1. The Prestons at
Virginia Tech
Special Collections
Kira A. Dietz
Acquisitions and Processing Archivist
kadietz@vt.edu

2. A little about Special Collections
• We have a lot in common with the rest of the university
libraries, but we’re more than a little bit different, too
• We are home to the university’s:
• Rare Book Collection
• Historical Manuscripts
• University Archives
• Records Management
• We also house photograph, map, art, and artifact
collections
• We work hard to dispel the myths that we are a museum, a
treasure room, or some secret hoard of forbidden materials

3. Why you might want to know
about us
• We have a LOT of cool materials
• We are a library department that is open not only the
campus community, but the national and global research
community
• We are actively collecting materials in six major areas:
• Local History (Blacksburg, Montgomery County, SW VA, &
Southern Appalachia)
• the American Civil War
• the History of Food & Drink
• Science & Technology History
• Speculative Fiction/Science Fiction
• the History of Women in Architecture
• Oh, and we might have a little something about the
Prestons

4. Preston Family Collections
• Preston Family (Alice Preston Moore Collection) Papers,
1745-1882 (Ms1962-004)
• Preston Family (Charles Peale Didier Collection) Papers,
1747-1897 (Ms1985-020)
• Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities,
Montgomery County Branch Papers, 1754-1966 (Ms1962-
001)
• William Preston Land Grant, 1773 (Ms1994-027)
• Smithfield Preston Foundation Papers, 1784-1881, n.d
(Ms1997-002)
• Francis Preston Receipt, 1791 (Ms2013-067)
• John Preston Papers, 1796-1844 (Ms1994-034)

5. Preston Family Collections
• John Preston Deed, 1826 (Ms2005-014)
• Saran Buchanan Campbell Preston Land Deed, 1835
(Ms1987-034)
• Robert Taylor Preston Papers, 1849-1871 (Ms1992-003)
• Thomas L. Preston Letter, 1860 (Ms2008-041)
• Preston Family Correspondence,1861, 1872 (Ms2010-070)

6. Preston-Related Collections
• Anne Judkins Hager Papers, 1828-1990 (Ms1995-008)
• Patricia Givens Johnson Papers, 1920-1986 (Ms1988-007)
• Anna Whitehead Kenney Papers, 1965-1972 (Ms1991-
022)
• Dorothy McCombs Papers, 1970-1989 (Ms1995-006)
• Willard Preston Genealogy, c.1998 (Ms2009-121)
• Smithfield Plantation House Architectural Drawings
(Ms2011-053)

7. Published Preston-Related
Materials
• Books
• Genealogies/family histories
• Memoirs
• Historical research about the family, lands, and properties
• Journals
• Microfilmed collections of papers from other institutions

8. Other Materials in Special
Collections
• Biographical research files:
• James Patton
• The Preston family generally
• Subject research files:
• Smithfield
• Blacksburg & Montgomery County
• Greenfield
• Historical photographs
• Historical maps

14. Ms1994-027,WilliamPrestonLandGrant,1773

15. GordonCloydtoJohnPrestonatSmithfield,concerningtheland
surveysatHorseshoe,Aug.3,1799(Ms1985-020,PrestonFamily
[CharlesPealeDidierCollection]Papers)

16. WilliamPrestontoCol.JohnPrestoninMontgomeryCounty,Sept.
25,1797(Ms1985-020,PrestonFamily[CharlesPealeDidier
Collection]Papers)

17. WilliamPrestontoCol.JohnPrestoninMontgomeryCounty,Sept.
25,1797(Ms1985-020,PrestonFamily[CharlesPealeDidier
Collection]Papers)

18. WilliamPrestonathometoJamesMcDowell,December5,1801
(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPrestonFoundationPapers,1781-1881,
n.d.)

19. WilliamPrestonathometoJamesMcDowell,December5,1801
(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPrestonFoundationPapers,1781-1881,
n.d.)

20. WilliamPrestonathometoJamesMcDowell,December5,1801
(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPrestonFoundationPapers,1781-1881,
n.d.)

21. WilliamPrestonathometoJamesMcDowell,December5,1801
(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPrestonFoundationPapers,1781-1881,
n.d.)

22. Ms2005-014,JohnPrestonDeed, 1826

23. Ms2005-014,JohnPrestonDeed, 1826

24. Ms2005-014,JohnPrestonDeed, 1826

25. James PattonPrestonatSmithfieldtoJamesMcDowellin
Lexington,October16,1831(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPreston
FoundationPapers,1781-1881,n.d.)

26. James PattonPrestonatSmithfieldtoJamesMcDowellin
Lexington,October16,1831(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPreston
FoundationPapers,1781-1881,n.d.)

27. James PattonPrestonatSmithfieldtoJamesMcDowellin
Lexington,October16,1831(Ms1997-002,SmithfieldPreston
FoundationPapers,1781-1881,n.d.)

28. Ms1987-034,SarahBuchananCampbellPrestonLandDeed,
1835

29. Ms1987-034,SarahBuchananCampbellPrestonLandDeed,
1835

30. Ms1987-034,SarahBuchananCampbellPrestonLandDeed,
1835

31. JamesFrancisPrestontoSarahCaperton,aftertheFirstBattleof
BullRun,July28,1861(Ms2010-070,PrestonFamily
Correspondence)

32. JamesFrancisPrestontoSarahCaperton,aftertheFirstBattleof
BullRun,July28,1861(Ms2010-070,PrestonFamily
Correspondence)

33. RobertTaylorPreston’s“Calltoarms,”writtenMay15,1863
(Ms1997-002,RobertTaylorPrestonPapers)

34. RobertTaylorPreston’s“Calltoarms,”writtenMay15,1863
(Ms1997-002,RobertTaylorPrestonPapers)

35. RobertTaylorPreston’spardonfromAndrewJohnson,
September1865(Ms1997-002,RobertTaylorPrestonPapers)

36. RobertTaylorPreston’spardonfromAndrewJohnson,
September1865(Ms1997-002,RobertTaylorPrestonPapers)

37. SarahCapertonPrestontoColonelGrabowskiatVMI,May15,
1872(Ms2010-070,PrestonFamilyCorrespondence)

38. SarahCapertonPrestontoColonelGrabowskiatVMI,May15,
1872(Ms2010-070,PrestonFamilyCorrespondence)

39. Questions?
Want to ask me a question later? Curious to learn more
about Special Collections? Wondering more about me?
You can find me lots of places:
Email: kadietz@vt.edu
Phone: 540-231-3810
Twitter: @archivistkira
Special Collections blog (Wordpress):
http://vtspecialcollections.wordpress.com/