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No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Blackford Family Papers #1912, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from L. M. Blackford, Atlanta, Ga., and Reverend R. F. Blackford, Talladega, Ala., in 1947; James Baylor Blackford, Richmond, Va., in 1967; and Sally Bruce Blackford McClatchey, Atlanta, Ga., in 1994, 1997, and 2003.

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Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• African Americans--Colonization--Africa.
• African newspapers--History--19th century.
• Ambler family.
• American Colonization Society.
• Blackford family.
• Blackford, Launcelot Minor, 1837-1914.
• Blackford, Mary Berkeley Minor, 1802-1896.
• Blackford, William M., 1801-1864.
• Bogota (Colombia)--Social life and customs.
• Byrd family.
• Colombia--Foreign relations--United States--History--19th century.
• Diaries.
• Families--Virginia--Social life and customs.
• Gray family.
• Jacquelin family.
• Liberia--Social conditions.
• Mason family.
• Minor family.
• Soldiers--Confederate States of America--Correspondence.
• United States--Foreign relations--Colombia--History--19th century.
• Virginia--Genealogy.
• Washington family.
• Willis family.

Mary Berkeley Minor was born 2 December 1802, the oldest daughter and second child of Gen. John Minor (1761-1816), and Lucy Landon (Carter) Minor (1776-1855). The Minors were a prominent, if not wealthy, Virginia family. They tended to be active in politics and in reform movements, such as temperance and antislavery.

Mary had five brothers, all of whom appear in the papers: John Minor (1791-1862), Fredericksburg, Virginia; Lieutenant Charles Landon Carter Minor (1805-1833); Dr. Lewis Willis Minor (1808-1872); Lucius Horatio Minor (1810-1863), Edgewood, Hanover County, Virginia; Reverend Lancelot Byrd Minor (1813-1843); and Dr. James Monroe Minor (1815-1879), Brooklyn, N.Y. The Reverend Lancelot Byrd Minor, an Episcopal minister, went to Liberia as a missionary in 1837. In 1840, while visiting the United States, he married Mary Stewart of Baltimore, Md. He returned to Liberia, where he died in 1843. They had no children.

Mary and her husband, William Matthews Blackford, corresponded frequently with her cousins, including John Barbee Minor, law professor at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.; Lucian Minor, temperance crusader, Louisa Court House, Virginia; Ann (Minor) Truehart, Galveston, Tex.; Richard Maury; and his son, Matthew Fontaine Maury. Mary was also close to Elizabeth G. "Cousin Betty" Hill, Mount Airy, Caroline County, Va., who was the stepdaughter of Mary's aunt, Eliza (Minor) Hill.

William Matthews Blackford was born 19 August 1801, the third son of Benjamin Blackford (1767-1855), and Isabella (Arthur) Blackford (1765-1837). There is very infrequent correspondence from William's father, Benjamin, and his two brothers, Thomas and John. William's sister, Jane Agnes, married William Leeper and their child, Mary Caroline (b. 1820) remained close to the Blackford family. William Matthews Blackford, a lawyer, newspaper editor, diplomat, and banker, took an active interest in Whig politics, although he never ran for office.

Mary Berkeley Minor married William Matthews Blackford 12 October 1825. Most of the material in the collection dates after their marriage. From 1825 until 1846, the Blackfords lived with Mary's mother and brother John in Fredericksburg, Va., where William edited the Fredericksburg Arena. Mary opposed slavery and favored colonization of emancipated slaves in Africa. Through the 1830s, much of the correspondence deals with activities of the American Colonization Society and settlement in Liberia.

The Blackfords always depended on William's father for financial assistance. When in the early 1840s, Benjamin Blackford ran into financial difficulties himself, William was forced to find a job that would pay him enough to support his family adequately. He used his political connections in an unsuccessful attempt to secure the appointment as naval agent in Washington, D.C. Instead, he was appointed charge d'affaires in Bogota, New Granada. He left Fredericksburg in June 1842, taking his oldest son William Willis with him. They arrived in Bogota in September.

At the time of his departure, Blackford expected his wife and other children to follow him soon. Mary, however, kept delaying the journey because of her poor health. (She complained of ill health until her death at the age of 94.) According to one source, while in New Granada, Blackford "at least did the spade-work" for the United States' 1846 treaty with New Granada, known as the Bidlack Treaty. The treaty provided that the United States would protect New Granada's sovereignty over Panama in exchange for "free and open transit" across the isthmus.

Blackford left Bogota in December 1844, arriving in Fredericksburg in February 1845. He spent the next year looking for a job, eventually accepting a position as editor of the Lynchburg Virginian. He moved to Lynchburg in April 1846, and was joined by his family in July. In 1850, he was appointed Lynchburg's postmaster. In 1853, he became cashier of the newly-organized Office of Exchange Bank, the position he retained until his death in 1864. Mary Blackford stayed in Lynchburg until 1870, when she went to live with her son, Launcelot, at the Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Va. She died in 1896.

The Blackfords had seven children who lived to adulthood: Lucy Landon, William Willis, Charles Minor, Benjamin Lewis, Launcelot Minor, Eugene, and Mary Isabella.

Born 6 November 1826, Lucy Landon was always her father's favorite. Although she is mentioned frequently, there are only a few of her letters in the collection. Lucy married Dr. John Staige Davis of Charlottesville, Va., on 10 July 1847, and they had three children: William Blackford, born 1848, who married Kentie Howland in 1871; Mary Jane, born 1851, who married James p. Harrison in 1879; and Lucy Landon, who died in infancy. Lucy (Blackford) Davis died 18 February 1859. Although John Staige Davis later remarried, he remained a close friend of the Blackford family.

William Willis "Willie" Blackford was born 23 March 1831. He accompanied his father to South America, and during this period he signed his letters William Wilberforce Blackford, apparently in admiration of the British statesman and abolitionist. He began working as a civil engineer in 1848, interrupting his career later for a year's study at the University of Virginia. In 1856, he married Mary Trigg Robertson (1835-1866), daughter of former Governor Wyndham Robertson. From June 1861-January 1863, he served in the Civil War with General Jeb Stuart, first as adjutant, later as chief engineer and staff member at headquarters. His memoirs, War Years with Jeb Stuart, were edited by Douglas Southall Freeman and published in 1945 by Charles Scribner's Sons.

After the war, William worked for the Lynchburg and Danville Railroad, then moved to a sugar plantation in Terrebonne Parish, La. When a flood in 1874 destroyed his crop and ruined him financially, he returned to Virginia, and in 1880 accepted a professorship of Mechanics and Drawing at the agricultural college, now Virginia Polytechnic Institute, in Blacksburg. After resigning in 1882, he went to work as a construction engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He retired in 1890 and purchased an oyster farm on Lynnhaven Bay, Princess Anne County, Va. He died of apoplexy 1 May 1905. William and Mary Trigg (Robertson) Blackford had four children: Lizzie Robertson (b. 1856); Wyndham; Pelham; and Gay Robertson (b. 1866?).

Charles Minor "Charley" Blackford was born 17 October 1833. As a child he lived for a while with Elizabeth G. "Cousin Betty" Hill, who ran a school at Mount Airy, Caroline County, Va. In the early 1850s, he attended the University of Virginia, and after graduation began practicing law in Lynchburg. He married Susan Leigh Colston in 1856, and they had three children: Nannie Colston, Charles Minor, and Raleigh Colston. Like his brothers, he served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; a member of the Second Virginia Cavalry until 1863, when he became Judge Advocate of the Military Court of the Second Corps (Longstreet's) of the Army of Northern Virginia. In the 1890s, Susan Leigh (Colston) Blackford had her memoirs of the war (based largely on Charles's letters) privately printed. This was later published as Letters from Lee's Army (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947). When the war ended Charles resumed his law practice in Lynchburg. He died in 1903.

Benjamin Lewis Blackford was born 5 August 1835, and as a child, was called "Benny." At some point, he began to be called Lewis. Lewis attended school at Mount Airy and at the University of Virginia. Before entering the Civil War as a private in Samuel Garland's regiment, Eleventh Virginia Infantry, he had worked as a civil engineer. Later he was a lieutenant of engineers, stationed in Wilmington, N.C. After the war, Lewis went into the insurance business in Washington, D.C., and in 1869, married Nannie Steenberger (d. 1883). They had four daughters: Elizabeth Padelford "Lily"; Mary Berkeley "Daisy"; Alice Beirne; and Lucy Landon Carter. Lewis died in 1908.

Launcelot Minor "Lanty" Blackford was born 23 February 1837. Named after his uncle, Lancelot Byrd Minor, as an adolescent Launcelot added the "u" to his name. He attended the University of Virginia and became a schoolteacher. During the Civil War, he served as a private in the Rockbridge Artillery, as a clerk of the Military Court of the Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, and finally as Adjutant of the Twenty-Fourth Virginia Infantry, William R. Terry's brigade, Pickett's division. After the war, Launcelot resumed teaching and in 1870, he became principal of the Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Va., a position he held until his death in 1914. Launcelot married Eliza Chew Ambler (1856-1935), a descendant of Virginia patriot George Mason, in 1884. Many of her letters are in the collection, as well as some material relating to Mason and his descendants. Launcelot and Eliza had six children: John Minor (1887-1945), doctor in Seattle, Washington; Ambler (b. 1888), Episcopal minister in Virginia and South Carolina; Randolph Fairfax (b. 1890), Episcopal minister in North Dakota and Florida (the later papers in the collection are his); Anna Mason (1892-1893); Launcelot Minor (L. Minor, b. 1894), teacher of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; and Staige Davis (1898-1949), teacher of medicine at the University of Virginia.

Eugene Blackford was born 11 April 1839. After attending the University of Virginia, he accepted a teaching position in Alabama and when the Civil War started, became a major in the Fifth Alabama Infantry. After the war, Eugene became a dairy farmer at Cleve, Pikesville, Md. He married Rebecca Chapman Gordon and they had three children: Emily Chapman, Eugene, and William Gordon. Eugene died in 1907.

The youngest of the Blackford children, Mary Isabella "Mabelle," was born in 1840. During the late 1850s, she attended the Southern Female Institute, Richmond, Va., and in 1865, married James Cooke, a farmer. They lived alternately at Dewberry and Foxleigh, both near Richmond. The Cookes had five children: Lucy Landon, James Churchill, Mary Minor, Eugene Blackford, and Edmonia Churchill. Mary Isabella died in 1928.

For further information see: L. Minor Blackford, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: The Story of a Virginia Lady Mary Berkeley Minor Blackford 1802-1896 Who Taught Her Sons to Hate Slavery and to Love the Union. (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1954); Susan Leigh (Colston) Blackford, Letters from Lee's Army: Memoirs of Life In and Out of the Army in Virginia During the War Between the States: Edited and abridged for publications by Charles Minor Blackford, III. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947); William Willis Blackford, War Years with Jeb Stuart. Edited and with an introduction by Douglas Southall Freeman. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1945).

The Blackford collection consists of correspondence and other papers of three generations of the Blackford family, a prominent, although not wealthy, Virginia family. Most of the material relates to Mary Berkeley Minor Blackford (1802-1896), and her husband, William Matthews Blackford (1801-1864), Fredericksburg, Va., Lynchburg, Va., and Alexandria, Va. Later correspondence is that of their son, Launcelot Minor Blackford (1837-1914), his wife, Eliza Chew Ambler Blackford (1856-1935), Alexandria, Va., and their son, Randolph Fairfax Blackford (b. 1890), Homestead, Fla. Most of the correspondence is personal, containing news of the activities of the Blackfords, and their relatives and friends.

Most of the material in the collection dates from 1824, when Mary Berkeley Minor and William Matthews Blackford became engaged. The few papers prior to 1824 are scattered legal documents, commissions, accounts, and an 1819 school girl's letter from George Town [D.C.?].

The 1824-1841 correspondence deals primarily with the activities of the American Colonization Society and its counterpart in Great Britain. Most frequent are letters from Ralph Randolph Gurley, Washington, D.C., the Society's corresponding secretary, about American Colonization Society business and the anti-slavery movement. There are also letters from other American Colonization Society members in various locations, as well as a few letters from missionaries in Liberia. During the latter part of this period, American Colonization Society correspondence decreases and personal correspondence from the Blackfords' relatives and friends in Virginia giving news of themselves, their families, and their neighbors increases. There is also scattered correspondence of Mary Blackford's mother, Lucy Landon (Carter) Minor, of Fredericksburg, Va.

The majority of the 1842-1844 material relates to William Matthews Blackford's service as United States charge d'affaires in Bogota, New Granada (now Colombia). The correspondence is divided into two groups: letters between Blackford and other diplomats in South America relating to his official duties, and his "diary letters," addressed to Mrs. Blackford, Fredericksburg, Va., containing descriptions of his activities, his observations of South American customs, and comments on politics both in the United States and New Granada. During this period there is also scattered personal correspondence of Mary Blackford with friends and relatives in Virginia and elsewhere. William Blackford returned to Fredericksburg in 1845. However, he maintained his correspondence with diplomats in South America and American officials in Washington about his work in New Granada for a few years.

In 1846, the Blackfords moved to Lynchburg, Va. The 1845-1860 material is predominantly personal correspondence of William and Mary Blackford, especially with their seven children as they left home for school and careers. The five Blackford sons wrote frequently from the school run by their cousin, Elizabeth G. "Betty" Hill, at Mount Airy, Caroline County, Va.; the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.; and elsewhere. These letters deal with family matters and neighborhood news-births, deaths, marriages, illnesses, social activities, with occasional comments on contemporary politics. As the Civil War approached in the late 1850s, discussions of slavery, abolition, and the national political situation became more frequent.

During this period Mary Blackford continued to receive occasional correspondence about American Colonization Society activities, including a few letters from missionaries and former slaves in Liberia. From 1846-1848 there are scattered letters to William M. Blackford from United States army officers in Mexico and Texas about the Mexican War.

In early 1861, the Blackfords' correspondence reflected their concern about the worsening national crisis. When the war started, all five Blackford sons enlisted in the Confederate Army. All served throughout the war, mostly in Virginia, but also in North Carolina and Tennessee. The 1861 correspondence includes letters from all five sons to their parents and each other about life in the Confederate Army. Although letters written 1862-1865 have been preserved, many are faded and virtually illegible. Most of the later correspondence that is legible is from Benjamin Lewis Blackford, with the engineering corps in Wilmington, N.C., to his parents about his social activities and romantic entanglements. These letters shed little light on military affairs and war life. Occasional letters to Mr. and Mrs. Blackford from John Minor, Fredericksburg, Va.; John B. Minor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; and Mary Trigg Robertson Blackford, The Meadows, Abingdon, Va., give a few glimpses of life on the home front. The 1865 correspondence deals with the effects, especially economic, of the war on individuals.

Most of the material from 1866-1892 consists of letters to Mary Blackford, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1866-1870, and Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Va., 1870-1892, from her children, grandchildren, other relatives and friends in Virginia, Louisiana, Washington, D.C., Texas, and elsewhere. The letters are personal, dealing with daily activities and news of friends and family. Most frequent are letters from Mrs. Blackford's daughter, Mary Isabella (Blackford) Cooke, writing from her husband's plantations, Dewberry and Foxleigh, in Virginia, about her domestic routine and the activities of her husband and children.

There is also scattered correspondence of Launcelot M. Blackford, Alexandria, Va., both personal and related to his job as principal of the Episcopal High School in Alexandria.

From 1893 to 1932, the collection consists of the personal correspondence of Launcelot M. Blackford, his wife, Eliza Chew (Ambler) Blackford, and their son, Randolph Fairfax Blackford about their own activities and those of their relatives and friends. Between 1893 and 1905, Launcelot M. Blackford took several trips to Europe, visiting England, Switzerland and France. His letters to his wife in Alexandria describe his travels. After 1910, there are several letters from Ambler Blackford in Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, and Randolph Blackford in North Dakota, Tennessee, and Florida, about their experiences as Episcopal ministers. In addition, there are a few letters from Randolph Blackford to his mother written while he served as a chaplain with the American Expeditionary Force in France, 1917-1919.

The last group of papers, 1936-1953, includes miscellaneous correspondence of Randolph Fairfax Blackford, Florida, principally concerned with Blackford genealogy and family papers.

Non-correspondence includes: four pamphlets (three dealing with the Confederacy and the Lost Cause, and one about the life of Liberian missionary Lancelot Byrd Minor); genealogical information and obituaries of the Blackford, Ambler, Mason, Minor, Carew (Carey), Johnston, Brewster, DeWolfe, Lloyd, Richardson, Robins, Tilghman, and Young families; miscellaneous belles-lettres by William W. Blackford, Randolph R. Blackford, and others; unidentified photographs; and letters and articles written by Launcelot M. Blackford for the Southern Churchman, 1888-1903.

The volumes include an account book, 1850-1855; a recipe book, 1852; a University of Virginia alumni bulletin, 1914; and a "Sample Book" from Saint John's Episcopal Church, Homestead, Fla., 1940.

• OP-1912/1. The Federal Gazette and Philadelphia Evening Post. 27 June 1789, one page.
• OP-1912/2. Cavalla Messenger, Cavalla, West Africa. November, December 1854; December 1858.
• OP-1912/3. Southern Churchman, Richmond, Va. 9 January 1863, front page only.
• OP-1912/4. The Army and Navy Messenger, "Published by the Evangelical Tract Society," Petersburg, Va. 1 July 1863, 15 July 1863.
• OP-1912/5. The Soldier's Paper, "Published Semi-monthly by the Soldiers' Tract Association, M. E. Church, South," Richmond, Va. 15 September 1863.
• OP-1912/6. Lynchburg Daily Virginian, Lynchburg, Va. 1 September 1865.
• OP-1912/7. The Register of the American Church Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church , N.Y. February 1875.