Caldwell Papers
This collection contains the personal and business correspondence of the North and Caldwell families. John A. North and Robert F. Dennis were lawyers in Greenbrier County, Virginia/West Virginia and their legal papers reflect much of the early history of this area. The collection is in chronological order and begins in 1785 with early land grants, deeds, plats and surveys (some with maps) and various documents concerning land speculation and homesteading. There are transcripts of court cases, many involving the land deals, as well as ejectments, bankruptcies and legacies. Many financial documents are included: receipts, statements of account, notes and bonds. Legal documents consist of: wills, bills of sale of slaves, orders to the sheriff to jail persons for debt, various contracts and agreements. Also included are records of the everyday life of the times in recipes, ledgers and bills.
Of special interest are the papers of the Blue Sulphur Springs Co. and the Blue Sulphur Springs Turnpike Co. Also of interest are the Civil War era materials, including Confederate Quartermaster Dept. impressment documents and a notebook with the daily weather from 1858 to 1864, with notations of wartime events.
Dates
- 1785-1975 (Bulk 1785-1900)
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
8 Linear Feet (7 boxes, 1 half-box, 1 oversized box)
Abstract
This collection contains the personal and business correspondence of the North and Caldwell families.
Biographical/Historical Note
John Abney North was born on December 15th, 1794, in Augusta County, Virginia to Philip and Margaret Peggy (Abney) North. John North married Charlotte Abney Blain on July 15th, 1819. North worked as a lawyer in Greenbrier County, in what was then Virginia (current West Virginia). John and Margaret had four children: Margaret A. (North) Johnston (1820-1851), Mary E. (North) Hamner (1822-1855), Isabell Abney (North) Caldwell (1824-1897), and Martha Jane (North) Dennis (1828-1895). John A. North died on September 26th, 1857 and is buried in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
Robert Flournoy Dennis was born on September 28th, 1823 in Charlotte County, Virginia to William H. and Ann (Morton) Dennis. He married Martha Jane North, the youngest daughter of lawyer John North, on September 21st, 1849. Dennis also worked as a lawyer, and was a captain in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He served as a trustee for Washington and Lee University in 1893. Robert Dennis died on October 8th, 1897 and is buried with his wife Martha Jane in Old Stone Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
Arrangement
Collection consists of seven boxes, one half-box, and two oversized boxes. The material is divided into eighteen series. Series I - XIII cover the years 1785 to 1975. The rest of the series are titled as follows; Series XIV: Undates, Series XV: Ledgers, Series XVI: Statements of Accounts, Series XVII: On the means of attaining a healthful and long life, and maintaining a delicate constitution and Series XVIII: Oversized.
Acquisition Note
John North Caldwell III and Marion Davis Caldwell donated this collection to the Library in 1990.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository