Henry William Harrington Papers, 1775-1890

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Summary

Creator:
Harrington, Henry William, 1748-1809.
Abstract:

Henry William Harrington (1748-1809) was a brigadier general in the American Revolution, a legislator in both North Carolina and South Carolina, and a planter. His son, Henry William Harrington Jr. (1793-1868) was a successful planter, businessman, and landowner of Richmond County, N.C., who served in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and as a representative in the North Carolina House of Commons and to Constitutional Convention.

The collection is chiefly political, military, and family correspondence of Revolutionary General Henry William Harrington and Henry William Harrington Jr. Early papers concern military actions of the Revolution in the Carolinas and political and legal affairs in its aftermath. Correspondents include John Auld, Horatio Gates, Charles W. Goldsborough, William Barry Grove, Paul Hamilton, John Henry, A. M. Hopper, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Benjamin W. Williams, among others. Later items include correspondence and other papers of Henry William Harrington Jr. and his mother, Rosanna Auld Harrington. The collection also includes a nine volume diary (portions transcribed), 1826, 1833-1834, and 1849-1864, of Henry William Harrington Jr., and an 1855 inventory of taxable property in the Wolf Pit District, Richmond County, N.C. Diary entries focus on daily business and financial transactions, plantation and social activities, travel, hunting expeditions, and other leisure pursuits. Transcribed excerpts include some entries not appearing in the original diary, including a description of a trip through the South, 1833-1834. The Addition of April 2010 consists of a diary by Rosanna Auld Harrington with entries dated 1794 to 1812. Entries in the diary include a letter addressed to her daughter, Harriet Harrington Strong, before Harriet's departure for school in November 1806; religious writings; and a 1794 reflection on the deaths of her children that includes a list of her children with their dates of birth and death. The diary also contains writings, including a speech dated 4 July 1812 and poetry from 1807 by Bela William Strong, Harriet Harrington Strong's husband. The Addition of June 2011 consists of three account books, 1833-1834, 1844-1847, and 1847-1851, kept by Henry William Harrington Jr., listing his expenses. The account book dated 1833-1834 also contains diary entries describing Harrington's travels across the South with companion Claudius Pegues. There is also an 1890 account book kept by James Auld Harrington of Richmond County, N.C., that lists accounts paid and received and contains diary entries describing his travels through western North Carolina during the summer of 1890.

Extent:
90 items (1.0 linear feet)
Language:
Materials in English
Library Catalog Link:
View UNC library catalog record for this item

Background

Biographical / historical:

Henry William Harrington (1748-1809) was a brigadier general in the American Revolution, a legislator in both North and South Carolina, and a land owner. Harrington was born in London, England, and emigrated first to Jamaica and later to South Carolina near the Pee Dee River. Harrington was married to Rosanna Auld in 1776.

Henry William Harrington Jr. was a successful planter, businessman, and landowner of Richmond County, N.C. He served for a short time in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and represented Richmond County in the North Carolina House of Commons and in the Constitutional Convention of 1835.

Rosanna Auld Harrington (1754-1828) was born in Anson County, N.C. She married Henry William Harrington in July 1776. They had five children who reached adulthood, including Henry William Harrington Jr. (1793-1868) and Harriet Harrington Strong (1795-1829).

Bela William Strong (1786-1815) was a lawyer from Fayetteville, N.C., who was educated and trained in Oneida County, N.Y. He married Harriet Harrington in February 1815. Strong was killed in a duel in May 1815.

Scope and content:

The collection is chiefly political, military, and family correspondence of Revolutionary General Henry William Harrington; his wife, Rosanna Auld Harrington; and their son, Henry William Harrington Jr. Early papers concern military actions of the Revolution in the Carolinas and political and legal affairs in its aftermath. Revolutionary items, many with accompanying transcriptions, concern military stores and supplies, troop movements and strategy, and arrangements to secure safe passage of Harrington's family from Cheraw, S.C., to Salisbury, N.C. Correspondents include John Auld, Horatio Gates, Charles W. Goldsborough, William Barry Grove, Paul Hamilton, John Henry, A. M. Hopper, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Benjamin W. Williams among others. Later items include correspondence of Henry W. Harrington Jr. and Rosanna Harrington, chiefly related to the former's service in the United States Navy and subsequent return to North Carolina. Some later papers allude to Henry William Harrington Jr.'s involvement in the North Carolina General Assembly. The collection also includes a nine volume diary (portions transcribed), 1826, 1833-1834, and 1849-1864, of Henry William Harrington Jr., and an 1855 inventory of taxable property in the Wolf Pit District, Richmond County, N.C. Diary entries focus on daily business and financial transactions, plantation and social activities, travel, hunting expeditions, and other leisure pursuits. During the Civil War diary entries are chiefly financial, but do contain some references to the organization of local militia companies. Transcribed excerpts include some entries not appearing in the original diary, including a description of a trip through the South, 1833-1834.

The Addition of April 2010 consists of a diary by Rosanna Auld Harrington, 1794-1812. Entries in the diary include a letter addressed to her daughter, Harriet Harrington Strong, before Harriet's departure for school in November 1806; religious writings; a 1794 reflection on the deaths of her children that includes a list of her children with their dates of birth and death. The diary also contains writings, including a speech dated 4 July 1812 and poetry from 1807 by Bela William Strong, Harriet Harrington Strong's husband.

The Addition of June 2011 consists of three account books, 1833-1834, 1844-1847, and 1847-1851, kept by Henry William Harrington Jr., listing his expenses. The account book dated 1833-1834 also contains diary entries describing Harrington's travels across the South with companion Claudius Pegues; a transcription of these entries can be found in the original deposit, folder 11. There is also an 1890 account book kept by James Auld Harrington of Richmond County, N.C., that lists accounts paid and received and contains diary entries describing his travels through western North Carolina during the summer of 1890.

Acquisition information:

Received from the North Carolina Historical Society, 1935. Additional material transferred from the North Carolina Collection, June 1952; and received from Joseph Russell Cross Jr. of Cross, S.C., December 1958 and July 2008 (Acc. 100983). The Addition of April 2010 was received from Weldon and Mary Lynn Jordan of Fayetteville, N.C, in April 2010 (Acc. 101272). The Additions of June 2011 and July 2013 were received from John I. Rogers III in June 2011 (Acc. 101452) and July 2013 (Acc. 101841).

Processing information:

Processed by: SHC Staff, Kate Stratton 2010

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, March 2010; Allison Moore, November 2010; Matt Dailey, January 2012; Nancy Kaiser, November 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.

Updated because of addition in 2018.

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.

Access and use

Restrictions to access:

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to use:

No usage restrictions.

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 Henry William Harrington Papers, #314, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Location of this collection:
Louis Round Wilson Library
200 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Contact:
(919) 962-3765
wilsonlibrary@unc.edu