72M4 Barbee-Best family papers, 1797-1925 72M4 Finding aid prepared by Laura A. Hess

University of Kentucky Special Collections
Special Collections Margaret I. King Building, North Lexington, KY, 40506-0039 (859) 257-8611 SCLREF@LSV.UKY.EDU
2011 October 28 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2012-07-30T13:44-0400 Description is in English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Barbee-Best family papers 72M4 University of Kentucky Special Collections 0.45 Cubic feet 1 box 1797-1925 Conditions Governing Access note

Collection is open to researchers by appointment.

 Conditions Governing Use note

The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections.

 Preferred Citation note

72M4: [Identification of item], Barbee-Best family papers, 1797-1925, University of Kentucky Special Collections.

 Biographical note

The Barbee family, originally from Virginia, settled in Kentucky after the Revolutionary War. The family owned a plantation called Oakland in Danville until the Civil War. The family had a long military history, with family members serving in both the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. The Barbee family joined with the Best family when Sally Barbee married Isaac R. Best in the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, Nancy Nannie Barbee travelled the eastern Unites States performing dramatic readings of dialect stories about plantation life.

Barbee Family. Ormsby.com. Accessed 28 Oct. 2011

Some Descendants of Andrew Barbee, Fifth Generation. Rootsweb. Accessed 28 Oct. 2011.

 Scope and Contents note

The Barbee-Best family papers record the family's history and activities through letters, financial and legal papers, genealogy records, scrapbooks, and copies of Nancy Barbee's dramatic readings. The majority of the papers date between the end of the Civil War and the early 1900s. Nancy Barbee and Thomas Barbee feature prominently in the collection.

 Arrangement note

Collection is arranged by subject.

 Barbee, Nannie, (Nancy) Barbee, Thomas, 1749-1818 Best, Harry, Dr. Best, I.D. Correspondence. Danville (Ky.) Danville (Ky.)--Social life and customs--19th century Dramatists Family archives--Kentucky. Scrapbooks--United States. Women dramatists. Nancy Barbee readings 1 1 undated Correspondence 1 2 1905-1925 Genealogy 1 3 undated Financial and Legal 1 4 1797, 1859-1891 Literary and Social Club 1 5 1873-1876 Scrapbook 1 6 1889 Account book 1 7 1865-1876