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 Amanda Davidson Beall and Andrew Jackson Beall Papers #5444, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Purchased from Michael Brown Rare Books of Philadelphia, Pa., in November 2009 (Acc. 101191) and December 2010 (Acc. 101386).

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: Martin Gengenbach, January 2011

Encoded by: Martin Gengenbach, January 2011

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.

• Beall family.
• Beall, Amanda Davidson, 1849-1915.
• Beall, Andrew Jackson, 1844-1910.
• Courtship--Southern States--History--19th century.
• Davidson family.
• Families--Georgia--Social life and customs.
• Families--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
• Railroads--Employees--History--19th century.
• Women--Georgia--Social life and customs.
• Women--North Carolina--Social life and customs.

• Davidson family papers (#204)
• Springs family papers (#4121)

Amanda ("Maud") Davidson Beall (circa 1849-1915) was the daughter of Adam Brevard Davidson (1808-1896) and Mary Laura Springs (1813-1872). She was born at Rural Hill Plantation in Mecklenburg County, N.C., where her father was a planter and developer. John Davidson (1735-1832), grandfather of Adam Brevard Davidson and great-grandfather of Amanda, was a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and served as a major in the army during the American Revolutionary War. On 19 October 1875, Amanda married Andrew Jackson Beall (1844-1910) of Murray County, Ga., and the two moved to Charlotte, N.C. They had at least five children: John (b. 1876), Mary (b. 1878), Carrie (b. 1880), Isabel (b. 1883), and Andrew Jackson Jr. (1887-1966).

Andrew Jackson ("Hick") Beall was born in Murray County, Ga., to John Simmons Beall (1809-1874) and Sarah Carolina McGeehee (1819-1892). During the Civil War, he served as a corporal in the Confederate Army and was wounded twice in the Battle of Chickamauga. Beall travelled extensively as an agent for the Macon & Western Railroad and later the Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta Railroad. He left railroad work circa 1880 to work in the sales commission business and later worked for Royal Arcanum, a fraternal insurance organization.

The collection contains correspondence between Amanda Davidson Beall and Andrew Jackson Beall, circa 1870-1910. The bulk of the correspondence is from their courtship, starting in 1873 and leading up to their 1875 marriage, but there are also letters from several of Amanda's other suitors before her marriage, chiefly 1870-1873. Letters from Andrew relate to his travels as a railroad agent, first for the Macon & Western Railroad, 1874-1876, and later the Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta Railroad, 1878-1880. Letters from Amanda describe her activities in Atlanta, Ga., and Charlotte, N.C. Scattered throughout are letters from the Bealls' families, who lived throughout Georgia and North Carolina. Also included are calling cards; wedding invitations; two photographs, one a portrait of Andrew and the other a portrait of a young child, possibly Andrew Jackson Beall Jr.; and other items.

• Image Folder (PF-5444/1)