Blackley Family Papers, 1830-2016

Series 1: Correspondence, 1830-2011, is comprised of more than 300 individual letters with the majority of the earlier ones involve Sarah "Sallie" Scott Bassett and/or her husband R.H. Bassett. Together their combined correspondence comprise eight folders and spans the years 1850-1913.

These letters cover the years of the American Civil War and shed light on how the conflict affected their lives. In addition to letters from Captain R.H. Bassett, there are dozens of notes written home to Sallie from her brother Garrett Scott, brother-in-law Noah Bassett, and her cousin John Nix. All of these men spent time serving in the 4th Texas Regiment of the famed Texas Brigade. While their letters contain minimal military focused discussions, they do highlight camp life, personal struggles of being separated from each other, personal and public incidents, and family news. The military discussion is really limited to mention of the dead and wounded from battles and engagements. However, R.H. does write a letter to Sallie as he arrives on the battlefield at Gettysburg. He expresses excitement to build off the Confederates successes that afternoon. Battles and engagements discussed include Antietam (September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville (April 30 to May 6, 1863), Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), and Chickamauga (September 18–20, 1863).

Lizzie Scott Neblett was the older sister of Sallie Bassett and many letters between the sisters not previously examined, both before and after the American Civil War, can be found within this collection. Their letters shed light on relationship struggles, farm life, local news, and family connections.

While few in number, the surviving letters of Lizzie and Sallie's father, James Scott, provide significant insight into Texas prior to its in 1846. In the first, James writes his wife, Sarah, from the convention in Austin, Texas, where the debates about joining the United States were taking place. He offers few specifics as "Nothing in which you would take any interest has occurred here and therefore I will not say anything about the proceedings…" In second of these letters, James is writing to a Colonel B. Rush Wallace and gets far more political in discussion and tone. He talks at length about concern over the merits of becoming Whig or Democrat once they are thrust into the existing political climate of their new nation.

Of particular interest is an 1888 letter written by Ida Carter, presumably William M. and Belle Bassett Blackley's "Black Mamy," is addressed to a Col. Bassett Blackley, in care of W. M. Blackley. Carter begins the letter "Dear Little Bassett." This letter seems to suggest that the Blackleys did in fact have another child, Bassett Blackley, prior to Belle. If that is the case, Bassett Blackley may have died in childhood.

Of the twentieth-century correspondence, most of it was sent or received by Chas Blackley. While his letters span most of the century, the bulk are centered between the years 1930-1944. The letters that Chas Blackley wrote while visiting Europe in 1934 are of particular interest due to the changing political climate with the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Through his correspondence, diaries, and photographs there is an opportunity to see an American view of this transformative time. In one letter to his sister, Mary, dated August 21, Chas Blackley writes of the hanging of Nazis in Vienna, Austria for a failed coup that took place mere weeks before his arrival and that it "has retarded history making considerably." He also spoke of the Heimwehr, the home guard, patrolling the streets with their rifles and "keeping a sharp to windward."

Series 2: Personal Papers, 1857-2015, is comprised of personal papers, diaries, and other documents that highlight the careers and interests of the family members. R.H. Bassett's papers include Confederate government and military documents pertaining to promotions, recruitment, and resignation.

Another unique piece of this collection from the early period is the Belle Bassett Diary, 1873-1879, which offers a glimpse of the post-war years for a child growing up in the South.

Chas Blackley, in addition to his letters from the trip to Europe, also kept a diary of his experiences. This diary covers the personal and public incidents of his travels.

More information about individual members of family is available here in the form of detailed histories of specific family lines (Blackley, Bassett, Hoge, etc.), through family trees, and biographical information.

Other items of note from Chas Blackley are the many manuscripts of novels and plays that he wrote in the early-to-mid 1930s.

Series 3: Ephemera, 1856-2004, houses many unique items such as hundreds of stamps (U.S., Confederate, and international), brochures, certificates, awards, diplomas, and pamphlets from events such as the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, and dance cards. The aforementioned diplomas and certificates document the Blackley family's achievements and graduations from various schools and universities, including the University of Virginia, the State Teacher's College at Harrisonburg, and Virginia Tech. Many of the manuals and booklets used in Chas' various military training can be found in this series.

There are also newspaper clippings that share stories directly related to family members or address significant events of the time. These include awards won by the family, news about new jobs or graduations, historic events like D-Day, and John F. Kennedy's assassination.

One of the more locally relevant pieces is a pamphlet entitled "Dedication of the Shenandoah National Park" (1936). It lists the planned dedication speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt given at Big Meadows as the key event.

This series also includes one oversize box of 3D ephemeral objects. Objects of interest include a Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie camera (1917-1926) owned by Chas Blackley and inscribed with the names of Blackley and the SS Gertrude Kellogg, Dr. Charles Coatesworth Phillips' small leather medicine case with glass bottles that he took on house calls, several pairs of glasses, a glass plate photograph of Susie E. Phillips, and assorted World's Fair ephemera.

Stored separately are multiple flags that are likely from Chas' 1930 voyage in the Pacific. There is a large and small Japanese flag, a small Chinese [pre-communist revolution] flag, and a small Philippine national flag. An additional flag dates to WWI and features the United States flag surrounded by smaller flags of all our allies from that conflict.

Series 4, Photographs, ca. 1861-1989, includes a large number of pictures from both of Chas Blackley's trips to Asia and the Pacific in 1930 and his journey through Europe in 1934.

There are also a number of rare pictures of the Civilian Military Training Camp (CMTC) experience at Ft. Eustis, Virginia, from 1928, and to our knowledge might be the only ones publicly available.

As Catherine Matthews Blackley was a graduate of the State Teacher's College at Harrisonburg (now JMU), there many pictures from her time on campus during the early 1930s in this collection.

Another rare item housed here is an ambrotype of an unidentified woman which is located in Miscellaneous, 1884-1993 (folder 3 of 4). The subject's identity is unknown, but the style of production dates the piece to around 1858. Given that date and the apparent age of the woman, it is plausible that the subject is Sarah Lane Scott, Sallie Scott Bassett's mother.

Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1862-1931, is comprised of four scrapbooks. In the aftermath of his wounding and the conclusion of the American Civil War, R. H. Bassett found a calling to participate in local and state politics. The majority of the first scrapbook contains newspaper clippings of news relating to his exploits and proclamations.

The CMTC and VMI scrapbook highlights Chas Blackley's time with both of these organizations and places. The CMTC material is rare as the military's official website for the history of Ft. Eustis fails to even mention the fort's role during in that capacity.

Finally, there are two scrapbooks document the journey that Chas Blackley and childhood friend, George Earman, made upon the steamer SS Gertrude Kellogg in 1930. Both scrapbooks chronicle Blackley and Earman's travels through the Pacific and multiple Asian nations.