These archival collections are titled Office of the Governor, Letters Received, 1776–1906; and Letters Received and Sent, 1906–1998. Letters often request pardons, appointments to office, or assistance. In November 1895, for example, a group of twenty-four “women of earnest purpose” wrote to Gov. Charles T. O’Ferrall requesting admission to the University of Virginia. The governor (along with the school’s faculty and board of visitors) was unsympathetic; the University did not become fully coeducational until 1970. The Governors' Letters Received, 1776–1784 research guide includes over 5,000 digitized documents. For additional information, see Using Virginia Governors' Records, 1776-1998.
