Thomas David Perry Collection
Scope and Content
This collection contains materials gathered by Virginia Tech graduate (class of 1984) and historian Thomas David Perry during more than 20 years of research and writing on the history of Patrick County, Virginia. Much of the material is devoted to the life, family and birthplace of Confederate General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart. The collection contains such materials as manuscript drafts, printed materials, correspondence, scrapbooks and photographs. Much of the material relates to the research and writing of three of Perry's books, Ascent to Glory: the Genealogy of Jeb Stuart; Stuart's Birthplace: a History of Laurel Hill Farm; and The Free State of Patrick: Patrick County, Virginia in the Civil War. The collection also contains press and promotional material relating to the effort to preserve Stuart's birthplace.
Dates
- Creation: ca.1979-2007
Creator
- Perry, Thomas David (Person)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Thomas David Perry Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Information
Born in 1960, Thomas David Perry graduated from Virginia Tech in 1984. He founded the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust in 1990, serving as its president from 1990 to 1992; he has also served at various times on the trust's board of directors and has served on the boards of directors of the Jubal Early Homeplace and the Patrick County Historical Society. In North Carolina, Perry has been a founding member of both the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and the Surry County Civil War Round Table. Perry has presented numerous speeches on Patrick County, "Jeb" Stuart, and the Civil War; he has also conducted several symposia and tours and published several works on these topics.
Full Extent
19 Cubic Feet (19 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers relating to the history of Patrick County, Virginia, and native son Confederate General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, particularly Stuart's genealogy and birthplace, Laurel Hill.
Arrangement
The collection is unprocessed and remains largely in the order in which it was received. Generally, the collection is arranged within the following categories: Patrick County in the Civil War; genealogy of J. E. B. Stuart; history of Laurel Hill Farm, Stuart's birthplace; records of the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace; general Civil War and Patrick County history files; and Perry's personal papers.
Other Finding Aid
A guide developed by the donor, providing a more detailed inventory of the collection, may be found here.
Acquisition Information
The Thomas David Perry Collection was donated to Special Collections in 2002. Additional materials were donated in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Separated Material
The following books were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:
Missing Title
- Perry, Thomas David, Stuart's birthplace: the history of the Laurel Hill farm ([S.l.: The Author], 2007).
- Perry, Thomas David, Ascent to glory: the genealogy of J. E. B. Stuart ([S.l.: The Author], 2007).
- Brown, Dean W., Boyhood adventures of General JEB Stuart, Civil War Hero (Bloomington, Ind.: Authorhouse, 2005).
- Wood, Karenne and Diane Shields, The Monacan Indians: our story ([Madison Heights, Va.: Monacan Indian Nation, 1999?]).
- Garren, Terrell T., The Secret of war: a dramatic history of Civil War crime in western North Carolina (Spartanburg, S.C.: The Reprint Company, 2004).
- Krick, Robert K., The Smoothbore volley that doomed the Confederacy: the death of Stonewall Jackson and other chapters on the Army of Northern Virginia (Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 2002).
- Allison, Roger A., A Brief history of Saltville ([Saltville, Va.: Saltville Centennial Committee, 1996?]).
General Physical Description note
19 containers; 29 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The collection is unprocessed. This inventory is adapted from a guide created by the donor. A digital version of the donor's guide, which provides a more detailed description of its contents, may be found here.
Subject
- Stuart, Jeb, 1833-1864 (Person)
- Title
- An Inventory of the Thomas David Perry Collection, ca.1979-2007
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- © 2008 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu