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Inventory of the Charles N. Hunter Papers,1850s-1932 and undated

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Abstract

Black educator, journalist, and reformer from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Correspondence, scrapbooks of clippings, print material such as articles and reports, and other papers, all dating from the Civil War into the first few decades of the 20th century. Includes a fourth edition of Lunsford Lane's slave narrative. The material discusses and illuminates the problems experienced by emancipated blacks during Reconstruction and into the early 20th century, encompassing agriculture, business, race relations, reconstruction, education, politics, voting rights, and economic improvement for African Americans. Other topics include Durham and Raleigh, N.C. history; the temperance movement, Hunter's personal matters and family finances, the North Carolina Industrial Association, and the N.C. Negro State Fair. Significant correspondents include Charles B. Aycock, Thomas W. Bickett, William E. Borah, Craig Locke, Josephus Daniels, W.E.B. Du Bois, Charles G. Dawes, John A. Logan, Lee S. Overman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Sumner, Zebulon B. Vance, and Booker T. Washington. There is also correpondence from two early African American Congressmen, Henry P. Cheatham and George H. White. Also included is a draft of a speech given by Frederick Douglass in 1880 at the 2nd Negro State Fair.

Descriptive Summary

Repository
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator
Hunter, Charles N., circa 1851-1931
Title
Charles N. Hunter Papers, 1850s-1932 and undated
Language of Material
English
Extent
7.3 Linear Feet
Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Series Quick Links

Collection Overview

The Charles N. Hunter Papers date from the 1850s to 1932 and consist of Hunter's personal and professional correspondence, scrapbooks of clippings, articles, reports, and memorabilia. Correspondence relates to personal and financial matters, as well as to Hunter's various activities to improve African American education and economic well-being, particularly in the South. Specific topics touched on throughout his papers include race relations, voting rights, creating an educational system for African Americans, the temperance movement, reconstruction, African American business and agriculture, the North Carolina Industrial Association, and the North Carolina Negro State Fair. The three correspondence subseries form almost half of the Personal and Professional Papers Series. The correspondence subseries are: Business/Community Incoming Correspondence, Personal Incoming Correspondence, and Outgoing Correspondence. Among the correspondents are several African American Congressional representatives such as George H. White and Henry P. Cheatham; major political figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Alexander Logan; important African American scholars including W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington; and many North Carolina governors, in particular Zebulon B. Vance, Charles B. Aycock, Locke Craig, and Thomas Walter Bickett. Although these letters address professional and political issues, Hunter established friendships with many of the noteable correspondents. The incoming correspondence has been arranged into letters pertaining to Hunter's business or community activities and letters relating to Hunter's personal life. There are also numerous drafts and copies of outgoing correspondence that Hunter wrote.

In the Other Professional Papers Subseries, there is a variety of miscellaneous printed materials and papers that cover Hunter's career as a teacher and principal, involvement in the N.C. Industrial Association, and role in the N.C. Negro State Fair. Included in this subseries is an array of print materials that provide a view of African American life in the South. This includes commencement invitations from historically black colleges and universities, a fourth edition of Lunsford Lane's slave narrative, and newspaper clippings. The bulk of this subseries deals with the larger Raleigh area, though some items address national issues.

The Writings and Speeches Subseries includes addresses given by Hunter and others. Most noteable is a transcription of Frederick Douglass' speech given at the 2nd Annual N.C. Negro State Fair. Amongst Hunter's writings are several pieces intended for a local encyclopedia which detail historic locales and important North Carolina men. Writings cover topics such as African American voting rights and post-Reconstruction analysis. Overall, Hunter's writings provide historical sketches of important figures, events, and reprecussions with an emphasis on local history.

The Scrapbooks Series is made up of seventeen scrapbooks assembled by Hunter which contain clippings and other items concerning race relations and other social, political, and economic affairs pertaining to African Americans. They are composed principally of newspaper clippings published in North Carolina, but their scope is national as well as local. The clippings have been copied and arranged chronologically; the originals are closed to use.

Administrative Information

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warning Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

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Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

warning Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. Digitized documents are made available by Duke University Libraries for the purpose of research, teaching, and private study. For all other uses, such as commercial uses, researchers must contact the Rubenstein Library to request permission.

Digitized materials from this collection are made available for use in research, teaching and private study. The digital reproductions have been made available through an evaluation of public domain status, permissions from the rights' holders, and authorization under the law including fair use as codified in 17 U.S.C. § 107. Although these materials are publicly accessible for these limited purposes, they may not all be in the public domain. Users are responsible for determining if permission for re-use is necessary and for obtaining such permission. Individuals who have concerns about online access to specific content should contact the Rubenstein Library.

Contents of the Collection

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The papers of Charles N. Hunter are divided into five subseries: Incoming Business/Community Correspondence; Incoming Personal Correspondence; Outgoing Correspondence; Writings and Speeches; and Other Professional Papers.

This subseries contains a variety of correspondence that reflects the wide array of community and business organizations with which Hunter associated. There is a significant amount of material concerning the education of blacks in rural North Carolina during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including letters from the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wake County, Zebulon Judd, and Edward Moses. Contains material demonstrating Hunter's instrumental role in the North Carolina Industrial Association, which was responsible for organizing the N.C. Negro State Fairs in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Correspondence from each of the three founders of North Carolina Mutual (J. Merrick, A.M. Moore, and C.C. Spaulding), and this collection includes material regarding early business practices within N.C. Mutual. Hunter often wrote to a wide variety of government officials, and received letters from senators, representatives, and heads of departments (not limited to Sen. Blache K. Bruce [1879, 1886], Franklin D. Roosevelt [1920] and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. [1921][as Asst. Secretaries of the Navy]). Hunter also kept up frequent correspondence with the presidents of North Carolina's historically black colleges and universities, such as Shaw University, Negro Agricultural and Technical College of N.C. (currently N.C. A & T University), State Normal School of North Carolina (currently the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and St. Augustine's College. Contains material demonstrating Hunter's efforts as an advocate for black agricultural laborers, as well as his political efforts to encourage black voter turnout, census enumeration, and the outcomes of U.S. Senate confirmations of presidential appointments. This subseries also includes correspondence from Booker T. Washington [1886, 1909, 1914] regarding funding for black schools, John H. Smyth [1879](U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia) following a request for a contribution to the N.C. Negro State Fair, and W.E.B. DuBois [1898] soliciting help in an upcoming sociological study, among many others.

North Carolina Industrial Association, 1886 March, August-October
Box 1 Folder 1
North Carolina Industrial Association, 1886 October
Box 1 Folder 2
North Carolina Industrial Association, 1886 November-December
Box 1 Folder 3
Correspondence, 1871-1891
Box 1 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1886-1903
Box 5 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1891-1900
Box 1 Folder 5
Correspondence, 1901-1902
Box 1 Folder 6
Correspondence, 1902-1903
Box 1 Folder 7
Correspondence, 1904-1906
Box 1 Folder 8
Correspondence, 1907 January-April
Box 1 Folder 9
Correspondence, 1907 May-July
Box 1 Folder 10
Correspondence, 1907 August-1909
Box 1 Folder 11
Correspondence, 1910-1914
Box 2 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1910-1926
Box 5 Folder 2
Correspondence, 1914-1915
Box 2 Folder 2
Correspondence, 1915
Box 2 Folder 3
Correspondence, 1916-1917
Box 2 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1917
Box 2 Folder 5
Correspondence, 1918
Box 2 Folder 6
Correspondence, 1919-1920
Box 2 Folder 7
Correspondence regarding Hunter's discharge from work in the Navy, complaint against the discharge, and Navy's final disposition, 1921 January-May
Box 2 Folder 8
Correspondence, 1921
Box 2 Folder 9
Correspondence, 1922
Box 2 Folder 10
Correspondence, 1923
Box 3 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1924
Box 3 Folder 2
Correspondence, 1925-1926
Box 3 Folder 3
Correspondence, 1927-1928
Box 3 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1929-1931
Box 3 Folder 5
Correspondence, undated
Box 3 Folder 6
Correspondence, undated
Box 5 Folder 3

Contains a large quantity of incoming correspondence from family, friends, and former students, including significant correspondence with nephew, Edward Hunter, and daughters, as well as Hunter's son-in-law and former minister, James K. Satterwhite. Also contains some material pertaining to personal financial matters.

Personal correspondence, 1869-1874, 1882-1890
Box 3 Folder 7
Personal correspondence, 1892-1903
Box 3 Folder 8
Personal correspondence, 1904-1909
Box 3 Folder 9
Personal correspondence, 1910-1914
Box 3 Folder 10
Personal correspondence, 1915-1917
Box 3 Folder 11
Personal correspondence, 1918-1920
Box 4 Folder 1
Personal correspondence, 1921-1922
Box 4 Folder 2
Personal correspondence, 1923
Box 4 Folder 3
Personal correspondence, 1924-1925
Box 4 Folder 4
Personal correspondence, 1926-1927
Box 4 Folder 5
Personal correspondence, 1928-1931
Box 4 Folder 6
Letters from or regarding family, undated
Box 4 Folder 7
Personal correspondence, undated
Box 4 Folder 8
Personal correspondence, undated
Box 4 Folder 9
Legal-size personal correspondence, 1927-1928 and undated, including photograph of Robert Milton Braan, age 5
Box 5 Folder 4
Birch bark letter, 18--
Oversize Folder 1

Contains various drafts of letters written by Hunter to various individuals. Includes drafts of letters to Mary Church Terrell, U.S. presidents, and North Carolina education administrators.

Correspondence, 1871-1877, 1886
Box 5 Folder 5
Correspondence, 1889-1890, 1897-1909
Box 5 Folder 6
Correspondence, 1910-1920
Box 5 Folder 7
Correspondence, 1921-1926
Box 5 Folder 8
Correspondence, 1927-1931 and undated
Box 5 Folder 9

A variety of papers such as pamphlets, programs, receipts, gradebooks and other school records, and ephemera such as program tickets and invitations. The earliest item dated in the 1850s is a blank slave life insurance application from the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (Raleigh, N.C.). Also of note is the fourth edition of a slave narrative attributed to former slave Lunsford Lane of Raleigh, N.C., originally published in 1841. Many of the documents relate to the N.C. Negro State Fair. Includes biographical sketches of Hunter, as well as papers concerning the 1907 Jamestown Negro Exhibit and the N.C. Industrial Association. Documents are sorted chronologically and foldered by decade within the boxes.

Slave Life Insurance Policy, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, 1850s
(blank)
Oversize Folder 1
Lunsford Lane, The Narrative of Lunsford Lane, Formerly of Raleigh, N.C. Embracing an Account of his Early life, the Redemption by purchase of himself and family from Slavery, and his Banishment from the place of his birth for the Crime of wearing a Colored skin. Published by himself. Fourth ed. Boston: Hewes and Watson's Print, 1861
Box 5 Folder 10
"Journal of Freedom," 1865
Box 5 Folder 11
Ninth Anniversary of the Proclamation of Emancipation invitation, 1872
Box 5 Folder 12
Letter from B. F. Moore declining invitation, 1872 January 1
Box 5 Folder 13
Letter from National Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, 1872 March 9
Box 5 Folder 14
Letter from M. Bryant regarding a land deed, 1873
Box 5 Folder 15
Obituary published in The Examiner for Reverend Richard S. Mason, D.D., 1874 February 22
Box 5 Folder 16
Teacher's First Grade Certificate, 1878 March 16
Box 5 Folder 17
An Act to Incorporate the N.C. Industrial Association, 1879 March 14
Box 5 Folder 18
Teacher's First Grade Certificate, 1879 August 16
Box 5 Folder 19
Letter, June 24, 1879
Box 5 Folder 20
Notes regarding the Second Session of the East Raleigh School, 1879
Box 5 Folder 21
First constitution of the N.C. Industrial Association, 1879
Box 5 Folder 22
Teacher's First Grade Certificate, 1880 November 6
Box 5 Folder 23
Note of the Office of the Commissioner of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, 1883
Box 5 Folder 24
St. Valentine's Day First Grand Dress Reception invitation, 1884
Box 5 Folder 25
Notice of Applicant's Standing from the United States Civil Service Commission, 1884
Box 5 Folder 26
First monthly report of C. Dillard, 1885
Box 5 Folder 27
Advertisement regarding research for The Prominent Colored Men of North Carolina, 1885
Box 5 Folder 28
"Price List of Fair Goods from The Fair Publishing House of Norwalk, Ohio," 1886 February 15
Box 5 Folder 29
Receipt for purchased goods from The Fair Publishing House, 1886 September 15
Box 5 Folder 30
North Carolina Industrial Association contract, 1886 October 11
Box 5 Folder 31
Teacher's First Grade Certificate, 1886 October 16
Box 5 Folder 32
Gradebook, 1894
Box 5 Folder 33
Invitation to the Fourth Annual Closing Exercises, A. and M. College, 1898 May 22-26
Box 5 Folder 34
"Articles of Agreement regarding property," circa 1901
Box 5 Folder 35
Installation services at the First Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C. program, 1902 June 8
Box 5 Folder 36
Oberlin School Progress of Pupils grade book, 1902-1903
Box 5 Folder 37
Complementary Negro State Fair ticket, 1903 October 27-30
Box 5 Folder 38
Attendance scrolls for Teachers' Institute, 1903 August 17-22
Box 5 Folder 39
The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, bill for Eva Hunter, 1904 April 30
Box 5 Folder 40
The National Association of Teachers of Negro Youth Second Annual Meeting announcement, 1905 June 28-30
Box 5 Folder 41
Twentieth Annual Convention, Brotherhood of St. Andrew brochure, 1905 September 20-24
Box 5 Folder 42
"Resolution of Respect. Adopted by St. Ambrose Choir to the memory of Miss Hunter," 1905 July 13
Box 5 Folder 43
Stock letter soliciting shareholders for a black-owned Durham bank, 1906 February 15
Box 5 Folder 44
"A Joint Resolution Concerning the Jamestown Exposition," 1907 February 16
Box 5 Folder 45
Jamestown Exposition notes, 1907
Box 5 Folder 46
Letter from Thomas J. Calloway of the Executive Committee of the Jamestown Exposition, 1907
Box 5 Folder 47
Press release regarding Governor Glenn's speech at the Jamestown Exposition, 1907
Box 5 Folder 48
"Negro Semi-Centennial: President Taft Endorsed the Exposition for the Race," Raleigh News and Observer, 1907
Box 5 Folder 49
Stock letter requesting black-owned newspaper subscriptions for the Jamestown Negro Exhibit, 1907
Box 5 Folder 50
Letter following Jamestown Exposition from the N.C. Dept. of Negro Development and Exposition, 1907
Box 5 Folder 51
Lena Hunter's report card, 1907 December 31
Box 5 Folder 52
Registration form to teach for Wake County, completed by Hunter, 1910 November 12
Box 5 Folder 53
Letter, S. Hughes to "My Dear Sister," circa 1910s, 6 February
Box 5 Folder 54
Donor cards for the Berry O'Kelly Training and Industrial School Building Fund, 1914
Box 5 Folder 55
President Berry O'Kelly's address, 1914
Box 5 Folder 56
Financial report, 1914
Box 5 Folder 57
"North Carolina Negroes Appeal To Do War Work," unknown newspaper, circa 1916
Box 5 Folder 58
United States Civil Service Commission examination scores of Charles N. Hunter, 1918 May 25
Box 5 Folder 59
Three news articles from The North Carolina Review, 1920s: "Traces History of Negro in U.S."
Box 5 Folder 60
Three news articles from The North Carolina Review, 1920s: "Petition of Josiah Turner: Remarkable Letter of Eccentric Character Asking the Benefit of Johnson's Amnesty Proclamation"
Box 5 Folder 61
Three news articles from The North Carolina Review, 1920s: "A Noteworthy Publication: A Comprehensive History of Political, Social, Economic, and Intellectual Life of the Southern People"
Box 5 Folder 62
Application for First Mortgage Trust Fund Certificate to the Reserve Deposit Company, circa 1920s
Box 5 Folder 63
"A Thousand Arms," a handwritten article on the commencement address at Shaw University, 1921
Box 5 Folder 64
"Negro Migration," editorial review from The Missionary Voice, 1921 March
Box 5 Folder 65
Articles of Copartnership between Charles N. Hunter and J. H. Love, 1921
Box 5 Folder 66
"A Bill to be Entitled an Act to Place the Name of Jane Roberson on the Pension Roll," 1921
Box 5 Folder 67
Historical sketch of the George M. Horton Public School, 1923
Box 5 Folder 68
Graded test of M. Brown, 1924 July 14
Box 5 Folder 69
Principal's final report of Wilson Mills, 1925-1926
Box 5 Folder 70
Principal's Monthly Report of Wilson Mills, 1926 April
Box 5 Folder 71
Receipt of gift from Library Committee of the University of Pennsylvania, 1928
Box 5 Folder 72
N.C. Industrial Association Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1930 June 19
Box 5 Folder 73
The Great Negro State Fair list of funding sources, 1930
Box 5 Folder 74
Contract between N.C. Industrial Association and the Wake County Fair Association, 1930
Box 5 Folder 75
Description of agreement between N.C. Industrial Association and the Wake County Fair Association, 1930
Box 5 Folder 76
Secretary's Report of the N.C. Industrial Association, 1930
Box 5 Folder 77
List of Ladies' Committee for the Fair, 1930
Box 5 Folder 78
N.C. Industrial Association Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1931 June 25
Box 5 Folder 79
Statement of Receipts and Disbursements, 1931
Box 5 Folder 80
"Governor Jarvis Recommends the Annual Appropriation of $500,000," 1931 May 30
Box 5 Folder 81
N.C. Industrial Association Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1931 June 17
Box 5 Folder 82
Statement of Receipts and Disbursements of the N.C. Negro State Fair, 1930
Box 5 Folder 83
Address by Hunter on Negro Autonomy, circa 1930
Box 5 Folder 84
Description of North Carolina Industrial Association, circa 1930
Box 5 Folder 85
Objectives of the N.C. Industrial Association, 1931
Box 5 Folder 86
Historical account of the N.C. Industrial Association, 1931
Box 5 Folder 87
"Business before the committee," 1930
Box 5 Folder 88
Articles of Arguments, 1930
Box 5 Folder 89
Constitution of the N.C. Industrial Association, circa 1930
Box 5 Folder 90
Stock letter informing Hunter of appointment to N.C. Industrial Association Executive Committee, 1931
Box 5 Folder 91
Call for a meeting of the Executive Committee of the N.C. Industrial Association, 1930 June 7
Box 5 Folder 92
Receipts, 1930
Box 5 Folder 92
List of receipts for the N.C. Negro State Fair, 1930
Box 5 Folder 94
Nametag
Box 6 Folder 1
Letter from T. S. Inbordon, then-president of N.C. Industrial Association
Box 6 Folder 2
Notes with numbers and tally marks
Box 6 Folder 3
Letter from Locke Craig
Box 6 Folder 4
Postcard from Q. W. Cochran
Box 6 Folder 5
List of pupils and payments
Box 6 Folder 6
Declaration of committee establishment
Box 6 Folder 7
Poem
Box 6 Folder 8
Test
Box 6 Folder 9
Invitation to Commencement Week exercises of St. Augustine School
Box 6 Folder 10
John H. Williamson's Salary Account
Box 6 Folder 11
School's rules
Box 6 Folder 12
Biographical sketch of Charles N. Hunter (handwritten and typed copies)
Box 6 Folder 13
Dictionary of North Carolina biographical sketch of Charles N. Hunter
Box 6 Folder 14
Minutes of meeting of "colored voters and taxpayers," Raleigh, NC, Oct. 17
Box 6 Folder 15
"Negroes Have Taken Marked Steps Foward Along Essential Courses," Raleigh Times
Box 6 Folder 16
Two newspaper articles from unknown source
Box 6 Folder 17
Receipt from the F. M. Paist Company of Philadelphia
Box 6 Folder 18
Report of Work for May
Box 6 Folder 19
"Outline of Plan for State-wide Activity in Training Teachers for Industrial Work in Colored Schools"
Box 6 Folder 20
"To Students of Colored Colleges and Universities'
Box 6 Folder 21
List of the South Carolina State Board of Education members
Box 6 Folder 22
"Statement on Present Conditions by the A.M.E. Preachers' Meeting of Norfolk, Virginia"
Box 6 Folder 23
Newspaper clippings announcing the transfer of real estate
Box 6 Folder 24
Colonel George T. Wassom photograph
Box 6 Folder 25
"Causes and Prevention of Consumption" issued by the North Carolina Board of Health
Box 6 Folder 26
"Mr. Gosney's Position"
Box 6 Folder 27
"Big Dinner for Former Slaves: Let Everybody Help - Send in Your Contributions"
Box 6 Folder 28
Note regarding the updating of life insurance benefits
Box 6 Folder 29
Agenda for group meeting
Box 6 Folder 30
Stock letter appealing for voters to keep the State Fair in Raleigh
Box 6 Folder 31
"Which Shall It Be - Foreign or Negro Labor?"
Box 6 Folder 32
"Class History"
Box 6 Folder 33
Test questions
Box 6 Folder 34
"Wilson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, Oberlin Village"
Box 6 Folder 35
Activities of Shop 80
Box 6 Folder 36
"A Dry Yard"
Box 6 Folder 37
Chapter 8 test
Box 6 Folder 38
"Mr. Otey's Oration"
Box 6 Folder 39
Grand Concert program of the Berry O'Kelly School
Box 6 Folder 40
Miscellaneous notes
Box 6 Folder 41
List of volunteers
Box 6 Folder 42
Notes for Easter Service
Box 6 Folder 43
Bills Payable
Box 6 Folder 44
Ladies' Committee for the N.C. State Fair
Box 6 Folder 45
La Dainty and J&T Lines advertisement
Box 6 Folder 46
"The Voice of Free Grace" sheet music
Box 6 Folder 47
List of farmers and prices awarded at fair
Box 6 Folder 48
List of persons and monetary amounts
Box 6 Folder 49
"Secured subscriptions"
Box 6 Folder 50

Contains a varied assemblage of lectures, addresses, reports, biographical sketches, obituaries, and other compositions, chiefly written by Charles Hunter. Unless otherwise indicated, the author is Hunter. When possible, original titles are transcribed and dates are given. Arranged in alphabetical order by title.

"Address on the Presentation of the Portrait of Professor J. H. Branch to the Washington School," 1916 May 31
Box 6 Folder 51
"Address to the Young Men's Christian Association by Prof. Chas. N. Hunter: What Do We Believe?"
Box 6 Folder 52
"Afro-American Schools in Raleigh"
Box 6 Folder 53
"The Berry O'Kelly Training and Industrial School" (2 copies)
Box 6 Folder 54
"Biographical Sketch of Rev. Lewis Perry"
Box 6 Folder 55
"Bishop A. N. Wayman"
Box 6 Folder 56
"Business Enterprises Among Negroes in Raleigh"
Box 6 Folder 57
Celebration of Emancipation Day Speeches, 1895, 1899, 1912, 1923 and undated
Box 6 Folder 58
"A Card to the Voters of the Eastern Ward," 1874
Box 6 Folder 59
Composition book with letters to editors, poetry, and lists of names, 1869-1872 and undated
Box 6 Folder 60
"Congregationalism Among the Colored people of North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 61
"Reverend A. G. Davis"
Box 6 Folder 62
"Death of General Grant," 1885
Box 6 Folder 63
"Professor W. F. Debnam"
Box 6 Folder 64
"Professor Henry Beard Delaney"
Box 6 Folder 65
"Do The Negroes of Raleigh Repudiate the Proclamation of Emancipation?"
Box 6 Folder 66
"East Raleigh School-Second Session, 1879-1880"
Box 6 Folder 67
"Education in North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 68
"Essentials of True Greatness: Address by C. N. Hunter on the occasion of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the service of Rev. R. H. W. Leak, D.D. in the ministry of the A.M.E. Church"
Box 6 Folder 69
"Fellow Workers"
Box 6 Folder 70
"Freedom is Man's Birth Right"
Box 6 Folder 71
"The Future of the Negro"
Box 6 Folder 72
"Grecian Mythology"
Box 6 Folder 73
"The Growth of Slavery in the Colonies"
Box 6 Folder 74
"I Was Born A Slave" (excerpt)
Box 6 Folder 75
"A Great White Southerner's Tribute to a Great Negro: The John O'Daniel Hosiery Mill of Durham, N.C. - General Julian S. Carr thus honors his trusted employees" (2 copies)
Box 6 Folder 76
"History of Education in North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 77
"A Historical Sketch," L. M. Mason
Box 6 Folder 78
"Charles Wesley Hoover"
Box 6 Folder 79
"Edward Hughes Hunter"
Box 6 Folder 80
"George M. Horton: Historical Sketches No. 1" (3 copies)
Box 6 Folder 81
"History of John Chavis: The Negro Scholar, Preacher and Teacher"
Box 6 Folder 82
"Lernual Battle Hinton"
Box 6 Folder 83
"Incidents of Slave Life"
Box 6 Folder 84
"Jesus"
Box 6 Folder 85
"Ea. Johnson, LLB."
Box 6 Folder 86
"James H. Jones"
Box 6 Folder 87
"Jones School"
Box 6 Folder 88
"Liberty"
Box 6 Folder 89
"Norfleet Jeffries"
Box 6 Folder 90
Incomplete Works (1 folder)
Box 6 Folder 91
Letters to the Editor
Box 6 Folder 92
"Macedonia"
Box 6 Folder 93
"Memorial of Professor J. H. Branch," 1916 Jan. 7
Box 6 Folder 94
"Memorial of J. N. Kirby," 1903 May 17
Box 6 Folder 95
"Moses the Leader"
Box 6 Folder 96
"My Creed"
Box 6 Folder 97
"My Recollections"
Box 6 Folder 98
"The National Freedman's Savings and Trust Company"
Box 6 Folder 99
"The Negro Does Not Want 'Social Equality': Capt. Ashe Recalls Important Negro History"
Box 6 Folder 100
"The Negro in 1884"
Box 6 Folder 101
"Negro Progress in North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 102
"The Negro's Call to World Service"
Box 6 Folder 103
"The Negroes' Position"
Box 6 Folder 104
"The New States"
Box 6 Folder 105
"The North Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, Colored Department"
Box 6 Folder 106
"On the Death of C.N. Otey"
Box 6 Folder 107
"Opportunities and Possibilities of the Protestant Episcopal Church among the Negroes" (2 copies)
Box 6 Folder 108
"Oration of the late Frederick Douglas preserved by the late Chas. N. Hunter to whom the manuscript was given," 1872
Box 6 Folder 109
"Petition"
Box 6 Folder 110
"Pleads for the Negro and for Justice"
Box 6 Folder 111
"Possibilities"
Box 6 Folder 112
"Progress of the Negro Race in North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 113
"Progress of the Negroes of North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 114
"The Race Problem in America - A Call to Christian Courage" (2 letters)
Box 6 Folder 115
"Report of the Grand Worthy Secretary to the Officers and members of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 116
"Report on Freedmen's Address"
Box 6 Folder 117
"Review of Negro Life in North Carolina with My Recollections"
Box 6 Folder 118
"Professor N.A. Roberts, D.D."
Box 6 Folder 119
"Rome was not Built in a Day"
Box 6 Folder 120
"Dawson Andrew Scruggs"
Box 6 Folder 121
"Sifting or the Ministration of Adversity"
Box 6 Folder 122
"Some of the Evils of Reconstruction"
Box 6 Folder 123
"Special Arrangements for White People"
Box 6 Folder 124
"St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute"
Box 6 Folder 125
"St. Augustine Protestant Episocpal Church"
Box 6 Folder 126
"Steps in Reading"
Box 6 Folder 127
"The Story of John Chavis"
Box 6 Folder 128
"The Teaching of Spelling in our Schools"
Box 6 Folder 129
"To the Colored People of North Carolina"
Box 6 Folder 130
"To the Negro Voters of the State of North Carolina," 1928 (2 copies)
Box 6 Folder 131
"To the People of North Carolina," 1910
Box 6 Folder 132
"Total Abstinence"
Box 6 Folder 133
"Trend of Slavery toward the Sonnet"
Box 6 Folder 134
Untitled Addresses

Topics include a brief history of the North Carolina Negro State Fair and funding for the Berry O'Kelly School. Other speeches feature historical facts of Raleigh and topics of racial uplift. Speeches addressed to the Constitutional Convention of North Carolina, the North Carolina legislature, local schools and school systems, members of the Howard Band of Hope, the Union Brothers and Victor Fire Company, the National Negro Business League, and the Right Worthy Grand Ledge of North Carolina among others.

Box 7 Folder 1
Untitled Work

Untitled essays cover African American history nationally, in the South, and in North Carolina.

Box 7 Folder 2
"What Do We Believe?" (5 copies)
Box 7 Folder 3
"What Next?"
Box 7 Folder 4
"What of the Negro State Fair - Shall We Go to Some Other City?"
Box 7 Folder 5
"What Shall the Negro Do?" (3 copies)
Box 7 Folder 6
"A Word of Caution and Encouragement to the Negro"
Box 7 Folder 7

Seventeen scrapbooks containing clippings and other items concerning race relations and other social, political, and economic affairs pertaining to African Americans. Assembled by Charles Hunter, they were taken chiefly from newspapers published in North Carolina, but their scope is national as well as regional and local. A wide range of topics and views are represented in the clippings, which include editorials from across the political spectrum (including both views with which Hunter was likely sympathetic and some with which he almost certainly was not); news articles about criminal accusations against African Americans and the lynchings and mob violence that often followed; accounts of North Carolina Negro State Fairs and various exhibitions and events for and about African Americans; articles describing the opening ceremonies and commencement speeches at African American high-schools and colleges; a number of articles and letters to the editor written by Charles N. Hunter himself, generally expressing his views on race relations; many articles about local, state, and national politics, particularly concerning the role of African Americans in state and national politics (and especially focusing on the disenfranchisement of African Americans in Southern states); and various religious, inspirational, and motivational texts - along with a great deal of other material relating to the African American experience at the turn of the 20th century.

The original scrapbooks have been disbound and photocopies have been made of all the clippings. The copies have been arranged chronologically for ease of use. Copies of the indices to the original scrapbooks - detailing the arrangement of the clippings in their original context - have also been retained.

Many of the clippings were pasted onto ledger sheets that had previously been used for Hunter's school and financial records. Some pages of these records were still intact and legible. These records have also been preserved and are included in this series. The news clippings date from 1866-1932 (with some undated entries organized by topic); the financial and school records to which they were pasted date from 1886-1913.

Photocopies of the pages of clippings from Hunter's scrapbooks. Whenever possible, these copies should be used instead of the originals.

Scrapbook pages, 1866-1907
Box 7
Scrapbook pages, 1908-1932
Box 8
Undated clippings: inspirational/religious
Box 8
Undated clippings: news and editorials
Box 8
Undated clippings: poetry
Box 8
Indices to the original volumes
Box 8

The original pages from Hunter's disbound scrapbooks.

[Access RESTRICTED due to fragile nature. Use copies available in boxes 7-8.]

School and Financial Records, 1886-1913 and undated
Box 8 Folder 27
Scrapbook, original binding
Box 8 Folder 28
Scrapbook, 1886-1921
Box 9 Folder 1
Scrapbook, 1886-1921
Box 9 Folder 2
Scrapbook, 1891-1928
Box 9 Folder 3
Scrapbook, 1867-1928
Box 9 Folder 4
Scapbook, 1871-1928
Box 9 Folder 5
Scapbook, 1871-1928
Box 9 Folder 6
Scapbook, 1871-1928
Box 9 Folder 7
Scrapbook, 1875-1924
Box 9 Folder 8
Scrapbook, 1875-1924
Box 10 Folder 1
Scrapbook, 1875-1924
Box 10 Folder 2
Scrapbook, 1877-1924
Box 10 Folder 3
Scrapbook, 1877-1924
Box 10 Folder 4
Scrapbook, 1882-unknown
Box 10 Folder 5
Scrapbook, 1882-unknown
Box 10 Folder 6
Scrapbook, 1879-1888
Box 10 Folder 7
Scrapbook, 1885-1929
Box 10 Folder 8
Scrapbook, 1885-1929
Box 10 Folder 9
Scrapbook, 1885-1929
Box 10 Folder 10
Scrapbook, 1871-1928
Box 10 Folder 11
Scrapbook, 1891-1911
Box 10 Folder 12
Scrapbook, 1891-1911
Box 10 Folder 13
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 1
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 2
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 3
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 4
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 5
Scrapbook, various dates
Box 11 Folder 6
Scrapbook, 1902-1927
Box 11 Folder 7
Scrapbook, 1902-1927
Box 11 Folder 8
Scrapbook, 1902-1927
Box 11 Folder 9
Scrapbook, 1867
Box 11 Folder 10
Scrapbook, 1887-1929
Box 11 Folder 11
Scrapbook, 1887-1929
Box 11 Folder 12
Scrapbook, 1887-1928
Box 11 Folder 13
Scrapbook, 1887-1928
Box 11 Folder 14
Scrapbook, 1887-1928
Box 11 Folder 15
Scrapbook, 1888-1905
Box 11 Folder 16
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 1
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 2
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 3
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 4
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 5
Scrapbook, 1900-1924
Box 12 Folder 6
Emancipation Celebration, 1906
Box 12 Folder 7
Christian Poems, undated
Box 12 Folder 8

Historical Note

Charles Norfleet Hunter was born of slave parentage in the early 1850s in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hunter was the son of artisan Osborne Hunter, slave of William Dallas Haywood, a member of one of Raleigh’s most prominent families. Hunter’s mother died when he was three and he was raised by an aunt. Hunter was prominent in efforts to provide better educational facilities and curriculum for African Americans in North Carolina and was instrumental in constructing several schools for African Americans in the state. He served as principal for many schools in the state and served as editor of several newspapers and publications. As a member of the North Carolina Industrial Association, he also sought to expand the opportunities for African Americans in agriculture and industry.

Chronology List

DateEvent(s)
circa 1851Born of slave parents, Osborne and Mary Hunter, in Raleigh, N.C.
1869-1874Employed at Raleigh Branch Freedman's Savings Bank; assistant cashier by 1874, when the bank failed
1875Began teaching in Maxton, N.C.
1879One of the founding members of North Carolina Industrial Association, along with brother, Osborne Jr.
1880Secretary of North Carolina Industrial Association and editor of its publication, Journal of Industry
1881-1884Worked as clerk in Raleigh Post Office
1888Teacher in Durham Colored Graded School; editor of Progressive Educator of N.C.
1889Principal of Garfield Graded School in Raleigh, N.C.; agent for A.S. Barnes and Co. publishers, New York
1890Principal of Oberlin Graded School in Raleigh, N.C.
1892Treasurer of North Carolina Industrial Association
1896Appointed Principal of Garfield School in Raleigh, N.C.
1900Brother, Osborne, Jr., died
1902Partner with J. H. Lewis in Inter State Real Estate and Employment Agency, Trenton, N.J.; Principal of Oberlin School in Raleigh, N.C.
1903Member of the faculty of North Carolina State Colored Normal School, Franklinton, N.C.
1905Appointed Principal of Colored High School in Raleigh, N.C.; daughter, Eva, died of pneumonia and possible malaria in July; son, Charles, died of illness in December
1906Appointed Principal of Chavis School in Raleigh, N.C.
1907Played an active role in preparing the N.C. Negro Exhibit for the Jamestown Exposition; Colored Secretary of the N.C. Commission of the Jamestown Exposition; Secretary of Negro Development and Exposition Co. of USA; Superintendent of the Raleigh Branch of the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association
1908Traveling Agent of the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association; Member of the North Carolina Republican Executive Committee
1910Editor of Our Advance, a paper in Raleigh; Principal of Public School, Method, N.C.
1915Leading figure in building of Berry O'Kelly Training School (previously known as Method School) in Method, N.C.; served as the school's principal
1916Secretary of N.C. Republican Executive Committee
1917Editor of Raleigh Independent
1918Moved to Portsmouth, Va. in Jun.; served as foreman for laborers in the Norfolk Navy Yard
1921Moved back to Raleigh, N.C.; again made editor of Raleigh Independent
1922Assigned teaching position at Pleasant Hill School, Garner, N.C.
1923Served as Principal of Haywood High School in Haywood, N.C. (Chatham County); Principal of Horton Public School in Pittsboro, N.C.; wife, Eliza, died after stroke
1924Appointed Principal of Booker T. Washington School in Wilson's Mills, N.C. (Johnson County)
1926Served as teacher in Manchester, N.C.
1927Served as teacher in Bridge, N.C.
1928Author of review of Negro Life in North Carolina with My Recollections
1931Died in Raleigh, Sept. 4; survived by daughters, Emma Hunter Satterwhite and Lena M. Hunter

Subject Headings

Related Material

  • North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Archives, 1850-2008 and undated (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Charles N. Hunter Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Provenance

The Charles N. Hunter Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1941.

Processing Information

Processed by Colby Bogie, Jessica Carew, and Carrie Mills.

Encoded by Colby Bogie, Jessica Carew, and Carrie Mills.

Updated to include digital content by Noah Huffman, April 2013

The complete 1941 accession is represented in this finding aid.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NC EAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.