 23, 1895. Recorded by James Virden.

Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to Peter Lowber Smock Virden from Dr. D. W. Mott, 1896 August 17.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Regarding Democratic politics during the free silver controversy.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Letter to [Sarah H. Hall Lester] from John W. Hall, Jr., 1901 May 1.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Regarding the health of his wife, business matters, and other news.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Scrap of a legal document involving J. Brown and Major Townsend, undated.
Box 1 Folder F5
Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF
Recipes, undated.
Box 1 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

One sheet containing recipes for peach cream, orange cream, bisque, and stewed prunes.

Materials Viewable Online
  1. PDF

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