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Collection Number: 01008-z

Collection Title: James W. Albright Diary and Reminiscences, 1748-1913.

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Size 4 volumes
Abstract Confederate ordnance officer and newspaper publisher in Greensboro and Asheville, N.C. Diary and reminiscences of Albright, the former of service in the Confederate Army in Virginia, 1862-1865, the latter containing an autobiography, family history, clippings, and poetry. Albright was an ordnance officer with the 12th Virginia Artillery Battalion. He saw action during the Peninsula Campaign, 1862; near Petersburg, Va., 1863; and in Wilmington, N.C., in 1864. By late 1864 he was once again near Petersburg and was captured during the Confederate retreat in April 1865. The diary gives minute details of camp life and military activities. The reminiscences include a history of the Albright family, which was apparently of German origin. His memoirs of his childhood contain notes on political, social, religious, and business life in Greensboro, N.C.
Creator Albright, James W., 1835-1913.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the James W. Albright Diary and Reminiscences #1008-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Mrs. E. C. Chambers of Asheville, N.C., in 1945.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: SHC Staff, 1997

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

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Born in 1835, James W. Albright spent his early years in Greensboro and Mount Airy, N. C, where he worked in the newspaper and publishing business. In 1856, he married Celestia Crowson, who died in 1861, leaving one son. Albright married Mattie S. Purvis of Isle of Wight Co., Va., in 1865. Their daughter Clara (Mrs. E. C. Chambers) is the donor of these books. Albirght enlisted in the army in 1862, and served as an ordnance sergeant with the 12th Virginia Artillery Battalion. After the war, he returned to Greensboro, but in 1892, moved to Asheville, N.C., where he resumed his newspaper work.

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Four volumes including typescripts of each. The first two apparently kept during Albright's war service, and the last two compiled at a later date. The diaries and reminiscences are written in great detail, giving particulars as to daily life in the army, companions, living arrangements, etc. His memoirs of childhood contain notes on political, social, religious and business life in Greensboro, North Carolina. Newspaper clippings and other material add to the details.

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Contents list

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