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University of Michigan William L. Clements Library

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Mary Greenhow Lee collection, 1861-1907

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Summary

Creator:
Gresham, Bessie Elizabeth Johnston, 1849-1925
Abstract:
This collection is made up of letters, notes, and ephemera of Mary Greenhow Lee of Winchester, Virginia, who was a staunch supporter of the Confederate States of America. Included are travel passes, a contraband search memorandum, and an anonymous captured letter providing intelligence on "that little widow" Lee and "her gang of old maids" and other secessionists on Market Street. Bessie Elizabeth Johnston Gresham (Mrs. Thomas Baxter Gresham) acquired most of the pieces in this collection directly from her friend Mary Lee.
Extent:
13 items
Language:
English
Sponsor:
James S. Schoff Civil War Collection
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Sara Quashnie, December 2018

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of letters, notes, and ephemera of Mary Greenhow Lee of Winchester, Virginia, who was a staunch supporter of the Confederate States of America. Included are travel passes, a contraband search memorandum, and an anonymous captured letter providing intelligence on "that little widow" Lee and "her gang of old maids" and other secessionists on Market Street. Bessie Elizabeth Johnston Gresham (Mrs. Thomas Baxter Gresham) acquired most of the pieces in this collection directly from her friend Mary Lee.

See the Box and Folder Listing below for details about each item.

Biographical / Historical:

Mary Greenhow Lee was born September 9, 1819, in Richmond, Virginia, to Robert Greenhow and Mary Lorraine (Charlton) Greenhow. In 1843, she married widower Hugh Holmes Lee (1814-1856) and moved to Winchester, Virginia. Following his death in 1856, Lee remained in Winchester with extended family. By the outbreak of the Civil War, she headed a house of six relatives, including two of her husband's sisters, and six slaves (she was the owner of three slaves). A staunch supporter of the Confederacy, she boarded Confederate officers, supplied troops, and cared for wounded soldiers. Lee was rumored to have worked as a spy and she was vehemently opposed to the Union cause. Because of repeated anti-Union offenses, General Philip Sheridan banished Lee from Winchester in 1865. She removed to Baltimore for the remainder of her life, operated boardinghouses, and became an active member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She died on May 25, 1907, and is buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia.

Acquisition Information:
2016. M-6026.1 .
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Mary Greenhow Lee Collection, James S. Schoff Civil War Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan.

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Collection

Mary Greenhow Lee collection, 1861-1907
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Total components 12
Last indexed 2023-08-09