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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.
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.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 9.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5,850 items) |
| Abstract | Moses Ashley Curtis (1808-1872), born and educated in Massachussetts, was a white Episcopal teacher and rector at various posts in North Carolina and South Carolina between 1835 and 1872. Besides his clerical and teaching duties, Curtis was also a noted mycologist. The collection contains the correspondence, papers, journals and notebooks, and scientific materials of M.A. Curtis, along with the correspondence of his wife Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis, their children, and members of the Curtis and DeRosset families, chiefly in North Carolina and South Carolina. Correspondence primarily consists of early DeRosset papers; letters from M.A. Curtis's parents, Reverend Jared Curtis and Thankful Curtis, and his daughter, Caroline, to M.A. Curtis while at Williams College; correspondence between M.A. Curtis and Mary Jane DeRosset; letters from relatives of Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis of Wilmington, N.C., and Charleston, S.C.; letters from the Curtis childen while they were at school and as adults; letters from John H. Curtis while he was serving in the Confederate army; and scattered letters about activities of the Episcopal Church; letters to Curtis from other botanists, including Henry William Ravenel, Asa Gray, and M.J. Berkeley, primarily regarding fungi and related scientific topics. Topics are generally related to family news and daily life, along with some discussions of news and politics. Some letters mention slavery and particular people enslaved by Curtis and DeRosset family members. Included is an 1841 letter discussing the trial of a man accused of murdering an enslaved person, and letters, 1859-1860, discussing the forced separation of enslaved people by the DeRosset family after the death of Armand DeRosset. Later papers, 1873-1929, are family correspondence, papers relating to the disposition of Curtis's scientific materials, and letters from Catherine Fullerton describing her travels and teaching experiences in Cuba, 1910-1919. Also included are diaries, botanical notes, school notebooks, sermons, photographs, and church music, as well as Curtis's diary, 1830-1836 and undated, that contains descriptions of his life in Wilmington, N.C., and his employment as a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley. |
| Creator | Curtis, M. A. (Moses Ashley), 1808-1872. |
| 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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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
Moses Ashley Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Mass., and educated at Williams College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he became a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley in Wilmington, N.C., returning to Massachusetts in 1833 to study theology. He married Mary de Rosset in 1834, was ordained in 1835, and obtained a post to teach at the Episcopal school at Raleigh, N.C. He became rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church at Hillsborough, N.C., in 1841 and in charge of a parish at Society Hill, S.C., in 1847 before returning to the Protestant Episcopal Church at Hillsborough in 1857. He died in Hillsborough, in 1872. Besides his clerical and teaching duties, Curtis was also a noted mycologist.
M.A. Curtis and his wife Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis (1813-1903) had ten children: Armand DeRosset, Moses Ashley Jr. (Ashley), John Henry, Catherine Fullerton (Kate), Charles Jared, Mary Louisa (Minna), Caroline (Carrie), Elizabeth DeRosset (Lizzie), William White, and Magdalene. Only Moses Ashley Jr., Catherine Fullerton, Charles Jared, Elizabeth DeRosset, and Mary Louisa survived to adulthood.
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Scope and Content
The collection contains correspondence, papers, journals and notebooks, and scientific materials of M.A. Curtis (1808-1872), along with the correspondence of his wife Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis (1813-1903), their children, and members of the Curtis and DeRosset families. Correspondence chiefly consists of early DeRosset papers; letters from M.A. Curtis's parents, Reverend Jared and Thankful Curtis, and from his daughter, Caroline, to him while at Williams College; correspondence between M.A. Curtis and Mary Jane DeRosset; letters from Mary Jane DeRosset's relatives of Wilmington, N.C., and Charleston, S.C.; letters from the Curtis childen while they were at school; letters from John H. Curtis while he was serving in the Confederate army; scattered letters about activities of the Episcopal Church; and letters to Curtis from other botanists, including Henry William Ravenel and Asa Gray. Topics are generally related to family news and daily life, along with some discussions of news and politics. Later papers, 1873-1929, are family correspondence, papers relating to the disposition of Curtis's scientific materials, and letters from Catherine Fullerton describing her travels and teaching experiences in Cuba, 1910-1919. Also included are diaries, botanical notes, school notebooks, sermons, photographs, church music, and a diary belonging to Curtis, 1830-1836 and undated, that contains descriptions of his life in Wilmington, N.C., and his employment as a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley.
The addition of 1977 consists of personal letters, 1841-1879 and 1889, to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis from members of the DeRosset and Curtis families; botanical correspondence, 1846-1872, to M.A. Curtis from Miles Joseph Berkeley and other botanists; and two manuscript volumes of M.A. Curtis's botanical notes. Some letters mention slavery and particular people enslaved by Curtis and DeRosset family members. Included is an 1841 letter discussing the trial of a man accused of murdering an enslaved person, and letters, 1859-1860, discussing the forced separation of enslaved people by the DeRosset family after the death of Armand DeRosset.
The addition of February 2003 chiefly contains family correspondence and other materials, 1814-1950, of Mary Jane DeRosset; her sisters Magdalene, Catherine, and Elisa DeRosset; her children Armand, Moses, John Henry, Charles Jared, Mary Louisa, Catherine Fullerton, and Elizabeth DeRosset; and grandson Curtis Bynum. Correspondence, 1814-1850, is chiefly of the DeRosset sisters; topics include religious concerns, illnesses, and family visits. Correspondence, 1855-1917, is chiefly from the Curtis children and grandchildren, including Catherine Fullerton writing from Havana, Cuba. Topics include religious matters, illnesses, travels, and family news. Also included are a journal, sermons, poetry, photographs, sheet music, biographical information, church histories, a yearbook, and genealogical materials.
The addition of November 2007 consists of correspondence between Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis and her children, friends, and other (mostly female) members of the DeRosset family, particularly Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis's sisters Elizabeth Ann DeRosset and Catherine Fullerton Kennedy. Letters discuss daily life, the Curtis children's school activities, and the impact of the Civil War. The addition also contains scattered correspondence addressed to other members of the Curtis and DeRosset families, as well as several photographs and a small amount of related materials including sermons, financial documents, academic assignments, and poems, among other materials.
The addition of November 2019 includes letters to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis from her sisters and others; a ledger of household goods, including food, clothing, fabric, an other items; lists of plants; two letters from Asa Gray; a letter from Charles Wright written from Santa Catalina, 19 March 1847; a letter from Miles J. Berkely, 24 May 24 1848, written from Kings Cliffe, England; and a letter from the Portland Society of Natural Philosophy, State of Maine, 16 September 1869, acknowledging Curtis's gift of plants.
Additions received after 1977 have not been integrated into the original deposits. Researchers should always check additions to be sure that they have identified all files of interest to them.
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Papers, 1720-1950 (Original Deposit).
Arrangement: primarily chronological.
The first part of this collection consists almost entirely of family letters: the correspondence of and relating to M.A. Curtis, his wife Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis and her family in Wilmington, N.C., and their children: William White (1838-1843), Armand DeRosset (1839-1856), Moses Ashley (1842-1933), John Henry (1844-1865), Catherine Fullerton (1845-1922), Charles Jared (1847-1931), Mary Louisa (1849-1929), Magdalene DeRosset (April-September, 1851), Caroline (1852-1862), and Elizabeth DeRosset (1854-1928). Most of the family letters are addressed to Mary.
The early letters are centered around Wilmington, N.C. (1834-1836), Raleigh, N.C. (1836-1839), Society Hill, S.C., Hillsborough, N.C. (1856-1872), and Lincolnton, N.C. There are letters from the children at Saint Mary's School in Raleigh and the General Theological Seminary in New York, and from Ashley Jr. and John Henry in the Confederate Army, 1862-1865. Beginning in 1834, there are scientific notes, botanical drawings, clippings, miscellaneous papers, and correspondence with scientists H.W. (Henry William) Ravenel (1814-1887), John Torrey, William Darlington, Asa Gray, and others. There is also a series of letters written from Cuba, 1913-1919, from Kate Curtis to Lizzie Curtis.
The collection also contains 36 manuscript volumes including scientific journals, personal diaries and journals, notebooks, cash accounts, poems, recipes, cures, manuscript music for church services, and sermons. Volume 6 is the personal diary of M.A. Curtis covering 1830-1836 and an undated period, describing his journey from Boston harbor to Wilmington, N.C., in 1830; his life as a tutor in the household of future governor Edward B. Dudley, wealthy merchant and trader; a tour of South Carolina and Georgia where he visited natural scientists; and his return to Boston in 1833 to begin his study of theology under the Reverend William Crosswell, rector of the Church of the Advent and editor of the Episcopal Watchman. He returned to Wilmington in the winter of 1834 and began missionary work in the vicinity of Lincolnton, Charlotte, Burke County and Rowan County. The last volume is the diary of Kate Curtis while she was on a European tour.
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Correspondence and Other Materials, 1841-1889 (Addition of 1977)
Acquisitions Information: 07712
Arrangement: chronological
Personal letters, 1841-1879 and 1889, to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis, wife of M.A. Curtis, from members of the DeRosset and Curtis families; botanical correspondence, 1846-1872, to M.A. Curtis from Miles Joseph Berkeley and other botanists; and two manuscript volumes of M.A. Curtis's botanical notes.
Correspondence, 1841-1842, includes letters primarily to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis in Hillsborough, N.C., from her sisters Magdalene DeRosset and Eliza Ann DeRosset, and from her father, Armand John DeRosset, all of Wilmington, N.C. These letters concern family matters and local news: health and treatment of illnesses, deaths, marriages, travels, neighborhood events, and the people enslaved by the DeRossets. Several of the enslaved people working in the house, Edney, Fanny, and Peggy, are mentioned by name. Fanny's mother, who was evidently the DeRosset sisters' nurse, is mentioned in connection with her death early in 1841. Two letters of December 1841 discuss the purchase of Peggy's husband, a 45-year-old enslaved man of Columbia, S.C., for $800. A letter of 17 August 1841 from Eliza Ann DeRosset tells of a neighbor who was on trial for murdering an enslaved person he had leased. It was "a very shocking affair ... the whole community is very much incensed against him."
Later personal correspondence, 1850-1860, 1876-1879, and 1889, to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis is from her children Mary Louise (Minna), Moses Ashley (Ashley), Catherine Fullerton (Kate), and Charles Jared, and from Ashley's wife Mary Nash; also from her niece Cattie (possibly the daughter of Catherine DeRosset Kennedy) and from Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis's sisters Eliza Ann DeRosset and Catherine DeRosset Kennedy. These letters concern family news and money matters almost exclusively, including two letters of 1859-1860 which discuss the forced separation of enslaved people by the DeRosset family after the death of Armand John DeRosset.
Botanical correspondence, 1846-1872, to M.A. Curtis in Hillsborough, N.C., and Society Hill, S.C., is primarily from the Reverend Miles Joseph Berkeley (1803-1899) of King's Cliff, Wansford and Sibbertoft, Harborough, England, Anglican minister and founder of British mycology. Curtis corresponded extensively with Berkeley and to a lesser extent with other European and American mycologists. This international community of botanists corresponded primarily about identification of fungi samples, large numbers of which the botanists mailed to each other. Each sample was evidently tagged with a number, since Miles Joseph Berkeley's letters almost always contained long lists of numbers and plant names. Berkeley frequently discussed the botanical writings which he and M.A. Curtis jointly authored, and occasionally asked Curtis to send him seeds of common American plants (vegetables and trees) which were not indigenous to England.
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Correspondence and Other Materials, 1814-1910 (Addition of February 2003)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99419
Arrangement: Correspondence is chronological.
The addition of February 2003 chiefly contains family correspondence and other materials, 1814-1950, of Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis; her sisters Magdalen, Catherine, and Elisa DeRosset; her children Armand, Moses, John Henry, Charles Jared, Mary Louisa, Catherine Fullerton, and Elizabeth DeRosset; and grandson Curtis Bynum. Correspondence, 1814-1850, is chiefly of the DeRosset sisters, and topics include religious concerns, illnesses, and family visits. Correspondence, 1855-1917, is chiefly from the Curtis children and grandchildren, including Catherine Fullerton writing from Havana, Cuba. Topics include religious matters, illnesses, travels, and family news. Also included are a journal, sermons, poetry, photographs, sheet music, biographical information, church histories, a yearbook, and genealogical materials.
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Correspondence and Other Papers, 1835-1952 (Addition of November 2007)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100809
Arrangement: primarily chronological; undated correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Correspondence between Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis and her children, friends, and other (mostly female) members of the DeRosset family, particularly Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis's sisters Elizabeth Ann DeRosset and Catherine Fullerton Kennedy. Correspondents discuss daily life, the Curtis children's school activities, and the impact of the Civil War. Also included is scattered correspondence addressed to other members of the Curtis and DeRosset families.
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Correspondence and Other Papers, 1837-1901 (Addition of November 2019)
Arrangement: as received.
Acquisitions Information: Accession 103739
The addition includes letters to Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis from her sisters and others; a ledger of household goods, including food, clothing, fabric, an other items; lists of plants; two letters from Asa Gray; a letter from Charles Wright written from Santa Catalina, 19 March 1847; a letter from Miles J. Berkely, 24 May 24 1848, written from Kings Cliffe, England; and a letter from the Portland Society of Natural Philosophy, State of Maine, 16 September 1869, acknowledging Curtis's gift of plants.
| Box 19 |
Correspondence and other papers, 1837-1901 #00199, Series: "Correspondence and Other Papers, 1837-1901 (Addition of November 2019)" Box 19 |
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Items Separated
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Finding aid updated for digitization by Kathryn Michaelis, August 2010
Revisions by: Anna Kephart, January 2011; Adam Fielding and Jodi Berkowitz, March 2011; Nancy Kaiser, December 2019 and October 2020
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.
Additions received after 1977 have not been integrated into the original deposits. Researchers should always check additions to be sure that they have identified all files of interest to them.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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