Scope and Content Note
The Singleton Family Papers, which consist of family and general correspondence, business and legal papers, and miscellaneous material, span the period 1758 to 1860, with the bulk of the papers covering the years 1829-1855. The collection reflects the life and activities of many family members, but particularly relates to Marion Singleton Deveaux Converse, the wife of a South Carolina plantation owner. Over half of the letters in the collection are addressed to her.
Approximately one hundred letters written by or to Angelica Singleton Van Buren, the daughter-in-law of President Martin Van Buren, are bound in a single volume. Nearly half of these letters were written by Angelica Van Buren, and many of them are datelined from Washington, D.C., and Lindenwald, the Van Buren estate in Kinderhook, New York. Few of the letters discuss her life in the White House, where for a time she assumed the role of hostess.
Correspondence in the Singleton family papers chiefly concerns family matters such as health, births and deaths, marriages, trips, school affairs, and social events. Correspondents include Betty Coles, Marion Singleton Deveaux Converse, Robert Marion Deveaux, Stephen G. Deveaux, George McDuffie, William C. Preston, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Singleton, Abraham Van Buren, and Angelica Singleton Van Buren.
A miscellany file contains various forms of family memorabilia, including newspaper clippings, attendance reports from the early years of the University of Virginia, invitations, certificates, poetry, and genealogical data.