United States History Commons^™

"Our Women Are Made Of The Right Stuff": Gender, Politics, And Conflict In Civil War West Virginia, Amanda Romain Shaver

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

“’Our Women Are Made of the Right Stuff:’ Gender, Politics, and Conflict in Civil War West Virginia” examines the lives and contributions of white West Virginia women and argues that they were not merely victims of the war, but dynamic participants whose opinions were influential and whose actions determined the ability of both the Union and Confederate armies to wage war in Appalachia. Striking a balance between the antebellum standards of “True Womanhood” and the emerging ideals of the women’s rights movement, West Virginia women became politically engaged in both the statehood movement and the Civil War. They transformed their …

“A Constant Reminder To All”: Remembering Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson In West Virginia, Steven Cody Straley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis argues that Confederate heritage groups leading the Lost Cause Movement in West Virginia promoted Stonewall Jackson, through tactics such as ceremonies, publications, and monuments, to the point where his appeal expanded beyond that of former Confederates and their descendants. During the late 1800s, Confederate supporters in the state formed branches of Confederate heritage organizations and espoused a Lost Cause narrative with Stonewall Jackson as its figurehead. In doing so, they accomplished two things: to integrate the seemingly proUnion West Virginia into Confederate memory, and to gain acceptance of Confederates as full members of West Virginia society. Jackson’s advocates …

0865: Mccomas Family Letters, 1906 – 1930s, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The collection consists of eight folders of correspondence between various family members of the McComas family between 1906 – 1930s. The McComas family consists of Mr. and Mrs. George J. McComas, and their son, B.C. “Curtis” McComas, and daughter, Margaret McComas. The majority of the folders contain correspondence from Curtis McComas detailing his experiences in France and Germany during the First World War. Other soldiers, including Curtis and Margaret’s cousin, Henry, also sent letters to Margaret detailing their experiences or thanks for gifts provided to the war front. The rest of the collection include letters received during Margaret’s stay in …

0778: Jim Taylor Photograph Collection, 1880s-1910s, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of 51 TIFF images representing 50 photographs of early Huntington, West Virginia. Photographic subjects include the D. E. Abbot frame factory in Huntington, WV, Twelve Pole Creek in Wayne County, WV, Norfolk and Western Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio railroad tracks, trestles, and trains, Big Sandy River, Kenova Electric Power Plant, log and timber in rivers, log cabins in Huntington and Kenova, WV, Camden Interstate Railway train cars, tie hoists, Johnson’s Lane car house, as well as a railway car wreck in 1906, Cabell County Courthouse, Cabell County Jail, Huntington Hospital, 20th Street Hill, Kessler Hospital, “H. …

Iron Road: The Rise Of Huntington, West Virginia, 1870-1920, Brooks Bryant

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The city of Huntington, West Virginia, did not occur gradually, nor did the city grow organically. Collis P. Huntington’s purchase of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in the winter of 1869 led to the conception of the first new city of a State born out of the Civil War. Collis Huntington specifically chose the future site of Huntington for the terminus of the C&O Railroad to reach areas rich in coal, timber, and agriculture in West Virginia, providing natural resources a way to market. For Collis P. Huntington to profit from shipping natural resources out of West Virginia, he needed …

Forging A Bluegrass Commonwealth: The Kentucky Statehood Movement And The Politics Of The Trans-Appalachian West, 1783–1792, Christopher L. Leadingham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 1893 historian Frederick Jackson Turner first presented his frontier thesis to a group of historians at the World’s Columbian Exposition, a fair honoring the four-hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ expedition, in Chicago, Illinois. Since then, scholars have long debated the role that the frontier played in shaping the development of the United States. The Kentucky statehood movement emerged at a critical juncture in the early republic’s history, and, when viewed in a transatlantic context, becomes much more important to the development of the United States and larger Atlantic world than what has generally been recognized. Kentuckians found themselves at …

Surviving Fallout In Appalachia: An Examination Of Class Differences Within Civil Defense Preparation In West Virginia During The Early Years Of The Cold War, Tristan Miranda Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Civil defense and West Virginia are not likely to be considered in tandem. What would make West Virginia significant during the Cold War? West Virginia is a state that has been synonymous with family feuds, hillbillies, moonshine, and coal mining. Few have considered West Virginia beyond these stereotypes and scant work has been done beyond that. The impact of the Cold War has been looked at through multiple angles but few have looked at the significant role West Virginia played during this time. Possibly, few have even considered that it played a role at all. Through examination of primary sources …

0770: Carrie Eldridge Collection, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Carrie Eldridge is a genealogical researcher in Chesapeake, Ohio. This collection contains photocopies of many county record books of the Appalachian areas of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, ranging from the American Revolution until the end of the Civil War. The collection also contains high quality photographs of one room school houses of Cabell County, West Virginia, an audio cassette oral history, books, and pen nibs.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Carrie Eldridge Collection here.

In The Fullness Of Time: The Literature Of Denise Giardina, Cathy Pleska

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Appalachia can lay claim to many authors who have written works worthy of critical analysis and scholarly research, as the literature they have produced warrants consideration. This consideration, however, is often not forthcoming, and it is the situation concerning West Virginia author Denise Giardina. To date there has been no definitive, full-length study on her and her literature. As an author of considerable talent, who by any measure has published literature of significant quality, she deserves serious scholarly study, not just as an author of regional literature, but also as a contemporary author of the late twentieth century.

The purpose …

0661: Elizabeth Cometti Collection, 1861-1869, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of a microfilm copy of items selected by Elizabeth Cometti about West Virginia taken from the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, specifically materials taken from the W. R. Redding Papers, 1861-1865 and the William Thomas Sutherlin Papers, 1842-1892. The Redding materials are from 1861 while Redding was stationed in Virginia, to his wife, Elizabeth M. Redding, in Randolph County, Ga.. He discusses camp life, troop movements and skirmishes, and conditions at home. Sutherlin materials date from 1868 to 1869 and may include correspondence and other papers relate to the varied business …

0625: Mark Freeman Papers, 1934-1969, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains two scrapbooks and several loose photographs documenting Mark Freeman’s personal life and time in the United States Navy in the 1950s. The green scrapbook is composed entirely of unidentified and unlabeled photographs of Freeman’s navy service, mostly of photos taken from his ship. Other notable groups of photographs in the scrapbook include photographs of women and sights in Japan. The brown scrapbook is composed of family photographs (most labelled), photographs of Freeman in Spencer, West Virginia, in the 1960s working with the West Virginia Department of Employment Security, and additional photographs of Freeman’s time in the Navy, …

0541: Huntington Jaycees Scrapbook, 1945-1946, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is composed of a scrapbook created by the Huntington, West Virginia Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, in application for the Geissenbier Award, an award of excellence distributed for exemplary community works. The scrapbook features the work conducted by the Jaycees on behalf of the war effort during World War II in Huntington, and includes photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, ephemera, and some hand drawn illustrations for the various areas in which the Jaycees did work.

0529: John L. Allen Collection, 1784-1991, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Wheeling, West Virginia, lawyer. Papers consist of reproductions of deeds of property owned by George Washington and the will of Archibald McClean, all relating to property in what is now Ohio and Marshall Counties, West Virginia.

0480: Harold C. Smith Typescript, 1955, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of a 26 page typescript titled “A Historical Survey of Lexington During the Civil War”. The paper includes no sections to assist in determining content, but there is a focus on slavery. A note on the folder states that the paper was possibly written for a class taught by Dr. Sam Clagg at the University of Kentucky.

An Appeal For Racial Justice : The Civic Interest Progressives' Confrontation With Huntington, West Virginia And Marshall University, 1963-1965, Bruce A. Thompson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 1963, the shock waves of the sit-in movement and the growing black unrest throughout the country reached Huntington. This growing discontent with the status quo of segregation and racial discrimination and the impulse from the sit-in movement for direct, non-violent protest combined to mobilize several students at Marshall University who formed the Civic Interest Progressives (CIP), a biracial civil rights group.

0315: Violette Somerville Machir, 1980, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains parts one and two of `Revolutionary war soldiers in Mason County, West Virginia,' which is composed of worksheets prepared for the national headquarters of the Sons of the American Revolution Graves Registry Committee. The manuscript lists all known Revolutionary war soldiers buried in Mason County and approximate place of burial.

0321: Enos Amos Oath, 1864, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of an oath of allegiance for Enos Amos’ election to the office of second lieutenant, 17th Regiment, 3d Brigade, 1st Division, West Virginia Militia, Marion County, West Virginia on August 22, 1864. It is also signed by John B. Crane, recorder.

0260: Alice Blondina Carder Sauer Papers, 1855-1979, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is split into two series: Carder and Sauer family materials as well as materials related to Alice’s work in the Point Pleasant Chapter of the WVDAR. Some materials, such as the newspaper clippings and to a lesser extent correspondence, are mixed DAR and family materials. In box order, the collection contains the following:

Newspaper clippings cover subjects related to the Carder and Sauer family as well as Alice’s participation in the NSDAR. NSDAR participation focuses on the coordination of local and state events surround the bicentennial of the Battle of Point Pleasant as well as local history events. …

0134: Clendenning Family Papers, 1850-1955, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The collection consists primarily of two groups of letters. The first group were written by Arminda Holiday Clendenning of Freeport, Harrison County, Ohio, to her sister Ann Holliday Winder of Iowa, from 1850 until 1867. She writes of local and family news, life in the country, and later, as a young married woman, of her family and her husband’s business. Several letters mention travels and migrations of family and friends to the West.

The second group of letters were written by Robert Joseph Clendenning, grandson of Arminda Clendenning, to his family during the FirstWorld War. He describes his life in …

Oral History Interview: James A. Harmon, James A. Harmon

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

James A. Harmon was born in 1890 on his grandfather’s farm outside of Red House, WV. Mr. Harmon reminiscences about his childhood growing up on a 350-acre farm. He earned a sixth grade education at a two-room schoolhouse. When he was 14 years old, Mr. Harmon started his career on the river on the Steamer Calvert. During his interview, Mr. Harmon focuses on his varied jobs on many steamboats. Although he performed well in all of his duties, his greatest passion was engineering. He received his engineer’s license when he was 21 years old. In the audio clip provided, …

0102: Lorene Enochs Dunlap Papers, 1917-1971, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Scrapbooks and photographs of Cabell County, West Virginia, family from near Milton; bulk of correspondence dates from the First World War and 1935-1945.

0118: Jane Adams Dingess Papers, 1906-1976, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Huntington, West Virginia, clubwoman and educator. Papers consist primarily of scrapbooks of school days at Huntington High School, West Virginia University, and Washington and Lee University; also included are resource materials related to conservation and social studies and items concerning the Junior League, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames, and garden club activities. Photographs of Italy in WWI, papers from the Marshall University plan crash in 1970, extensive newspaper clippings from circ WWII and conservation resource material.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Jane Adams Dingess Collection, 1906-1976 here.

Oral History Interview: Helen Adams, Helen Adams

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Helen Adams was born on January 13, 1898, and was raised in Strange Creek, West Virginia. She lived on a farm with her family. She was one of seven children and her parents also raised two other boys who were orphaned. During her interview, Mrs. Adams discusses working on the farm, raising livestock, and preserving food. She discusses going to church and attending social events like box suppers and socials. She also focuses on folk medicine and the uses of alcohol for medicine and recreational purposes.

Oral History Interview: Alice Hall, Alice Hall

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Alice Hall was born in December 1897 in Cabell County, WV. She lived with her grandfather on a farm in Putnam County, WV, after the death of her parents. During her interview, she discusses quilting and peddling food items in Huntington, WV, with her grandparents, the lack of supplies during World War I, and the rationing of sugar and coffee during World War II. She also focuses on folk medicine, with emphasis on the herbs and barks her uncle used to make medicines. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Hall discusses food preservation, specifically making apple butter and preserves.

Oral History Interview: Josephine R. Gorby, Josephine R. Gorby

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Josephine Gorby was born on February 24, 1908. She began her teaching career in a one-room school in Wimmer, McDowell County, WV. In 1931 she began teaching in Lawrence County, OH. Mrs. Gorby’s interview focuses on growing up on a farm near Proctorville, OH, her experiences as an educator, her family’s experience during World War I, and the 1937 flood of the Ohio River and its tributaries. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Gorby discusses the impact of the 1937 flood on the school house in Athalia, OH. During her interview, she also focuses on the construction and use of …

Oral History Interview: Edward C. Jackson, Edward C. Jackson

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Edward C. Jackson was born on January 17, 1911, in Canfield, Braxton County, WV. In 1926, he moved to Fenwick, Nicholas County, WV, to pursue jobs in saw mills. In his interview, Mr. Jackson describes in great detail the design and structure of the log home he lived in as a child. He focuses on growing up on a farm and places emphasis on the type of work he did and food preparation and preservation. Mr. Jackson also discusses the tight-knit community in which he was raised. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Jackson discusses working in the lumber industry. …

Oral History Interview: William Allen Cross, William Allen Cross

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

In his interview, William Allen Cross discusses Prohibition and bootlegging in Huntington, West Virginia. Mr. Cross was a theater manager for the Keith Albee Theater (referred to as the State Theater) in Huntington, WV. Although he did not make moonshine, he was a buyer during Prohibition. He discusses how bootleggers sold their whiskey and provides locations for stills. Mr. Cross also focuses on how to make moonshine, whiskey, and wine. He reminiscences about “the Strip” between 10^th and 11^th Streets in Huntington, WV, that served from 1925-1945 as a red-light, gambling, and bootlegging district. In the audio clip …

Oral History Interview: William T. Arnold, William T. Arnold

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

William T. Arnold (Bill Arnold), a Native West Virginian, lived the majority of his life in Clay County. Mr. Arnold spent his early childhood on a farm on Galon Mountain. After the death of his father, Mr. Arnold moved with his family to various towns within Clay County. In 1911, when he was eleven years old, Mr. Arnold started his first job in coal mining, working thirteen hours a night as a water dipper. When he was eighteen years old, Mr. Arnold began working as a postman and delivered mail on a route near the New River, between the towns …

0073: Harmon Blennerhasset Papers, 1764-1831, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Journals, correspondence, and financial and legal papers of Harman Blennerhasset and his role in the Aaron Burr conspiracy of 1806.

0148: Monongalia In The Revolution Manuscript, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Typescript compiled by Elizabeth Ludington Hagans Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution). `Monongalia in the Revolution,' is a history of the formation of Monongalia County, West Virginia, and of Revolutionary War service of its residents.