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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 200 items) |
| Abstract | Dillon and Polk families resided in Tennessee and Virginia. The collection is chiefly family correspondence, 1866-1912, of Frances Polk Dillon (1844-1912); her sisters, Sarah Rachel Polk Jones (1833-1905), Emily Donelson Polk Williams (1837-1892), and Mary Brown Polk Yeatman (1835-1890) of Maury County, Tenn.; her husband, Colonel Edward Dillon (1835-1897), of Botetourt and Rockbridge counties, Va.; and other relatives throughout the South. THe majority of the letters were written by and to the women of the Dillon and Polk families. Most concern domestic life and family matters. Papers, 1805-1863, including letters from Colonel Dillon to his mother while he was in the U.S. and Confederate armies, 1859-1863, and personal correspondence of earlier members of the Polk and Dillon families, including Edward Dillon (fl. 1805-1815) and Mary Eastin Polk (1810-1847). Correspondents include John Randolph of Roanoke (1773-1833) and Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). |
| Creator | Dillon (Family : Dillon, Edward, 1835-1897)
Polk (Family : Polk, Frances Ann Devereux, 1807-1875) |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Scott Philyaw, July 1991
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Kathryn Michaelis, November 2010
This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
The collection contains family correspondence, 1866-1912, chiefly relating to Frances Polk Dillon (1844-1912); her sisters, Sarah Rachel Polk Jones (1833-1905), Emily Donelson Polk Williams (1837-1892), and Mary Brown Polk Yeatman (1835- 1890) of Maury County Tennessee; her husband, Colonel Edward Dillon (1834-1897), of Botetourt and Rockbridge counties, Virginia; and other relatives throughout the South.
Other papers include letters from Colonel Dillon to his mother while he was serving in the U.S. and Confederate armies, 1859-1863, and the personal correspondence of earlier members of the Polk and Dillon families. Among the latter are Edward Dillon (fl. 1805-1815) and Mary Eastin Polk (1810-1847). Among their correspondents are John Randolph (1773-1833) and Andrew Jackson (1767-1845).
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Scope and Content
The collection consists primarily of personal letters (bulk 1866-1912) of an elite southern family. The majority of the letters were written by and to the women of the Dillon and Polk families. Most concern domestic life and family matters. There are occasional political references in Series 1, and incidental mention of business affairs are scattered throughout the collection. The five Civil War letters relate mainly to Colonel Dillon's dissatisfaction with his rank and his chances for promotion. There are also notes, dated 15 June 1877, concerning Dillon's recollection of General Van Dorn's operations in 1863.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. General Correspondence, 1805-1863.
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Subseries 1.1. Randolph-Dillon Correspondence, 1805-1815 and undated.
Letters to Edward Dillon (fl. 1805-1818) from John Randolph (1773-1833) of Roanoke, Virginia, Judith Randolph (fl. 1808-1810), Ann C. (Nancy) Randolph Morris (fl. 1805-1815), and Creed Taylor (1766-1836). Also included is Dillon's copy of a letter to John Randolph, 11 March 1805. Letters are generally about family matters and personal business. Those from John Randolph include some descriptions of political life in Washington.
| Folder 1 |
Randolph-Dillon correspondence,1805-1815 and undated. |
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Subseries 1.2. Mary Eastin Polk Correspondence, 1821, 1829-1844, and undated.
Chiefly letters of Mary Eastin Polk (1810-1847) and her immediate family. Letters are generally about family life and personal business. They also include descriptions of Andrew Jackson's 1829 arrival in Washington, and letters from Jackson to Polk about health and family matters, 1841.
| Folder 2 |
Mary Eastin Polk correspondence, 1821, 1829-1844, and undated. |
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Subseries 1.3. Edward Dillon Correspondence, 1859-1863.
Chiefly letters from Colonel Edward Dillon (1834-1897) to his mother. Early letters describe his experiences in the U.S. Army in northern California at the Round Valley Indian Reservation and Fort Bragg. The five Civil War letters relate mainly to Dillon's dissatisfaction with his rank and his chances for promotion. See also notes in Folder 6, 15 June 1877, about Dillon's recollection of General Van Dorn's operations in 1863.
| Folder 3 |
Edward Dillon correspondence, 1859-1863. |
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Series 2. Frances Polk Dillon Correspondence, 1866-1912, 1927 and undated.
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Subseries 2.1. 1866-1912.
Chiefly letters to Frances Polk Dillon (1844-1912) from her family: her husband Colonel Edward Dillon; her sisters, Mary Brown Polk Yeatman (1835-1905), Sarah Rachel Polk Jones (1833-1905), Emily Donelson Polk Williams (1837-1902); her children, Edward Dillon (born 1871), Lucius Polk Dillon (born 1873), John Cunningham Dillon (born 1875), and Eliza Polk Dillon (born 1878). Letters are chiefly about family matters.
| Folder 4 |
1866-1868 |
| Folder 5 |
1869-1874 |
| Folder 6 |
1875-1882 |
| Folder 7 |
1883-1889 |
| Folder 8 |
1890-1893 |
| Folder 9 |
1902-1912 |
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Subseries 2.2. Undated 1866-1912 and 1927.
Undated letters and fragments to Frances Polk Dillon. Letters have been arranged by correspondent when possible. The 1927 letter is a travel description of India to "Mother" from "Nini."
Folder 10-11
Folder 10Folder 11 |
Undated 1866-1912 |
| Folder 12 |
1927 |