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Lavender Robinson Ray papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS788f

Scope and Content

This collection consists of records from Ray's military, legal, and political career. Materials include telegrams articulating his posts and duties as a Confederate soldier, and later his activities with veteran affairs. Of particular interest is a telegram sent to President Franklin Roosevelt in gratitude for funding the erection of Confederate tombstones for prisoners of war. In addition, Ray collected southeastern railroad passes, railroad advertisements, and letters regarding the redistribution of Native American land. Materials include family documents such as bible records of the William Washington Williamson family and the Wright family, collected by Rubie Felder Ray; and a telegram describing a Georgian wedding written by Lavender's sister, Mrs. Hibernia Emmett Ray Lowe.

Dates

  • 1866-1939, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Lavender Robinson Ray (1842-1916) was born in Newnan, Georgia, to Judge John Ray (1790-1868) and Bethenia Gilliam Lavender (1803-1867). At 18, during his sophomore year at North Carolina University, Lavender Ray enlisted in the Confederate Army and served until the end of the civil war. Ray began his military service as a private, was promoted to sergeant on April 19, 1862, and worked in Confederate arsenals from July 1863-December 1864. In December 1864, he was appointed Lieutenant and Ordnance officer of the 1st Georgia Cavalry. In 1865, Ray became the Ordnance Officer of Iverson's Cavalry, a position he held until the end of the war. Lavender Ray was active in veteran's affairs and was a prominent political figure in Georgia, working as an attorney, serving as mayor, running for the House of Representatives in 1882, and running for Judge of the Tallapoosa Circuit in 1894.

Extent

1 folder(s)

Language

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1981

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2018.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Lavender Robinson Ray papers
Author
Kristi Ford
Date
March 2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/
Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040