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Size | 2.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 300 items) |
Abstract | The Hentz Family Papers document four generations of white family members from France, Alabama, and Florida, chiefly after they removed from France to the United States in 1815. There are also many Black people who are identified briefly by family members, especially Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894). Materials include personal, medical, financial, and legal papers, diaries and autobiographies, and photographs. Correspondence and diaries describe activities of family and friends in Alabama and Florida, teaching at a female academy in Alabama, medical and dental practices, citrus-farming, a Confederate soldier's camp life and experiences as a prisoner of war, and travel of a Confederate ex-patriate family in Rio de Janeiro. Of note is the autobiography of Charles A. Hentz, who expanded on his diaries with more extensive description of inhabitants of and life in Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati, Ohio, New Orleans, La., Mobile and Tuskegee, Ala., and Jackson and Gadsden counties, Fla.; travels in the southern United States; the Mexican War; his medical education and practice; alcoholism, recreational drug use, and drug addicts in the community; the flora and fauna of the Panhandle region of Florida; treatment of the wounded at the battles of Marianna and Natural Bridge, Fla.; the execution of Confederate deserters; and his citrus and vegetable farms in City Point, Brevard County, Fla. Hentz wrote chiefly about white people's lived experiences, but he also identified and provided contextual information about many Black people with whom he interacted. He also described more broadly attitudes toward enslaved people and racial violence, including lynchings. His medical notebooks document his most interesting cases, as well as more routine obstetrical care, for both white and Black patients. Hentz recorded case descriptions, geographic locations, and names of patients, and in many cases their enslavers. Other items include military records of an officer in the French Imperial Army; notes and writings on yellow fever and grave-robbing for dissection purposes, descriptions of fish and plants, and drafts of plays and stories; drawings and pictures of human, botanical, and animal subjects; biographical and genealogical sketches; a phrenological character analysis; photographic portraits; and a Hentz Family Bible. |
Creator | Hentz (Family : Hentz, Nicholas Marcellus, 1797-1856) |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Elizabeth Pauk, September 1991
Encoded by: Eben Lehman, March 2006
Revised by: Martin Gengenbach, December 2010, June, 2011; Nancy Kaiser, May and November 2020
Conscious Editing Work by: Nancy Kaiser, May 2020: updated abstract, subject headings, and scope and content note; Nancy Kaiser, November 2021: updated abstract, subject headings, collection overview, container list.
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.
Back to TopThe 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.
Nicholas Arnould Hentz (1756-1832) was a native of Coblentz in Lorraine, France, and a member of the Revolutionary National Convention of 1789. He was forced to flee France under the assumed name of Charles Arnould with his family after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1815. He and his wife, Therese d'Aubree, had at least two sons: Nicholas Richard Hentz (1786-1850), who served as a captain in the French Imperial Army from 1806 to 1815, and Nicholas Marcellus Hentz (1797-1856), a painter, professor, entomologist, and author of a famous monograph on the spiders of the United States.
Nicholas M. Hentz taught at the University of North Carolina from 1826 to 1830. He married Caroline Lee Whiting (1800-1856), a native of Lancaster, Mass., a playwright and novelist popular during the 1850s. Together they ran a succession of female academies in Covington, Ky., Cincinnati, Ohio, Florence, Ala., Columbus, Ga. and Tuskegee, Ala. The Hentz family finally settled in Marianna, Fla., where Caroline Lee Hentz concentrated on her writing and the care of her invalid husband. They had four children: Charles Arnould Hentz (1827-1894), who was a physician and citrus grower; Thaddeus William Harris Hentz (1830-1878), a dentist; Julia Louisa Hentz Keyes (1828-1877); and Caroline ("Callie") Therese Hentz Branch (b. 1833).
Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894) was born in Chapel Hill, N.C. and was a doctor near Quincy, Fla. In 1854 he married Elizabeth (Bettie) Hentz. They had five children: Sallie Lee Hentz (1855-1888), William Booth Hentz (b. 1860), Julia Keyes Hentz Dumbar (b. 1862), Rebecca ("Bexie") Hentz (b. 1865), and Charles Arnould Hentz Jr. (b. 1870). During the Civil War in 1862, Charles A. Hentz worked at the military hospital in Quincy, Fla. Following Bettie Hentz's death in 1871, Charles A. Hentz married Cornelia Fitzgerald Munroe (1852-1894). The family moved in 1881 to City Point, Fla., and operated a citrus farm on the Indian River. In 1890 they returned to Quincy, Fla.
William Booth Hentz (b. 1860) emigrated in 1890 to Rio De Janiero, Brazil, with his siblings Charles Arnould Hentz Jr. (b. 1870) and Julia Keyes Hentz Dumbar (b. 1862). He married Ella Hentz, who died in 1899. He later married Anita Vianna Hentz (b.1882).
Back to TopThe Hentz Family Papers document four generations of white family members, chiefly after they removed from France to the United States in 1815. There are also many Black people who are identified briefly by family members, especially Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894). The collection includes personal, medical, financial, and legal papers, and diaries and autobiographies of members of the Hentz family of France, Alabama, and Florida. Correspondence and diaries describe activities of family and friends in Alabama and Florida, teaching at a female academy in Alabama, medical and dental practices, citrus-farming, and a Confederate soldier's camp life and experiences as a prisoner of war. Of note is the autobiography of Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894), who expanded on his diaries with more extensive description of the inhabitants of and life in Louisville, Ky., Cincinnati, Ohio, New Orleans, La., Mobile and Tuskegee, Ala., and Jackson and Gadsden counties, Fla.; travels in the southern United States; the Mexican War; his medical education and practice; alcoholism, recreational drug use, and drug addicts in the community; the flora and fauna of the Panhandle region of Florida; a journey on horseback to Tampa Bay, Fla.; treatment of the wounded at the battles of Marianna and Natural Bridge, Fla.; the execution of Confederate deserters; and his citrus and vegetable farms. Hentz wrote chiefly about white people's lived experiences, but he also identified and provided contextual information about many Black people with whom he interacted. He also described more broadly attitudes toward enslaved people and racial violence, including lynchings. His medical notebooks document his most interesting cases, as well as more routine obstetrical care, for both white and Black patients. Hentz recorded case descriptions, geographic locations, and names of patients, and in some cases their enslavers.
Other papers include military records of an officer in the French Imperial Army; an agricultural notebook; notes and writings on yellow fever and grave-robbing for dissection purposes, descriptions of fish and plants, and drafts of plays and stories; drawings and pictures of human, botanical, and animal subjects; biographical and genealogical sketches of the Hentz and Keyes families; a phrenological character analysis; a carte de visite; newspaper catalogs; medical catalogs; and a violin.
Several letters, the phrenological character analysis, some genealogical material, a Civil War journal, and the carte de visite were filmed in 1950, and the original documents were returned to the donor.
The Addition of June 2000 consists of two early framed photographs, and one cased ambrotype. The photographs are childhood portraits of Julia Keyes Hentz Dumbar (b. 1862) and William Booth Hentz (b. 1860), probably taken circa 1865. The ambrotype is an undated portrait of Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894).
The Addition of May 2005 contains two documents relating to the medical practice of Charles A. Hentz. The first is Charles A. Hentz's medical doctorate from the University of Louisville, Ken., received in 1848. The second document is Hentz's medical practice license for the state of Florida, awarded in 1889.
The Addition of September 2005 consists of the Hentz Family Bible, published in 1821. There is very little if any annotation, but there are a few scattered pieces of genealogical material interspersed throughout the volume.
The Addition of May 2009 includes eight diaries. The 1862 diary documents Charles A. Hentz's daily activities as a practicing doctor in the area of Quincy, Fla., and his work at the military hospital established there. The diaries dated from 1880 to 1901 describe Charles A. Hentz's everyday activities as a doctor in Quincy, Fla., and as a citrus farmer in City Point, Fla. Notable entries include 17 May 1880, describing a trephining operation performed by Hentz to remove part of the skull of Joe Long, a Black man who had suffered a fractured skull. There is also an 1899 diary kept by Ella Hentz describing a journey she took with William Booth Hentz to a family wedding in City Point, Fla., and back to their home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Finally, there is a diary kept by William Booth Hentz during a visit to City Point, Fla., and Quincy, Fla, from March to May 1901.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Personal correspondence of members of the Hentz family. The earliest letter, dated 1 January 1820, is from Nicholas Arnould Hentz to his friend Pierre Francois Tissot (1768-1854), telling him about his new life in the United States. A typed translation accompanies the French original. The bulk of the correspondence from the 1840s and 1850s consists of letters to Charles A. Hentz, including letters from friends discussing the relative merits of Florida and Alabama, describing the flora and fauna of Florida, and detailing their daily life and interests, including clairvoyance, chess, and the fraternities and secret societies of the University of Alabama. Charles A. Hentz also received letters from his sister Callie Hentz and his mother Caroline Lee Hentz, describing family activities.
Caroline Lee Hentz wrote several letters to her sisters and female friends, describing family life, her travels in Philadelphia, her experiences teaching at a girl's school in Alabama, and her friendships with men. Nicholas M. Hentz and Caroline Lee Hentz both corresponded with their son, Thaddeus W. Hentz, in the 1850s about family news, his dentistry practice, and life in Quincy, Fla. In the 1860s, following his enlistment in the Confederate Army, Thaddeus W. Hentz wrote letters to his wife Hattie describing camp life, and several letters from the Federal prison in Elmira, NY., describing his imprisonment there and his loneliness apart from his family.
Post Civil War letters include several from Charles A. Hentz, including one to his brother Thaddeus W. Hentz informing him of his decision to leave his medical practice to start a citrus and vegetable farm on the Indian River in Florida, the illness of his wife Betty, and the influx of tourists and Northerners into Florida. About half of the letters are copies made from microfilm, two with typed transcriptions accompanying them; the rest are originals (see Collection Overview for details).
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Folder 1 |
Correspondence |
Records in French pertaining to Nicholas Richard Hentz's service in the French Imperial Army, including his commissions, equipment reimbursements, and register of military service, the acceptance of his resignation, and other military documents..
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Folder 2 |
Military Records of Nicholas Richard Hentz |
Miscellaneous writings chiefly by Nicholas M. Hentz and his son Charles A. Hentz, including a "chronology of yellow fever in the valley of the Mississippi River and its borders," ca. 1844; notes on a 1890 Children's Day celebration at church; an account of grave robbing by medical students; descriptions of fish; an essay on the Apalachicola River in Florida; lists of Latin names of fish and plants; drafts of plays and stories of the European Middle Ages, featuring knights and Spanish women who were characterized as exotic, likely for having dark skin or being Muslim; and poetry in French and English.
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Folder 3-5 Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5 |
Notes and Writings |
Pencil and pen and ink sketches, cartoons, drawings, and watercolor and pastel paintings of a variety of subjects, some dated in the 1830s, probably made by Nicholas M. Hentz and his children, particularly Charles A. Hentz. Subjects include historical actors such as knights and soldiers; religious subjects; ships; Napoleon; botanical and zoological drawings of different animal, insect, and plant species; human anatomy; and maps. There is also a portrait of Caroline Lee Hentz, probably by her husband Nicholas M. Hentz, dated 1829.
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Folder 6-8 Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8 |
Drawings and Paintings |
Arrangement: by document type.
Legal, financial, biographical, genealogical, and miscellaneous material of members of the Hentz family. Legal material in French includes passports dated 1815-1816, baptismal certificates from the 1820s, documents relating to the settlement and division of the estate of Nicholas Richard Hentz's sister in law in 1818 and 1821, and an affidavit of smallpox immunity. Legal material in English consists of a summons to appear in court from the 1850s and an affidavit of the birth of Charles Arnould Hentz, son of Charles A. Hentz, dated 1918. Financial material includes lists of receipts and household accounts, chiefly of Charles A. Hentz, ranging in date from 1782 to 1882.
Biographical and genealogical material consists of a copy from microfilm of a biographical sketch of several members of the Hentz family, including Nicholas Arnould Hentz (1750-1824) and Caroline Lee Hentz (1800-1856); a monograph on Nicholas M. Hentz by Collier Cobb, published in 1932; a biographical sketch of Nicholas M. Hentz by Mr. Pincheon; "Reminiscences, October 1887" by Charles A. Hentz, including biographical information about his father, Nicholas M.; biographical material excerpted from the preface to "The Spiders of the United States: A Collection of the Arachnological Writings of Nicholas Marcellus Hentz, M.D."; genealogical material on the Hentz family in French and in English; "A Pioneering Spider Man" ("Natural History," July 1996) by John Cooke; and an excerpt from "Genealogy, Robert Keyes, Solomon Keyes, Others of the Name," by Asa Keyes, published in 1880.
Miscellaneous material includes a copy from microfilm of a phrenological character analysis of Thaddeus W. Hentz, dated 1859; newspaper clippings from the 1850s of book reviews and obituaries, newspaper clippings concerning a violin made by William B. Hentz in 1929 (see Series 11); clippings of pictures and etchings; a clipping about a Hentz family reunion, probably in the 1950s; annual catalogs from the 1840s of the Medical Department, University of Louisville, Kentucky; a matriculation ticket dated 1847 for the University of Alabama; pamphlets on physiological memory; calling cards; a certificate admitting Charles A. Hentz to the Temperance Society in 1849; house plans; various notes and lists; and a card and a playbill in Portuguese.
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Folder 9 |
Legal Documents |
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Folder 10 |
Financial Documents |
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Folder 11-12 Folder 11Folder 12 |
Biological and Genealogical Material |
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Folder 13 |
Character Analysis |
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Folder 14-15 Folder 14Folder 15 |
Miscellaneous |
Acquisition Information: Accession 100222
Hentz Family Bible, published 1821. There is very little if any annotation, thought there are a few scattered pieces of genealogical material interspersed throughout the volume.
Oversize Volume SV-332/2 |
Hentz Family Bible, 1821 |
Arrangement: by author.
Diaries of Caroline Lee Hentz and her sons Thaddeus W. Hentz and Charles A. Hentz.
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Folder 16-17 Folder 16Folder 17 |
Diaries of Caroline Lee Hentz, 1836Caroline Lee Hentz's diary was written in 1836, during her stay at Florence, Ala. She and her husband, Nicholas M. Hentz, were at that time running a school for girls. There are two copies of her diary, which is a daily record of her life in Alabama, giving details on the operation of the school and on some of the students; notes on the weather; her husband's zoological and botanical activities; her relationships with her children and her husband; her own moods and emotions; and her impressions of family and friends. The original and a handwritten copy, probably made after the author's death, are on file here. The original was owned and annotated by Callie Hentz Branch in 1860, and in 1892 by Charles A. Hentz. The copy was owned by Julia Hentz Keyes. |
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Folder 18 |
Diary of Thaddeus W. Hentz, 1863In 1863, Thaddeus W. Hentz enlisted in the Confederate Army. While waiting for his orders to go to Camp Leon, he stayed with his sister Callie Hentz Branch in Quincy, Fla. He kept a diary during May 1863, detailing his thoughts on leaving his wife and children, his journey to Quincy, the dentistry work he performed along the way, and the first few days in camp. The diary is a copy from microfilm (see Collection Overview for details). |
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Folder 19 |
Diaries of Charles A. Hentz: Volume 1 (formerly Volume 5) 1845-1849; 1884An unedited transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Diaries of Charles A. Hentz, Volume 1, 1845-1849; 1884. Charles A. Hentz kept a diary intermittently for most of his adult life. Throughout the diaries Hentz introduces by name and context many of the people he meets, including enslaved and free Black people. The first volume, dated 1845-1849, with some annotations from 1884, chronicles his family's departure from Tuscaloosa, Ala., on a steamboat for Mobile, Ala. He described the city of Mobile, its dissipated citizens, and his father's search for employment. The family took another steamer to Montgomery, Ala., and then the railroad and coach to Tuskegee, Ala., where his father had the promise of starting another female academy. He described the setting up of their household and the academy, the town of Tuskegee, his own experiences as a teacher at the Tuskegee Military Institute, the calling up of volunteers for the Mexican War, the amputation of a Black woman's leg, and weather notes. In 1846, he left Tuskegee for Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama, where he financed his studies by working as a physician's assistant. There are descriptions of his daily life with the doctor, and his opinions on religion, music, and his social life. At the end of the year, he and a friend journeyed to New Orleans by boat. He described the city, the Dutch immigrants traveling on their boat, North American Indians, and his trip to Louisville, Ky., to continue his medical studies. In 1847, after a visit home to Tuskegee, he returned to Louisville. The diary chronicles his social life and medical education, describing individual cases and autopsies and his work as librarian and curator of the Medical College of Louisville. Items of interest include an "animal magnetizer" and hypnotists, an operation to remove a tumor from a woman's abdomen, the use of chloroform as a recreational drug, and the many parties, picnics, and meetings of the "Spanish Ice Cream Club" he attended. The volume ends with a handwritten copy of several pages of another journal he kept during his stay in Cincinnati in 1849, while working as a physician in practice with his brother-in-law John Keyes. There are also records of miscellaneous expenses and notes in the back of the volume. Throughout the diary, Hentz introduced by name and context many of the people he met. Included among the enslaved, free Black people, and Indigenous people he named are Sandy, the son of the Houseman, who had a tooth pulled (p.67); Patience, who was enslaved by Dr. Searcy and had a child who died of erysipelas and fever (p.103); Ellis, the minister for/from Liberia (p.104); and John, who accompanied Hentz on a trip by riding horseback behind the vehicle (p.107). Hentz frequently mentioned other instances in which he encountered Black people who were fishing and hunting (p.115); sick or injured and in need of dental or medical care (p.33, 45, 72, 76, 79, 98, 100); coming up from the plantations on Christmas day to celebrate in the streets (p.36); attending "Sabbath School" taught by Hentz (p.69, 76, 81, 86, 98, 99, 105); and being in service to Hentz in some way (p.32, 84, 98, 146), even in death as a body for medical dissection (p.95). Hentz also wrote about an encounter with Indigenous people, in which they came aboard a ship to sell buckskin (p.113). |
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Folder 20 |
Diaries of Charles A. Hentz: Volume 2 (formerly Volume 6) 1848-1851An unedited transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Diaries of Charles A. Hentz, Volume 2, 1848-1851. NOTE: page numbers refer to the digital copy of the manuscript. In 1848, Charles A. Hentz moved to Port Jackson, Fla., on the banks of the Chattahoochee River (Jackson County), to practice medicine. His diary for this period describes his medical practice among enslaved people and the "piney woodsmen," and the flora and fauna of the Panhandle region of Florida. He also details his daily and social life, and his hobbies of hunting and "skeletonizing" birds and mammals. There are also descriptions of his medical cases, his trips to Marianna (Jackson County), Fla., to see his relatives, and a vivid reminiscence of the Christmas Day he spent in Louisville, Ky., in 1847. There is also a description of a New Year's Eve "country frolic" at his neighbor's house, and several sketches and drawings of Port Jackson, including scenes of the town and of his office. In 1850, the diary describes his life in Cincinnati practicing medicine with his brother-in-law John Keyes. Many of the pages in this section are torn out. Part of the section of the diary dealing with his stay in Cincinnati is copied into the end of Vol. 1, and part is copied into Vol. 3. Throughout the diary, Hentz introduced by name and context many of the people he met. Included among the enslaved, free Black people, and Indigenous people he named is Peter, who sold a table to Hentz (p.6). He also mentioned, without naming, Black people he encountered as part of his medical practice (p.3, 33). |
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Folder 21 |
Diaries of Charles A. Hentz: Volume 3 (formerly Volume 7) 1849-1850An unedited transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Diaries of Charles A. Hentz, Volume 3, 1849-1850. Volume 3 consists of an apparent copy made by Charles A. Hentz of part of his diary for 1849-1851, during which time he was practicing medicine in Cincinnati. This material was probably contained originally in Vol. 2. Entries are in order from the most recent date to the earliest. They recount Hentz's life in Cincinnati, including his medical practice and patients, studies, social life, courtship of his fiancee Betty Page, and family news. There are also many descriptions of the city of Cincinnati and its inhabitants. |
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Folder 22 |
Diaries of Charles A. Hentz: Volume 4 (formerly Volume 8) 1852-1869By 1852, Charles A. Hentz had returned to Florida, this time settling in Gadsden County. In this diary, he wrote of fishing expeditions, social life, the flora and fauna of northern Florida, and his medical practice. On 5 April 1854, he married Mary Elizabeth ("Bettie") Gilliam Booth, and they moved to Quincy, Fla., where they were to remain for many years. From 1857 to 1869, the diary focuses chiefly on Hentz's medical practice, and daily and local life, with some mention of national politics and Florida's secession from the Union. In 1865, Hentz traveled on horseback to Tampa, Fla., and described the countryside, animal and plant life, and the backwoodsmen and fishermen of the region, and gave a vivid description of a plantation destroyed by the Union Army: "The water hole or well for supplying the engine was overgrown with a rank forest of weeds, and an alligator some six feet long splashed beneath the surface as we approached." |
Acquisition Information: Accession 101110
The 1862 diary documents Charles A. Hentz's daily activities as a practicing doctor in the area of Quincy, Fla., and his work at the military hospital established there. The diaries dated from 1880 to 1901 describe Charles A. Hentz's everyday activities as a doctor in Quincy, Fla., and as a citrus farmer in City Point, Fla. Notable entries include 17 May 1880, describing a trephining operation on Joe Long, a Black man, in which Hentz removed part of Long's fractured skull. Entries in 1888 and 1890 document the illness of Cornelia Hentz (1852-1894), second wife of Charles A. Hentz. There is also an 1899 diary kept by Ella Hentz describing a journey she took with William Booth Hentz to a family wedding in City Point, Fla., and back to their home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Finally, there is a diary kept by William Booth Hentz during a visit to City Point, Fla., and Quincy, Fla., from March to May 1901.
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Folder 32 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 1862Contains entries describing Charles A. Hentz's daily activities as a practicing doctor in the area of Quincy, Fla., and his work at the military hospital established there. |
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Folder 33 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 188017 May 1880 entry notes a trephining operation on Joe Long, a Black man, in which Hentz removed part of Long's fractured skull. |
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Folder 34 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 1883 |
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Folder 35 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 1887 |
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Folder 36 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 1888 |
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Folder 37 |
Charles A. Hentz Diary, 1890-1891 |
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Folder 38 |
Ella Hentz Diary, 1899Short daily entries by Ella Hentz documenting a journey she took with William Booth Hentz to a family wedding in City Point, Fla., and back to their home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. William Booth Hentz authors entries beginning in July 1899. |
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Folder 39 |
William Booth Hentz Diary, March-May 1901Describes William Booth Hentz's visit to City Point, Fla., and Quincy, Fla. |
Arrangement: chronological.
In 1894, Charles A. Hentz wrote his autobiography, basing his reminiscences in large part on his diaries. Many of the anecdotes and stories are taken directly from the diaries; however, the autobiography tends to enlarge on the subjects in the diaries. The autobiography is in two parts, with a typed transcription accompanying each part. There are several letters, clippings, notes, and drawings pasted into each volume.
NOTE: citations refer to part (I or II) and page number of the typed transcription.
Throughout the autobiography Hentz introduced by name and context many people beyond his immediate family. Included among the enslaved, free Black people, and Indigenous people he named in Part I are: Judy and Young, an older married couple, who were hired by the Hentz family and did the washing (I, p. 32-33); John Blue, who drove a mule wagon (I, p. 55); Dade Massey, who presided over a barber's shop and traded barbering for eyelash plucking with Hentz (I, p.70); Huldah, who was enslaved by B. F. Hood (I, p.162); and Jane, a maid, was enslaved by Dr. and Mrs. Booth(?) (I, p.263).
Included among the enslaved, free Black people, and Indigenous people he named in Part II are: Mary Ingraham, an indigenous woman, hired to cook and wash, as well as nurse the sick (II, p. 19, 30); Jerry Coe, who previously was enslaved by Major Coe (II, p. 43, 45, 47); Laren and (?), who were drivers and assistants for travel for the Hargroves (II, p. 43 and 45); Hannah [Ingraham], the daughter of Mary Ingraham, who hired herself to the Hentz family (II, p. 47); Margaret, a young girl enslaved by Mrs. Booth, and who made the beds; Adeline, a woman who was enslaved at the Hentz's (II, p. 29-30); Saneko, who drove a carriage (II, p. 72); Mag Williams, who was hired as a wet nurse for Charlie Hentz, after she had just lost her own baby (II, p. 90); Stephen, who was the driver for the Hentz family (II, p. 114); Jerry, who was enslaved at Mrs. Daniel Love's, who had a gun accident and required medical attention (II, p.115); Tip Mc Dougald, who lived at the Mount Pleasant Depot, injured his hand with his own pistol while defending his pet dog against wild dogs (II, p. 130); Coley Doyle, who previously was enslaved by Dr. Booth, had a daughter who received a harelip operation from Hentz (II, p.142); Limas Bradwell, who had been in an accident while hauling lumber and required surgery (II, p.148); Silas, who ran errands (II, p. 172); Joe Long, who lived at the Walker plantation and suffered a brain injury, on whom Hentz performed a trephining operation (II, p. 182); Burkett Reed, who delivered the mail (II, p. 182-183); Julius, who had been hired as a nurse for Dr. Munroe; Dick Wright owned a sailboat, the Dolphin, which he used for delivering mail and messages (II, p. 228); Jacob Zakes was hired to accompany a fishing expedition (II, p. 290); and Phil Powell, a Black man who was part of a recreational fishing trip, probably working as the guide (II, p. 296).
In Part II, Hentz also identified and wrote more extensively about violent clashes between white people and Black people. The first incident described by Hentz is about Gabe, Lewis, Charles, and Sam, who were formerly enslaved by Mr. Ziegler, and thought to be perpetrators of petty crimes. Gabe had been in jail for stealing chickens but had escaped and was being pursued by Jesse Dickson, the white marshal. This group of men, as well as Booker, who had been enslaved by the Hentz's and others, were all armed and present about town in defiance of Marshal Jesse Dickson, who was pursuing Gabe. Dickson raised a citizens brigade to respond to the threat. The armed Black men fired a shot on this group, hitting Jesse Dickson in the temple, who died of this wound. The Black men were pursued and apprehended, except for one person. Sam turned states evidence and his life was spared, while the others were tried in court and subsequently executed by hanging, including Charles who was still considered a boy (II, p. 20-22).
The second incident described by Hentz concerned the alleged murder of James McJenkin by Lenon Whittaker, a Black man, and an unnamed Black man Whittaker hired to commit the murder. McJenkin was shot, purportedly in connection to recent thefts and killing of cattle in the neighborhood by a band of Black people. Whittaker and the alleged accomplice were later tracked to Georgia and captured. The unnamed accomplice escaped from jail, but was later captured and killed. Lenon Whitaker remained at the jail, but was lynched on Easter Saturday (II, p. 191-193).
The third incident Hentz described at length concerned a clash at the the court house, in which Ed White, a white man, knocked down a Black person he considered insolent. Black people fled the court house, and white people moved to get their weapons. Order was restored before many did, but Hentz noted that some guns were stored at Love's Store in case of emergency. Hentz wrote that white Democrats were armed and ready should there ever be a fight. Hentz's account supported his impression, which he believed was shared among many white people, that Black people could be riled up by the incendiary speeches of Republican politicians at election times during Reconstruction (II, p. 136-138).
Other incidents of racial violence described include the flogging of a white man during the Civil War for "tampering" with Black people (II, p. 90) and a Black man who had been shot by Mr. Lunday (II, p. 114).
Hentz also wrote more broadly about life for enslaved and later formerly enslaved people in Alabama and Florida. In addition to the people he named above, he wrote about but did not identify many Black people he interacted with in the course of their labor, his own daily movements about town, and in the context of medical care he provided. In Part I and II, Hentz mentioned Black people encountered as they worked as drivers, grave diggers, overseers, messengers, nurses, etc., or who assisted, transacted with, or frustrated him in some way (I, p. 17, 31, 121-122, 165, 172-173, 176-177, 295-296, 363; and II, p. 9, 13, 25, 45, 54, 79, 100-101, 107, 202). He wrote about tragedies that befell Black people because of fire at a house (II, p. 34-37) and at the Quincy jail (II, p. 193), and a train crash on the P and C railroad (II, p. 68). He wrote about a child born enslaved from the union between a Black woman who was a cook enslaved by Major Coe, and Edwin Blood, a white man, who acknowledged paternity, bought his child out of slavery, and then took him away to raise him in England (I, p. 270). Throughout his autobiography, Hentz wrote casually about the exploitation and punishment of enslaved people (for example, I, p. 40) and Northerners' impressions of slavery.
Part I of the autobiography, which covers the period between 1827 and 1865, gives background history on the Hentz family. Charles A. Hentz wrote also of his early life, describing memories of his parents; the literary society in Cincinnati to which his parents belonged, which also included Harriet Beecher Stowe; his father's interests in insects and his silkworm hobby; drawings of birds; the family's move to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to start another female academy, and a description of that school and its students. After this point, the narrative follows that of the diaries, giving details of the family's move to Tuskegee, Ala.; Charles A. Hentz's medical studies and practice in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio; grave robbing by the medical school to obtain bodies for dissection, including the body of a Black woman who had been robbed from her grave for medical purposes and was now being returned after friends of the deceased woman realized the grave have been tampered with and threatened to keep watch (p. 121-122); and his graduation and move to Florida. He then described the establishment of his practice among the "piney woods people" of Port Jackson, Fla., "one of the worst, whisky drinking, fighting, horse racing, gambling communities to be found this side of Texas"; life in the backwoods; his mistake of giving chloroform to backwoodsmen; and local crimes and murders, adultery, and accidents. He also detailed his move to Cincinnati to make enough money to marry Betty Page, and their subsequent broken engagement; his unethical and illegal obtainment for dissection a German baby who had been born outside of marriage; his return to Florida and marriage to Bettie Booth; local characters; a trip to New England to visit Whiting relatives; medical practices; the death of both of his parents; his trip to New York to secure the copyright on his mother's literary works; and his religious conversion.
On the subject of the Civil War, there are descriptions of hospitals for soldiers and many accounts of the illnesses and deaths of family and local citizens, as well as detailed accounts of his participation in the defense against the raid by the Union Army on Marianna, 18 September-2 October 1864, and the capture of his brother Thaddeus. There also are descriptions of the Battle of Natural Bridge, Fla. near Tallahassee on 3 March 1865--including a description and a sketch of the battle--and the execution of Confederate deserters. Both battles were fought by Black Union troops. Hentz then described the end of the war; the migration of many Confederates to South America, including several of his Keyes family relatives and his son William ("Willie") Booth Hentz (b.1860); and his trip to Tampa Bay as a possible place to settle after the war. The end of the typed transcription includes several appendices consisting of transcriptions of the material pasted within the original volume, including an essay on "The Wild Turkey," obituaries of a medical school friend in New Orleans, and letters from Charles A. Hentz's mother, Caroline Lee Hentz.
Part II of the autobiography covers the period 1865-1893. Hentz's description of his trip to the Tampa Bay area is continued from the first part of the autobiography, giving descriptions of citrus plantations near Tampa, and camping and sailing up Tampa Bay. Also of note are descriptions of the murder of a white sheriff by four Black men and their subsequent trial and execution; Hentz's medical practice, including a description of three girls who died as a result of a fire; various medical operations he performed; the family's move to Lake Monroe, probably in Lake County, Fla.; Northern schoolteachers "of the ultra rabid social equality type" in Jacksonville and their treatment of freedmen; a description of the family's new land and their vegetable and orange groves; wife Bettie's illness; local families and customs; problems with the farm; and the family's eventual return to Quincy and the resumption of Hentz's medical practice.
After the return to Quincy, the autobiography is concerned with the family's daily life; Swedish immigrants in Gadsden County; the death of Bettie Hentz in 1870, and Charles A. Hentz's courtship and marriage to his second wife, Cornelia Fitzgerald Munroe, in 1873; many accidents and illnesses of patients; cases of opium addiction; a visit to the Dead Lakes region of Calhoun County; the 1876 election of Rutherford B. Hayes, and the end of "Carpet Bag Rule" in Florida; racial violence, the murder of a white man by freedmen, and the arrest and lynching of the latter. In 1880, Charles A. Hentz made a visit to the Indian River in east Florida in search of land in the vicinity of City Point (Brevard County). He described the land, fishing expeditions, and local plant, animal, and human inhabitants. In 1881, the family moved to Brevard County to start a citrus plantation.
After this point, the diary mainly describes the Indian River; the family's daily life in Brevard County; Hentz's visit to New Orleans to visit an old friend from medical school; his problems with a "wanton" hired girl from the Michigan Institution; a medical visit to the lighthouse keeper at Cape Canaveral; the earthquake of September 1886; and the visit of President Cleveland to Rockledge, Fla. In 1889, the family moved back to Quincy for the last time, due to Charles A. Hentz's poor health. He described his treatment for heart disease with the Electropoise machine and its miraculous effects.
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Folder 23 |
Autobiography, Part I |
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Folder 24 |
Typed transcription of Autobiography, Part IAn unedited, keyword searchable transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Autobiography of Charles A. Hentz, Part I. |
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Folder 25 |
Autobiography, Part IIAn unedited, keyword searchable transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Autobiography of Charles A. Hentz, Part II. |
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Folder 26 |
Typed transcription of Autobiography, Part II |
Oversize Volume SV-332/1 |
Xerox copy of Autobiography |
Arrangement: by type of material.
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Folder 27 |
Obstetrical Record; 1849-1891An unedited, keyword searchable transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Medical and Agricultural Records of Charles A. Hentz, Obstetrical Record; 1849-1891. NOTE: this volume is not paginated. Citations refer to the digitized scan page (p.) or to the case number (). Record book of obstetrical cases of Charles A. Hentz, in order by date, with an index to patient names in the back of the volume. Hentz provided obstetrical care in the vicinity of Quincy, Marianna, and Ocheesee, Fla. (Gadsen and Jackson counties). Case descriptions and approximate geographic locations for both white and Black patients are included. Obstetrical care chiefly involved delivery of babies, and included miscarriages, stillbirths, and abortions. The sex of the children born is given, but not names, with one exception (Felix Cox, son of Sarah Ann Cox). Cases involving enslaved women also include the name of their enslaver. Following emancipation, Hentz provided obstetrical care for fewer Black women. Black midwives are mentioned several times, and criticized by Hentz (p.12, 14, 22, 33, 71, 79). There are other medical notes in the back of the volume, one dealing with a murder case. Also of note is the treatment of six cases of typhoid fever among Black patients, including Dicey, an 18 year old Black woman (p.100). Below are the names of the Black patients treated by Hentz. The patient's case number follows the name of the patient and the enslaver. NOTE: patients who were enslaved typically are listed by first name only, followed by the name of the enslaver in the case list. In the index, the patients who were enslaved are typically listed with the last name of the enslaver. Processing archivists have employed the index version of the name to potentially enhance discovery. When we have misidentified a person's last name, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu. Amanda Ingraham (daughter of Mary Ingraham) (226), Amy Munroe (enslaved by William Munroe) (121), Anniky McElvey (enslaved by L. G. McElvey) (128), Julius Baker (448), Eliza Benson (Major Coe's plantation) (16), Becky Bruce (enslaved by James Bruce) (81) Biddy Sharpton (enslaved by J. M. Sharpton) (23), Jesse Colson, A.J. Chancy (City Point Indian River) (468), Christmas Lines (enslaved by Joseph R. Lines) (108), Ellen Gregory (enslaved by Lewis D. Gregory) (69), Ellen Edwards (enslaved by R. L. Edwards) (119), Eliza Bassett (enslaved by Richard Bassett) (43) Eliza Widgeon (enslaved by Isaac Widgeon) (59), Eliza Love (enslaved by Alex Love) (92), Emma Fleishman (enslaved by P. M. Fleishman) (139, 149), Evelina Love (enslaved by John C. Love) (102). Fouty Henry (enslaved by T. Y. Henry) (163), Florida DuPont (enslaved by C. H. DuPont) (131), Francis Dudley (enslaved by W. H. Dudley) (44), Carrie (Charles R. Gregory's plantation) (17), Harriet Ming (enslaved by Susan R. Ming) (26), Liddy Howard (married to Sam Howard) (404), Jane Zeigler (enslaved by N. D. Ziegler) (79). Jane Jeffries (formerly enslaved by I. C. Jeffries) (203), Julia White (enslaved by Thomas M. White) (40), Julia Mills (enslaved by Adeline Mills) (133), Letty Gregory (at Jesse B. Gregory) (246), Lila McLaughlin (enslaved by William McLaughlin) (132), Mrs. A.C. Lightbourn (376). Lizzy Harris (enslaved by J. R. Harris) (190), Lottie DuPont (74), Louisa Myrick (enslaved by John T. Myrick) (64), Lucy Dudley (enslaved by W. H. Dudley) (46), Lucy Hawkins (enslaved by George S. Hawkins) (35). Ellen (enslaved by Lewis Gregory) (69), Mahala Gregory (enslaved by Jesse Gregory) (85), Mary Hargrove (enslaved by James P. Hargrove) (97), Mary Fleishman (169), Mary Gibbs (enslaved by Cooper Gibbs) (170), Mary Jackson (enslaved by J. Jackson) (171), Margaret Gregory (enslaved by Jeptha Gregory) (112), Mary McKenzie (enslaved by Allen McKenzie) (73), Mary Tanner (enslaved by John Tanner) (50). Mary Ely (enslaved by F. R. Ely) (55), Miranda Smith (enslaved by R. L. Smith) (63), Mary Jones (enslaved by Lewis D. Jones) (71), Johnathan Moss (442), Jane Murrell (201), Nancy Milton (enslaved by John Milton) (68), Nancy White (enslaved by D. L. White) (138), S.B. Osgood (313), Pink Austin (enslaved by Mrs. Austin) (175), Eliza Powell (City Point, Indian River) (476); Mrs. Joe Haller . Mrs. Bird Preston (349), Priscilla Kilbee (married to Jack Kilbee; enslaved by Mrs. E. Longworth (146, 186), Sally Wyatt (enslaved by H. T. Wyatt) (150), Sarah Ann Cox (mother of Felix Cox) (enslaved by Charles Hentz) (104), Sarah Towers (enslaved by Mrs. M. L. Towers) (125), Minty Stephens (married to Charles Stephens) (340), John Taylor (388), Mrs. Joe Waller (200), Milly Yon (enslaved by Ruel Yon) (15), Mrs. Bob Ziegler (450). |
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Folder 28 |
Medical Journal; 1858-1863An unedited, keyword searchable transcription of the digitized version of this volume is available at Medical and Agricultural Records of Charles A. Hents, Obstetrical Record; 1858-1863. NOTE: citations refer to digitized scan page numbers. Diary of approximately 150 of Charles A. Hentz's most interesting medical cases, in order by date. Entries give details on symptoms and treatment of cases for both Black and white patients. Cases involving enslaved people also include the name of the enslaver. The back of the volume contains "Notes of Dickson's Chrome Thermal System of Medicine." The enslaved patients of Hentz included: 1 November 1858: Tom, enslaved by Mrs. Jones (p.4) 6 November 1858: Betty, enslaved by Hargrove (p.9) 6 November 1858: Sophy, enslaved by Mrs. Edwards (p.9) 6 November 1858: Maria, enslaved by J.N. Wilson (p.10) 6 November 1858: Lottie, enslaved by General DuPont (p.10) 27 November 1858: Tom, a child, died (p.19) 2 February 1858: Frank, enslaved by Miss Cash, (p.23) 15 April 1859: Mully, also known as Granville, enslaved by Mr. Forman (p.30) 6 September 1859: Pleazy and Sarah, enslaved by John W. Jones (p.36) 9 October 1859: Delphy, enslaved by Rev S.P .Richardson (p.41) October 1859: Sam, enslaved by William D. Edgerton (p.44) 19 August 1860: Julia, enslaved by Mrs. Edwards (p.48) 20 August 1860: Julia, enslaved by John Colson (p.49) 22 August 1860: Sally, enslaved by John Shaw (p.51) 23 August 1860: Polly, enslaved by Forman (p.53) 26 August 1860: Biney, enslaved by J.W. Seabrook (p.55) 28 August 1860: Polly, enslaved by Forman (p.58-59) 4 September 1860: Polly enslaved by Forman (p.63) 8 September 1860: Powell, enslaved by J. H. Seabrook at Mattherson's (p.66) 16 September 1860: Christmas, enslaved by Joe Lines (p.69) 17 September 1860: Polly (p.71) 20 September 1860: Lucy, a child enslaved by Mrs. Edwards (p.72) 7 November 1860: Simon, enslaved by William Edgerton (p.82) 9 December 1860: Ann, enslaved by Mrs Munroe (p.90) 28 March 1861: Bryant aged about 18, enslaved by Willoughby Gregory (p.98) 31 March 1861: Jim, enslaved by Miss Cash (p.100) 8 January 1862: Hannah, enslaved by Lewis B. Gregory (p.106) 10 January 1861: Ann, enslaved by John Lott or Zabud Fletcher staying at Jas M. Smith's (p.92) |
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Folder 29 |
Agricultural Scrapbook; 1880s and undatedScrapbook of newspaper and magazine clippings on orange growing, gardening, and other agricultural topics, pasted into the volume. There is a handwritten subject index in the back of the volume, along with several home remedies and recipes. |
Acquisition Information: Accession 100052
Two documents relating to the medical practice of Charles A. Hentz. The first is Charles A. Hentz's medical doctorate from the University of Louisville, Ken., received in 1848. The second document is Hentz's medical practice license for the state of Florida, awarded in 1889.
Rolled Item R-332/1-2
R-332/1R-332/2 |
Charles A. Hentz, medical practice documents |
Arrangement: chronological.
Sketchbooks of Nicholas M. Hentz, with sketches of animals, landscapes, people, human anatomy, insects, and plants. There are notes in both French and English, giving descriptions of fish, scientific observations, notes on artistic techniques, lists of the Latin names of birds, grocery lists, scattered accounts, and clippings of philosophical stories pasted into the volume.
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Folder 30-31 Folder 30Folder 31 |
Sketchbooks |
Image P-332/1 |
Photographic carte de visite of Nicholas M. Hentz, made by William Kuhns, Tallahassee, Fla. |
Image P-332/2 |
Picture taken 22 September 1886 of four of Dr. Charles A. Hentz's childrenLeft to right: Mary Cornelia (b. 1876), Alice Monroe (b. 1874), Robina Logan (b. 1878), and their half-brother, Charles Arnold (b. 1870). |
Image P-332/3 |
Picture of Hentz family gathering to bid farewell to Dr. and Mrs. William Booth Hentz, when they left Florida to return to Brazil, probably in the 1930sStanding, left to right: Robina Logan Hentz Carroll (Mrs. Charles T. Carroll)(b. 1878); Charles T. Carroll (b. 1873); Jessie Dunbar Hentz Keyes (Mrs. George Keyes) (b. 1881), sister of Robina; Hal Fitzgerald Hentz (b. 1883), brother of Robina and Jessie; Frances Connally Hentz (Mrs. Hal F. Hentz); George N. Hatch, husband of Rebecca Louisa Hentz Hatch. Seated, left to right: Alice Monroe Hentz (b. 1874), sister of Robina, Jessie, and Hal; Anita Vianna Hentz (Mrs. Willliam Booth Hentz); Dr. William Booth Hentz (b. 1860), older half-brother of Robina, Jessie, Hal, and Alice; Rebecca (Bexie) Louisa Hentz Hatch (Mrs. George N. Hatch)(b. 1865), sister of William Booth Hentz, half-sister of Robina, Jessie, Hal, and Alice. |
Acquisition Information: Accession 98639
Two photographs and one cased ambrotype. The photographs are childhood portraits of Julia Keyes Hentz Dumbar (b. 1862) and William Booth Hentz (b. 1860), taken circa 1865. The ambrotype is an undated portrait of Charles A. Hentz (1827-1894).
Special Format Image SF-P-0332/1 |
Julia Keyes Hentz Dumbar, circa 1865 |
Special Format Image SF-P-0332/2 |
William Booth Hentz, circa 1865 |
Special Format Image SF-P-0332/3 |
Ambrotype: Charles A. Hentz, undated |
Violin made by William Booth Hentz, son of Charles A. Hentz, in 1928, with wood from pieces of the coffin of Pedro Menendez de Aviles, founder of St. Augustine, Fla., and wood from the old town hall of Salem, Mass.
Museum Item MU-332/1 |
Violin |