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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 reprocessed with support from Mary L. Hill.
Size | 5.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 4500 items) |
Abstract | Banker, lawyer, and legislator John Sprunt Hill (1869-1961) founded the Durham Loan & Trust with his father-in-law, George Washington Watts. A University of North Carolina alumnus, Hill was a major figure in Durham, N.C., business, politics, and philanthropy for almost 60 years. In addition to his business career, he served in the North Carolina Senate, 1933-1938. Much of his philanthropy was directed at the city of Durham and the University of North Carolina, including the donation of the Carolina Inn to UNC. The collection consists of correspondence, family materials, letterbooks, minutes, planning materials, clippings, maps, photographs, and other materials. Included are genealogical studies and correspondence about the Hill and related families in Virginia and North Carolina, including the Beal, Brownrigg, Buckner, Campbell, Dudley, Faison, Hill, Jennings, Lanier, Latham, Littlejohn, Major, McCulloch, Montfort, Sims, Snead, Stith, Watts, Wilcox, and Williams families. There are also a few 17th- through 19th-century family wills, deeds, and letters. Other items relate to John Sprunt Hill's service in the North Carolina Senate, specifically his work on liquor legislation and issues relating to the University of North Carolina. There are also letterbooks, correspondence, and other materials about Hill's legal and financial career in New York City and Durham, N.C. Businesses and organizations mentioned include the Durham Loan & Trust, Durham Bank & Trust, Home Savings Bank, farmers' co-operatives, the Home Security Life Insurance Company, the North Carolina Highway Commission, and Erwin Mills. There are also maps, correspondence, campaign advertising, voter lists, clippings, and other materials related to Hill's interest in New York City's Democratic Party, 1900-1902, and a number of personal and family materials, including information on Hill's estate and sympathy letters upon his death, answered by Hill's son George Watts Hill. A number of architectural drawings, some for building in Durham, are also included. The Addition of November 2008 contains correspondence, financial records, and other materials related to the personal and professional activities of John Sprunt Hill and Annie Sprunt Hill. Included are letters and other materials related to John Sprunt Hill's election to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1934; his work on the consolidation of the University of North Carolina system, 1934-1936; speeeches; clippings; and other professional materials. There are letterbooks containing business correspondence, mostly belonging to John Sprunt Hill, but with occasional letters from Annie Watts Hill, 1920-1925; a ledger listing stocks held by the Hills, 1906-1923; genealogies of the Watts family; photographic postcards of buildings around Durham, N.C., likely taken by Hill's son, George Watts Hill, in 1930; financial materials of Annie Watts Hill and her estate; and a scrapbook of undated photographs, likely taken sometime in the mid-to-late 19th-century in Scotland, England, and France. |
Creator | Hill, John Sprunt, b. 1869. |
Language | English |
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.
John Sprunt Hill was born on 17 March 1869 in Faison, Duplin County, N.C. He was the son of William Edward Hill and Frances Diana Hill. After leaving school at age twelve, he worked in a country store for four years. He then attended the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1889 with a Ph.B. Following graduation, Hill taught at Faison High School for two years. He began attending law school at the University of North Carolina in 1891 and, in 1892, moved to New York City to complete his degree at Columbia University. Hill graduated with a law degree in 1894 and that same year was admitted to the bar in New York and began practicing.
Hill opened his own law firm and practiced estate law, becoming a well-regarded and successful lawyer. In 1898, Hill partipated in the Spanish-American War, fighting in Puerto Rico. He returned to New York and continued his law practice, also becoming involved with the Democratic Party in Manhattan. He joined and served as a leader in groups like the Reform Club and the Young Men's Democratic Club. Hill ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1900, but was defeated.
Hill married Annie Louise Watts on 29 November 1899. Her father was George Washington Watts, a North Carolina businessman who had co-founded the American Tobacco Company. After several years of marriage, Hill decided to move with his wife and young son to Durham, N.C., to go into business with his father-in-law. Watts and Hill became powerful partners in the growing city. They founded the Home Savings Bank and Durham Loan & Trust Company. Hill served as president and chair of the board of these institutions, respectively. In 1916, Watts and Hill founded the Home Security Life Insurance Company. In response to the deep economic depression of the 1930s, they reorganized the Durham Loan & Trust Company into the Durham Bank & Trust Company in 1931. In 1950, the Home Savings Bank merged with the Durham Bank & Trust. In early 1961, shortly before Hill's death, the Durham Bank & Trust became Central Carolina Bank and Trust Company.
In addition to banking and insurance, Hill was active in a wide variety of other areas. He served as vice-president of Erwin Cotton Mills from 1908 to 1910. A golf enthusiast, he began building what became the Hillandale Country Club in Durham in 1909. Hill donated the golf course to Durham in 1934, one of many philanthropic gifts the Hills made to the city. In the 1910s, Hill became interested in farmers' co-operative organizations and credit unions and launched a personal campaign to help establish them around North Carolina. Hill served on the North Carolina Highway Commission from 1921 to 1931, then successfully ran for a seat in the North Carolina Senate, serving from 1933 to 1938.
Perhaps Hill's longest-running interest was his love of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He donated generously from the time of his graduation in 1889 until his death. In 1904, Hill was named a trustee of the University of North Carolina and continued as a trustee of the consolidated university in 1932. Hill remained a trustee for the rest of his life. In 1920, Hill built the Carolina Inn next to the University of North Carolina campus and later donated the hotel to the University. The profits from the hotel helped support what became the North Carolina Collection in the Wilson Library. Hill and his family made numerous other financial donations for University projects.
Annie Watts Hill died on 26 March 1940. She and John Sprunt Hill had three children: George Watts Hill, Laura Valinda Hill DuBose and Frances Faison Hill Fox.
John Sprunt Hill died on 29 July 1961 at the age of 92.
Back to TopThe John Sprunt Hill collection consists of correspondence, family materials, letterbooks, minutes, planning materials, clippings, maps, photographs, and other materials related to Hill's career as a North Carolina banker, lawyer, and legislator, and his interest in genealogy. The collection includes genealogical studies and genealogical correspondence, primarily from the 20th century. They concern the Hill family and related families in Virginia and in Duplin County, N.C. Other family names mentioned include Beal, Brownrigg, Buckner, Campbell, Dudley, Faison, Hill, Jennings, Lanier, Latham, Littlejohn, Major, McCulloch, Montfort, Sims, Snead, Stith, Watts, Wilcox, and Williams. The collection also includes 17th- through 19th-century family papers, including wills, deeds, and letters.
Other items relate to John Sprunt Hill's service as a North Carolina state senator, mainly on the topics of liquor legislation and the issues relating to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. There are also letterbooks, correspondence, and other materials relating to Hill's career as a New York City lawyer and Durham, N.C., businessman. The letterbooks address Hill's legal work, the founding of the Durham Loan & Trust, other Durham business issues, the death of George Washington Watts and the disbursement of his estate, the building and furnishing of Hill family homes, and North Carolina highways. Businesses and organizations mentioned include banks like the Durham Loan & Trust, Durham Bank & Trust, and Home Savings Bank; farmers' co-operatives; insurance companies like the Home Security Life Insurance Company; government organizations like the City of Durham and the North Carolina Highway Commission; and other business ventures like Erwin Mills.
There are also maps, correspondence, campaign advertising, voter lists, clippings, and other materials related to Hill's interest in the New York City Democratic Party and its campaigns, 1900-1902. Personal materials about the life and interests of Hill include biographical materials, tributes, photographs, and clippings. Personal materials also include information about organizations of interest to Hill; his writings and stories; family financial materials and family history materials; information about his death and estate; and sympathy correspondence following Hill's death, which were answered by his son, George Watts Hill (1901-1993). Also included are architectural drawings for Harwood Hall, Hillandale Dairy, the Durham Loan & Trust, and the Washington Duke Hotel, all located in Durham, N.C.; plans for Wakefield Farm, a service station, and Bankers Building; and other items.
The Addition of November 2008 contains correspondence, financial records, and other materials related to the personal and professional activities of John Sprunt Hill and Annie Sprunt Hill. Included are letters and other materials related to John Sprunt Hill's election to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1934; his work on the consolidation of the University of North Carolina system, 1934-1936; speeeches; clippings; and other professional materials. There are letterbooks containing business correspondence, mostly belonging to John Sprunt Hill, but with occasional letters from Annie Watts Hill, 1920-1925; a ledger listing stocks held by the Hills, 1906-1923; genealogies of the Watts family; photographic postcards of buildings around Durham, N.C., likely taken by Hill's son, George Watts Hill, in 1930; financial materials of Annie Watts Hill and her estate; and a scrapbook of undated photographs, likely taken sometime in the mid-to-late 19th-century in Scotland, England, and France.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological, then by family name.
Families include Beal, Brownrigg, Buckner, Campbell, Dudley, Faison, Hill, Jennings, Lanier, Latham, Littlejohn, Major, McCulloch, Montfort, Sims, Snead, Stith, Watts, Wilcox, and Williams.
Arrangement: chronological.
17th- through 19th-century family wills, deeds, and letters.
Materials from John Sprunt Hill's service as a North Carolina state senator, chiefly relating to liquor legislation and the University of North Carolina.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letterbooks used by John Sprunt Hill to record his outgoing letters. Each book has an index, where the name of the recipient was recorded along with the pages of the letterbook on which the corresponding letters can be found. Topics include Hill's legal work in New York City and Durham, the founding of the Durham Loan & Trust, other Durham business issues, the death of George Washington Watts and the disbursement of his estate, the building and furnishing of Hill family homes, and North Carolina highways.
Oversize Volume SV-3564/1 |
Letterbook: "John Sprunt Hill and Estate Gouverneur," 1899-1901 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/1Letters documenting Hill's career as an attorney in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/2 |
Letterbook, circa 1901-1904 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/2Durham-based letters documenting the establishment of the Durham Loan & Trust Company. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/3 |
Letterbook, 1901-1904 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/3Durham-based letters documenting the establishment of the Durham Loan & Trust Company. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/4 |
Letterbook: "PRIVATE - Mr. John Sprunt Hill," 1904-1908 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/4Letters documenting the business decisions of the Durham Loan & Trust, among other subjects. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/5 |
Letterbook: "John Sprunt Hill," 24 September 1918-24 May 1920 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/5Letters about Durham businesses and North Carolina highways. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/6 |
Letterbook, 1921-1929 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/6Letters about George Washington Watts's death and the disbursement of his estate. |
Oversize Volume SV-3564/7 |
Letterbook, 1927-1931 #03564, Subseries: "3.1. Letterbooks, 1899-1931." SV-3564/7Letters about Durham businesses, North Carolina highways, and the building and furnishing of Hill homes. |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Correspondence, minutes, planning materials, and other items related to a number of businesses and organizations in which Hill worked or served in some capacity. These organizations include banks, farmers' co-operatives, insurance companies, the City of Durham, the North Carolina Highway Commission, and Erwin Mills.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Maps, correspondence, campaign advertising, voter lists, clippings, and other materials related to Hill's work with New York City's Democratic Party during the years 1900 to 1902.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Materials related to the life of John Sprunt Hill, including biographical materials, tributes, photographs, and clippings. Also included are information about organizations of interest to Hill; his writings and stories; family financial materials and family history materials; information about his death and estate; and sympathy correspondence following Hill's death (answered by his son, George Watts Hill).
Architectural drawings for Harwood Hall, Hillandale Dairy, the Durham Loan & Trust, and the Washington Duke Hotel, all located in Durham, N.C. Also included are plans for Wakefield Farm, a service station, and Bankers Building.
Arrangement: Chronological and by format and creator, with materials related to John Sprunt and Annie Watts Hill preceeding those related to John Sprunt Hill alone.
Correspondence, financial records, and other materials related to the personal and professional activities of John Sprunt Hill and Annie Sprunt Hill. Included are letters and other materials related to John Sprunt Hill's election to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1934; his work on the consolidation of the University of North Carolina system, 1934-1936; speeeches; clippings; and other professional materials. There are letterbooks containing business correspondence, mostly belonging to John Sprunt Hill, but with occasional letters from Annie Watts Hill, 1920-1925; a ledger listing stocks held by the Hills, 1906-1923; genealogies of the Watts family; photographic postcards of buildings around Durham, N.C., likely taken by Hill's son, George Watts Hill, in 1930; financial materials of Annie Watts Hill and her estate; and a scrapbook of undated photographs, likely taken sometime in the mid-to-late 19th-century in Scotland, England, and France.
Processed by: Paul Puryear, Valerie Gillispie, April 1972, September 2005
Encoded by: Valerie Gillispie, September 2005
This collection was reprocessed with support from Mary L. Hill.
The Addition of November 2008 (Acc. 101025) processed by Martin Gengenbach, June 2011.
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