Thompson and Craigmiles Papers
This collection contains financial documents from Dr. G. B. Thompson and J. H. Craigmiles of Cleveland, Tennessee, and span from 1863 to 1895.
The first folder contains bills of sale for three enslaved men named William, Rhubin, and Charles. These sales took place in Richmond, Virginia, in February 1863. Each bill has Dr. G. B. Thompson’s name written at the top. B. F. Childrey, David McDaniel, and Sam B. Brown are the individuals who signed for each sale. William was sold for $1,390, Rhubin was sold for $1,625, and Charles was sold for $1,640. Also included is an thick envelope which held these receipts and reads, “Negro Bills of Sale."
The second folder contains four items. The first item is a “signed duplicate” receipt for a payment of ten dollars from J. H. Craigmiles while he was the chief commissary agent of the Confederacy to a man named William Day on April 8, 1862, in Cleveland, Tennessee. The second item is a handwritten bill of sale for an enslaved man named John who was about twenty-years-old. The sale took place in Cleveland on December 10, 1862, and the receipt bears the names of J. H. Craigmiles and William Cate. The last items in this folder are two checks from Cleveland National Bank written by Craigmiles. Craigmiles addressed one to “Beard + Hall” for $45.30 on July 6, 1893. The second check was addressed to “New York Exchange” for $600.00 on January 4, 1895.
Dates
- 1862 April 8-1895 January 4
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 (2 folders)
Overview
This collection contains financial documents from Dr. G. B. Thompson and J. H. Craigmiles of Cleveland, Tennessee, and span from 1863 to 1895. There are four bills of sale for enslaved men (John, William, Rhubin, and Charles) within the collection. Also included is a receipt of payment from 1862 when Craigmiles was the chief commissary agent of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Lastly, there are two checks written by Craigmiles from 1893 and 1895.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Gideon Blackburn (G. B.) Thompson was born March 27, 1806 and died August 11, 1873. He was a physician in Cleveland, Tennessee, and had three children with his wife, Myra Waterhouse Thompson. One of their children, Myra Adelia Thompson, married John Henderson (J. H.) Craigmiles on December 18, 1860.
John Henderson (J. H.) Craigmiles was born June 7, 1825 and died on January 7, 1899. He came to Cleveland, Tennessee, with his brother as merchants. He later traveled to California and began a shipping business with the purchase of six ships that went between California and Panama. He eventually returned to Cleveland where he married Myra Adelia Thompson. At the beginning of the Civil War, Craigmiles was appointed chief commissary agent for the Confederate government. In August 1864, the Craigmiles' first child, Nina, was born. A few years later, in 1871, she died in a buggy accident while joining her grandfather, G. B. Thompson, for a ride. Craigmiles went on to build St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Mausoleum in Cleveland to house Nina’s remains and honor her short life.
Arrangement
This collection is in two folders.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository