Series 2. Correspondence, 1813–1898

This series contains two groupings, A. and B., that were organized by collector Hunter Armentrout. Letters in Correspondence A. are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent and include the incoming and outgoing letters of Amie Sexton Silcott (1836-1865), as well as letters to and from her close family members, including her parents, Augustus and Annie Young Sexton; her sisters, Almira Sexton Farmington and Louisa Sexton Hays; and her daughter, Ella Louis "Nellie" Silcott. Letters chiefly date from 1840 to 1880, though many are undated.

Incoming letters to Amie Sexton Silcott are organized by correspondent; letters written by Silcott are organized in chronological order from 1849 to 1865. Silcott's letters contain much information regarding life in Upshur, Gilmer, and Calhoun counties before and during the Civil War. (A paper copy of transcriptions of letters authored by her is available in box 1, folders 4 and 5; a compact disc containing a Word file of transcriptions of her letters is filed in box 1, folder 3b; another electronic copy of same is filed with the Curator of Manuscripts.)

Amie Silcott's letters chiefly include news about friends and family; her delicate health; the weather; household activities (chores, sewing, reading, gardening, and cooking); social activities (church, visits with friends, and parties); nature and her physical surroundings (Butler, Pennsylvania; Glenville and Arnoldsburg, West Virginia); education; and marriage. Topics related to the Civil War include Silcott's allegiance to the South; news of friends and family in the Confederate army; and the impact of war on her home. Significant items include an 1859 letter in defense of slavery and an 1864 letter about her desire for peace and the sacrifices of soldiers.

Letters in Correspondence B. are also arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent. Many folders contain only one or two items and most items date from 1840 to 1890. These letters were written or received by members of the Farnsworth, Hays, Sexton, Silcott, and Young families--including Moses Farnsworth, Amy Hays Haymaker, Peregrine Hays, Samuel Hays, Augustus Sexton, Elizabeth Sexton, Nellie Silcott, Henry Young, Lydia Young, and Robert Young, as well as other friends and relatives. Researchers are encouraged to consult both groupings of correspondence as letters to or from various family members can be found in each section.