Ruffner R. Payne, Collector, Genealogical Materials
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 1914
Collection is chiefly composed of genealogical materials compiled by Ruffner R. Payne. It contains various types of genealogical information for different West Virginia families from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Documents include charts, notes, letters, certificates, pamphlets, narrative histories, and legal documents, and date from 1805 to 1943. Materials are loosely arranged in alphabetical order by family name and vary in number and format for each family. Families for whom there are several documents include the Fowke, Franklin, Furman, Payne, Rogers, and Ruffner families. A complete inventory of names is available in the library. Collection also includes typewritten copies of journals and letters belonging to Henry Bedinger (1753-1843) that detail his service in Boston as a member of Captain Hugh Stevenson's Company of Riflemen. Bedinger chiefly records he unit's movements, places they camped, and engagements with the British. Bedinger served in defense of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, and was captured there in November 1776. He was held as a prisoner of war until his exchange in October 1780. He later served as postmaster of Shepherdstown and a member of the Virginia Assembly. Collection also includes a bound volume of typewritten letters to and from Henry Bedinger from September 1781 to 1799. Most letters are written to Bedinger during the 1790s and pertain to Assembly meetings and Bedinger's business as a merchant. Letters written from Bedinger are typically to his wife and friends and relate more to family matters.
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.
0.8 Linear Feet (Summary: 10 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each))
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/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository