Let me introduce you to Martinette (Nettie) Viley Witherspoon of Woodford County. Mrs. Witherspoon left behind a wonderful collection that not only gives us a glimpse into her world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but also provides us with an exemplary representation of family history research in its most aesthetic form.
Mrs. Witherspoon was born to Catherine Jane Martin and Warren Viley on January 28th, 1851 in Woodford County. Since her earliest scrapbook comes from her youth in the 1860s in the form of an autograph book, let’s call her “Nettie” from now on. We can learn quite a lot about Nettie from the many things she left behind: From diaries and photographs to autograph books and legal contracts, Nettie also outlined her love of genealogy in the form of a huge scrapbook filled to the brim with hand-drawn/colored genealogy charts and family histories. Due to Nettie’s wide range of social encounters, detailed in her diaries, anyone with family ties to Woodford County may want to stop by the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library to take a closer look! The collection is called the Viley Family Papers and is housed under the call# MSS 51.
Here are a few more highlights from Nettie’s family collection:
Her amazing genealogy scrapbook and journal – covering a wide range of family histories, personal memories about loved ones and lineages that stretch back into pre-17th century European lines.
Mementos – Funeral cards, calling cards, photographs and clippings about favorite subjects or historical figures.
Hand made sheet music journal – Full of various songs and notes, including the “Java March” with crazy notes to fit its name!
Daily journals in from the first part of the 20th century – detailing visits from local neighbors and friends in the Central Kentucky area. She also describes weather, the tobacco industry, some family drama, relationship issues, health condition and travel adventures.
Some of the surnames included in her collection are: Alexander, Ashbrook, Bachman, *Ball, Barnett, Bassett, *Bernard, Black, Blackburn, Bowler, Bradley, Breckinridge, Bright, Brodhead, Brown, Buffington, Bullock, Burck, Burke, Campbell, Carter, Clark, Cooper, Crawford, Davenport, Davis,*Douglas, Downman, Dunn, Estill, Gaines, Garrett, Green, *Guerrant, *Hale/Heales, Hall, Hawkins, Holman, Holt, Howland, Hume, Johnson, Kerr, Lehman, Martin, McKee, McKinivan, McKown, McLeod, Milward, Morris, Nuckols, Offutt, O’Rear, Payne, Pearce, Pearson, Rankins, *Rodes, Shropshire, *Smith, Stedman, *Thomson, *Trabue, *Travers, Turner, *Viley, Walker, Wallace, *Warner, Warren, Williams, Wingate, *Witherspoon. (*names have a prominent place in her lineage scrapbook)
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