Collection contains correspondence, account books, records, sermons, and other papers (chiefly, 1800-1880) of the Graham family of Virginia. Includes letters of the Rev. William Graham, Presbyterian minister and one of the founders of Liberty Hall Academy (later Washington and Lee University); material relating to the patent on Dr. William A. Graham's fire extinguisher; records (1774-1803) of tuition charges and books bought by Washington College students; and correspondence between Edward Graham and Edmund Ruffin discussing scientific experiments.

This collection holds records of three generations of a family of Scots-Irish Presbyterians. Correspondence of Reverend William Graham (1746-1799), who moved from Pennsylvania to Lexington, Virginia, about 1776 and was one of the founders of Liberty Hall Academy (later Washington and Lee University) refers largely to his investment in land on the Ohio River near Marietta after 1796, and his lawsuit claiming he had been cheated.

The bulk of the collection comprises the correspondence of William's brother, Edward Graham, a lawyer and professor at Washington College. There are many letters between Edward's wife, Margaret (Alexander) Graham, and her children. Represented also are William A., Archibald A., Nancy, Elizabeth, and Edward, Jr. Included is correspondence of Edward Graham with Edmund Ruffin concerning scientific experimentation and many letters concerning the patent application of William A. Graham, an inventor, for his fire extinguisher.

There is also correspondence of Dr. John Graham and Beverly Tucker Lacy, grandsons of Edward Graham. Account books of Archibald Graham of Lexington, 1840-1880, 7 vols., include one volume (6 pp.) on the administration of Edward Graham's estate and the guardianship of Martha and Elizabeth Lyle. Account books, 2 vols., of Edward, Sr., contain judgments and court actions, 1801-1811, and accounts of Washington College, Lexington, 1831-1836. A commonplace book, 1820, may relate to Edward Graham. There is a genealogy of the Alexander and Graham families by John A. Graham.

General merchant, Pittsylvania Co., Va. Correspondence, account books, daybooks, fee books, invoices, ledgers, memoranda books, records of sales, inventories, and letterpress copybooks, chiefly 1800-1869, of three generations of general merchants of Pittsylvania Co., Va. Business interests included a general store, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, a simplified type of banking, and the keeping of a post office. Large amounts of tobacco were bought and sold before the Civil War. Post-war records indicate a large volume of trade in Peruvian guano and commercial fertilizers. Partners in the firm included Philip L. Grasty and other members of the Grasty family, John F. Rison and Samuel Pannill. Includes letters (1849-1867) of John S. Grasty, a Presbyterian minister, referring to North Carolina agriculture, slave hiring, Unionist sympathy among the Dutch population of Botetourt Co., Va., and the devastation of Fincastle, Va., during the war.

Correspondence, account books, daybooks, fee books, invoices, ledgers, memoranda books, records of sales, inventories, and letterpress copybooks, chiefly 1800-1869, of three generations of general merchants of Pittsylvania Co., Va. Business interests included a general store, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, a simplified type of banking, and the keeping of a post office. Large amounts of tobacco were bought and sold before the Civil War. Post-war records indicate a large volume of trade in Peruvian guano and commercial fertilizers. Partners in the firm included Philip L. Grasty and other members of the Grasty family, John F. Rison and Samuel Pannill. Includes letters (1849-1867) of John S. Grasty, a Presbyterian minister, referring to North Carolina agriculture, slave hiring, Unionist sympathy among the Dutch population of Botetourt Co., Va., and the devastation of Fincastle, Va., during the war.