Lenoir Family Papers
This collection houses financial papers, correspondence, land grants, and other materials documenting the Lenoir family of East Tennessee and North Carolina. These items describe the family's involvement with land in North Carolina and Tennessee, slavery, manufacturing, and the Confederate States of America.
Dates
- 1783-1917
- Majority of material found within 1830-1890
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
1.75 Linear Feet (1 full box, 1 half box, 1 oversize box)
Abstract
This collection houses financial papers, correspondence, land grants, and other materials documenting the Lenoir family of East Tennessee and North Carolina. These items describe the family's involvement with land in North Carolina and Tennessee, slavery, manufacturing, and the Confederate States of America.
Biographical/Historical Note
The patriarch of the Lenoir family, William Lenoir, was born to Thomas and Mourning (Crawley) Lenoir in Brunswick County, Virginia on May 31, 1751. The family relocated to Tarboro, North Carolina in about 1759. William Lenoir served at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution and went on to become a Major General of the North Carolina militia. He was also active in politics, serving as a Justice of the Peace as well as in the State House of Representatives and Senate. Lenoir married Ann Ballard (1751-1833) in 1771 and the couple had ten children: Mary (Lenoir) Gordon Davenport (1772-1859), Unnamed Daughter (1774-1774), William Ballard (1775-1852), Ann (Lenoir) Jones (1778-1838), Thomas (1780-1861), Elizabeth (1783-1785), Walter Raleigh (1786-1843), Eliza Mira Betsey (1789-1835), Martha Orilla Patsey (Lenoir) Pickens (1793-1823), and Sarah Joice (Lenoir) Jones (1796-1820). William Lenoir died at his home in Fort Defiance, North Carolina on May 6, 1839.
William Ballard Lenoir married Elizabeth Avery in 1802 and the couple had twelve children: Albert Sobieski (1803-1861), Louise Caroline (Lenoir) Ramsey (1804-), Isaac Thomas (1807-1875), Leah Adeline (Lenoir) Smith (1809-1879), Mira Ann (Lenoir) Reagan (1810-1879), William (1813-1878), Waightstill Avery (1815-1884), Walter Franklin (1816-1878), Eliza Martha (Lenoir) Martin, Benjamin Ballard (1821-1905), Israel Pickens (1824-1876), and Julia Joyce (ca. 1828-1842). The family moved to Roane County (which later became part of Loudon County), Tennessee in 1810. Here, William Lenoir was active in politics, serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1815 to 1817. He also became a prominent farmer, merchant, and manufacturer of cotton yarns. Various of his businesses contracted with such organizations as the United States Army and the American Mining and Manufacturing Company. William B. Lenoir died in Roane County on December 14, 1852.
Arrangement
This collection consists of two boxes divided into three series:
Missing Title
- Series I: Personal and Biographical Information, 1806-1864
- Series II: Correspondence, 1818-1887
- Series III: Financial Matters, 1783-1917
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased the bulk of these materials in 1934. Harcourt A. Morgan donated an additional letter in 1939.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository