Have you tried the library at the National Headquarters of the Daughters of
the American Revolution in Washington, DC? It is location on 1776 D Street
(where else - hah). Since his sister was a Daughter and it appears this
family was a pretigious one of Virginia, surely the DAR Headquarters must
have something in their library on the subject. You can see information
about the library at this link.
http://www.dar.org/library/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Morrow" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 2:36 PM
Subject: The Blackburn Murder 1854


> Dear Friends,
>
> I have been working for some time on an account of what was, arguably,
> the O. J. Simpson case of 1854 . . . the murder of VMI Cadet Thomas
> Blackburn by C. B. Christian, a student at Judge Brockenbrough's law
> school in Lexington, and later Lt. Col. of the 49th Virginia and one of
> the "Immortal 600."
>
> With the MSS now at ca 500 pages . . . having "retired" from my day job
> . . . and having done due diligence at VMI, W&L, UVA, LVA, UNC, Duke,
> the VHS and a host of local archives . . . I have . . . much to my
> frustration . . .  NEVER YET SEEN A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRINCIPALS IN THE
> CASE!!!
>
> I would greatly GREATLY  appreciate any help you could give me finding
> same!
>
> Anyone seen images of:
>
>        VMI Cadet Thomas Blackburn . . . the victim . . . son of Dr.
> Richard
> Scott Blackburn of Ripon VA (now WV) . . . and nephew of Governor
> Francis Thomas of Maryland (he of the nasty divorce of Va Gov.
> McDowell's daughter, Sally Campbell Preston McDowell).    Blackburn's
> sister,  Jane Wormley Blackburn Moran, headed the Charlottesville
> Chapter of the DAR and presented the bronze doors which now grace the
> DC HQ of the organization.   The murdered cadet was also related to the
> Blackburns of Rippon (with two 'ps') Lodge and Mount Vernon.
>
>        Colonel Charles Burks Christian . . . the murderer (well . . .
> technically, not a murderer . . . he was acquitted . . .but he did the
> deed) . . . son of Charles M. Christian and Frances Ann Burks of
> Amherst County, Virginia . . . Lt. Col. of the 49th Virginia, and a
> long-time Lynchburg lawyer, who died unmarried after bragging he could
> seduce any woman in Lexington.
>
>        Mary Evelyn Anderson Bruce . . . credited (along with her aunt,
> Evalina Alexander Moore, wife of Samuel McDowell Moore) with provoking
> the fight between Blackburn and Christian . . . and by all accounts a
> great beauty at 50 as well.  She was Mary Evelyn Anderson in 1854 . . .
> daughter of Francis Thomas Anderson and Mary Ann Alexander of
> Fincastle.  She later married VMI Cadet Alexander Broadnax Bruce (one
> of Cadet Blackburn's roommates at the time of the murder and the heir
> to "Berry Hill" Plantation.)  I've seen a head shot of her in  a
> published Michael Miley collage . . . but have not been able to find
> the original.
>
>        Thomas Johnson Michie (1795 -1873) . . . of the famous Michie
> family
> of lawyers . . . member of VMI Board of Visitors during the War . . .
> assisted Commonwealth's Attorney David Evans Moore with the prosecution
> in Christian's FIRST trial in Lexington (which ended with a hung jury)
>
>        David Evans Moore . . . see above . . . son of General and U.S.
> Senator Andrew Moore.
>
>        Charles Edward Lightfoot of Culpeper, Virginia . . . one of
> Blackburn's roommates . . . later a teacher at Culpeper Military
> Academy,  Hillsborough Military Academy in NC and at Bethel Military
> Academy near Warrenton.  He also served in the 6th NC infantry;  the
> 22nd NC infantry; and, after a prisoner exchange, as commander of
> Lightfoot's Btn of light artillery, assigned to the Artillery Defenses
> of Richmond.  While he was at Bethel Academy he appears to have had a
> close connection with John Singleton Mosby.
>
>        Many many thanks. . . . and always happy to share more on any of
> these
> folks and the topic in general.
>
>        Sincerely,
>
>        Dan Morrow
>
> Daniel S. Morrow
>
> Board of Visitors
> University of North Carolina School of Information and Library Science
>
> Executive Director
> Computerworld Smithsonian Awards
> 1988 - 2001
>
> Executive Director & Chief Historian Emeritus
> Computerworld Honors Program
> 2001 - 2005
>
> Principal
> Jamestown Exploration Company
> Suite 108
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>
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