University of Virginia Library

EXPLANATORY NOTES

MOST ENTRIES describe the manuscripts of a single acquisition,
all the items in such a group being usually the papers
of the single individual or family whose name is given.

Dates in parentheses following names are birth and death dates.
Dates not in parentheses indicate inclusive years of the manuscripts,
with an occasional added date in parentheses to show the period
covered by the bulk of the material. Thus 1725 (1900)-1928 means
that while the earliest manuscript is dated 1725, the majority of
papers fall in the period after 1900; 1805-(1850)1910 means that
the body of the material ends in 1850, with a few scattered items
up to 1910; and 1791 (1840-1860) 1902 means that the bulk of
the papers fall between 1840 and 1860.

Abbreviations, MS for manuscript, ALS for autograph letter,
signed, etc., are those in common use. Numbers which appear at
the end of each heading are accession numbers, included for their
convenience to the library staff.

As used in this report, "manuscripts" is the all-embracing term
used to describe all handwritten items on parchment or paper, and
our policy is to employ this expression not only in the general sense
for all handwritten material, but also specifically for what some
institutions describe as "personal papers," namely the unofficial
writings of persons and families. "Papers," as used herein, indicate
a special kind of manuscripts, the writings of a public officer, and
are official or semi-official in character. It is misleading, we feel, to
use "papers" as a general substitute for "manuscripts." "Archives"
are the official manuscripts, or "records," of a government or other
institution. The word "collection" may be used broadly to describe
a single group of manuscripts, such as the manuscripts of a single
acquisition, but more specifically for an artificially assembled group,
such as an autograph collection.

Non-manuscript material, other than books, acquired for the
historical collections will be found under the following headings:
Broadsides, Maps, Microfilm, Newspapers, and Prints and Pictures.
Under University of Virginia a statement regarding the University's
archives is given.

The names of depositors of manuscripts on loan to the University
are not included; it should be understood that while the
majority of such manuscripts are accessible for research, all are
subject to such restrictions as the depositor has made, and none
may be reproduced without consent of the owner.