Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Business Records of Jonathan McNeill and Elbert S. McNeill, #3915, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Gift of Elva Andes of London, Ky., 1970

Additional Descriptive Resources

A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1a.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Adam Fielding, Kate Stratton, and Jodi Berkowitz, December 2010

This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

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.

• Camp Calvert (Ky.)
• Camp Wildcat.
• Coal--Kentucky--History--19th century.
• Dry-goods--Prices--Kentucky--History--19th century.
• Laurel County (Ky.)--Commerce--History--19th century.
• McNeill, Elbert S.
• McNeill, Jonathan.
• Merchants--Kentucky--History--19th century.
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Registers of dead.
• United States. Army. Kentucky Regiment, 7th.

Jonathan and Elbert S. McNeill of Laurel County, Ky., were brothers and business operators of J. & E. S. McNeill, general merchandisers. Their brother, Captain James H. McNeill, served in the United States Army, 1861-1862 with the 7th Kentucky Regiment. The McNeills came to North Carolina from Scotland in 1769 and moved to Kentucky by 1790, settling in Laurel County around 1799. The family developed an active business community on their property, including a tavern, saw mill, grist mill, tannery, and retail shops. Many of these businesses existed into the early 20th century.

The collection contains account books and other business records, mostly 1859-1890, of Jonathan McNeill and Elbert S. McNeill, general merchants of Laurel County, Ky.; and one volume of coal shipments for a Laurel County company, 1883-1888. Loose papers are chiefly receipts and notes, 1867-1875, of Jonathan McNeill. The ledgers contain per-unit prices of various dry goods. One volume includes accounts with Captain James H. McNeill and members of the 7th Kentucky Regiment, United States Army, and a register of deaths, 1861-1862, at camps Wildcat and Calvert.