Gilpin, Henry D. (Henry Dilworth), 1801-1860

Charles Campbell (1807-1876) was born on 1 May 1807, in Petersburg, Virginia, the firstborn child of parents John Wilson Campbell (d.1842), and Mildred Walker Moore Campbell. John, a bookstore owner, was also a historian. In 1831 he published the History of Virginia to 1781 . Later, he held the position of Federal Collector of Customs in Petersburg, Virginia. Mildred taught at the Petersburg Classical Academy in the 1840's. In addition to Charles, the couple also had two younger children, Alexander (Aleck) S. Campbell, and Elizabeth (Betty) Campbell Maben (d.1871).

Charles' mother, Mildred Walker Moore Campbell, was the granddaughter of Virginia lieutenant governor Alexander Spotswood (1676-1740). Mildred Walker Moore Campbell and her siblings Mary Fairfax Moore Keller, Dr. Alexander Spotswood Moore, Ann Evelina Moore Henley, William Agustin Moore, Eliza Moore McDonald, and Lavinia Moore McPheeters wrote and received numerous pieces of personal correspondence that are available in this collection.

Charles Campbell attended the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) from 1823-1825. Upon graduation he enrolled in Henry St. George Tucker's School of Law in Winchester, Virginia. However, he suffered from chronic headaches which caused him severe physical and mental exhaustion. By 1829, these health issues would force him to leave the law profession.

Following his departure from law, Campbell worked as an engineer of the Petersburg Railroad. Later he ran a private school for boys in Glencoe, Alabama. On 13 September 1836, he married Elvira N. Callaway (1819-1837) of Monroe County, Tennessee. In 1837, Elvira died shortly after the birth of a son, Callaway Campbell (b.1837). In his distress, Campbell left his son with Elivira's siblings, Thomas and Lucinda Callaway. Later, this would result in a court case to regain custody of his child.

Following the death of his wife, Campbell worked as a clerk in the office of the Collector of Custom in Petersburg, Virginia (a position he obtained from his father John Campbell). From 1840-1843, Campbell also owned, published, and edited a Petersburg newspaper, The American Statesman . He returned to teaching in 1842 by opening a classical school in Petersburg, becoming both teacher and administrator in the Anderson Seminary. He would hold these positions until the formation of free public schools in 1870.

Campbell remarried in 1850 to Miss Anna Birdsall of Rahway, New Jersey. They had four children, Mary Spotswood Campbell Robinson (b.1852), Nanny Campbell (b.1854), Charles Campbell (b.1856), and Fanny Campbell (1858-1860's).

Charles Campbell was committed to Western Lunatic Asylum at Staunton, Virginia, in 1873 where he remained until his death on July 11, 1876. He was buried at Blandford Church Cemetery, Petersburg.

Like his father, Campbell was a historian. He began contributing to journals in 1834. Some of the journals to which he frequently contributed included; The Southern Literary Messenger or The Southern and Western Literary Messenger and Review ; The Farmer's Register ; The New Yorker ; and the Petersburg Intelligencer . His most important work, however, was the History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia . This work built upon his father's book and concerned Virginia history from the colony's founding to the Revolutionary War.

From the guide to the Charles Campbell Papers, 1743-1896., (Special Collections, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary)

President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

From the description of Henry Gilpin papers, 1853-1854. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 81461324

Henry Dilworth Gilpin was born and raised in England, emigrated to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania, and proceeded to practice law, author numerous publications, and serve as editor for the Atlantic souvenir. He went on to become director of the Bank of the United States, and ultimately Attorney General under President Martin van Buren. A patron of the arts, Gilpin later served as president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, as well as similar posts.

From the description of Henry D. Gilpin letter to Charles W. Thomson, 1829 Apr. 25. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 52863618

Born in Lancaster, England, Apr. 14,1801; attended school in England 1811-1816; graduate of University of Pennsylvania,1810; studied law and began practice in Philadelphia, 1822; was U.S. attorney for Pennsylvania,1832; solicitor of U.S. treasury, 1837; attorney-general of U.S.,1840-41; edited "Atlantic Souvenir", 7 volumes and a number of juristic papers; died in Philadelphia, Jan. 29, 1860. (from Appleton, with portrait)

From the description of Henry D. Gilpin correspondence, 1835 August 30 (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 429518273

Henry Dilworth Gilpin (1801-1860) was born to the expatriate Philadelphian Joshua Gilpin in Lancaster, England, in 1801, and spent most of his youth there. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1819, he studied law under Joseph R. Ingersoll and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1822. Gilpin rapidly gained a reputation in legal circles, earning appointment as U.S. Attorney for Pennsylvania in 1832, solicitor of the U.S. Treasury in 1837, and Attorney General of the United States in 1840-1841. He was also a strong supporter of the arts, editing America's first literary annual, the Atlantic Souvenir in 1826-1832. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1832.

From the guide to the Henry Dilworth Gilpin Notebook: Natural Philosophy, Mathematics, ca. 1819, (American Philosophical Society)

Henry D. Gilpin was a lawyer, author, and editor.

From the description of Natural philosophy, [n.d.]. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 86138577

American lawyer.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Philadelphia, to Wm. Carey Gines, 1857 Jan. 2. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269579220

From the description of Autograph letter signed : to C.K. Biddle, 1857 July 1. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269584407

Jared Sparks was a clergyman, editor, historian, and president of Harvard College; he became an American Philosophical Society member in 1837.

From the guide to the Jared Sparks selected papers, 1819-1863 Franklin Bache S. D. Bradford William Duane Peter S. Du Ponceau J. Francis Fisher George Gibbs Henry D. Gilpin Edward D. Ingraham James Mease William B. Reed Henry Stevens, Sr. Henry Stevens, Jr. Benjamin Vaughan Petty Vaughan William Vaughan There are also extracts from Sparks's journal, 1831-1841, relating to his Franklin researches. Table of contents (11 pp.). (Film 570), 1819-1863, (American Philosophical Society)

U.S. attorney general.

From the description of Letters of Henry D. Gilpin, 1837-1858. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450483

Epithet: Attorney-General, US

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000625.0x000163