A Guide to the
John L. Heatwole Collection, 1802-1901
SC# 2040
Compiled by: Chris Bolgiano, February 1988;
Revised Sept. 1988 by Orville Bame;
March 1989 by Chris Bolgiano; Jan. 2010 by Tiffany Cole
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University
Title: John L. Heatwole Collection, 1802-1901
Collection No.: SC# 2040
Creator/Compiler: John L. Heatwole
Extent: 3 folders, .21 linear feet
Abstract:
The John L. Heatwole Collection, 1802-1901, consists of three folders containing 102 items pertaining to Shenandoah Valley history. The collection is arranged into three series: General Valley Documents, Page County Documents, and Recipes.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Use Resistrictions:
The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collection Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Acquisition Information:
Donated to Carrier Library by John L. Heatwole of Bridgewater, Va. on several occasions beginning in December 1987.
Provenance:
The collector's theme was to acquire documents that held some relationship to Shenandaoh Valley history, either by virtue of the people, places, or events mentioned.
Preferred Citation:
Heatwole, John L. Collection, 1802-1901, SC# 2040, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Biographical Note
Born in Washington D.C., John L. Heatwole (1948-2006) was an artist, woodcarver, tour guide, local historian and folklorist. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working at the Library of Congress, Heatwole moved to Dayton in 1974 with his wife, Miriam. Throughout his lifetime he sat on various committees and boards related to both art and history, and received many awards for his work. He chaired the Rockingham County Bicentennial Committee and in 1991 he was the first Virginian to display art in the National Capital Rotunda. Heatwole also authored several books relating to superstitions, folkways, and the Civil War. Heatwole was dedicated to preserving Shenandoah Valley history, historic sites and battlefields, and folklore as is reflected in this collection of materials.
Scope and Content
The John L. Heatwole Collection, 1802-1901, consists of three folders containing 102 items pertaining to Shenandaoh Valley history. The collection is arranged into three series: General Valley Documents, Page County Documents, and Recipes.
Series I, General Valley Documents, 1802-1901, includes arrest warrants, summonses, orders for the seizure of goods for non-payment of debt, legal receipts, tax receipts, and business letterheads. Individual items are chronologically arranged and described to the item level as per the donor's explanatory notes. Documents related to the Zigler Family of Timberville have been placed at the front of the folder and consist of five receipts of muster fines and orders granting private entertainment to John or David Zigler, 1828-1850.
Series II, Page County Documents, 1854-1879, contains various court documents summonses, treasury receipts, handwritten receipts, and orders for the seizure of goods for non-payment of debt. Individual items are arranged chronologically.
Series III, Recipes, consists of two handwritten and two printed recipes for herbal cures and a recipe for making gunpowder. One recipe, printed in Pennsylvania Dutch or a variation of German, gives steps for curing a "mad dog bite" (i.e. rabies). A second recipe, also written in Pennsylvania Dutch, describes an incantation against sties. For complete translations see John L. Heatwole's Shenandoah Voices: Folklore, Legends and Traditions of the Valley (Berryville, Va.: Rockbridge Publishing Company, 1995), 47, 57-59.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series.
Bibliography
Heatwole, John L. Shenandoah Voices: Folklore, Legends, and Traditions of the Valley. Berryville, Vaz: Rockbridge Publishing Company, 1995.
DeHart, Carol Maureen. John L. Heatwole: The Word Gatherer, Oral History Interview. Staunton, Va.: Lot's Wife Publishing, 2007.
Related Collections
John L. Heatwole Personal Papers, SC# 2075
Contents
[For item-level description for Series I, click here]
| Series I: General Valley Documents, 1802-1901 | Folder 1 |
| Series II: Page County Documents, 1854-1879 | Folder 2 |
| Series III: Recipes, undated | Folder 3 |
