About the collection at Duke . Hannah Valentine and Lethe Jackson's original letters are a contained in the Campbell Family Papers held by the Special Collections Library. This large collection of family papers contains over 8,500 items dating from 1731 to 1969 which document the personal, political, and business lives of various Campbells in Virginia and Tennessee. Prominently featured are David Campbell who was governor of Virginia from 1837-1840, his wife, Mary Hamilton Campbell, and their niece Virginia Jane Campbell Shelton. Topics covered include national political issues such as the War of 1812, the formation of the national banking system, Jacksonian party politics, social and economic reform as well as Virginia and Tennessee state politics and education.
Women are also well-represented throughout the collection.
Besides the letters of house servants Hannah Valentine and Lethe Jackson, letters of Mary Campbell and Virginia Campbell Shelton and others contain a vast amount of information on household economy, dress, slavery, methods of transportation, literary works, political campaigns, conditions in colleges where Shelton and her husband taught. More information about related collections. You can find more information about the Special Collections Library and other holdings related to African-American women through various pages at this site. Images and texts on these web pages are intended for research and educational use only. Please read our statement on use and reproduction for further information on how to receive permission to reproduce an item or how to cite it.