William C. Tavenner, Civil War Correspondence and Other Material
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3763
Letters of William C. Tavenner and members of his family. The family had ties to Lewis and Harrison County. Tavenner's letters include both personal and military correspondence from the Civil War, most relating to his service as a soldier in the Confederate Army (as Lieutenant Colonel of the 17th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment) and his death at the Battle of Monocacy. There are also letters from other members of Tavenner's family from before and after the Civil War.
Series include:
Series 1. Correspondence of Jennet S. (Withers) Tavenner; 1846-1858, undated; Folder 1
Series 2. Correspondence of William C. Tavenner; 1860-1864; Folder 2
Series 3. Correspondence Regarding Battle of Monocacy and William C. Tavenner's death; 1864; Folder 3
Series 4. Postbellum Correspondence; 1865-1873, 1940; Folder 4
Series 5. Artifact; undated; Folder 5
Series 6. Miscellaneous; undated; 10 fragments, Folder 6
See Also:
A&M 81, Cook, Roy Bird (1886-1961), Collector. Tavenner Family Papers and Other Material
A&M 858, Cook, Roy Bird (1886-1961), Collector. Tavenner Family Papers and Other Material
English
No special access restriction applies.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
William Cabell Tavenner was the eldest child of Cabell Tavenner and Jennet S. (Withers) Tavenner. During Tavenner's childhood the family lived in Weston, (West) Virginia. The extended family had ties to Lewis County, Harrison County, and Wood County. Tavenner had three siblings, a younger brother, Thomas Alexander (referred to as "Tat" in the letters), and two sisters, Elizabeth M. and Jennet A. (who is often referred to as "Jen" in the letters). William Tavenner's paternal grandfather was Colonel Thomas Tavenner, one of the early settlers of Wood county and a prominent man in local affairs. Tavenner's maternal grandfather was Alexander Scott Withers, the author of "Chronicles of Border Warfare", an important early history of the settlement of western Virginia. Two of Tavenner's maternal aunts also appear in the collection's correspondence, including Mrs. Mary T. Owen of Galveston, Texas (referred to as "Poca" in letters), and Elizabeth Ann Thornhill of New Orleans (referred to as "Bettie").
The exact date and circumstances of Tavenner's entry into the military are unknown. He was stationed in New Orleans during the first years of the war, later moving northward to Virginia sometime between the spring of 1862 and January 1863. He was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the newly formed 17th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment in January 1863. Tavenner was fatally wounded at the Battle of Monocacy on 9 July 1864. He died of his injuries on 11 July 1863 at the nearby Gambrill Mill, which was used as a field hospital after the battle.
For more genealogical and historical information regarding the Tavenner family, see: A&M 81; Cook, Roy Bird (1886-1961), Collector. Tavenner Family Papers and Other Material; Folder 1a.
0.2 Linear Feet (Summary: 1 1/2 in. (6 folders))
Letters of William C. Tavenner and members of his family. The family had ties to Lewis and Harrison Counties. Tavenner's letters include both personal and military correspondence from the Civil War, most relating to his service as a soldier in the Confederate Army (as Lieutenant Colonel of the 17th Virginia Cavalry) and his death at the Battle of Monocacy. There are also letters from other members of Tavenner's family from before and after the Civil War. See "Scope and Contents" for details.
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Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository