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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 | 1.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 400 items) |
| Abstract | William Joseph Ranson of Huntersville, N.C., had about ten children, including several sons who attended the University of North Carolina in the 1910s and 1920s: John Oliver Ranson, who was killed in France during World War I; Lucius H. Ranson, who served as Superintendent of Welfare for Mecklenburg County, N.C., in the 1920s; Robert Lacy Ranson, who graduated from the University in 1924; and Paul J. Ranson. The brothers were involved in athletics at the University, both during their time as students and as alumni. One was on the football team, and two were on the track and field team, although it is unclear which brothers were on which teams. The collection includes Ranson family correspondence, subject files, printed material, and pictures, mostly photographs, chiefly 1910-1926, although a few items are from later years. Correspondence, chiefly 1917-1922, includes letters among brothers Lucius H. Ranson, Robert Lacy Ranson, and Paul J. Ranson. Topics include University of North Carolina alumni and athletic activities; Lucius H. Ranson's work as Superintendent of Welfare for Mecklenburg County; Robert Lacy Ranson's work at the University yearbook; football and track and field; and family news. Also included are letters of condolence from fellow soldiers to the widow of John Oliver Ranson, who died fighting in France during World War I in 1918. Subject files include material related to the Ranson brothers' time at the University and miscellaneous material related to the Ranson family. Printed material includes programs for University athletic events and dramatic performances by the Carolina Playmakers. There are also other University of North Carolina publications. Photographs are unidentified and undated, although they were probably taken during the 1910s and 1920s. Several of the photographs appear to have been taken on the University of North Carolina campus, and some show University athletes and sports teams. |
| Creator | Ranson family. |
| 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: Nathalie Wheaton and Danielle Allen, November 2005
Encoded by: Nathalie Wheaton, November 2005
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, March 2021; Dawne Howard Lucas and Rebecca Stubbs, February 2023
Museum items have been transferred to the North Carolina Collection Gallery.
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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
William Joseph Ranson of Huntersville, N.C., had about ten children, including several sons who attended the University of North Carolina in the 1910s and 1920s: John Oliver Ranson, who was killed in France during World War I; Lucius H. Ranson, who served as Superintendent of Welfare for Mecklenburg County, N.C., in the 1920s; Robert Lacy Ranson, who graduated from the University in 1924; and Paul J. Ranson. The brothers were very involved in athletics at the University, both during their time as students and as alumni. One was on the football team, and two were on the track and field team, although it is unclear which brothers were on which teams.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes Ranson family of Huntersville, N.C., correspondence, subject files, printed material, and photographs, mostly dating 1910-1926, although a few items are from later years. Correspondence, chiefly 1917-1922, includes letters among brothers Lucius H. Ranson, Robert Lacy Ranson, and Paul J. Ranson. Topics include University of North Carolina alumni and athletic activities; Lucius H. Ranson's work as Superintendent of Welfare for Mecklenburg County, N.C.; Robert Lacy Ranson's work at the University yearbook; football and track and field; and family news. Also included are letters of condolence from fellow soldiers to the widow of John Oliver Ranson, who died fighting in France during World War I in 1918. Subject files include material related to the Ranson brothers' time at the University and miscellaneous material related to the Ranson family. Printed material includes programs for University athletic events and dramatic performances by the Carolina Playmakers. There are also other University of North Carolina publications. Photographs are unidentified and undated, although they were probably taken during the 1910s and 1920s. Several of the photographs appear to have been taken on the University of North Carolina campus, and some show University athletes and sports teams.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1912-1971 and undated (bulk 1917-1922).
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, 1917-1922, are mostly to Lucius H. Ranson from his brother Robert Lacy Ranson on athletic and recreational programs. Also included are letters of condolence from fellow soldiers to the widow of John Oliver Ranson who was killed fighting in France during World War I in 1918. Later letters, 1925 and 1927, are mostly to Robert Lacy Ranson or Paul J. Ranson. Topics include the University of North Carolina Alumni Athletic Association; Lucius Ranson's work as Superintendent of Welfare for Mecklenburg County; Robert Lacy Ranson's work at Yackety Yack, the University of North Carolina yearbook; football and track and field; and family news. A 1971 postcard from a woman named Laura to Nell Ranson and Kate Ranson Cornue is the only letter in the collection dated after 1927.
| Folder 1 |
1912-1919 |
| Folder 2 |
1920-1921 |
Folder 3-4
Folder 3Folder 4 |
1922 |
| Folder 5 |
1925, 1927 |
| Folder 6 |
1971 and undated |
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Series 2. Subject Files and Printed Material, 1910-1977 and undated (bulk 1910-1926).
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Subject files include material related to the Ranson brothers' time at the University of North Carolina and miscellaneous material related to the Ranson family. Printed material includes University publications and programs associated with athletic events or dramatic performances. Included are the Alumni Review, produced by the General Alumni Association; The Carolina Magazine, a literary magazine; and The Tar Heel, a weekly newspaper started by the Athletics Association, which became the Daily Tar Heel, in 1929. Other material is related to athletics and sports. Included are football and track and field programs, certificates, a 1912 calendar featuring University sports teams, and newspaper articles about sporting events. Also included are University directories and student handbooks. Performing arts material mostly includes programs, especially for performances by the Carolina Playmakers.
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Series 3. Photographs, 1910s-1920s.
Pictures are unidentified and undated, although they were probably taken during the 1910s and 1920s. Unidentified individuals include a young man posing in what might be his army uniform during World War I. Pictures of athletes include University of North Carolina football players and track and field team members. Pictures in the picture album are of unidentified individuals, groups, and University of North Carolina athletes. Several of the pictures appear to have been taken on the University campus. Also included is a 3.5 foot-long panoramic photograph of University students posing on campus in 1919; the photograph is labeled "Wooten-Moulton".
| Image Folder PF-5216/1 |
Unidentified individuals |
| Image Folder PF-5216/2 |
Unidentified individuals: Athletes |
| Image Folder PF-5216/3 |
Unidentified groups |
Image Folder PF-5216/4-5
PF-5216/4PF-5216/5 |
Unidentified groups: Athletes |
| Image Folder PF-5216/6 |
Track and field events |
| Image Folder PF-5216/7 |
Buildings on the University of North Carolina campus |
| Image Folder PF-5216/8 |
Small picture album |
| Image Folder PF-5216/9 |
University of North Carolina: Athletes, coaches, and professorsAcquisitions information: Received from Virginia Cornue in September 2022 (Acc. 20221220.3). Includes two photographs, one of a team of white athletes with a man in a suit believed to be Dale Ranson standing in the top right corner. The second is a photograph of five white men, presumably Ranson and colleagues. |
| Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-5216/2b-3b |
Oversize photographs |
| Extra Oversize Image Folder XOP-PF-5216/1 |
Photograph of University of North Carolina students, 1919 |
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Items Separated