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Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 100 items) |
Abstract | Sallie S. Billmyer Lemen was a Shepherdstown, W.Va., native and attended the Hagerstown Female Seminary in Hagerstown, Md., from approximately 1860 to the early 1870s. She later married W. N. Newt Lemen. The collection includes correspondence, a travel diary, and other materials related to Sallie S. Billmyer Lemen's early life. Corrrespondence is chiefly letters sent to Lemen from friends and family, 1866-1890, especially letters from young women friends. Topics include Lemen's schooling at the Hagerstown Female Seminary; the lives of family and friends in Hagerstown, Md., Shepherdstown, W.Va., and elsewhere; dating, marriage, and children; health and sickness; parties and events; and the recreational travels of friends. Also included are an 1876 travel diary, a recipe, a report card, and a few miscellaneous writings. |
Creator | Lemen, Sallie S. Billmyer. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
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Sallie S. Billmyer Lemen grew up in Shepherdstown, W.Va., in Jefferson County. She was the daughter of David Billmyer, who served in the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1867 and 1868. Her brother, William H. Billmyer, attended Georgetown College. Sallie Billmyer attended Hagerstown Female Seminary in Hagerstown, Md., from approximately 1868 to the early 1870s. While there, she made many friends with whom she continued to correspond for at least a decade.
Around 1878, Sallie met and began dating W. L. "Newt" Lemen, a Shepherdstown businessman. At some point before 1881, the two married and settled in Shepherdstown. Newt Lemen became a founding partner in the Shepherstown Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company in 1891.
Back to TopThe Sallie S. Billmyer Lemen papers include correspondence, a travel diary, and other materials related to her early life. The collection is divided into two series. The first series, Correspondence, chiefly contains letters sent to Lemen from friends and family, 1866-1890, especially letters from young women friends. Topics include Lemen's schooling at the Hagerstown Female Seminary; the lives of family and friends in Hagerstown, Md., Shepherdstown, W.Va., and elsewhere; dating, marriage, and children; health and sickness; parties and events; and the recreational travels of friends. The second series, Other Materials, includes an 1876 travel diary, a recipe, a report card, and a few miscellaneous writings.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to Sallie S. Billmyer Lemen from her friends and family, with a few letters of reply from Lemen herself. Correspondence from 1866 to the early 1870s is mainly from family members regarding Lemen's schooling at the Hagerstown Female Seminary. Letters from her father, David Billmyer, and brother, William H. Billmyer, convey news of the family and their hometown of Shepherdstown, W.Va., often learned through letters sent to them. Several early letters from a teacher and a pastor offer Lemen advice on her schooling.
Most of the correspondence dates from 1876 to 1878 and was recieved from school friends and cousins of Lemen, most of whom lived in Maryland and West Virginia. Topics of these letters include the activities of mutual friends; detailed accounts of parties, events, and travels; musings on dating, marriage, and families; and news of health problems afflicting the correspondents and their acquaintences. Several of the later letters are from W. N. Lemen, Lemen's suitor and future husband.
Also included is a list of correspondence sent and received by Lemen from 1875 to 1877, presumably compiled by Lemen herself.
Folder 1 |
1866-1869 |
Folder 2 |
1870-1876 |
Folder 3 |
1877 |
Folder 4 |
1878-1881, 1890 |
Folder 5 |
Undated |
Folder 6 |
List of correspodnence sent and received, 1875-1877 |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Materials belonging to Sallie Lemen. Included are an 1876 travel diary that documents a trip to Washington, D.C., Tennessee, Atlanta, and several points in Florida; a handwriteen recipe for "Coaconut Cake"; Lemen's 1870 report card from Hagerstown Female Seminary; and several writings that are undated and unsigned.
Folder 7 |
Recipe, undated |
Folder 8 |
Report card, 1870 |
Folder 9 |
Travel diary, 1876 |
Folder 10 |
Writings, undated |