Dates: 1829-1955
Collection Number: MS 607
Physical Location: Archive Room File Cabinet
Extent: 34 items
Access Restrictions: Researchers must use the photograph copies of the Moon ledger.
Biographical/Historical Information: Thomas H. Londeree (1854-1914) was born in Buckingham County to Joseph Londeree and Jane Harrison and lived near Scottsville, Virginia. He married Betty Lee Harrison (1866-1893) in 1884 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He married Helen Bishop (1880-1909) in 1898 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Londeree purchased the Mt. Ayre plantation in southern Albemarle County from Schuyler B. Moon in 1904.
Scope and Content: The collection consists of documents and correspondence concerning Thomas H. Londeree's purchase of the Mt. Ayre estate. It includes the original deed to the property between Moon and Londeree, handdrawn surveys, information about the family cemetery, and written descriptions of the parcel's location. Also included are Fidelity Bank of Scottsville promissory notes, the estate inventory and appraisal of Thomas H. Londeree, and an Albemarle Home Mutual Fire Insurance assessment.
Notes:
The Mt. Ayre plantation is on the Hardware River in southern Albemarle County, Virginia. John Digges Moon (1794-1862) bought the property from the Gilmer family in 1838. Moon’s grandson, Schuyler Barclay Moon (1867-1930) sold the property to Thomas H. Londeree in 1904. A family cemetery is located on the property and contains the graves of Moon and Gilmer family members, most notably that of early Albemarle County settler Christopher Hudson (1758-1825) and US Congressman Thomas Walker Gilmer (1802-1844). The home is no longer standing.
Seven letters from Schuyler B. Moon to Thomas H. Londeree, dated 27 August 1903, 5 February 1904, 18 March 1904, 10 April 1904, 6 May 1904, 23 July 1907, and 6 November 1907, plus a postcard dated 5 January 1904, related to Londeree’s purchase of Mt. Ayre are included.
A store ledger for John Digges Moon (1794-1862) is also included in the collection. Though the ledger does not contain identifying marks, the handwriting ledger matches another known ledger of John Digges Moon at the University of Virginia (MSS-4454). The ledger includes writing from three different time periods, 1829-1831, 1871-1873, and 1902 and later. Names include Charles H. Meriweather, George Herndon, Isaac Coles, Tucker Coles, Dabney Carr, Charles Wingfield, Samuel Dyer, Sallie Bryant, Thomas Sellers, and Judith Scott. Thomas H. Londeree also wrote his name in the ledger.
