Barbee-Best family papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Barbee-Best family papers
- Date
- 1797-1925 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Dramatists
- Correspondence.
- Women dramatists.
- Family archives -- Kentucky.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject.
- Preferred Citation
- 72M4: [Identification of item], Barbee-Best family papers, 1797-1925, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Barbee family, originally from Virginia, settled in Kentucky after the Revolutionary War. The family owned a plantation called Oakland in Danville until the Civil War. The family had a long military history, with family members serving in both the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. The Barbee family joined with the Best family when Sally Barbee married Isaac R. Best in the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, Nancy "Nannie" Barbee travelled the eastern Unites States performing dramatic readings of "dialect stories" about plantation life.
- "Barbee Family." Ormsby.com. Accessed 28 Oct. 2011
- "Some Descendants of Andrew Barbee, Fifth Generation." Rootsweb. Accessed 28 Oct. 2011.
- Scope and Content
- The Barbee-Best family papers (1797-1925; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) record the family's history and activities through letters, financial and legal papers, genealogy records, scrapbooks, and copies of Nancy Barbee's dramatic readings. The majority of the papers date between the end of the Civil War and the early 1900s. Nancy Barbee and Thomas Barbee feature prominently in the collection.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Nancy Barbee readings, undated
Correspondence, 1905-1925
Genealogy, undated
Financial and legal, 1797, 1859-1891
Literary and social club, 1873-1876
Scrapbook, 1889
Account book, 1865-1876
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
