| Scope and content |
Collection consists of the papers of the Clark and Spragins families of Halifax County, Va. The Spragins family papers reflect the lives of Thomas and Mel Spragins, Brooks Baker, and Beverly West. The bulk of material consists of financial papers, farm accounts, bills of sale, legal documents, and an account book reflecting life in Virginia between 1766 and 1860. Materials concern slavery; land grants for Halifax County, Va.; and the price of goods during the early 19th century. Also includes a topographic analysis of North Carolina compiled by Thomas Ward, listing counties, boundaries, rivers, towns, and racial demographics of the state. Clark family papers concern Eliza Clark, her brother L. D. Spragins, and her son Thomas B. Clark. Correspondence discusses the economic conditions of post-war Virginia and Thomas B. Clark's experiences as a student at Virginia Military Institute. Clark also includes a first-hand account of the funeral of Robert E. Lee. Other Clark family correspondence concerns economic conditions in Virginia and Maryland; tenant farming; the tobacco and wheat prices in the Virginia market; African Americans and race relations; a flood at Halifax County, Va.; and Reconstruction. |
