Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence
Scope and Content
The Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence includes two handwritten letters from a Mennonite hymnbook publisher in Rockingham County, Virginia, to a client, James Curry, in Lewisburg, Virginia [now West Virginia]. The letters predate the Civil War and discuss Curry's order of the Mennonite hymnbook, Harmonia Sacra, and the settlement of his account. The unreliability of shipping books to the western counties via the railroad and the burden of increasing shipping fees are also mentioned. Noted geographic locations include Harrisonburg and Staunton, Virginia.
Dates
- Creation: 1858 - 1860
Creator
- Joseph Funk & Sons (Rockingham County, Va.) (Organization)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Information
Joseph Funk was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1778 to the former Mennonite bishop, Henry Funk, and Barbara Showalter. In 1786, the Funks moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, in the area called Mountain Valley. In 1804, Joseph Funk built a log cabin and married Elizabeth Rhodes of York County, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth died, after bearing five children, in 1813. Funk was once again widowed by his second wife Rachel Britton in 1833.
A man of many talents, Funk was a landowner, farmer, schoolmaster, teacher of vocal music, and the creator/publisher of music books. In 1832, Funk published Genuine Church Music, a popular Mennonite hymnbook written in shape-note style. (Beginning with the 1851 edition, the title of the work was changed to Harmonia Sacra.) With the success and multiple editions of Harmonia Sacra, Funk established a printing house in 1847—thus making him founder of the first Mennonite printing house in the United States. Joseph Funk died in 1862; his grandsons then took over the printing house and had great success with the publication of gospel songs.
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence predates the American Civil War and includes two letters from a Mennonite hymnbook publisher in Rockingham County, Virginia, to a client in Lewisburg, Virginia [now West Virginia]. The letter discusses book shipments, the settlement of accounts, and the unreliability of shipping to the western counties via the railroad.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Acquisition Information
The Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence was purchased by Special Collections in 1993.
General Physical Description note
1 container; 0.1 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement and description of the Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence occurred in September 2008.
Subject
- Curry, James (Person)
- Title
- A Guide to the Joseph Funk & Sons Correspondence, 1858-1860
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Emily Cook
- 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