The Thornburg Family Papers consist primarily of correspondence between family members and friends. This includes letters to and from William Lindsay Thornburg (1837-1879) who was a native of Randolph County, North Carolina. He served as a Confederate soldier in the 38th North Carolina Infantry (Company H) during the Civil War. In addition to letters, there are locks of hair as well as a family bible of William Thornburg and his wife, Janette Taylor Evans.