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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 | 10.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 6700 items) |
| Abstract | Cornelia Phillips Spencer, writer and community leader of Chapel Hill, N.C., was the daughter of University of North Carolina mathematics professor James Phillips (1792-1867) and Judith Vermeule Phillips (1796-1881), wife of lawyer James Monroe Spencer (1827-1861), and mother of Julia Spencer Love (b. 1859), who married Harvard University mathematician James Lee Love (1860-1950). The collection includes correspondence, writings, pictures, and other materials relating to Cornelia Phillips Spencer and her family. Much of the material for the period 1866-1883 concerns Chapel Hill friends and neighbors and the effect of Reconstruction on the University of North Carolina. Included are a few letters to Cornelia from her father, 1856-1863, and from North Carolina Governor Zebulon Baird Vance, 1865-1872. From April to October 1884, there are many letters to Cornelia from her daughter Julia, who was traveling and studying in England and Germany. Over one-third of the correspondence consists of letters between Cornelia in Chapel Hill and Julia in Cambridge, Mass., 1890-1894. Letters concern personal and public aspects of life in both college towns, the pregnancy and stillbirth experienced by Julia in March 1891, the lives of faculty members at the University of North Carolina and at Harvard, and domestic affairs of the North Carolina and Massachusetts branches of the family. Writings include many songs, poems, articles, and memorials by Cornelia. Volumes include Cornelia's diaries, 1853-1908, and her scrapbooks, some of which contain writings by Cornelia. There are also many volumes of James Phillips's lecture notes. Pictures are chiefly of family members. Also included are typed transcriptions of most of the correspondence, as well as transcriptions of letters, writings, and other materials of Cornelia from published and manuscript sources, many of which were produced in conjunction with Louis Round Wilson's editing of Cornelia's papers for publication. |
| Creator | Spencer, Cornelia Phillips, 1825-1908. |
| 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
Cornelia Ann Phillips was born 20 March 1825 in Harlem, N.Y., the daughter of James Phillips (1792-1867) and Judith Vermeule Phillips (1796-1881). Her mother, Judith Vermeule, was a member of an old Dutch family that hailed from the Raritan Valley of New Jersey. James Phillips, an Englishman who migrated to America in 1815, moved his family to Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1826, when he became professor of mathematics at the University of North Carolina, where he taught until his death in 1867. Cornelia was the youngest of three children. Brother Charles Phillips became professor of mathematics and engineering at the University of North Carolina, and Samuel Field Phillips was the United States solicitor general under President Ulysses S. Grant.
Cornelia grew up in Chapel Hill, and was educated in Latin, Greek, French, and all forms of literature (of which she was especially fond), as well as music, drawing, and needlework.
On 20 June 1855, Cornelia Phillips married James Monroe ("Magnus") Spencer (1827-1861), a lawyer and alumnus of the University of North Carolina class of 1853. In 1859, four years after the couple had settled in Clinton, Ala., Cornelia gave birth to a daughter, Julia ("June") James Spencer.
In June 1861, James Monroe Spencer died after a long illness. Several months later, Cornelia Phillips Spencer yielded to her father's pleas to return to Chapel Hill. Here, shortly after the Civil War, she began to make her mark as a writer. In 1866, at the encouragement of her friend, former Governor David Lowry Swain (1801-1868), she published her first work, The Last Ninety Days of the War. In 1869, she wrote Pen and Ink Sketches of the University of North Carolina, and, from 1870 to 1876, wrote a weekly "Young Ladies' Column" for The Presbyterian. Her frequent articles and letters to editors and state leaders played an important role in the reopening of the University of North Carolina in 1875, and in campaigns for other causes such as the founding of the University Normal School.
In 1894, Cornelia Phillips Spencer moved to Cambridge, Mass., to live with her daughter June, whose husband, James Lee Love (1860-1950), was a professor of mathematics at Harvard. One year later she was awarded an honorary degree by the University of North Carolina, the first such degree given to a woman by the University.
Cornelia Phillips Spencer died on 11 March 1908 in Cambridge.
For additional information see The Woman Who Rang the Bell by Charles Phillips Russell (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1949); Old Days in Chapel Hill by Hope Summerell Chamberlain (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1926); and Selected Papers [of Cornelia Phillips Spencer] edited by Louis Round Wilson (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1953).
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Scope and Content
Collection includes correspondence, writings, pictures, and other materials relating to Cornelia Phillips Spencer and her family. Much of the material for the period 1866-1883 concerns Chapel Hill, N.C., friends and neighbors and the effect of Reconstruction on the University of North Carolina. Included are a few letters to Cornelia from her father, James Phillips, 1856-1863, and from North Carolina Governor Zebulon Baird Vance, 1865-1872. From April to October 1884, there are many letters to Cornelia from her daughter Julia Spencer Love, who was traveling and studying in England and Germany. Over one-third of the correspondence consists of letters between Cornelia in Chapel Hill and Julia in Cambridge, Mass., 1890-1894. Letters concern personal and public aspects of life in both college towns, the pregnancy and stillbirth experienced by Julia in March 1891, the lives of faculty members at the University of North Carolina and at Harvard University, and domestic affairs of the North Carolina and Massachusetts branches of the family. Writings include many songs, poems, articles, and memorials by Cornelia.
Volumes include Cornelia's diaries, 1853-1908, and her scrapbooks, some of which contain writings by Cornelia. There are also many volumes of James Phillips's lecture notes.
Writings and correspondence include discussions of daily life in Chapel Hill, 1862-1894, the University of North Carolina's struggles during Reconstruction, and miscellaneous personal and family matters.
There are also pictures of friends and relatives of Cornelia Phillips Spencer.
Also included are typed transcriptions of most of the correspondence, as well as transcriptions of letters, writings, and other materials of Cornelia from published and manuscript sources, many of which were produced in conjunction with Louis Round Wilson's editing of Cornelia's papers for publication.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1839-1919, 1924, 1926, 1975, and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal and family letters to and from Cornelia Phillips Spencer, concerning a variety of topics. Much of the correspondence is with Spencer's daughter June and her sister-in-law, Laura Battle Phillips (Mrs. Charles Phillips). Much of the earlier material (1866-1883) concerns friends and neighbors in Chapel Hill and the turbulent affairs of the University of North Carolina during Reconstruction.
From April to October 1884, there are letters to her mother from June Spencer, who was travelling and studying in England and Germany. See Series 3. Writings and Series 5. Typescripts for typescripts of these letters as published in The Presbyterian.
Over one-third of the correspondence is dated 1890-1894, and consists of letters between June Spencer Love, in Cambridge, Mass., and Cornelia Spencer. The letters concern various aspects of life in Chapel Hill and Cambridge: activities of friends and relatives, the pregnancy and stillbirth experienced by June in March 1891, faculty members of the University of North Carolina and Harvard, and the domestic affairs of both families.
Much of the rest of the correspondence consists of routine family and personal letters, many of which were written by Cornelia Phillips Spencer to Laura and Charles Phillips. Other items include letters from Robert Lamar Beall (d. 1891), 1866-1867, and from Edward Joseph Hale (1839-1922), 1866. Charles Force Deems (1820-1893) wrote several letters to Spencer in 1866 concerning her book, The Last Ninety Days of the War. Spencer's father, James Phillips (1792-1867), wrote a few letters to his daughter, 1856-1863, and there are also letters from North Carolina Governor Zebulon Baird Vance (1830-1894), 1865-1872.
There are also a few letters not involving Spencer--a brief correspondence between James Phillips and Reverend Alexander Wilson, 1839-1844, and an exchange of letters (apparently contemporary copies) between Z. B. Vance and William T. Sherman, discussing the surrender of the city of Raleigh.
See also Series 5. Typescripts.
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Series 2. Financial Material, 1874, 1878, 1883.
Arrangement: chronological.
A receipt for payment by Spencer to the Chapel Hill post office, personal accounts of Spencer for March 1878, and a bill for art supplies bought by June Spencer.
| Folder 84 |
Financial Material #00683, Series: "2. Financial Material, 1874, 1878, 1883." Folder 84 |
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Series 3. Writings, 1878, 1884, 1895, and undated.
Most items are typescripts "Letters of a Young Lady from the Old World," which were published in 1884 in The Presbyterian. There are also miscellaneous handwritten pieces--songs, poems, memorials, essays, and notes. The series includes two fairly long items entitled, "North Carolina: The Old North State" and "South Carolina: The Palmetto State."
See also Series 4. Printed Material, Series 5. Typescripts, Series 7. Typed Copies, and Series 8. Volumes.
| Folder 85 |
"North Carolina: The Old North State" #00683, Series: "3. Writings, 1878, 1884, 1895, and undated." Folder 85 |
| Folder 86 |
"South Carolina: The Palmetto State" #00683, Series: "3. Writings, 1878, 1884, 1895, and undated." Folder 86 |
Folder 87-88
Folder 87Folder 88 |
Miscellaneous Poems, Notes, and Memorials #00683, Series: "3. Writings, 1878, 1884, 1895, and undated." Folder 87-88 |
Folder 89-94
Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94 |
"Letters of a Young Lady from the Old World" by June Spencer Love #00683, Series: "3. Writings, 1878, 1884, 1895, and undated." Folder 89-94 |
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Series 4. Printed Material, 1833-1937 and undated.
Arrangement: By type.
Chiefly clippings and photocopies of clippings about, by, or collected by Cornelia Phillips Spencer and her family. There is also an incomplete list of installments of the "Young Ladies' Column," published in The Presbyterian, 1870-1876.
Also included are printed songs written by Spencer in honor of special university occasions, a commencement program, a memorial to Spencer's brother Samuel Field Phillips, and a copy of "Professor Hedrick's Case."
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Series 5. Typescripts, Prepared before 1953.
Arrangement: by subject.
Typed transcripts of letters, writings, memoranda, comments, and other material used by Louis Round Wilson in the preparation of Selected Papers of [Cornelia Phillips Spencer] (1953). Many items were not published in the book. These translations were made from material in various periodicals and in manuscript collections, including the Southern Historical Collection, the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, and the North Carolina State Archives.
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Series 6. Other Material, 1844-1912 and undated.
Arrangement: by type.
Photocopies of book pages annotated by Cornelia Phillips Spencer, memorials, and biographical sketches about Spencer, an obituary of James Phillips, an anonymous work entitled "Notes on Stoneman's Raid," a copy of the will of Rutgers V. Cadmus, notes on Spencer correspondence written by Cornelia Spencer Love, genealogy of the Vermeule-Phillips-Lucas family, and miscellaneous enclosures.
| Folder 154 |
Cornelia Spencer Phillips Memorial and Biographical Sketches #00683, Series: "6. Other Material, 1844-1912 and undated." Folder 154 |
| Folder 155 |
Genealogy: Vermeule-Phillips-Lucas #00683, Series: "6. Other Material, 1844-1912 and undated." Folder 155 |
| Folder 156 |
Miscellaneous Items #00683, Series: "6. Other Material, 1844-1912 and undated." Folder 156Includes the will of Rutgers V. Cadmus with June Love as beneficiary, "Notes on Stoneman's Raid" (author unknown), and other items. |
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Series 7. Typed Copies, 1839-1912, 1919.
Arrangement: chronological.
Twenty bound volumes of collected writings of Cornelia Phillips Spencer, gathered from various periodical and manuscript sources and typed in 1949-1950 for James Lee Love, son-in-law of Spencer. These volumes are designated (TC).
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Series 8. Volumes, 1848-1942 and undated.
Arrangement: by type.
Chiefly journals and personal writings of Cornelia Phillips Spencer and lecture notes of James Phillips, professor of mathematics at the University of North Carolina.
Nine volumes consist partly or entirely of journal entries, 1853-1908. Entries were made almost daily for some periods, notably 1882-1907, and much less frequently for others. Few entries are longer than one page. Subjects are chiefly Spencer's daily activities and her commentary on them. Literary quotations and citations are frequent.
There are several scrapbooks which contain miscellaneous collected published writings, some of which were written by Spencer.
Volume 81 is actually a bibliographical card index of published (and a few unpublished) writings by Spencer. This index probably is not exhaustive. It was prepared in conjunction with James Lee Love's typing project (see Series 7. Typed Copies).
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Subseries 8.1. Cornelia Phillips Spencer Volumes, 1848-1908.
Arrangement: by type.
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Subseries 8.2. James Phillips Volumes, 1854-1867 and undated.
Arrangement: by type.
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Subseries 8.3. Scrapbooks, undated.
| Oversize Volume SV-683/71a |
Scrapbook #00683, Subseries: "8.3. Scrapbooks, undated." SV-683/71a |
| Folder 227 |
Folder number not used #00683, Subseries: "8.3. Scrapbooks, undated." Folder 227 |
Folder 228-232
Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232 |
Volumes 71b-75: Scrapbooks #00683, Subseries: "8.3. Scrapbooks, undated." Folder 228-232 |
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Subseries 8.4. Other Volumes, 1840s-1942.
Arrangement: by type.
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Series 9. Pictures, 1850-1918.
Chiefly photographs of Cornelia Phillips Spencer and her relatives, including her parents, her daughter, and her grandchildren, James Spencer Love and Cornelia Spencer Love. There are also pictures of friends and acquaintances, mostly cartes-de-visite. Special format photographs, such as daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, are designated (SF).
There are also several floral and foliage paintings done from life by Spencer.
Also included (and numbered and filed separately) are photographs from a dismantled photograph album. This album, consisting of about 100 images, has been dismantled in order to prevent further deterioration of the photographs due to water damage. The images have been kept in the exact order in which they were placed in the album and numbered accordingly; i.e., the images 1a-1b appeared on page 1 of the album and so forth.
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Addition of February 2007, 1880-1883.
Three letters: one form letter of 9 September 1880 from Cornelia Phillips Spencer to the alumni of the University of North Carolina requesting updated information about former students; one letter of 21 November 1883 from Albert Smith of Cullman, Ala., to S. L. Kenan of Selma, Ala., in response to a prior request for alumni information; and one letter of September 1883 from Cornelia Phillips Spencer to S. L. Kenan thanking him for his efforts in securing alumni information.
| Folder 156a |
3 letters #00683, Series: "Addition of February 2007, 1880-1883." Folder 156a |
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Items Separated
Processed by: Linda Mackie Griggs and Roslyn Holdzkom, December 1992; Margaret Dickson, July 2007
Encoded by: Bari Helms, March 2005
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, March 2021
James Phillips's lecture notes and the Louis Round Wilson typed transcriptions were not included in the 1993 microfilm copy of this collection.
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