Finding aid to the Ripley Family Letters
Text
JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VA 24501
(434) 846-0501
RIPLEY FAMILY LETTERS, 1852-1894
The collection contains letters to, and from, various members of the Ripley family. It
includes a note about the relationships of the writers. A partial typescript of the 27 June
1852 letter is also included.
Item 1 -- Letter to Rev. Enoch G. Jameson, Senterville Post Office, Monroe Co., VA
from Wm. Ed. Eakin, Mill Farm; 27 June 1852. [& 1 page of transcript]
Item 2 -- Letter to Mrs. Elmira V. Jameson, Senterville Post Office, Monroe Co., VA
from Wm. Ed. Eakin, Sweet Springs, VA; 27 April 1853.
Item 3 -- Letter to Cousin Enoch from H.Y. Ripley, Valley Store; 6 December 1853.
Item 4- Letter to Mother from Octavia, Marlin, Texas; 1 January 1878. [& envelope]
Item 5 -- Letter to Polie from Paul, Portland, OR; 10 January 1893. [& envelope]
Item 6 -- Letter to Eliza from (Uncle) P.M. Ripley, Tacoma, WA; 16 December 1894. [&
envelope]
Item 7 -- Envelope to Mr. N.N. Ripley, New Castle, VA; 7 November 1882.
Item 8 -- Notes on the relationships of the writers & donor's name and address.
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WILLIAM EDWARD EAKIN (c.1835-aft 1870)
William Edward Eakin was born circa 1835, the son of Nathan and Gilly Hawkins
Eakin, who were married in Botetourt County, VA, on 2 November 1829. Gilly was the
daughter of William Hawkins and sister of Juliet (Julia) Hawkins, who married Thomas
Love on 31 December 1821, in Bedford Co., VA. In Item #1, William refers to a visit
with "Uncle Thomas Love" in Lynchburg. He further refers to his "Uncle Hillery
Ripley." On 9 August 1863, William Eakin married Mary Maggie Hill, age 23, at New
Castle, VA. Mary Hill Eakin was the daughter of Clifton G. & Mary Rowland Hill of
Craig County, VA. Clifton G. Hill was Clerk of the Court and married a second time in
1843, to Amanda F. Price. During the Civil War, Eakin was an enrolling officer in Craig
County, VA. In 1870, he and his family were living in Botetourt Co., VA, where he was
a merchant. A Col. William E. Eakin is buried in the Slicer-Godwin Cemetery in
Fincastle (Botetourt Co.), VA. His marker says he was born 12 November 1834 and died
1 October 1878.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, V.II & III. N.p.:
authors, 1990; Rhodes, Phillip W. "Descendants of Thomas Love of Lynchburg and Amherst County,
Virginia," TheVirginia Genealogist 35 (April-June 1991), p.86; 1870 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA,
p. 466, National Archives Microfilm M-593, Roll #1636; Vogt, John & T. William Kethley, Jr.
BOTETOURT COUNTY MARRIAGES, 1770-1853, Vol. I. Athens, GA: Iberian Pub. Co., 1987;
BOTETOURT COUNTY HISTORY BEFORE 1900, THROUGH COUNTY CEMETERY RECORDS.
N.p.: Botetourt Co. American Bicentennial Commission, N.d., p.36.
HILLEARY Y. RIPLEY (c.1828-aft1870)
Hilleary Y(van)/Y(oung) Ripley was born in 1828, in Botetourt County, VA, the son
of Hilleary & Rebecca Eakin Ripley. H.Y. Ripley married Harriet Amanda Eaken
c.1853. Mrs. Ripley was the daughter of Joseph Eakin and the sister of Ann Eliza and
William T. Eakin. [She was her husband's first cousin?].
Mr. Ripley enlisted in Co. C of the 28th VA Infantry on 1 April 1862, at Orange, VA.
He was discharged because of consumption on 15 December of 1863, at the age of 35
years.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vol. II. N.p.: authors,
1990; 1860 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 698, National Archives Microfilm M-653, Roll #1341.
Fields, Frank E. 28th VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985.
NAPOLEON NEWTON RIPLEY (1845-aft1900)
Napoleon Newton Ripley was born in September of 1845, the son of Hilleary &
Rebecca Eakin Ripley, of Botetourt County, VA. He married Virginia _____ c.1880.
During the Civil War, he served in Co. E of the 4th Texas Infantry and was wounded at
the Battle of the Wilderness. While in the army, he was a purchasing agent for field
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infirmary of the 1st Army Corps. He served in the same company with his brother, Paul
Milton Ripley. [There are numerous references to him in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865.]
He died in Craig County, VA in 1910.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vols. II & III. N.p.:
authors, 1990 & 1987; 1900 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 208, National Archives Microfilm T-623,
Roll 1705.
PAUL MILTON RIPLEY (c.1837-aft1894)
Paul Milton Ripley was born c.1837, the son of Hilleary & Rebecca Eakin Ripley. He
served as a sergeant with his brother in Co. E of the 4th Texas Infantry during the Civil
War. According to an account in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865 (p.250), Paul Ripley, while
acting as orderly sergeant, stood only 30 feet away from the two generals at Appomattox
as the surrender terms were worked out. Paul said, "I could not quite hear what they were
saying but I did see that Gen. Lee proffered his sword to Gen. Grant and that the latter
refused to accept it." He also gives a physical description of Gen. Grant. [There are
numerous other wartime accounts given by him in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865.] In later
years, he moved to the Pacific Northwest.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vols.I, II, III. N.p.:
authors, 1986-1990.;1850 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA, p. 39, National Archives Microfilm M-432,
Roll 936.
THE FAMILY OF HILLEARY & REBECCA EAKIN RIPLEY
Hilleary Ripley was married in Botetourt County to Rebecca M. Eakin. Rebecca's
mother was Susannah Preston Eakin. The bond is dated 4 January 1827. In addition to
the aforementioned sons, Paul Milton, Napoleon Newton, and Hilleary Y., the Ripleys
had the following other children:
James -- b. c.1834
Irene -- b. c.1836 [married John Watkins]
Mildred -- b. c.1839
Ann -- b. 1839
Thomas Jefferson -- b. c.1841
Octavio -- b. c.1847
The family was residing in Botetourt County, VA for the 1850 U.S. Census, but was
listed in Craig County, VA for the 1860 U.S. Census. Hilleary Ripley died in August of
1864; Rebecca, sometime after the U.S. Census of 1880. While in Craig Co., the family
lived "several miles east of New Castle." [Jane E. Johnston & Brenda L. Williams, Hard
Times, 1861-1865 (N.p.: authors, 1990), p. 194]
SOURCES: 1850 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA, p. 39, National Archives Microfilm M-432, Roll
936; 1880 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 273, National Archives Microfilm T-9, Roll 1361.
Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams, HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vol. II. N.p.: authors, 1990.
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2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VA 24501
(434) 846-0501
RIPLEY FAMILY LETTERS, 1852-1894
The collection contains letters to, and from, various members of the Ripley family. It
includes a note about the relationships of the writers. A partial typescript of the 27 June
1852 letter is also included.
Item 1 -- Letter to Rev. Enoch G. Jameson, Senterville Post Office, Monroe Co., VA
from Wm. Ed. Eakin, Mill Farm; 27 June 1852. [& 1 page of transcript]
Item 2 -- Letter to Mrs. Elmira V. Jameson, Senterville Post Office, Monroe Co., VA
from Wm. Ed. Eakin, Sweet Springs, VA; 27 April 1853.
Item 3 -- Letter to Cousin Enoch from H.Y. Ripley, Valley Store; 6 December 1853.
Item 4- Letter to Mother from Octavia, Marlin, Texas; 1 January 1878. [& envelope]
Item 5 -- Letter to Polie from Paul, Portland, OR; 10 January 1893. [& envelope]
Item 6 -- Letter to Eliza from (Uncle) P.M. Ripley, Tacoma, WA; 16 December 1894. [&
envelope]
Item 7 -- Envelope to Mr. N.N. Ripley, New Castle, VA; 7 November 1882.
Item 8 -- Notes on the relationships of the writers & donor's name and address.
MS1450
WILLIAM EDWARD EAKIN (c.1835-aft 1870)
William Edward Eakin was born circa 1835, the son of Nathan and Gilly Hawkins
Eakin, who were married in Botetourt County, VA, on 2 November 1829. Gilly was the
daughter of William Hawkins and sister of Juliet (Julia) Hawkins, who married Thomas
Love on 31 December 1821, in Bedford Co., VA. In Item #1, William refers to a visit
with "Uncle Thomas Love" in Lynchburg. He further refers to his "Uncle Hillery
Ripley." On 9 August 1863, William Eakin married Mary Maggie Hill, age 23, at New
Castle, VA. Mary Hill Eakin was the daughter of Clifton G. & Mary Rowland Hill of
Craig County, VA. Clifton G. Hill was Clerk of the Court and married a second time in
1843, to Amanda F. Price. During the Civil War, Eakin was an enrolling officer in Craig
County, VA. In 1870, he and his family were living in Botetourt Co., VA, where he was
a merchant. A Col. William E. Eakin is buried in the Slicer-Godwin Cemetery in
Fincastle (Botetourt Co.), VA. His marker says he was born 12 November 1834 and died
1 October 1878.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, V.II & III. N.p.:
authors, 1990; Rhodes, Phillip W. "Descendants of Thomas Love of Lynchburg and Amherst County,
Virginia," TheVirginia Genealogist 35 (April-June 1991), p.86; 1870 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA,
p. 466, National Archives Microfilm M-593, Roll #1636; Vogt, John & T. William Kethley, Jr.
BOTETOURT COUNTY MARRIAGES, 1770-1853, Vol. I. Athens, GA: Iberian Pub. Co., 1987;
BOTETOURT COUNTY HISTORY BEFORE 1900, THROUGH COUNTY CEMETERY RECORDS.
N.p.: Botetourt Co. American Bicentennial Commission, N.d., p.36.
HILLEARY Y. RIPLEY (c.1828-aft1870)
Hilleary Y(van)/Y(oung) Ripley was born in 1828, in Botetourt County, VA, the son
of Hilleary & Rebecca Eakin Ripley. H.Y. Ripley married Harriet Amanda Eaken
c.1853. Mrs. Ripley was the daughter of Joseph Eakin and the sister of Ann Eliza and
William T. Eakin. [She was her husband's first cousin?].
Mr. Ripley enlisted in Co. C of the 28th VA Infantry on 1 April 1862, at Orange, VA.
He was discharged because of consumption on 15 December of 1863, at the age of 35
years.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vol. II. N.p.: authors,
1990; 1860 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 698, National Archives Microfilm M-653, Roll #1341.
Fields, Frank E. 28th VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985.
NAPOLEON NEWTON RIPLEY (1845-aft1900)
Napoleon Newton Ripley was born in September of 1845, the son of Hilleary &
Rebecca Eakin Ripley, of Botetourt County, VA. He married Virginia _____ c.1880.
During the Civil War, he served in Co. E of the 4th Texas Infantry and was wounded at
the Battle of the Wilderness. While in the army, he was a purchasing agent for field
MS1450
infirmary of the 1st Army Corps. He served in the same company with his brother, Paul
Milton Ripley. [There are numerous references to him in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865.]
He died in Craig County, VA in 1910.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vols. II & III. N.p.:
authors, 1990 & 1987; 1900 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 208, National Archives Microfilm T-623,
Roll 1705.
PAUL MILTON RIPLEY (c.1837-aft1894)
Paul Milton Ripley was born c.1837, the son of Hilleary & Rebecca Eakin Ripley. He
served as a sergeant with his brother in Co. E of the 4th Texas Infantry during the Civil
War. According to an account in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865 (p.250), Paul Ripley, while
acting as orderly sergeant, stood only 30 feet away from the two generals at Appomattox
as the surrender terms were worked out. Paul said, "I could not quite hear what they were
saying but I did see that Gen. Lee proffered his sword to Gen. Grant and that the latter
refused to accept it." He also gives a physical description of Gen. Grant. [There are
numerous other wartime accounts given by him in HARD TIMES, 1861-1865.] In later
years, he moved to the Pacific Northwest.
SOURCES: Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams. HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vols.I, II, III. N.p.:
authors, 1986-1990.;1850 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA, p. 39, National Archives Microfilm M-432,
Roll 936.
THE FAMILY OF HILLEARY & REBECCA EAKIN RIPLEY
Hilleary Ripley was married in Botetourt County to Rebecca M. Eakin. Rebecca's
mother was Susannah Preston Eakin. The bond is dated 4 January 1827. In addition to
the aforementioned sons, Paul Milton, Napoleon Newton, and Hilleary Y., the Ripleys
had the following other children:
James -- b. c.1834
Irene -- b. c.1836 [married John Watkins]
Mildred -- b. c.1839
Ann -- b. 1839
Thomas Jefferson -- b. c.1841
Octavio -- b. c.1847
The family was residing in Botetourt County, VA for the 1850 U.S. Census, but was
listed in Craig County, VA for the 1860 U.S. Census. Hilleary Ripley died in August of
1864; Rebecca, sometime after the U.S. Census of 1880. While in Craig Co., the family
lived "several miles east of New Castle." [Jane E. Johnston & Brenda L. Williams, Hard
Times, 1861-1865 (N.p.: authors, 1990), p. 194]
SOURCES: 1850 U.S. Census, Botetourt County, VA, p. 39, National Archives Microfilm M-432, Roll
936; 1880 U.S. Census, Craig County, VA, p. 273, National Archives Microfilm T-9, Roll 1361.
Johnston, Jane E. & Brenda L. Williams, HARD TIMES, 1861-1865, Vol. II. N.p.: authors, 1990.
MS1450
Dublin Core
Title
Finding aid to the Ripley Family Letters
Subject
Finding aids
Description
Finding aid to the Ripley Family Letters held at Jones Memorial Library in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The letters are to and from family members of the Ripley family of Lynchburg dating between 1862-1894.
The letters are to and from family members of the Ripley family of Lynchburg dating between 1862-1894.
Creator
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Publisher
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Date
2023
Rights
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.)
Format
pdf
Language
English
Identifier
MS1449FA
Collection
Citation
George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Va.), “Finding aid to the Ripley Family Letters,” Digital Collections, accessed May 5, 2024, https://digitaljones.omeka.net/items/show/526.