Family Papers/Genealogy

Abstract

The Alexander and Sample families are two well known and documented families in the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County area. This collection follows certain genealogical lines within these two families. Collection materials include correspondence and genealogical research dated c1958-c1961.

Abstract Bonnie Alice Austin was born to James A. and Wilma Duncan Austin on May 27, 1896 in Union County, North Carolina. She married George Henry Petteway on November 23, 1914, but later divorced. Bonnie and George had three daughters: Martha, Mary, and Jean. Bonnie Austin Petteway accumulated a wealth of genealogical information on a variety of families in and around Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Some of the more heavily documented families included in her notes are: Shelby, Stevenson,...

Abstract

This collection contains two ledgers belonging to the Borden family, who kept detailed account of transactions made 1932-1970. Examples of transactions include farm equipment/machinery, gravel, labor, plumbing supplies, gasoline, food and beverage, sales tax, personal business/family matters, and other miscellaneous goods and services. Also included in this collection are deeds tracking the ownership and sale of the property. Materials are dated 1932-1975.

Abstract

The Boyce Family Papers is a collection of private materials chronicling the lives of James Boyce (1740-1803) and his descendants for over two hundred years. This collection contains land surveys and land records, bills of sale of enslaved peoples, wills, tax receipts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, vital and marriage records, family Bible, chattel mortgages, photographs, and other miscellaneous materials relating to the Boyce family. Materials are dated 1767-1976.

Abstract

This collection contains correspondence, land records (deeds, deeds of trust, property surveys), tax receipts, and documentation on the re-surveying of the US Post Office, Assay Site, and Courthouse in Charlotte. Land records largely reference properties including Brevard, Myers-Cedar Groves Farm, Chatham Estates, present-day Plaza Midwood, and other areas in Mecklenburg County. Materials are dated 1873-1957.

Abstract

This collection spans items related to the John C. and Ruth Kilgo family, as well as Charles Paty. The Kilgos were residents of Mecklenburg County and active members of the community. Charles Paty is a World War II veteran and was a friend of the Kilgo family. Both the Kilgos and Paty lived in the Plaza Midwood area of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Materials include: Clippings, Correspondence, Ephemera, Postcards, Printed Materials, Rosters, Negatives, and Photographs.

Abstract

This collection contains documents that cover Mrs. Cornelia Beery Fore’s (Mrs. J.A. Fore) work as the historian for the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It consists primarily of historical research and collected testimonies pertaining to the United States Civil War as well as genealogical research into Fore’s own lineage. Included as well are letters and other documents from the life of her daughter, Ms. Cornelia (Cornie) Fore. Materials are dated 1864-1944 and are in good condition.

Abstract The Hood Family Bible was given to Lester Alexander Puckett (of Puckett’s Meats) and Alice Goodrum Puckett by Raymond V. Hood Sr. and Pauline Jane Puckett. Lester Alexander Puckett was the son of James Puckett and Violet Davidson Alexander, Violet being the great-granddaughter of John McKnitt Alexander. Dates of birth, marriage, and death may be found in the Bible. Other miscellaneous genealogical information is found in this collection as well, but through newspaper clippings and other...

Abstract The Downs/McCachren and Cappiello/Piscitelli Collection contains a variety of materials for the Downs, McCachren, Cappiello, and Piscitelli families. The Downs and McCachren families have been longtime residents of Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties, while the Cappiello and Piscitelli families came from Italy and settled in New Haven, Connecticut. Anthony Piscitelli settled in Charlotte after marrying Alice McCachren in 1947. Members of these families for whom materials may be...

Abstract The Dulin Family Papers consists of a variety of materials from the family of Thomas Leroy “Lee” Dulin (1842-1914). Thomas Dulin married Sarah C. Pharr (1841-1881) in 1862, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and their children were: Harvey C. (1864-?), John Walter (1867-?), Lula Ellen (1869-1957), Cornelia Vashti (1871-1951), Sallie Wilson (1873-1956), and Ella Elizabeth (1878-1960). This collection contains books, clippings, diaries, documents, and photographs. Materials are dated...

Abstract Emma Peoples Smith was born in 1928 to James McDill (c1873-1939) and Mattie Perry Peoples (1892-1992). She had two sisters, Rachel and Margaret, as well as three brothers, James, Perry, and Preston. Primarily farmers, the Peoples family lived in south Mecklenburg County in the area where Carson’s Pond is today. They were early inhabitants of the region, beginning c1790 with John Peoples, originally of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. This collection includes documents,...

Abstract Nicholas Biddle Gibbon (1837-1917) was born on November 28, 1837 to Dr. John Heysham and Catharine Lardner Gibbon. He was one of ten children. The family resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until 1837, when John became assayer in the U.S. Branch Mint in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nicholas married Harriet Alexander in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in 1870, and they settled near Derita. Nicholas was a farmer, justice of the peace, and member of the General Assembly of North Carolina...

Abstract This collection contains materials relating to the Guion family of Charlotte, North Carolina. Many of the items in the collection pertain to military service, including the Spanish-American War and World War I. Clyde Doyle Guion served in US Army from 1918-19 and in the American Expeditionary Forces for 3 months. C.D. Guion was also a pharmacist in Cornelius. Several items are related to the USS Relief, a hospital ship in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War, confined to...

Abstract This collection spans items related to the Haigler family, who lived in Union and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina. The collection consists primarily of correspondence between members of the H.M. Haigler family in the 1940s. The H.I. Ha[i]gler and H.M. Haigler families lived on farms close to Charlotte and grew cotton. Some items in this collection allow a view into agricultural practice in the early and mid-1900s, including cotton ration books. Many family members also fought in World...

Abstract

This collection consists of 14 scrapbooks of memorabilia kept by W.T. Harris and his family. The bulk of the materials are from the 1970s, with a few scrapbooks from the 1960s and 1980s. Examples of scrapbook materials include congratulatory letters, programs, awards, involvement in community organizations, speaking engagements, correspondence, and “Man of the Year” awards.

Abstract Hugh Roy Smith (1908-1979) opened his first business, Cornelius Floral Gardens, in 1933. The business later became known as Smith’s Flowers and Nurseries, Inc. During his career, he grew and sold flowers through his shops in Cornelius and Mooresville and provided floral arrangements for weddings and pageants. He also participated in Southern Living Show exhibits and won awards for his displays. In addition to his work, Smith was active in his community as a chairman of the Cornelius...

Abstract John Price Carr was born in November 1854 in the Hopewell community. Carr’s father died while he was still young, and he left school to help support his family. Carr quickly rose to become a leader in the First Ward community, owned a thriving moving company, and helped rescue Presbyterian Hospital following a devastating fire. Carr died from pneumonia in April 1927. His home, built in 1904 and known as the J.P. Carr house, can be seen at 200-206 North McDowell Street in Charlotte. ...

Abstract Joseph Benjamin Ivey (1864-1958) founded Ivey's along with his brother, George Ivey, and Reverend J.A. Bowles in 1900. Their first store was located on the 200 block of N. Tryon Street. Ivey's was a popular department store in Charlotte, North Carolina until it was sold to the Chicago-based Marshall Field department stores in 1980. This collection contains newsletters written by J.B. and George M. Ivey dated 1925-1963 on topics such as family, neighbors, church, business, and travels....

Abstract James Latta (1755-1837) was an early settler in Mecklenburg County who immigrated from Ireland in 1785. The home he built, Latta Plantation, is in Huntersville, NC near Mountain Island Lake. It was built in 1800 as a cotton plantation and serves as a living history farm on a 1,343 acre nature preserve. This collection contains land records, reproduced maps, deed book entries, and a summary of deeds for James Latta’s property and surrounding properties of what is now known as Historic Latta...

Abstract This collection contains familial papers of the Lemmond family. Members of the Lemmond family mentioned include John Lemmond, J.B. Williamson, Mark hudson Lemmond, Delia Ann Irwin Lemmond, Mary Adeline Lemmond, Walker Lemmond, Margaret Lemmond, Mamie Lemmond, Willie Mae Lemmond, Sara Henrietta Kirkpatrick Lemmond, R.W. Irwin, Margaret Williamson Lemmond, and Avery Baxter Lemmond. Examples of materials are newspaper clippings, documents,and photographs. Collection materials are dated...

Abstract Lois Moore Yandle (1927-) is the author of "Spirit of a Proud People: Pictures and Stories of Highland Park Manufacturing Mill #3 and the People in the Village of North Charlotte." Highland Park Mill #3, built in 1904, was designed by the prominent architect Stuart Warren Cramer and is the only surviving Charlotte building still associated with him. It was Mecklenburg County’s largest single textile mill and the first all-electric mill in Mecklenburg County. The North Charlotte community was...

Abstract Mary Brevard Alexander Howell was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1901, the only child of Sydenham B. Alexander, Jr. and Mary Watson Robertson Alexander. In 1922, Howell married Billy Shaw Howell, with whom she shared two sons, Sydenham Alexander Howell and Billy “Wool” Shaw Howell, Jr. Howell was very active in civic affairs. At various times, she was a board member for a number of charitable organizations including the Florence Crittendon Home and the Presbyterian Foundation. She...

Abstract

Michael Blair is a Charlotte businessman who specializes in Real Estate. His collection contains a variety of local history memorabilia and family photographs. Materials are dated 1847-1949 and are in good condition.

Abstract The Hunter and Ranson families were two of the earliest families who settled in what was originally known as “Craighead.” In 1873, the town was renamed “Huntersville” for the Hunter family. These two families would join together through the 1890 marriage of William Joseph Ranson and Ellen Viola Hunter. The Ranson and Hunter families continued to influence the development of the Huntersville community throughout the 20th Century. The children of William and Ellen went on to serve their...

Abstract Walter Wilford Kale (1897-1983) was born in Cleveland County, NC and moved to Charlotte with his family at a young age. In 1925, he partnered with his brother, Walker, and A.J. Lawing to form the Kale-Lawing Company. Their company sold office supply products from its storefront on 227 South Tryon Street until the 1980s. The papers in this collection include financial and business records, correspondence, genealogical information, photographs, awards, and records relating to the...

Abstract The Wilkes-Smedberg Papers is a collection of letters sent to and from John “Jack” Wilkes (1827-1908) and his wife, Jane “Jeanie” Renwick Smedberg Wilkes (1827-1913). Through family connections they were related to some of New York City’s most prominent families, including the Jeffreys, Wilkes, Auchincloss, Brevoort, Irving, among many others. Jeanie is well-known for her efforts in fundraising for St. Peter's Hospital (for the white community), and Good Samaritan Hospital (for the Black...

Content Description This collection contains materials relating to the Wyche Family. Collection materials are dated 1714-1956, with 1714 as an outlier and a bulk of the materials from the early to mid-20th century. Materials are arranged in 11 series:Series 1: Manuscripts, include biographical sketches of members of the Wyche and Tillett families, lineage, and obituaries.Series 2: Birth and Death Dates, include birth and death dates for members of the Wyche family. These documents...