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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
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 | 12.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 6700 items) |
| Abstract | Archie K. Davis wrote "The Boy Colonel of the Confederacy" (1987) and was chair of the board of Wachovia Bank and Trust Company; president of the American Bankers Association, 1966; and president of the United States Chamber of Commerce. The collection includes correspondence, writings, and research materials collected by Davis; business-related papers; public service papers; and other materials. Most of the collection documents Davis's interest in Civil War history. Included are correspondence, writings, and research materials about a variety of historical subjects, ranging from Davis's Moravian background to his research on Henry King Burgwyn and his interest in the Battle of Gettysburg, and including his friendship with Julia Preston, granddaughter of Stonewall Jackson. The business-related material contains some information about Davis's career with Wachovia Bank and Trust Company, but it chiefly documents his tenures as president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and the American Bankers Association. The public service papers contain information about Davis's two terms in the North Carolina Senate, 1958-1962, and his activities following his retirement in 1974. The Addition of June 2002 consists of 20 reels of silent, black-and-white, color, acetate, or diacetate 16-mm films, among other items. Films mostly document Archie K. Davis's 1927 trip around the world on the ship Franconia with his parents when he was 16. Other films were shot in the 1940s and are primarily of Davis's family and friends. Also included are a biographical note on Davis, items concerning Thomas G. Jones and Walter Burgwyn Jones, information concerning his term with the North Carolina Society, and a diary of American Bankers Association activities. |
| Creator | Davis, Archie K. |
| 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: Lisa Tolbert, January 1988, January-February 1990
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Finding Aid updated by Samantha Leonard in October 2010 because of an addition.
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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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Related Collections
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Biographical Information
Archie K. Davis, North Carolina banker, was born 22 January 1911, in Winston-Salem. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Davis was named assistant treasurer of Wachovia Bank in 1938; assistant vice-president in 1940; vice-president in 1942; and senior vice-president of the Winston-Salem office in 1946. Davis became chair of the board of Wachovia Bank and Trust Company in 1956. In 1966, he was elected president of the American Bankers Association. From 1971 to 1972, Davis served as president of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to his banking career, Archie K. Davis was a leader in regional development. From 1958 to 1962, he served two terms as senator in the North Carolina General Assembly. Davis was an organizer and first president of the Northwest North Carolina Development Association. He served as president of the Research Triangle Foundation and was a leader in the development of Research Triangle Park. Davis served on the boards of several companies including the executive committee of Robert Morris Associates, and the board of trustees of UNC-CH, Converse College, and Salem Academy and College. A Moravian, Davis was a charter member and president of the organization that restored Old Salem.
Davis was also an avid Civil War historian. After his retirement from Wachovia in 1974, he returned to the University of North Carolina to earn a Masters Degree and complete a dissertation. Although Davis never took the preliminary examinations requisite for the PhD, The University of North Carolina Press, in 1985, published Boy Colonel of the Confederacy: The Life and Times of Henry King Burgwyn Jr. , based on his dissertation.
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Scope and Content
Most of the collection documents Archie K. Davis's interest in Civil War history. The first series includes correspondence, writings, and research materials collected by Davis about a variety of historical subjects, ranging from his Moravian background to his interest in the Battle of Gettysburg, and including his friendship with Julia Preston, granddaughter of Stonewall Jackson. Davis acted on his interest in the Civil War by working toward a Ph.D in history at The University of North Carolina. His dissertation research on Henry King Burgwyn Jr., is documented in Series 3. One of the youngest regimental commanders of the Confederacy, Burgwyn became colonel of the Twenty-Sixth North Carolina Regiment at the age of twenty and died at Gettysburg one year later.
Series 2 contains some information about Davis's banking career, but it chiefly documents his tenure as president of the United States Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association. The public service papers in Series 4 contain information about Davis's two terms in the North Carolina Senate (1958-1962) and his public service activities following his retirement in 1974. This collection has been processed to the folder level, retaining Davis's original arrangement scheme in most cases.
The Addition of June 2002 consists of 20 reels of silent, black and white, color, acetate or diacetate 16-mm films. Films consist mostly of Archie K. Davis's 1927 trip around the world on the ship Franconia. Other films were shot in the 1940s and are primarily of Davis's family and friends. The addition also includes a biographical note on Davis, items concerning Thomas G. Jones and Walter Burgwyn Jones, information concerning Davis's term with the North Caroliniana Society, and a diary of American Bankers Association activities.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Historical Materials (See also Series 3).
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Subseries 1.1. Correspondence, 1931-1986.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, mostly to Davis from friends and business associates, with attached newspaper clippings, writings, and information on various subjects which Davis kept in his history files.
| Folder 1 |
1933-1961 |
| Folder 2 |
1963-1965 |
| Folder 3 |
1966 |
| Folder 4 |
1967-1968 |
| Folder 5 |
1969 |
| Folder 6 |
1970-1973 |
| Folder 7 |
1974-1977 |
| Folder 8 |
1978-1980 |
| Folder 9 |
1981-1986 and undated |
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Subseries 1.2. Writings, 1951-1983
and undated.
This series contains writings by Davis, including typed papers written during the course of UNC history classes, and published speeches on historical subjects. Also included are handwritten and typed notes apparently created in the process of writing his papers.
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Subseries 1.3. Writings by Others.
Pamphlets, brochures, photocopies of published articles, and magazine clippings, reflecting Davis's varied research interests. This series also includes typed photocopies of unpublished writings by friends and associates of Davis.
Folder 13-22
Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22 |
Writings, Others (Historical Materials) |
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Subseries 1.4. Research Materials.
A range of primary source materials, including photocopies of typescript and manuscript diaries and narratives, broadsides and advertisements, photocopies from nineteenth-century journals, and fragments of nineteenth-century newspapers.
Folder 23-28
Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28 |
Research materials |
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Subseries 1.5. Clippings.
Primarily clippings from twentieth-century newspapers on topics with a Civil War connection.
Folder 29-32
Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32 |
Clippings |
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Subseries 1.6. Subject Files.
Chiefly research materials and miscellaneous information collected as background for speeches and writings on various historical subjects. Also included are a series of correspondence between Davis and Burke Davis; letters from Julia Preston, grandaughter of General T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson; and correspondence with the Southern Historical Collection about Davis's assistance with the Southern Oral History Program.
| Folder 32a |
Ball, Douglas - early North Carolina currency |
| Folder 32b |
Civil War |
| Folder 32c |
Civil War |
| Folder 32d |
Civil War |
| Folder 32e |
Civil War |
| Folder 32f |
Civil War |
| Folder 33 |
Confederate Navy |
| Folder 34 |
Davis, Burke |
Folder 35-37
Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37 |
Gettysburg |
| Folder 38 |
Henderson, Richard |
| Folder 38a |
Jackson, Stonewall: VMI presentation by Davis, 1987 |
Folder 39-40
Folder 39Folder 40 |
Jackson, Stonewall |
| Folder 40a |
Lee-Jackson Foundation |
| Folder 40b-40c |
Lee, Robert E. |
| Folder 40d |
Moravian History and Old Salem Celebration (4 July 1983) |
| Folder 40e |
Museum of the Confederacy |
| Folder 41-41a |
Preston, Julia |
| Folder 42 |
Southern Historical Collection |
| Folder 42a-42i |
Twenty-sixth North Carolina Regiment: Gettysburg Monuments |
| Folder 43 |
Miscellaneous |
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Subseries 1.7. Volumes.
| Oversize Volume S-4505/1 |
"61st and Final Reunion of the United Confederate Veterans" |
| Oversize Volume S-4505/2 |
Writings by Edwin Gill, Treasurer of North Carolina, 1953-1977 |
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Series 2. Business-Related Materials.
The bulk of business-related material consists of speeches written by Davis along with subject files that document his participation at various national and international business conferences, 1965-1978. Other materials include scrapbooks of Archie K. Davis's tenure as president of the United States Chamber of Commerce and American Bankers Association, newspaper clippings, and a few letters.
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Subseries 2.1. Correspondence, 1965-1983.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters from United States congressmen and foreign officials documenting Davis's international business affiliations. Also included are letters documenting other business-related activities. Of particular interest are several letters from United States Senator Samuel J. Ervin Jr.
| Folder 44 |
Correspondence, 1965-1983 |
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Subseries 2.2. Writings, 1957-1972.
Chiefly speeches by Davis delivered at various business conferences.
| Folder 45 |
American Bankers Association Speeches 1957-1965 |
| Folder 45a |
American Bankers Association Speeches 1965-1966 |
| Folder 45b |
American Bankers Association Speeches 1966 |
| Folder 45c |
"An Enduring Society," from Congressional Record |
| Folder 45d |
United States Chamber of Commerce Speeches 1967-1971 |
| Folder 45e |
United States Chamber of Commerce Speeches 1971 |
| Folder 45f |
United States Chamber of Commerce Speeches 1971-1972 |
| Folder 45g-45i |
Business Speeches |
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Subseries 2.3. Subject Files, 1965-1978.
Chiefly published reports generated by international business conferences Davis attended.
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Subseries 2.4. Other Materials.
Includes miscellaneous programs and invitations to conventions attended by Davis; a few newspaper clippings and photocopies of clippings relating chiefly to Davis's business activities in North Carolina.
| Folder 47-48b |
Other Materials |
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Subseries 2.5. Volumes.
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Series 3. Burgwyn Research Materials, 1838-1982.
After earning a Masters Degree at The University of North Carolina in 1975, Davis collected the material in this series during research for a dissertation about Henry King Burgwyn Jr. These papers show that, in addition to the Southern Historical Collection, Davis's research took him to Boston, New York, Gettysburg, and London. The bulk of the material relates to two members of the Burgwyn family--Anna Greenough Burgwyn and Henry King Burgwyn Jr. The series contains photocopies of original diaries and letters composed by these and other family members, many with typed transcriptions. Along with the historical materials Davis collected, the series also contains his correspondence with research assistants, professors, and archivists documenting the progress of his project. Writing on weekends for over six years, Davis produced a twelve hundred page dissertation, Boy Colonel of the Confederacy: The Life and Times of Henry King Burgwyn Jr. , published in 1987 by The University of North Carolina Press.
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Series 4. Public Service Material, 1958-1962; 1977-1988.
This series chiefly documents Davis's record of public service following his retirement in 1974. However, it also includes five folders containing information about his two terms in the North Carolina Senate from 1958 to 1962. Materials from the latter include correspondence and newspaper clippings about election campaigns, as well as Davis's legislative appointments, awards, and honors. The remaining public service papers document Davis's board memberships, his support for non-profit foundations, and his numerous involvements beyond the banking industry. In particular, these papers reveal Davis's interest and participation in activities to benefit higher education.
| Folder 119 |
Senate Campaign, 1958-1959 |
| Folder 120 |
Senate Campaign and Service, 1960-1962 |
| Folder 121 |
Senate, 1962 |
Folder 122-123
Folder 122Folder 123 |
Legislative Appointments, Awards, Honors, etc. |
Folder 124-130
Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130 |
Miscellaneous Public Service Papers |
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Series 5. Pictures.
Chiefly photographs of Archie K. Davis in business and social settings. Of particular interest is "The Late Gen'l Hood's Family," issued to raise funds to support Hood's family after his death.
Image P-4505/1-10
P-4505/1P-4505/2P-4505/3P-4505/4P-4505/5P-4505/6P-4505/7P-4505/8P-4505/9P-4505/10 |
Davis, Archie K. |
Image P-4505/11-13
P-4505/11P-4505/12P-4505/13 |
Davis home with "Lee House" in foreground |
| Image P-4505/14 |
Preston, Julia |
| Image P-4505/15 |
"Town road looking north at Summit St., Winston, N.C.," 15 June 1914 |
| Image P-4505/16 |
Marker at Potecasi Creek, North Carolina |
| Image P-4505/17 |
Unidentified man in front of unidentified Civil War statue |
| Image P-4505/18 |
"The Late Gen'l Hood's Family, sold under the the auspices of the Hood Relief Committee, N[ew] O[rleans]. Every Picture Sold adds to the Permanent Fund for the Education and maintainence of these 'Wards of the South,'" 1879. |
| Image P-4505/19 |
"Regimental Band-2nd N. C. Regiment of Volunteers - Spanish-American War. This picture given to Hon. Archie Davis by W.H.S. Burgwyn - nephew of Col. Wm. H. S. Burgwyn. September 6, 1965." |
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Series 6. Audio Tapes.
| Audiotape T-4505/1 |
Archie K. Davis's speech at dedication of Confederate memorial to Henry K, Burgwyn Jr., Jackson Courthouse, Northampton County, 22 July 1961.1/4" Open Reel Audio |
Audiocassette C-4505/1-2
C-4505/1C-4505/2 |
Interview by Archie K. Davis with Julia Preston, granddaughter of Stonewall Jackson, 26 December 1974. |
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ADDITIONS AFTER APRIL 1990.
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Addition of May 1990 (Acc. 90052).
Filed in Box 10.
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Addition of May 1990 (Acc. 90058).
Filed in Box 10.
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Addition of June 1990 (Acc. 90069).
Filed in Box 11.
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Addition of December 1990 (Acc. 91021).
Filed in Box 11.
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Addition of March 1991 (Acc. 91046).
Filed in Box 11.
| Folder 141 |
Materials related to the project to erect Northwest Trading Post at Glendale Springs, North Carolina, 1956-1958 |
Folder 142-143
Folder 142Folder 143 |
Institutional and corporate publications |
| Folder 144 |
Miscellaneous newspaper clippings |
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Addition of July 1991 (Acc. 91100).
Filed in Box 12.
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Addition of June 2002 (Acc. 99272)
The Addition of June 2002 consists of 20 reels of silent, black-and-white, color, acetate or diacetate 16-mm films. Film F-4505/3 is in color. The estimated lengths of the films range from 80 to 500 feet. Most films were shot in either 1927 or the 1940s.
Films chiefly document Archie K. Davis's 1927 trip around the world on the ship Franconia. Other films are primarily of Davis's family and friends. The addition also includes a biographical note on Davis, items concerning Thomas G. Jones and Walter Burgwyn Jones, information concerning Davis's term with the North Carolina Society, and a diary of American Bankers Association activities.
All film titles are transcribed from the original film containers. Films are either edited from original camera film or unedited original camera films. Many edited films include intertitles. Intertitles are transcribed from the films in chronological order. Descriptions of shots are also listed in chronological order.
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Addition of June 2002: Films of trip around the world, 1927
This footage documents Davis's trip around the world on the ship Franconia in 1927. On this voyage, Archie Davis was 16 years old. He was accompanied by his father and his brother Whit Davis on the trip.
All film titles are transcribed from the original film containers. Films are either edited from original camera film or unedited original camera films. Many edited films include intertitles. Intertitles are transcribed from the films in chronological order. Descriptions of shots are also listed in chronological order.
| Film F-4505/2 |
"Maderia, Nice, Naples, Egypt, 1927"Intertitles: Franconia; World Cruise 1928, Funchal, Madeira; Promenade de Anglais, Nice; Vesuvius, Egypt, Life and Scenes; Up the Nile; and Goodbye Egypt. Footage includes street scenes, cityscapes, and pyramids. Shots include exterior views of the Franconia; cityscapes with mountains; street performers;the Sphinx; the Nile River; and Egyptian children. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4506/4 |
"Java, Mauritius, Durban, 1927"Intertitles: Java, Buitenzorg, Weltevreden; Batavia; Mauritius; Durban; Zulu War Dance. Footage depicts indigenous people. Shots include children who are possibly at school; street scenes, with horses, men carrying carts and buckets, and a game with coins; boats; a cannon in front of an elephant statue; a man fixing a straw roof; a tram; machinery; fishermen; sailors; a crowd of Mauritians; a waterfall; a monkey; a beach scene; a man with a headdress; and a Zulu war dance. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/5 |
"Singapore, Siam, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, 1927"Intertitles: Singapore; Siam; Hong Kong; Shanghai. Footage includes cityscapes and various street scenes. Shots include temples; figurines; men pushing carriages and carts; buses; a restaurant in a market; water scenes; statues; crowds; workers digging; mountains and roads; food markets; and children. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/6 |
"Nara, Kyoto, Nikko, Yokohama, Kamakura, 1927"Intertitles: Nara, Japan; Kyoto; Nikko, Sacred City of Japan; Yokohama; Daibutsi, Kamakura; Manila. Shots include animals; boats; Japanese children playing hopscotch; street scenes with statues, etchings, and buildings; possibly a guard or a military man; a sign for the "Trade Association Bazaar"; a Buddha statue; and water scenes. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/7 |
"India-Ceylon, 1927"Intertitles: India Bathing and Burning Ghats Benares; Shah Jahan's Palace Delhi; Kutb Minar Tower of Victory; Agra, Taj Mahal; Colombo, Ceylon; Home of Buddha's Tooth. Shots include a river; street scenes; snake charmers; a palace; the Taj Mahal; a monkey; a man riding an elephant and an elephant swimming; and beach scenes with a railway train in the background. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/12 |
"Premier Diamond Mine, Rhodes Grove, Victoria Falls, 1927"Intertitles: Premier Diamond Mine; Pretoria; World View; Victoria Falls; Up the Zambezi; Charleston. Shots include the inside of a diamond mine; locomotive carts, men with pick axes and mining machinery; African children and people; the grave of Cecil John Rhodes, which is also known as Rhodes Grove; a statue; a train station; a trolley; waterfalls; a view of the Zambezi river; African children dancing the Charleston. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/8 |
"Zoo Animals, Africa I, 1927"Shots include an assembly line, a factory, a lighthouse on the ocean, a rocky harbor, city views, and lions in their cages. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/11 |
"Africa-Franconia, 1927"Footage of scenes on the Franconia ship. Shots include men boxing on the ship; an island; a canoe and a speedboat; a view of the mountains; people swimming; a worker on the boat; and passengers on the deck of the ship. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/15 |
"Zulu Dance, Zoo Animals, Africa II, 1927"Shots include a giant boar, animals in their cages, birds, street scenes, and a Zulu dance performance. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/17 |
"South America, Rio, 1927"Shots include views of Rio de Janeiro and an incline cable car going up a mountain. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/20 |
"Japan, Hot Springs, 1927"Scenes include street views of a parade with Japanese people and children; a sign for "The International Industrial Exposition"; a sign for "Tower of Hot Springs" and views of the Hot Springs; Japanese women; people on the deck of a boat; "Tsurumi Jigoka" sign; and people swimming in the Hot Springs. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/14 |
"Also Aboard Ship, 1927"Shots include a view of a city and mountains; a rocky cove and harbor; the exterior of the Franconia; a waterfall; water scenes; a sunset or sunrise over the mountains; horse racing figurines; and passengers on the deck of the Franconia. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/13 |
"New York, Equator, Ship Party, 1927"Footage depicts shots and scenes of life on the Franconia ship. Shots include a performance on the deck with a band, men in tribal and horse costumes, and dancers; people swimming; party on the deck; a band on the deck; and people playing tennis and shuffleboard. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/10 |
"Statue of Liberty, Coming Home, 1927"Shots include a boat; a man performing on the Franconia in tribal costume; passengers filming with their cameras on the deck; the Statue of Liberty; and a ferry with cars. Unedited original camera film. |
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Addition of June 2002: Other films and papers
Other films include shots of adults and children who are most likely Davis's relatives or friends. All film titles are transcribed from the original film containers. Films are either edited from original camera film or unedited original camera films. Many edited films include intertitles. Intertitles are transcribed from the films in chronological order. Descriptions of shots are also listed in chronological order.
Also included are a biographical note on Davis, items concerning Thomas G. Jones and Walter Burgwyn Jones, information concerning his term with the North Carolina Society, and a diary of American Bankers Association activities.
| Film F-4505/1 |
"Fishing, Cape Hatteras, 1935"Shots include a beach house, docks with boats, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, a ferry, fishing, a canoe in the water, and children playing. A note on the film can reads "Clyde Gordon, Pop, Children, etc." Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/3 |
"Honeymoon in Bermuda, 1943-1945"Footage depicts a honeymoon in Bermuda. The film includes black and white and color footage spliced together. The first black and white segment includes scenes of an unidentified couple, possibly Davis and his wife. Color footage includes a beach scene, people hiking, men in uniforms, airplanes, sailboats, horse racing, and badminton. The closing sequence is in black and white and includes shots of children in a field and on a playground. Edited from original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/18 |
"Home Movies, Cindy, circa 1944"Shots include a view from a boat with mountains in the background and a child, who is most likely Cindy, riding a tricycle. Also includes a shot of a man in uniform. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/19 |
"Uncle Bill, Convoy Duty, WWII, 1944"Shots include scenes of water taken aboard a ship and military men on the deck of a ship. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/16 |
"Railroad, Swimming, Pool, Relatives," circa 1947Shots include a train on a railroad track; a family portrait, possibly Davis's family; a swimming pool; and children playing in a pool. Unedited original camera film. |
| Film F-4505/9 |
"Bi Plane, Beaufort," circa 1948Shots include a view of a city, which is most likely Beaufort, N.C.; a "Welcome to Beaufort" sign; a destroyed car sitting in a field; and airplanes. Unedited original camera film. |
| Folder 149 |
Biographical note on Archie K. Davis and miscellaneous items concerning Thomas G. Jones and Walter Burgwyn Jones |
| Folder 150 |
Correspondence and information concerning Archie K. Davis's term as president of the North Carolina Society |
| Folder 151 |
Diary of American Bankers Association activities, written by Archie K. Davis (president from 1965-1966) |
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Items Separated