Gardner Family Papers
Scope and Content
This collection contains papers of the Gardner family of Shawsville (Montgomery County), Virginia. The collection includes two letters home from John Sessler Gardner in Florida. Within Gardner's letters are lengthy tributes to his parents and the family dog. He also briefly mentions the orange crop, investment in local real estate, the 1890 election, and Florida tycoon Henry Flagler. Also within the collection is a set of Montgomery County property tax receipts for William Redman Gardner, a Shawsville High School grade report and 1937 commencement program, a lighthearted essay by William R. Gardner about end-of-year store inventories, and assorted ephemera.
Dates
- Creation: 1889 - 1937
Creator
- Gardner family (Family)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Gardner Family Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Information
George Wesley Gardner was born March 31, 1839 in Montgomery County, Virginia. He married Ruth Annette McDonald (born 1842), and the couple had nine children: Ida, John Sessler, George, William Redman, Harvey, Lou Emma, Nannie Sue, Joseph, and Frank. George Wesley Gardner died September 20, 1916.
John Sessler Gardner, a son of George Wesley Gardner and Ruth Annette McDonald, was born in Montgomery County, Virginia, on May 1, 1865. Around 1887, he moved to Florida, where he married Jennie Paige. Gardner died November 23, 1937 in Zellwood, Florida.
William Redman, younger brother of John Sessler Gardner, was born in Montgomery County, Virginia on August 16, 1871, and died April 6, 1952. His essay on store inventory indicates that he operated a mercantile business.
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of the Gardner family of Shawsville (Montgomery County), Virginia, including letters from Joseph Sessler Gardner, property tax receipts of William R. Gardner, and ephemera.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by document type, then chronologically.
Acquisition Information
The Gardner Family Papers were purchased by Special Collections in 2008. The papers had been identified as a collection of Shawsville miscellanea but were determined to relate specifically to the Gardner family.
General Physical Description note
1 container; 0.1 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement and description of the Gardner Family Papers commenced and was completed in December 2008.
- Title
- A Guide to the Gardner Family Papers, 1889-1937
- 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