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Lenoir Manufacturing Company Records

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0627

  • Staff Only

This collection houses 81 volumes documenting the activities of the Lenoir Manufacturing Company between 1873 and 1898.

Dates

  • 1873-1898

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested 5 days 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. Please see www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

63 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection houses 81 volumes documenting the activities of the Lenoir Manufacturing Company between 1873 and 1898.

Biographical / Historical

William Ballard Lenoir founded the Lenoir Manufacturing Company in 1817 in Lenoir City, Tennessee. The early business included a gristmill on Town Creek that had been in operation at the time of Lenoir's arrival in 1810 and a sawmill that Lenoir later added to the area. By 1831, the company had expanded to include growing cotton, spinning cotton thread, and weaving cloth. Later additions included agricultural products (including their famous hams) and a flour mill. As railroads proliferated in East Tennessee, the company's market expanded and eventually reached such distant cities as Atlanta, Washington D.C., and New York. When W. B. Lenoir died in 1852, he left the majority of his property to his sons, who continued to operate the family business as William Lenoir & Bros. Union troops destroyed most of the Lenoirs' holdings during the Civil War because the Lenoirs were Confederate sympathizers, but the brothers rebuilt the company after the war ended. When one brother, Israel P. Lenoir, died intestate in 1876, the remaining brothers formed a stock company (incorporated in 1877) to ensure that they did not lose Israel's share to a Chancery Court Sale. The company was finally dissolved in 1890, when the Lenoir brothers sold their estate to the Lenoir City Company for $300.00 per acre.

Arrangement

Collection consists of 81 volumes divided into 10 series:

  1. Series I: Assets and Liabilities
  2. Series II: Blacksmith Shop Account Books
  3. Series III: Cash Books
  4. Series IV: Day Book
  5. Series V: Insurance Policy Expiration Books
  6. Series VI: Journals
  7. Series VII: Ledgers
  8. Series VIII: Letter Books
  9. Series IX: Miscellaneous
  10. Series X: Oversize

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