Inventory of the John Whitford Papers, 1829-1921

Abstract

Planter, Confederate Army officer, and North Carolina state senator.

Correspondence, tax books, military order book, postwar plantation records, and legal papers relating to Whitford's planting activities before and after the Civil War, his service as a colonel in the 67th Regiment of North Carolina Troops, and his position as state senator. Includes Whitford family letters and papers.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator: Whitford, John, d. ca. 1894.
Title: John Whitford Papers, 1829-1921
Language of Material: English
Extent: 3.0 Linear Feet, 1011 Items
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Collection Overview

This collection contains the papers of John N. Whitford, commander of the 67th North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War, cotton planter, and state senator. The collection includes contracts for the hire of slaves in the 1850s; reports of Mary E. Williamson and Caroline Williamson at school in Oxford, North Carolina; accounts of F. T. Williamson, Mary E. Williamson, and Caroline Williamson with their guardian, William Foy; fire insurance policies; papers relating to suits involving John N. Whitford; miscellaneous military papers, for the most part related to the service of John N. Whitford in the Confederate Army; contracts between Whitford and freedmen; a letter to Whitford from a former slave; miscellaneous land surveys and papers related to land transactions, household accounts, bills and receipts, and legal papers; handbills for Whitford's campaign for the state senate in 1888; papers and letters related to the breeding of horses; tax lists for the lower Black River district, New Hanover County, North Carolina; records of tax delinquents; and the wills of John N. Whitford and Mary E. (Williamson) Whitford. Volumes include a tax book for New Bern, North Carolina, 1856; account books; and memorandum books. One of the memoranda books contains general orders of John N. Whitford as the col. of the 67th Regt. of N.C. Troops and post-Civil War plantation records of John N. and Harry Whitford. There is printed material on the Farmers' Alliance in North Carolina and Virginia, the Knights of Honor, and the Royal Arcanum.

One notable letter written by one of Whitford's freed slaves describes his condition and asks for a certificate of ownership for a horse, because some soldiers were trying to confiscate his property (Oct. 8, 1864).

Administrative Information

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Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

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

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

Browse List of Series

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Papers, 1829-1921

(3 boxes)

Papers, 1829-1873

Box 1

Papers, 1874-1912

Box 2

Papers, 1913-1921 and undated

Box 3

Volumes, 1864-1899 and undated

(1 box; 2 volumes)

Bound volumes

Box 3

Daybook, 1885-1890

Volume L:5784

General order and memorandum book, 1864-1875

Volume F:5785

Historical Note

During the Civil War, John N. Whitford (d. ca. 1894) was Col. of the 67th Regt. of N.C. Troops. In 1864 he was stationed in Kinston, N.C., and in March of 1865 he was transferred to Tarboro. Arter the war he was a cotton planter in Jones Co., near New Bern, N.C. In 1882 he was elected to the N.C. Senate for one term. He ran again, unsuccessfully, in 1888.

John N. Whitford's wife, Mary E. Williamson, was sister to Caroline Williamson, who married John's brother Harry Whitford. Mary E. died in 1883. John and Mary's children were John H., Annie C., and Laura. In 1890-1891, Annie was in school in Salem. She married Dr. George Hayes in 1898. After John N. Whitford's death ca. 1894, his brother Harry became the guardian of his minor heirs.

Subject Headings

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], John Whitford Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Provenance

The John Whitford Papers were acquired by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library in 1951-1960.

Processing Information

Processed by Rubenstein Library Staff

Encoded by Jane Metters and Meghan Lyon, September 2011

This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

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

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.