Contents and Arrangement
Online

Ware Family Civil War Papers, 1863-1865

1 box

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of a small collection of family papers pertaining to the experiences of the Ware family during the American Civil War. The Wares were a white settler family, headed by Josiah William Ware (1802-1883), that owned a Virginia plantation called Springfield, where they enslaved at least twenty African Americans. Josiah W. Ware, as well as his sons James Alexander Ware (1832-1896) and Charles Alexander Ware (1841-1915), served in various roles in the military forces of the Confederate States of America. The four letters in the collection provide detailed descriptions of the military situation in western Virginia in 1863, including numerous accounts of Union raids and discussions of the role of enslaved and free Black people in warfare.

Two letters from Edmonia J. Ware (1817-1900), spouse of Josiah Ware, and Lucy Balmain Ware Lewis (1839-1866), youngest daughter of Josiah Ware, are addressed to Elizabeth "Key" Ware Britton (1837-1925), who was residing in Texas with her husband, Dr. Edward Britton, a Confederate surgeon. These letters offer first-hand accounts of warfare on the Virginia homefront from the perspective of white Confederate women, as well as provide evidence that many enslaved people (described as "servants") began leaving the Springfield plantation during the final years of the war. The remaining two letters were written by Josiah Ware to his son, James Ware, who was then serving with the Confederate Texas Rangers near Corpus Christi, Texas, and contain commentary on military operations, conditions of Confederate soldiers, and interactions with free and self-liberated African Americans.

Other items include a parole form for Charles Alexander Ware executed nine days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, a carte de visite photograph of General Turner Ashby, and an ambrotype of Josiah W. Ware.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator, with unattributed materials at the end.

Collection History

Acquisition:

AM 2021-24

Purchased from William Reese Company in 2021 .

Accruals

The collection is open and will continue to grow.

Appraisal

No material was separated during processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Lisa Yankowitz during the summer and fall of 2010 . The finding aid was written by Lisa Yankowitz in January 2011 and is regularly updated with new acquisitions by Faith Charlton, Kelly Bolding, and Armando Suárez.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to condition, the glass ambrotype is housed separately in Box 84. While it is broken into several pieces, it has been stabilized in a mat.

Credit this material:

Ware Family Civil War Papers; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Boxes 52, 84