Restrictions to Access

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 Edmondson and Speed Civil War Papers #5105-z, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Received from Sarah Dunn Pope of Scotland Neck, N.C., in September 2002 (Acc. 99349).

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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.

• Confederate States of America. Army--Military life.
• Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Cavalry Regiment, 3rd.
• Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 12th.
• Confederate States of America. Army. Virginia Troops Regiment, 52nd.
• Edgecombe County, N.C.--Social life and customs.
• Edmondson family.
• Edmondson, William H., d. 1864.
• North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
• Soldiers--Confederate States of America--Correspondence.
• Speed family.
• Speed, John H., b. 1826.
• Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

John H. Speed was born in James City County, Va., in 1826. He married Ellen Jane Edmondson in 1850 and worked as a clerk or merchant until enlisting in Company G, 3rd North Carolina Cavalry Regiment (also called the 41st North Carolina Troops) in 1861. The 1850 Halifax County, N.C., census shows that Speed lived in Edgecombe with his wife; his father-in-law, John Edmondson; Ann B., Lavenia, Danford, and William H. Edmondson; and Drew Jones. Speed's children were Kate, Sallie, Charlie, Johnnie, and a Dr. Speed, who settled in Speed, N.C., also in Edgecombe County. William H. Edmondson is likely the recently deceased "Dr. Edmondson" discussed in the June 1864 letter from J. S.(?) Pierre Gibson. A doctor prior to enlisting, Edmondson served in Company G, 12th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, and transferred to the 52nd Virginia Troops Regiment in 1863.

The Edmondson and Speed  Civil War papers include two original letters from 1864, typed transcriptions of them, and two supplementary documents providing background on John H. Speed of Edgecombe County, N.C., and the Edmondson family. The 10 June 1864 letter was written by J. S.(?) Pierre Gibson transmitting his regards to the sister of the recently deceased "Dr. Edmonson," believed to be physician  William H. Edmondson of Company G, 12th North Carolina Infantry Regiment and the 52nd Virginia Troops Regiment. The 23 September 1864 letter was written by John H. Speed of Company G, 3rd North Carolina Cavalry Regiment (also called the 41st Regiment, North Carolina Troops) to his daughter Kate(?) giving her news and instructions. During September 1864, Speed's company was on picket duty in Virginia, guarding the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad.