Skip to main content

A. J. Davis Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2012-067

Scope and Content

The A. J. Davis Family Collection includes journals; scrapbooks; professional and biographical information; photographs, sketches, and ephemera; and a town history. The journals (1874-1927) contain memoirs, particularly of Davis' army experiences, as well as some writing exercises, poetry, stories, and religious observations. Scrapbooks compiled by A. J. Davis include newspaper clippings, personal reflections, and a stamp collection. The professional and biographical information includes service records from Davis' time in the army, genealogy information compiled by other family members, and last wills and testaments. The collection also includes a 19-page history of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, authored by Davis, as well as a draft of the Book of A. J. Davis and other manuscripts. The collection also contain pictures of Davis and family members. Various objects such as wooden writing desks and army ephemera are included.

Dates

  • 1874 - 2007
  • Majority of material found within 1874 - 1907

Creator

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the A. J. Davis Family Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.

Biographical Note

Albert John Davis was born in 1854. He enlisted with the U. S. Army Cavalry (7th Regiment?) at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1876. He spent most of his early military career in the Dakota territories, at Fort Rice and Fort Lincoln, eventually serving for an officer (Colonel Otis) and for the Quartermaster. In 1881, he was able to secure a transfer to the Signal Corps. During the 1880s and 1890s, he served with the Signal Corps and the U. S. Cavalry. By 1897, he was assigned to the Weather Bureau (later the National Weather Service), eventually settling in Norfolk by 1904. Davis died in 1935.

Source: National Weather Service Biographies, http://www.history.noaa.gov/nwsbios/nwsbios_page15.html

Extent

5.7 Cubic Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The A. J. Davis Family Collection includes journals; scrapbooks; professional and biographical information; photographs, sketches, and ephemera; and a town history. The journals (1874-1927) contain memoirs, particularly of Davis' army experiences, as well as some writing exercises, poetry, stories, and religious observations. Scrapbooks compiled by A. J. Davis include newspaper clippings, personal reflections, and a stamp collection. The professional and biographical information includes service records from Davis' time in the army, genealogy information compiled by other family members, and last wills and testaments. The collection also includes a 19-page history of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, authored by Davis, as well as a draft of the Book of A. J. Davis and other manuscripts. The collection also contain pictures of Davis and his wife.

Arrangement

After new materials were donated in 2021, this collection was reprocessed as a whole. The collection is arranged into 2 series by material type.

Series I: Personal Papers is divided further into subseries by topic. The subseries are then arranged in folders by subject. This series includes materials like journals, scrapbooks, legal documents, writings, and genealogy information.

Series II: Objects is made up of artifacts and objects associated with Davis and members of his family. This includes, but is not limited to, writing desks, a riding crop, and a compass.

Acquisition Information

The A. J. Davis Collection was deposited in Special Collections in August 2012. In November 2021, additional materials relating to A. J. Davis and his family were donated to Special Collections and University Archives. At that time, the previously deposited materials were also donated.

Existence and Location of Copies

At the time the bulk of the collection was donated in 2021, a CD containing digital surrogates of many items was included. These items have been added to our digital platform and are available online.

Separated Materials

This collection also includes publications and books that were removed from the collection and added to the rare book collection in Special Collections and University Archives.

      Judiasm Excelled: or the Tale of a Conversion from Judaism to Christianity being the Autobiography of Jonas Abraham Davis
      Aesop's Fables
      Pepys' Diary
      [Courting Stories]
      Tales from the Decameron
      The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of The Sacraments; and other Rites and Cermonies of the Churchaccording to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America: together with the Psalter, or Psalms of David
      History of William the Conqueror
      The Book of Common Prayer
      The Hymnal
      Pinnock's Catechisms. A Catechism of Geography; being an Easy Introduction to the Knowledge of the World, and its Inhabitants.
      Plain Tales from the Hills
      Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
      History of Cyrus the Great
      Military Career of Napoleon the Great
      Some Stories of Old Ironsides
      Special Historic Resource Study
      Judaism Excelled: or the Tale of a Conversion from Judaism to Christianity being the Autobiography of Jonas Abraham Davis
      Select Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero
      The English Version of the Polyglott Bible containing the Old and New Testaments; with the Marginal Readings; together with a Copious and Original Selection of References to Parallel and Illustrative Passages, Exhibited in a Manner Hitherto Unattempted.
      The New Universities Dictionary
      The Phantom Rickshaw and other Tales
      A History of Rome, from the Earliest Times to the Establishment of the Empire.
      The Italian Organ Boy, and Other Stories
      Book for Boys and Girls

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the A. J. Davis Family Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).

Processing Information

The processing (including the re-housing of the scrapbook in its original order), arrangement, and description of the A. J. Davis Collection was completed in November 2012. New materials were donated in November 2021 and processed alongside the existing materials in January 2022.

Title
A. J. Davis Collection, 1874-2007 (bulk, 1874-1907)
Status
Completed
Author
Kira A. Dietz, Archivist; Kat Zinn, Student Assistant
Date
2012, 2021 (CC0 1.0)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository

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