William A. Moreland, Political Papers, World War II Records, and Other Material
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 2032
Papers of a Morgantown lawyer and state legislator. Includes political correspondence of William Moreland addressing issues ranging from abortion to coal mining with a majority of the papers regarding the operation of state bureaucracy and the importance of organized labor in West Virginia. Also includes material documenting his WWII service, including transporting troops by train on the home front, and service in Japan and the Philippines. The collection includes photographs and certificates from various organizations received during his career.
Addendum of 2010/10/29 includes Moreland's World War II (WWII) service records, family genealogy, and family photographs (including photos of his father, James Moreland). (ca. 1900-1965; 7 1/2 in.)
Addendum of 2011/03/21 includes papers of William Moreland, and papers of his father and grandfather, James R. Moreland and Joseph Moreland. There are series of Genealogy (1898-1948, undated), News Clippings (1898-1945, undated), Photographs (ca. 1860-1942, undated), Historical Narratives (1939, 1942), James R. Moreland Papers (1899-1945, undated), Joseph Moreland Papers (1898-1913, undated), Scrapbook (1897-1950), Miscellaneous (1868, undated), and Photo Album (ca. 1855-1875). (ca. 1855-1950; 1 ft. 7 in.)
The photo album (3 in. x 4 in. x 5 in.) contains 40 cartes de visite (CDVs) and 1 tintype.
Locations of photographers identified on the cards in the album include:
Baltimore, MD
Brownsville, PA
Frederick, MD
Indiana, PA
Morgantown, WV
Wheeling, WV
Some portraits in the album are identified. Names include:
Davis Bowens
Jane Bowens
Elisha M. Hagans
Annie Hagans
Reverend Martin (in Brownsville?)
Mrs. Martin (in Brownsville?)
John Bowie
Eliza Bowie
James A. Brown (in Baltimore?)
John A. Dille (in Morgantown?)
Rachel Boyce
Addendum of 2011/06/20 includes papers of William A. Moreland, and papers of his father and grandfather, James R. Moreland and Joseph Moreland. There are series of Historical Information; West Virginia University; 1924 Democratic National Convention; Ethel Finnicum Moreland; Morgantown African-American History; Brown Family Papers; Publications; Newspapers and News Clippings; Artifacts, Oversize; and Photographs. There is also unsorted material. (1824-1984; 4 ft. 9 in.)
Historical Information; 1877-1902; box 19. Contains short biographical sketches of Joseph Moreland and James R. Moreland, as well as a scrapbook and two legal documents related to the history of the Moreland family.
West Virginia University; 1869-1900; box 19. Includes records related to Joseph Moreland's term as a regent of the University (1882-1894), James R. Moreland's service with the University Cadet Corps (1896-1900), WVU's 28th annual commencement (1895-06-12), and other material.
1924 Democratic National Convention; 1924; box 19. Includes ephemera, such as an I.D. card, membership cards, a pass to Coney Island, etc. relating to Ethel Finnicum Moreland's travel to New York City as the West Virginia delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Ethel Finnicum Moreland; 1901, 1920-1924; box 19. Papers of Ethel Finnicum Moreland, wife of James R. Moreland, including school records and material related to her political activities.
Morgantown African-American History; 1934-3-28; box 19. Includes a newspaper article concerning the death of William Stewart, a Morgantown resident and former slave. Stewart had worked for the Moreland family for nearly two decades. This series also includes an undated photograph of Stewart.
Brown Family Papers; 1824-1891; box 19. Papers of the Brown family of northern (West) Virginia, who were ancestors and relatives of the Morelands. Series contains legal documents and correspondence, including three letters (1854-1856) written from Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania.
Publications; 1860-1981; box 19. Contains pamphlets, programs, handbills, and other publications, including a program for a competition between the Columbian and Monongalian Literary Societies of the Monongalia Academy (1860), a handbill by Joseph Moreland addressed "To the Voters of Monongalia County"; (1869), and two copies of the program for the "Sword Presentation to Captain F.E. Chadwick" (1899), among other items.
Newspapers and News Clippings; 1875, 1890, 1984; boxes 19 and 22. Contains an issue of The Herald (Kingwood, WV) dated 1875-10-30; an issue of the Weekly Post (Morgantown, WV) dated 1875-11-6; an issue of The New Dominion dated 1890-5-17; a 1984 article about Joseph Moreland written by Earl L. Core; and various news clippings from unidentified sources.
Artifacts; ca. 1830s; box 19. Hair clippings of two Moreland ancestors, with identifications written by James R. Moreland.
Oversize; 1898-1901; box 20. Documents related to James R. Moreland's service with the West Virginia University Cadet Corp as well as his presence at the inauguration of President William McKinley
Photographs; ca. 1850-1980; boxes 21-24. Includes ambrotypes, tintypes, CDVs, card mounted prints, black and white prints, newspaper print blocks, and negatives. Subjects include individual and group portraits of Moreland family members and photographs relating to the professional activities of William A. Moreland, James R. Moreland, Joseph Moreland, and others. The majority of photographs are identified. Items of interest within this series include a hand-painted tintype, a group photograph of West Virginia University cadet officers, including James R. Moreland (ca. 1900), four cased and one uncased ambrotypes, and an engraved steel plate. Two of the ambrotypes are identified; one is labeled "Aunt Mary McNab" and the other Sarah Suter.
Unsorted material; ca. 1860-1970; boxes 25-26. Unsorted material contains papers of William Moreland, James R. Moreland, and Joseph Moreland, including genealogical information concerning the Moreland family; typescripts concerning West Virginia history and other subjects; personal and professional correspondence; newspapers and news clippings; and publications.
Addendum of 2014/06/12 papers and artifacts of the Moreland family. (ca. 1824-1950; 12 ft. 11 1/2 in.)
box 27; biography of Joseph Moreland by James Moreland
box 28; wooden stocking stretchers, bed warmer, spectacles (worn by Eleanor Brown Moreland), gravy boat (1824), and 2 Tiffany (steak) knifes
box 29; 2 (handmade) blankets that feature blue and white design
box 30; baby clothes (for William A. Moreland), white garments
box 31; "Ruth's wedding gown, veil, slip" (for wedding between Ruth Moreland and William A. Moreland)
box 32; a few photos, marriage license, matches, photo in frame of Ethel F. Moreland (1903), photo of Moreland home (ca. 1900-1910), WWII belt buckle, 2 small books published in Morgantown (1942), and other material
box 33; 3 quilts, 1 identified with creator ("EBM" or Eleanor Brown Moreland)
box 34; 2 WWII military jackets with slacks
box 35; purple dress with sash and hat (EBM? or Eleanor Brown Moreland)
box 36; grey dress with belt, lilac dress, black beaded shawl (?), short white lace jacket
box 37; black Victorian dress (?) (EBM? or Eleanor Brown Moreland)
box 38; 2 crayon portraits, 2 photos, prints, WWII scrapbook page
box 39; folded flag (that had been draped over coffin of William A. Moreland)
box 40; genealogy charts of the Moreland family
box 41; folder 1; Photographs and negatives of William A. Moreland and World War II subjects; ca. 1940s
box 41; folder 2; Newspaper clippings about Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania) wrestling and sports (from cigarette tin); ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 3; Cigarette tin; undated
box 41; folder 4; West Virginia University Corps of Cadets certificates and military papers (regarding William A. Moreland); ca. 1936-1939
box 41; folder 4; National Collegiate Wrestling Championship Programs; 1937
box 41; folder 4; Photographs of students (group portraits); ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 5; Photograph of woman, possibly Eleanor "Nell" Moreland; undated
box 41; folder 5; Letter from John Laird to Alex Smith and receipts concerning real estate of John Suter, 1819
box 41; folder 5; West Virginia University Commencement program; 1940
box 41; folder 5; National Collegiate Wrestling Championship Program; 1937
box 41; folder 5; Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania) athletic letter; undated, ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 5; Honeymoon Isle, Florida postcard, other materials; ca. 1940
box 41; folder 6; Photographs of William A. Moreland, World War II airplanes, other subjects, ca. 1940s
box 41; folder 6; Photograph of Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania) sports team (group portrait) including William A. Moreland; ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 6; Photographs and negatives of William A. Moreland, including group portrait of sports team
box 41; folder 7; William A. Moreland correspondence related to military reserves service; 1939-1940
box 41; folder 7; Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania) athletics program and materials; ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 7; National Collegiate Wrestling Championships Program; 1937
box 41; folder 7; Negative of building; ca. 1930s-1940s
box 41; folder 8; Postcards (12 items; non-West Virginia subjects; includes birthplace of William Jennings Bryan); ca. 1930s
box 41; folder 9; Romeo and Juliet dance card from Dixie Ball (see box 43 for dance card pencils); 1940
box 41; folder 10; "Morgantown Centennial with Addresses and Papers, 1795-1885" (book); 1902
box 41; folder 11; "The First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown, West Virginia: With Short Biographical Sketches of its Pastors, Missionaries, Ministers and Lay Leaders" by James R. Moreland (book); 1938
box 42; folders 1-19; World War II era correspondence and letters of William A. Moreland (Includes letters written by William A. Moreland about his wartime service within the United States at Camp Perry, Ohio, Camp Harrison, Indiana, and others. Also includes Moreland's letters during his service in the Philippines, New Guinea, and Japan, mostly written to his wife Ruth. Also includes some letters written by Donald R. Roberts, Moreland's brother-in-law, from his wartime service in North Africa and Europe); 1938-1945
box 42; folder 20; German postcards from Donald R. Roberts (9 items); 1945
box 43; oversized; folder 1; The New Dominion Post, Illustrated Edition newspaper; undated
box 43; oversized; folder 2; Wizard of Oz movie premiere program from Grauman's Chinese Theater; 1939
box 43; oversized; folder 3; Pictorial History of XIV Corps during World War II; undated
box 43; oversized; unfoldered; Artifact, West Virginia Football ribbon; undated
box 43, oversized, unfoldered; Artifact, Mercersburg Academy patch; undated, ca. 1930s
box 43; oversized; unfoldered; Artifacts, Military buttons and insignia, dance card pencils (see box 41, folder 9 for dance card); undated, ca. 1930s-1940s
unboxed; large wooden clothes pin
unboxed; trunk with belts and WWII wooden desk signs inside
Addendum of 2016/07/27; ca. 1890-2008; boxes 44-45
box 44; unfoldered; political campaign materials and other material regarding William A. Moreland, including stickers, matchbooks, clippings, photographs, and artifacts including a WWII dog tag and lapel insignia; 1934-2008, undated
box 45; oversized; unfoldered; drawings of properties, some with oil and gas holdings marked, and housing developments in Monongalia County, as well as rubbings of headstones and notes regarding cemeteries; ca. 1890-1980
Addendum of 2017/05/22; 1933-1970; box 46
Contains two scrapbooks of clippings documenting Moreland from 1933-1970.
Addendum of 2017/10/06; 1899-1947; box 47
box 47; unfoldered; scrapbook kept by James Moreland titled "My Immediate Family"; 1899-1947
box 47; unfoldered; William Moreland's copy of "The Centennial Celebration of the Founding of Morgantown"; 1902
box 47; unfoldered; William Moreland's copy of "The Karux", yearbook of the Mercerburg Academy; 1934
box 47; folder 1; Photographs previously attached to yearbook; ca. 1934
box 47; folder 2; Issue of "The Mercersburg News"; 1934
English
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William A. Moreland was born in 1916 to James R. and Ethel (Finnicum) Moreland of Morgantown, West Virginia. Moreland served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later became a lawyer. He served as a member of the West Virginia State House of Delegates from Monongalia County from 1951 until 1958. He then served as the West Virginia State Senator from the 14th District from 1959 until 1982.
24.8 Linear Feet (Summary: 24 ft. 10 in. (22 document cases, 5 in. each); (4 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (4 records cartons, 15 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 6 in.); (5 large flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (4 small flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (3 small flat storage boxes, 1 1/2 in. each); (1 newspaper box, 3 in.); (1 card index box 4 1/2 in.); (1 flag box, 23 in.); (1 roll storage box, 6 in.); (1 steamer trunk, 30 in.); (1 large wooden clothes pin, 27 in.))
Papers of a Morgantown lawyer and state legislator. Includes political correspondence of William Moreland addressing issues ranging from abortion to coal mining with a majority of the papers regarding the operation of state bureaucracy and the importance of organized labor in West Virginia. Addendum of 2010/10/29 includes Moreland's World War II (WWII) service records, family genealogy, and family photographs. Addenda of 2011/03/21 and 2011/06/20 include papers of William Moreland, and papers of his father and grandfather, James R. Moreland and Joseph Moreland. Addendum of 2014/06/12 includes some papers and many artifacts. Addendum of 2016/07/27 includes drawings of properties in Monongalia County and political campaign and other material. See "Scope and Content Note" for details. Addendum of 2017/05/22 contains two scrapbooks of clippings documenting Moreland from 1933-1970. There are additional addenda.
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/
Books:
Callahan, James Morton. History of the Making of Morgantown, West Virginia. Morgantown, W. Va. [Morgantown Printing and Binding Co.], 1926.
Lambert, Oscar Doane. West Virginia, Its People and Its Progress, Volume 2, Biographical. Charleston, West Virginia: Historical Record Association, [1958].
Callahan, James Morton, History of the Making of Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown (W. Va.), Committee of Arrangement. The Centennial Celebration of the Founding of Morgantown, 1785-100-1885: With Addresses and Papers. Morgantown, West Virginia: Committee of Arrangements, 1902.
West Virginia University, Public History Option. Morgantown: A Bicentennial History. Morgantown, West Virginia: Monongalia Historical Society, 1985.
Periodical:
West Virginia Review Magazine, October, 1936.
From addendum 2011/06/20:
Bulletin No. 3 Sons of the Revolution in the State of West Virginia. 1921.
Bulletin No. 7 Sons of the Revolution in the State of West Virginia. Parkersburg, West Virginia: The School Printing Company, 1925.
Haymond, Henry. Historical Reference to Prickett's Fort and its Defenders with Incidents of Border Warfare in the Monongahela Valley and Ceremonies at Unveiling of Monument Marking Site of Prickett's Fort, Erected in 1774, including Brief Sketches of Major William Haymond and the ancestors of the Morgan and Prickett Families.
History of Dunlap's Creek Academy. Brownsville, Pennsylvania: Press of the Clipper-Moniter, 1908.
Latimer, Ira S., John C. Ludlum, R.C. Tucker, and James C. Welden, editors. West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey: Its Accomplishments and Outlook. Volume XXIII. 1963.
Moreland, James R. The Early Cheat Mountain Iron Works. ca. 1940.
Moreland, James R. The Early Cheat Mountain Iron Works. Morgantown, West Virginia: Monongalia Historical Society.
Moreland, James R. The First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown, West Virginia with Short Biographical Sketches of Its Pastors, Missionaries, Ministers, and Lay Leaders. Morgantown, West Virginia: First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown, 1938.
Moreland, Joseph. Morgantown, Its Practical Jokes; Its Thrice Told Tales; Legends, Ghost Stories, Exaggerations, Doings and Sayings, Marvelous and Incredible, Its Fun, Wit, Humor, &c. Morgantown, West Virginia: New Dominion Steam Printing House, 1885. [two copies]
West Virginia Antiquities Commission Annual Report 1973. 1973.
West Virginia Manual of the Legislature Session of 1915. Charleston, West Virginia: Tribune Printing Co., 1915.
Woman's Edition of The New Dominion. Morgantown, West Virginia: The New Dominion, 1896.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository