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Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 95 items) |
Abstract | Louis Marshall was a physician and educator, native of Virginia, and younger brother of chief justice John Marshall (1755-1835). Marshall married Agatha Smith (1780-1844) and with her had six children, three of whom served in the U.S. Congress: Thomas Francis Marshall (1801-1864), representative from Kentucky, 1841-1843; Edward Colston Marshal (1821-1893), representative from California, 1851-1853; and Alexander Keith Marshall (1808-1884), representative from Kentucky, 1855-1857. The collection is primarily personal letters, 1840-1857, concerning activities of members of the Marshall family of Kentucky. The majority of the letters were written b y the women of the family, especially Marshall's daughter, Agatha (1818-1858), who married Caleb Logan and lived in Louisville, Ky., and her cousin, Mira Madison (1803-1883), who married Andrew Jonathan Alexander and lived in Woodford County, Ky. Most letters concern domestic life and family matters. Many discuss travel, church attendance, social class, and neighborhood events; others refer to the health and activities of slaves owned by members of the Marshall and Alexander families. There are also occasional references to the local and national economies, duels, and sectional tensions. There is a photocopy of a letter, 1843, from John Quincy Adams to Thomas F. Marshall, and a photocopy of a letter, 1844, from Andrew Jackson to Marshall. There is very little information on the Civil War. |
Creator | Marshall, Louis, 1773-1866. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Scott Philyaw, June 1991
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Louis Marshall, 1773-1866, physician, educator, and youngest brother of chief justice John Marshall (1755-1835), was born in Fauquier County, Virginia. He moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1785. After studying medicine in Europe during the 1790s, he returned to Kentucky where he settled on the family estate "Buckpond." In 1800, he married Agatha Smith (1780-1844). He served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), 1830-1834, and was a professor and president pro tem at Transylvania College, 1838-1840
Three of Louis and Agatha Marshall's six children served in the United States Congress: Thomas Francis Marshall (1801-1864) represented Kentucky, 1841-1843; Edward Colston Marshall (1821-1893) represented California, 1851-1853; and Alexander Keith Marshall (1808-1884) represented Kentucky, 1855-1857.
The Marshalls also had one daughter, Agatha (1818-1858), who married Caleb Logan. She and her cousin, Mira Madison (1803-1883), who married Andrew Jonathan Alexander, wrote over half the letters contained in this collection.
(Biographical information from the Dictionary of American Biography.)
Back to TopApproximately half the letters were written by the Marshall's only daughter, Agatha Logan of Louisville, Kentucky, and her cousin, Mira Madison Alexander of "Sherwood" in Woodford County, Kentucky. Seventy five percent of the items are from 1840-1857.
Despite the family's political connections, there are very few explicitly political items in the collection. Domestic life and familial concerns predominate. However, there are hints of broader topics. While the national debate on slavery is barely mentioned, the writers do discuss their own problems with domestic "servants." The role of violence in Southern society may be glimpsed through the correspondents' occasional participation in duels and feuds. There are also references to the local and national economies and to sectional tensions. However, there is very little information on the Civil War. This collection is particularly strong in descriptions of social and family life in Kentucky. Many letters discuss travel, church attendance, social calls, and neighborhood events. Letters often refer to the health and activities of slaves owned by members of the Marshall and Alexander families.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Primarily personal letters, 1840-1857, concerning activities of members of the Marshall family of Kentucky. The majority of the letters were written by the women of the family, especially Marshall's daughter, Agatha (1818-1858), who married Caleb Logan and lived in Louisville, Ky., and her cousin, Mira Madison (1803-1883), who married Andrew Jonathan Alexander and lived in Woodford County, Ky. Most letters concern domestic life and family matters. Many discuss travel, church attendance, social calls, and neighborhood events; others refer to the health and activities of slaves owned by members of the Marshall and Alexander families. There are also occasional references to the local and national economies, duels, and sectional tensions. There is a photocopy of a letter, 1843, from John Quincy Adams to Thomas F. Marshall, and a photocopy of a letter, 1844, from Andrew Jackson to Marshall. There is very little information on the Civil War.
Folder 1 |
1816-1838 |
Folder 2 |
1840-1844 |
Folder 3 |
1845-1849 |
Folder 4 |
1850-1878 and undated |
A Web of Family: Letters From a Kentucky Family, 1816-1865 containing transcriptions of many of the letters in this collection. Typescript (251 pages) of 92 letters of Marshall, Alexander, and related families of Woodford County, Kentucky, edited with a preface and introduction by Margaret R. (Mrs. Guy A.) Cardwell. Bound in two volumes.
Transcriptions of most items appear in A Web of Family: Letters From A Kentucky Family, 1816-1865. Items that do not appear in A Web of Family are listed below and are originals except where indicated:
Letters:
27 March 1818 Elisa Colston to Dr. Louis Marshall.
18 August 1840 M. [?] Pope to Agatha Marshall.
26 November 1841 Wm. S. R. [?] to Agatha M. Marshall, two poems.
2 December 1843 John Quincy Adams to Thomas F. Marshall, photocopy and typed transcript.
24 June [18]44 Ann A. Reid to Agatha M. Logan.
21 November 1844 Andrew Jackson to Thomas F. Marshall, photocopy and typed transcript.
29 May 1844 Necrology of Mrs. Agatha Marshall and handwritten transcript.
2 August [1860?] D. C. Goodrich to Caleb Logan.
18 January 1878 W. L. Marshall to Edward [?]
12 September 1878 W. L. Marshall to Edward C. Mars[hall?]
28 September 1878 W. L. Marshall to Edward [?]
[undated] [?] to Dr. Louis Marshall, care of Caleb Logan, poem in French and handwritten transcript
[undated] Thomas F. Marshall to John Coleman.
Newspaper clippings:
15 January 185? [?] reviews congressional speech of Mr. Marshall.
3 April 1853 The Daily Pennsylvanian, sketch of Edward C. Marshall of California and John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky.
There are also a few items in A Web of Family for which there is no corresponding original or photocopy in the collection.
Folder 5 |
Volume I (pages i-v, 1-200), preface, introduction, and letters |
Folder 6 |
Volume II (pages 201-251), notes |