Mary E. Van Meter diary
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Mary E. Van Meter diary
- Date
- 1862-1863 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Van Meter, Mary E., 1828-1893
- Extent
- 0.05 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Diaries -- 19th Century.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
- Kentucky -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- Van Meter family
- Van Meter, Mary E., 1828-1893
- Preferred Citation
- 2023ms048: [identification of item], Mary E. Van Meter diary, 1862-1863, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Mary E. (Shrewsbury) Van Meter (1828-1893) was married to William Steele Van Meter, a wealthy Commission Merchant in Bowling Green Kentucky. His father, Jacob Van Meter, owned approximately 5000 acres of farmland in the area and engaged in mercantile pursuits. When Union troops approached Bowling Green in February 1862, Mary, William, and her brother-in-law Charles, along with several of their enslaved persons, fled across the Kentucky border into Tennessee. After the Civil War, William and his brother Charles owned and operated a hotel at Grayson Springs in Kentucky.
- Scope and Content
- The Mary E. Van Meter diary (dated 1862-1863; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents Mary E. Van Meter's journey from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Tennessee in February 1862, as Union forces approached the city. The diary recounts her family's flight across the Kentucky-Tennessee border with their enslaved persons. The diary also includes Mary's descriptions of and reaction to returning to Kentucky in February 1863.
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 Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Mary E. Van Meter diary, 1862-1863
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.
