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Cora Bolton McBryde Collection

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2016-019

Scope and Content

The Cora Bolton McBryde Collection consists of a handwritten recipe book belonging to McBryde, as well as three peraonal artifacts: an anniversary plate, a Tiffany & Co. silver spoon, and a metal mold. Most of the materials are undated, other than the plate (1913), but they likely date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. More detailed description of each item is provided in the "Contents List" below.

Dates

  • Creation: c.1860s-1910s

Creator

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Cora Bolton McBryde Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Biographical Note

Cora Bolton was born to James (1812-1869) and Anna Maria Harrison (1813-1873) Bolton in Richmond, Virginia, on August 4, 1839. She was the eldest of six children. Her father was a physician who worked in the Richmond area, includnig during the Civil War. In 1860, Cora, then 19, was living with her family there.

Cora married John McLaren McBryde on November 18, 1863. They had eight children, six of whom lived to adulthood: Janet (1864-1869), James (1866-1925), Anna (later Anna Davidson) (1868-1948) John (1870-?), Charles (1872-1962), Susan (1874-1951), Meade (1877-1959), and Waid (abt. 1878-?). The 1880 census places the McBryde family in Knoxville, Tennessee, where John McBryde was teaching at the time.

By 1891, they had settled in Blacksburg, where Cora would spend the remaining 29 years of her life. Cora died in Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1920 at the age of 80. She is buried in Westview Cemetery.

You can see several photographs of Cora and her family in a post on the Special Collections blog.

Sources: Cora Bolton McBryde on Find a Grave Ancestry Library Edition

Full Extent

1.4 Cubic Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of a handwritten recipe book belonging to Cora Bolton McBryde, as well as three peraonal artifacts: an anniversary plate, a Tiffany & Co. silver spoon, and a metal mold. Most of the materials are undated, other than the plate (1913), but they likely date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Cora Bolton McBryde was the wife of John McLaren McBryde, president of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College before and during the transition to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (shortened to Virginia Polytechnic Institute).

Acquisition Information

Materials in the collection were donated to Special Collections in two separate accession: The cookbook in 2013 and the artifacts in 2016.

Related Materials

Other collections in Special Collections relating to the McBryde family include:

  • J. Bolton McBryde Collection, Ms1992-059. Finding aid available online.
  • McBryde Family Papers, Ms2013-024. Finding aid available online.
  • McBryde House Specification Records, Ms1999-010. Brief description available online. These materials are largely unprocessed, but are available for research.
  • Papers of John McLaren McBryde, RG 2/5. Finding aid available online.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Cora Bolton McBryde Collection was completed in December 2016.

Title
Cora Bolton McBryde Collection, c.1860s-1910s
Status
Completed
Author
Kira A. Dietz, Archivist
Date
© 2016 Virginia Tech. All rights reserved.
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308