John William Grantham papers, 1822-1924 and undated, bulk 1866-1873

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Summary

Creator:
Grantham, John William, d. 1897
Abstract:
Businessman, land owner, and state legislator, of Middleway, West Virginia. Personal, family, and business papers, the majority concerning the operation of a country store by Grantham and James W. League. Includes papers relating to Grantham's local agency for the Arlington Mutual Life Insurance Co., and to his political career as a member of the newly-formed state of West Virginia legislature, 1872-1881. Collection includes daybooks, memorandum books, and a two volumes of House bills in the West Virginia legislature, 1872-1873.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet
1,952 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.00473

Background

Scope and content:

Personal, family, and business papers, the majority dating from 1866-1873 and concerning the operation of a country store by Grantham and James W. League. Includes papers relating to Grantham's local agency for the Arlington Mutual Life Insurance Co., and records pertaining to his political career as a member of the West Virginia legislature.

The correspondence and other manuscripts consist of ten letters concerning the political career of Grantham, a member of the newly-formed state of West Virginia legislature; a petition, 1872, against removal of the capital from Charleston to Wheeling; business papers of a country store run by Grantham and James W. League, 1850-1890; papers concerning Grantham's agency for the Arlington Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Charlottesville, Virginia, 1870s; family letters; and a circular letter, 1871, from Hudson Wood & Co., purchasing agents in New York, offering Grantham a chance to join in a counterfeiting scheme.

Bound volumes include check stubs, 1856-1858, 1 volume; daybooks, 1850, 1854-1860, 2 volumes, one partly used as a scrapbook; House bills of the West Virginia legislature, 1872-1873, 2 volumes; and memorandum books from Grantham's mercantile business, 1871-1875, 1879-1887, 7 volumes.

Biographical / historical:

John William Grantham was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, around 1820, an area that would become part of West Virginia. He was a landowner, residing in a large brick mansion in Middleway, West Virginia by 1880. He married Phebe Phidelia Larue and had five children. In addition to serving as House legislator for the newly-formed state of West Virginia from 1872-1881, he also seems to have been the President of the Bank of Charlestown, W. Va., and owned both a mercantile store and a life insurance agency. He is reported to have died in Middleway, Jefferson County, Nov. 16 1887 rather than 1897, and is buried in the Episcopal and Masonic Cemetery in Middleway. Source: genealogy web sites.

Acquisition information:
The John Grantham papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1946.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff

Encoded by Paula Jeannet Mangfiacio and Willeke Sandler, November 2013

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John Grantham Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.