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Goshorn Family Papers

 Collection
Collection Number: A&M 2426

Scope and Contents

This collection comprises the personal and business correspondence, as well as financial and legal papers of the Goshorn family of Wheeling, West Virginia, including papers from members of several allied families. The original papers were acquired by Wheeling College from the Goshorn family. These materials are available as microfilm; for a detailed list of the microfilmed materials, please see the collection's control folder. Personal correspondence includes letters from William S. Goshorn during his Civil War imprisonment and Jean Daugherty's letters describing her travels. The business correspondence discusses loans, deeds, wills, land sales, and stock certificates. The financial and legal papers include bills, bank notes, tax forms and receipts, court summons, and insurance policies. Also included is a Goshorn family ancestry chart and family history, letters from a Virginia legislator in the House of Delegates (1833), Civil War military affidavits for General Benjamin F. Kelley, and an oath of allegiance certificate from the new state of West Virginia (1863).

Addendum of 2012/09/14 includes three ledgers of John Goshorn (b. 1791): two daybooks (1838-1874) and an auction daybook (1827-1853). John Goshorn, born in Pennsylvania in 1791, was the younger brother of the prominent Charleston businessman, George Goshorn. John settled near Wheeling where he became a prominent farmer, merchant, and land speculator. These daybooks document his activities as a landlord and investor, his more routine payments for labor and items for his farm, and his operation of an auction business in Wheeling. The last half of the auction daybook contains copies of Goshorn's business correspondence (1843-1853). The transactions, the large amounts of money in the exchanges of real estate, and the business correspondence suggest that Goshorn was an important entrepreneur in the northern panhandle in the 1830s, '40s, and '50s. By 1850, Goshorn had amassed an estate worth $79,000, which was considerable for that time.

Dates

  • Creation: 1827-1926

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Extent

0.3 Linear Feet (Summary: 3 1/2 in. (3 unboxed ledgers); 3 reels of microfilm)

Overview

This collection comprises the personal and business correspondence, as well as financial and legal papers of the Goshorn family of Wheeling, West Virginia, including papers from members of several allied families. Highlights include letters from William S. Goshorn during his Civil War imprisonment and letters from a Virginia legislator in the House of Delegates (1833). An addendum (2012/09) contains three ledgers of John Goshorn (1827-1874). See the Scope and Content Note for more details.

Physical Location

West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Title
Goshorn Family Papers, 1827-1926
Author
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository

Contact:
1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown WV 26506-6069 US
304-293-3536