Scope and Content Note
The papers of Velma West Sykes (born 1892) span the years 1820-1975, with the bulk of the material from 1963 to 1975. The collection consists of correspondence, writings, newspaper clippings, printed matter, and other research material relating primarily to an unpublished work by Sykes entitled "Widowed by the Gallows, a Biography of Mrs. John Brown." Correspondents include Clarence S. Gee and Boyd Blynn Stutler, and several descendants of John Brown (1800-1859) and his widow, Mary Ann Day Brown.