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Benjamin Rush Strong Estate Ledger

 Collection
Identifier: MS-2431

  • Staff Only

This collection contains a single ledger listing the holdings of the estate of Benjamin Rush Strong. Entries are dated from 1916-1917 and are divided into sections with different headings (W. M. Epps & B. R. Strong Estate, 938 [McCammeron] St.; B. R. & A. N. Strong; Electric Well; Strong Estate & Mrs. Kate G. Cornforth; and The Hartford). Pages 97-130, 133-134, 139-142, and 149-150 have been removed. Entries usually consist of a date, followed by a name and a dollar amount. At the bottom of each page is a total. Each section also notes the page number of the previous account which it continues.

Dates

  • 1916-1917

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Abstract

This collection contains a single ledger listing the holdings of the estate of Benjamin Rush Strong. Divided into sections with different headings, entries are dated from 1916-1917.

Biographical/Historical Note

Benjamin Rush Strong was born to Joseph Churchill and Sophronia Marrs Strong in Knox County, Tennessee, on March 24, 1847. B. R. Strong studied at Spout Hollow, Walnut Grove Academy, the University of Tennessee, and Eastman's Business College in New York. He began his business career by investing in a sawmill with his brother-in-law, W. O. Monday, but sold his share after six months. He then invested in a store in Ellistown. Construction exhausted his finances, and to earn money to buy stock, Strong taught school in Spout Hollow. He later moved to Straw Plains and finally to Knoxville where he opened a shop on Market Square. Strong eventually took on a partner and changed the store's name to Strong & Co. He ultimately sold the store and entered the real estate business with W. M. Epps and Barnabas Braine under Strong, Braine, Epps, Monday, & Nelson. Strong was also active in banking and wrote articles for local papers under the pen name Gnorts (Strong spelled backward). Strong died on March 2, 1915, in Florida and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

Strong was a staunch supporter of public education; his will included grants to the University of Tennessee for the construction of a women's dormitory named after his mother, Sophronia Strong, and for the acquisition of an agricultural campus. Other bequests were directed to seven county school systems, the Knox County Industrial School, and also provided for the construction of an art center museum.

Arrangement

Collection consists of a single folder.

Acquisition Note

This collection was purchased by Special Collections in May 2004.

Related Materials

Interested researchers may wish to consult:

  1. MS-0952, Benjamin Rush Strong Diaries and Papers (1848-1946)
  2. MS-1124, Benjamin Rush Strong Scrapbooks (1880s-1890s)
  3. MS-1312, Benjamin Rush Strong Papers (1880-1950s)
  4. MS-1615, Benjamin Rush Strong Scrapbook (1861)

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480