Gift of Mrs. Samuel M. Sloan, 1963.
The collection is open for research.
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use
and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to
publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special
Collections Department, University of Delaware Library,
MSS 489, Virden family papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Processed by Carrie L. Foley, May 2004. Encoded by Natalie Baur, September 2009.
This collection relates to the Virden (or Virdin) family of Delaware, specifically
Samuel Virden (1793–1876) of Kent County and his descendants, including Edwin Virden,
Sarah Elizabeth Virden Hall, and her husband John W. Hall, Jr. The Brown family,
connected by marriage to the Virdens, is also represented.
Samuel Virden's great-grandfather, John Virdin (d. 1769), was among the earliest Virdens in Delaware. Samuel was born on June 21, 1793, the only child of Peter Lowber Virden and Elizabeth (Lowber) Virden. His first wife was Anne McKimmey Smock Virden (1797–1841), with whom he had eleven children. The family lived near Frederica on a farm called Lexington Mills, and later moved to a home on David Street in Frederica. In October 1842, ten months after Anne's death, Samuel married Eliza Anne Warren (d. 1878). He died in July of 1876 and was buried in a family cemetery at Lexington Mills.
Samuel's children and their spouses also figure prominently in this collection, particularly John W. Hall, Jr., the husband of Samuel's daughter, Sarah Elizabeth ("Lizzie"). John W. Hall, Jr., son of Delaware governor John Wood Hall (1817–1892, served as governor 1879–1883), became a successful businessman after taking over his father's mercantile firm in 1867. Records from the Hall family's shipping firm can be found among the collections of the University of Delaware Library (MSS 116).
The Brown family also appears in this collection. Samuel Virden's granddaughter, Blanche Virden, married Dr. Thomas A. Brown, and perhaps this is the source of the Brown family material. Their daughter was the renowned Delaware artist Ethel Penniwell Brown Leach, whose niece, Mrs. Samuel Sloan, donated this collection to the University.
The couple had
eleven children listed below.
m.2 Eliza Anne Warren (d. 1878)
The couple had five
children, including Blanche Virden, listed below.
The couple had three children,
including Delaware artist Ethel Penniwell Brown Leach.
The Virden family papers, spanning the years 1783–1901, consist of thirty-six letters,
receipts, deeds, accounts, and other documents, mostly relating to the family of Samuel
Virden of Kent County. Although the papers do not provide a well-rounded portrait of the
Virden family, some of the estate papers, receipts, and letters can provide a rough
estimation of Samuel Virden's business and financial dealings when considered
together.
Some of the most noteworthy documents in the collection, however, have a historical significance discrete from the Virden family. These include an anonymous Revolutionary War era account book of household earnings and expenditures; several expressive letters written by the young Virden sisters and their friends between 1840–1862; an 1864 letter to John W. Hall detailing Civil War hostilities near City Point, Virginia; Edwin Virden's 1865 letter regarding life in post-Civil War Jackson, Mississippi; and a letter to Peter Lowber Smock Virden regarding Delaware politics during the free silver controversy of 1896.
The collection came to the University of Delaware in 1963 from Mrs. Samuel Sloan, a descendant of Samuel Virden through Blanche Virden Brown. Several items in this collection bear no obvious relation to the Virden family, and may have been grouped with the collection after its donation. Records indicate that the Virden family papers originally consisted of just twenty items, dating from 1820–1866.
The materials in the collection are organized in chronological order.
MSS 116, John Wood Hall Shipping Papers
Business papers of Delaware governor and lumber
merchant John Wood Hall and his son, John Wood Hall, Jr. John W. Hall, Jr. married Sarah
Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Virden in 1877. Like the Virden family papers, this collection came to
the University in 1963 from Mrs. Samuel Sloan.
Unidentified author. Includes details of payments made for wood, brandy, tobacco, shoes, and other goods, as well as incoming credits for weaving, spinning, cutting wood, and other work. Includes many transactions with "negroes."
William Virden was probably Samuel's uncle, William Virden, Jr. (1773–1820), who was brother of Peter Lowber Virden.
Samuel Warren, Jr. may have been the brother of Samuel Virden's future wife, Eliza Anne Warren.
This is most likely Samuel's young daughter, Eliza Lowber Virden, who died in September 1823.
Caleb Barratt was the surviving executor of Andrew Barratt.
Regarding the estate of Robert Young and the purchase of white oak planks.
Regarding the estate of Peter Smock.
Administrator of the estate of Job Townsend.
For Job Townsend.
For a subscription to the
Jonathan Carrow served as auctioneer for the estate sale of Elizabeth Young.
Regarding Washington's birthday, the marriage of the Swedish opera star Jenny Lind, and other lighthearted news.
Fictional ship's log.
Regarding the sloop
Although the exact relation between R. Y. Townsend and Samuel Virden is unclear, the Townsend family connection may come from Samuel Virden's second wife, Eliza, whose mother was Miriam Townsend Warren.
Regarding business opportunities.
Regarding hostile encounters with Confederate soldiers during a mercantile expedition near City Point, Virginia.
Edwin is living on a plantation in Jackson, Mississippi with his brother, Samuel Virden, Jr. and his sisters Anna and Ruth. He offers commentary on the post-Civil War South and broad condemnation of the "indolent," "stealing" former slaves.
Signed April 20, 1860; recorded September 4, 1866.
Sarah H. Hall Lester was sister of John W. Hall, Jr. He only had one sister live into adulthood, so it is presumed the recipient of this letter is Sarah H. Hall Lester.
Regarding the death of Rachel Whiteley. See also letters dated February 29, 1892, and May 1, 1901.
Signed March 11, 1890; recorded April 15, 1890.
Regarding the breach of charter lawsuit between John W. Hall and Hugh Kelly, written by J. Brown.
Regarding finding men to work on their vessels.
Signed April 20, 1881; recorded September 23, 1895. Recorded by James Virden.
Regarding Democratic politics during the free silver controversy.
Regarding the health of his wife, business matters, and other news.
One sheet containing recipes for peach cream, orange cream, bisque, and stewed prunes.