Edmund Jennings Lee II papers, 1746-1963
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Summary
- Abstract:
- Correspondence, legal papers, and financial records concerning Edmund Jennings Lee’s law practice, estate settlements, and personal family matters. Subjects include Confederate refugees in Canada, the formation of West Virginia as a state, conditions of Virginia in 1865, and bridge and turnpike construction and management. Includes family writings and diary entries from Henrietta Bedinger Lee, Edmund Jennings Lee III, and Edwin Gray Lee. Also includes bills, receipts, and financial ledgers from Edmund Jennings Lee’s law practice.
- Extent:
- 9 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Materials in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.11483
Background
- Scope and content:
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The Edmund Jennings Lee II Papers have been divided into four series: Correspondence, Personal Files, Legal Papers, and Financial Records. The majority of materials concern Lee’s legal practice and business interests in Shepherdstown, WV. Materials include letters between Lee and his brothers, Charles Henry Lee, Richard Henry Lee, and Cassius Francis Lee; letters concerning family matters; legal briefs, documents, land surveys, bill, receipts, and financial ledgers from Lee’s legal practice; and miscellaneous family papers and writings, including diaries from Henrietta Bedinger Lee, Edmund Jennings Lee III, and Edwin Gray Lee.
- Biographical / historical:
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Edmund Jennings Lee II (1797-1877) was born in Alexandria, VA (then part of the District of Columbia). The eldest son of Edmund Jennings Lee and Sarah Lee, he graduated from Princeton College and studied law under his father. Lee was a first cousin of Robert E. Lee. His family was also related to the Rutherford, Lucas, Dandridge, Rust, Washington, Shepherd families. Lee practiced law first in Wheeling, WV and then in Shepherdstown, WV after marrying Henrietta Bedinger Lee. Despite prodding by his family, Lee declined on multiple occasions to enter a more public political life. He originally opposed Virginia’s secession from Union, but supported the state when it later did so. Lee continued to live in Shepherdstown for the rest of his life.
- Acquisition information:
- The Edmund Jennings Lee II Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library in 1959, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1972.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Paul Sommerfeld, May 2017
Accessions described in this collection: 10-7-59, 12-13-60, 1-16-67, 2-2-67, 9-1-67, 1-2-68, 3-30-69, 12-1-72.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Collection is open for research.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Edmund Jennings Lee II Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.