This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Size | 40.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 72,000 items) |
Abstract | Calvin Josiah Cowles (1821-1907) of Wilkes County, N.C., was a merchant specializing in roots and herbs who traded with the North and England. Cowles was a Whig and post-war Republican, superintendent of the United States Mint at Charlotte, N.C., 1869-1884, and consistent promoter of land, mining, and railroad development in northwestern North Carolina. The papers consist of letterpress copy books, 1877-1907; mercantile account books; land surveys and papers relating to Cowles's land holdings in North Carolina, Kansas, and South Dakota; papers relating to his copper and mica mines in northwestern North Carolina; business correspondence; and numerous letters exchanged between Cowles and his ten children giving a detailed picture of their education and careers. Correspondents included: Frank Armin, William Brandreth, A. W. Finley, Colonel Julius Gray, George B. Hanna, John Hinsdale, William W. Holden, Phineas Horton, Davenport Jackson, Max Long, Colonel George Polk, Henry Reynolds, Charles Strauss, William T. Sutherlin, William H. Taft, Harvey Terry, Robert Vance, and John A. Young. Also included are letters to and from son Arthur Duval Cowles, who bought his father's business in 1869 and moved it to Ashe County, N.C., and campaign papers of another son, Charles Holden Cowles, Republican United States representative, 1908-1910. The bulk of the material is dated after 1875; there is little pertaining to C. J. Cowles's political activities during Reconstruction. |
Creator | Cowles, Calvin J. (Calvin Josiah), 1821-1907. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, March 2010; Nancy Kaiser, January 2021
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.
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching by web browsers.
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.
Calvin Josiah Cowles (1821-1907) of Wilkes County, N.C., was a merchant specializing in roots and herbs who traded with the North and England. Cowles was a Whig and post-war Republican and superintendent of the United States Mint at Charlotte, N.C., 1869-1884. Cowles was born in Yadkin County, N.C., to Josiah Cowles and Deborah Sanford Cowles. As a teenager and young adult, Cowles clerked at his father's store and in 1846 moved to Wilkes County, N.C., where he opened his own general merchandise store, specializing in roots and herbs, called J. & C. J. Cowles. Cowles was also deeply involved in the acquisition of land for purposes of mining, timber, railroad building, and speculation. He also owned land which he rented for agricultural production. A large portion of Cowles land interests were in North Carolina, however, he also speculated in lands further west, chiefly in Kansas and South Dakota, but also in Colorado and Wyoming. Cowles was also a voluntary county statistician and weather observer for the state and federal agricultural departments.
Cowles was married in 1844 to Martha T. Duvall, with whom he had five sons, including Arthur Duval Cowles. After Martha's death, Cowles married Ida Augusta Holden, daughter of North Carolina governor W. W. Holden. The second marriage produced five children, including Calvin Duval Cowles (1849-1937), who served with the United States Army in conflicts against Native Americans and the Spanish in Cuba, and Charles Holden Cowles (1857-1957), a North Carolina legislator and editor-publisher of The Wilkes Patriot.
Back to TopThe papers consist of letterpress copy books, 1877-1907; mercantile account books; land surveys and papers relating to Cowles's land holdings in North Carolina, Kansas, and South Dakota; papers relating to his copper and mica mines in northwestern North Carolina; business correspondence; and numerous letters exchanged between Cowles and his ten children giving a detailed picture of their education and careers. Correspondents included: Frank Armin, William Brandreth, A. W. Finley, Colonel Julius Gray, George B. Hanna, John Hinsdale, William W. Holden, Phineas Horton, Davenport Jackson, Max Long, Colonel George Polk, Henry Reynolds, Charles Strauss, William T. Sutherlin, William H. Taft, Harvey Terry, Robert Vance, and John A. Young. Also included are letters to and from son Arthur Duval Cowles, who bought his father's business in 1869 and moved it to Ashe County, N.C., and campaign papers of another son, Charles Holden Cowles, Republican United States representative, 1908-1910. The bulk of the material is dated after 1875; there is little pertaining to C. J. Cowles's political activities during Reconstruction.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
The earliest items, 1773-1839, include bills of sale for land, horses, slaves, furniture, all in Mecklenburg County, N.C. There are also way-bills and memoranda of expenses; family correspondence of the Duvall family; bills from Baltimore, Md., wholesalers to William Pitt Waugh, a Wilkesboro, N.C., merchant.
Papers, 1840-1848, are chiefly personal correspondence of Calvin Josiah Cowles.
Items, 1850-1859, include family correspondence between Cowles, his brothers, Martha Duvall Cowles, Robert Duvall, and Josiah Cowles. There are also business papers from this period of J. & C. J. Cowles, including bills of lading and root and herb accounts with Northern dealers.
Papers, 1860-1869, contain some Civil War items, including muster rolls for Georgia and South Carolina Infantry regiments; business accounts; tax collection records. There are also numerous items related to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The bulk of the papers, 1870-1879, were created in 1875 and 1877 and are primarily concerned with efforts to redeem state bank notes of Southern banks and efforts to develop the Gap Creek (Copper Knob) Mine. Other topics addressed in this period are land, lawsuits, taxes, loans, and bonds. Family correspondence is primarily between Cowles, his sons, and his brothers, and concern business and family matters.
Papers, 1880-1889, are chiefly concerned with mining, Cowles' lawsuits (mostly over land titles), efforts to redeem North Carolina state bonds and old state bank notes; affairs of the United States Mint at Charlotte, N.C.; financial troubles; and family correspondence between Cowles, his sons, and his brothers. There is also correspondence about bills in Congress between Cowles and his half-brother, William H. H. Cowles, a Representative to Congress. There is also correspondence with agents and tenants of Cowles' Kansas land holdings, and other items.
Business papers, 1890-1899, include correspondence with tenants in Kansas and western North Carolina; pensions claimants; lawyers regarding lawsuits; real estate men; loan and insurance companies; banks; and mining and railroad contacts. Family correspondence is with Cowles' sons, Arthur, Calvin D., and William, concerning business, particularly money, loans, and land speculation; with Cowles' sister, Eliza Benham; with his brothers; with his wife and children at home while Cowles took a four month trip to New York and Kansas; with brother-in-law, M. M. Teague, on business matters. There are also miscellaneous letters from cousins and other relatives. Besides substantial correspondence with federal and state agriculture departments, there is correspondence with patent drug companies; with coin and stamp collectors; organizational letters for the American Silver Organization; and correspondence regarding claims for payment of railroad bonds issued during the Civil War and later repudiated by the state.
Business papers, 1900-1907, include correspondence with tenants concerning renting, payment, crops, timber thieves, and cutting timber; regarding land interests in Kansas, South Dakota, and western North Carolina; negotiations to sell much of the land; extensive correspondence with agents, lawyers, and creditors. Family correspondence is chiefly between Cowles and his children. Also included are notes of land surveys, correspondence with state and federal agriculture departments; correspondence with patent drug companies regarding the latest cures; correspondence concerning Charles H. Cowles local and state Republican Party political activities; letters from J.E. Rebstock concerning starting a farming and lumbering company somewhere in North Carolina; and other items.
There are relatively few papers, 1908-1941, and most of them are from Charles H. Cowles. Family correspondence is fuller for the years right after Cowles' death and concerns land sales and legal affairs of his estate.
Notable correspondents represented in the Chronological Series include Frank Armin, William Brandreth, A. W. Finley, Colonel Julius Gray, George B. Hanna, John Hinsdale, William W. Holden, Phineas Horton, Davenport Jackson, Max Long, Colonel George Polk, Henry Reynolds, Charles Strauss, William T. Sutherlin, William H. Taft, Harvey Terry, Robert Vance, and John A. Young.
Folder 1a |
Original finding aid |
Folder 1 |
Introductory material |
1773-1799 |
|
Folder 2 |
1802-1810 |
Folder 3 |
1811-1819 |
Folder 4 |
1820-1825 |
Folder 5 |
1826-1829 |
Folder 6 |
1830-1839 |
Folder 7 |
1840-1848 |
Folder 8 |
1850-1859, and Undated |
Folder 9 |
1850 |
Folder 10 |
1851 |
Folder 11 |
1852 |
Folder 12 |
1853 |
Folder 13 |
1854 |
Folder 14 |
1855 |
Folder 15-20
Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19Folder 20 |
1856 |
Folder 21-32
Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32 |
1857 |
Folder 33-38
Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38 |
1858 |
Folder 39 |
1859 |
Folder 40 |
1860-1869, Undated |
Folder 41 |
1860 |
Folder 42-44
Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44 |
1861 |
Folder 45 |
1862 |
Folder 46-47
Folder 46Folder 47 |
1863-1864 |
Folder 48-53
Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53 |
1865-1866 |
Folder 54-56
Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56 |
1867-1868 |
Folder 57-59
Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59 |
1869 |
Folder 60 |
1870s, Undated |
Folder 61 |
1870 |
Folder 62 |
1871 |
Folder 63 |
1872 |
Folder 64 |
1873 |
Folder 65 |
1874 |
Folder 66-76
Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76 |
1875 |
Folder 77 |
1876 |
Folder 78-89
Folder 78Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89 |
1877 |
Folder 90-91
Folder 90Folder 91 |
1878 |
Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-3808/1 |
1878 |
Folder 92-93
Folder 92Folder 93 |
1879 |
Folder 94 |
1880s, Undated |
Folder 95-108
Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108 |
1880 |
Folder 109-110
Folder 109Folder 110 |
1881 |
Folder 111 |
1882 |
Folder 112-121
Folder 112Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121 |
1883 |
Folder 122-132
Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132 |
1884 |
Folder 133 |
1885 |
Folder 134-148
Folder 134Folder 135Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148 |
1886 |
Folder 149-165
Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165 |
1887 |
Folder 166 |
1888 |
Folder 167-170
Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170 |
1889 |
Folder 171 |
1890s, Undated |
Folder 172-188
Folder 172Folder 173Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188 |
1890 |
Folder 189-202
Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202 |
1891 |
Folder 203-216
Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210Folder 211Folder 212Folder 213Folder 214Folder 215Folder 216 |
1892 |
Folder 217-230
Folder 217Folder 218Folder 219Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224Folder 225Folder 226Folder 227Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230 |
1893 |
Folder 231-244
Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243Folder 244 |
1894 |
Folder 245-255
Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249Folder 250Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255 |
1895 |
Folder 256-268
Folder 256Folder 257Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268 |
1896 |
Folder 269-281
Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280Folder 281 |
1897 |
Folder 282-284
Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284 |
1898 |
Folder 285-300
Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294Folder 295Folder 296Folder 297Folder 298Folder 299Folder 300 |
1899 |
Folder 301-313
Folder 301Folder 302Folder 303Folder 304Folder 305Folder 306Folder 307Folder 308Folder 309Folder 310Folder 311Folder 312Folder 313 |
1900 |
Folder 314-325
Folder 314Folder 315Folder 316Folder 317Folder 318Folder 319Folder 320Folder 321Folder 322Folder 323Folder 324Folder 325 |
1901 |
Folder 326 |
1902 |
Folder 327-339
Folder 327Folder 328Folder 329Folder 330Folder 331Folder 332Folder 333Folder 334Folder 335Folder 336Folder 337Folder 338Folder 339 |
1903 |
Folder 340-351
Folder 340Folder 341Folder 342Folder 343Folder 344Folder 345Folder 346Folder 347Folder 348Folder 349Folder 350Folder 351 |
1904 |
Folder 352-363
Folder 352Folder 353Folder 354Folder 355Folder 356Folder 357Folder 358Folder 359Folder 360Folder 361Folder 362Folder 363 |
1905 |
Folder 364-376
Folder 364Folder 365Folder 366Folder 367Folder 368Folder 369Folder 370Folder 371Folder 372Folder 373Folder 374Folder 375Folder 376 |
1906 |
Folder 377-384
Folder 377Folder 378Folder 379Folder 380Folder 381Folder 382Folder 383Folder 384 |
1907 |
Folder 385 |
1908 |
Folder 386-387
Folder 386Folder 387 |
1909-1910 |
Folder 387 |
1910 |
Folder 388-392
Folder 388Folder 389Folder 390Folder 391Folder 392 |
1911 |
Folder 393 |
1912 |
Folder 394 |
1913-1914 |
Folder 395 |
1915 |
Folder 396 |
1916 |
Folder 397-399
Folder 397Folder 398Folder 399 |
1917-1918 |
Folder 400 |
1920-1921 |
Folder 401 |
1922-1923 |
Folder 402 |
1929-1933 |
Folder 403 |
1934 |
Folder 404 |
1935-1936 |
Folder 405 |
1938-1941 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Charles H. Cowles was elected Representative of the Eighth District to Congress in 1908 and was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1910. Most of these papers concern the two election campaigns, in the fall of 1908 and 1910. There are a few items written in 1909 while Cowles was in office. Much of the correspondence is written by Henry Reynolds, executive head of the state Republican Congressional Committee, who organized and ran Cowles' campaigns.
Folder 406-413
Folder 406Folder 407Folder 408Folder 409Folder 410Folder 411Folder 412Folder 413 |
Political campaign papers of Charles Holden Cowles, 1908 |
Folder 414-415
Folder 414Folder 415 |
Political campaign papers of Charles Holden Cowles, 1909 |
Folder 416-430
Folder 416Folder 417Folder 418Folder 419Folder 420Folder 421Folder 422Folder 423Folder 424Folder 425Folder 426Folder 427Folder 428Folder 429Folder 430 |
Political campaign papers of Charles Holden Cowles, 1910 |
Arrangement: geographically when identifiable.
Papers are for North Carolina lands but do not cover all of Cowles' holdings. The papers contain surveys, copies of old grants, bonds for title, maps, and miscellany. Papers pertaining to land holdings that are dated are filed in the Chronological Series.
Folder 431-440
Folder 431Folder 432Folder 433Folder 434Folder 435Folder 436Folder 437Folder 438Folder 439Folder 440 |
Land papers, Wilkes County, N.C. |
Folder 440 |
Land papers, Yadkin River |
Folder 441 |
Land papers, Elk Creek |
Folder 442 |
Land papers, Rowan County, N.C. |
Folder 443-446
Folder 443Folder 444Folder 445Folder 446 |
Unidentified papers, maps, and surveys |
Includes bills, receipts, orders for supplies and equipment, and tax statements. Wilkes Patriot correspondence is also filed in the chronological series, from February 1908-December 1910, and concerns material for publication, letters to the editor, subscriptions, and miscellany.
Folder 447-448
Folder 447Folder 448 |
Wilkes Patriot |
There are many other materials related to legal cases and lawsuits filed with the chronological series.
Folder 449 |
Undated legal papers |
Folder 450 |
Legal cases, United States Mint salariesIncludes material related to an action for reimbursement of salaries earned at the United States Mint at Charlotte, N.C., from 1 July 1875-16 October 1876, by Calvin Josiah Cowles and George B. Hanna. |
Folder 451 |
Cowles & Cowles v. Watts & Watts, 1854-1859Includes material related to an action for fraud in the Wilkes County, N.C., Superior Court. |
Bills and receipts form two separate groups: Calvin Josiah Cowles's bills for household supplies, clothing, and other items, 1873-1906, and accounts due to the firm of J. & C. J. Cowles, 1850s-1905.
Folder 453-460, 519-526 |
Bills and Receipts |
Arrangement: by type.
Folder 452 |
Newspaper clippings |
Folder 461a |
Mercantile circulars |
Folder 461b |
Business circulars, 1867-1906 |
Folder 462 |
Bank notesFrom the Corporation of Danville, Va.; The Exchange Bank of Virginia, Norfolk; Commercial Bank of Wilmington: 1863 North Carolina ten-cent notes; cancelled counterfeit money; U.S. three-cent piece. See also Miscellaneous Currency (#4672). |
Folder 463 |
Folder number not used |
Image Folder PF-3808/1-3
PF-3808/1PF-3808/2PF-3808/3 |
PhotographsChiefly undated and unidentified. |
Folder 464a |
Mrs. Will (Jetty) Finley papers, 1867-1949 |
Folder 464b |
William H. H. Cowles papersScattered papers (copies only) of William H. H. Cowles, half-brother of Calvin Josiah Cowles. |
Folder 465 |
Horton papers |
Folder 466 |
Yadkin River development blueprints for railroads, 1890 |
Folder 467 |
Poems and memoranda (for speeches?) |
Folder 468 |
"Podczaski's papers"Includes undated papers concern mining and minerals. |
Folder 469 |
Mining papers |
Folder 470 |
Memoranda and miscellaneous |
Folder 471 |
Printed Cowles advertising |
Folder 472 |
Undated correspondence |
Folder 473-478
Folder 473Folder 474Folder 475Folder 476Folder 477Folder 478 |
Advertisements for merchandise |
Folder 479-482
Folder 479Folder 480Folder 481Folder 482 |
Medicine advertisements |
Folder 483 |
Investment advertisements |
Folder 484 |
Henry Clews & Co. Weekly Financial Review |
Folder 485-487
Folder 485Folder 486Folder 487 |
Investment advertisements |
Folder 488-489
Folder 488Folder 489 |
Miscellaneous advertisements |
Folder 490 |
L. D. Bass of South Carolina |
Folder 491 |
Expositions advertisements |
Folder 492 |
Gardening, farming, and produce advertisements |
Folder 493 |
Political advertisements |
Folder 494 |
Books, journals, and magazine advertisements |
Folder 495 |
Heavy machines, equipment, building materials, and tools |
Folder 496 |
Natural Science |
Folder 497 |
Publishers |
Folder 498 |
Stamp collecting and other collecting hobbies |
Folder 499 |
Theater programs |
Folder 500 |
Transportation and travel |
Folder 501 |
Miscellaneous business cards and ads |
Folder 502 |
Livestock |
Folder 503 |
Unclassified |
Folder 504 |
United States Government items |
Folder 505a-505b |
Miscellaneous business |
Folder 506 |
Miscellaneous advertising, Ann Collins |
Folder 507 |
Miscellaneous advertising: 1903 |
Folder 508 |
Miscellaneous advertising, Ann Collins, 1904 |
Folder 509 |
Miscellaneous business |
Folder 510-513
Folder 510Folder 511Folder 512Folder 513 |
Advertisements from W. L. Spoon |
Folder 514 |
Postcards, 1875-1879 |
Folder 515 |
Postcards, 1880-1885 |
Folder 516 |
Postcards, 1886-1891 |
Folder 517 |
Postcards, 1892-1896 |
Folder 518 |
Postcards, 1897-1914 |
Arrangement: chronological.
All but three of these volumes contain the letters of Calvin Josiah Cowles, written chiefly from Charlotte and Wilkesboro, N.C. Most of the books contain over 600 full pages and a few contain over 1,000 pages. The main subjects of the correspondence are Cowles' extensive and diverse business interests, including railroads, mining, agriculture, retail trade, money exchange, and land sales in several Southern and Midwestern states. There is much correspondence, official and semi-official, while Cowles was assayer at the United States Mint at Charlotte, as well as family and political correspondence. Most books have alphabetical indexes of correspondents in the front.
Arrangement: chronological.
This series includes daybooks containing the daily sales records of Cowles' mercantile business, J. & C. J. Cowles, at Elkville and Wilkesboro, N.C. formatted to include dates, customer names, goods purchased, and amount of sale on a day-to-day basis. Also included in this set of volumes are cash books, customers' accounts, ledgers, and shipping and dealers' accounts containing business transactions of the J. & C.J. Cowles store in general merchandise, roots and herbs, livestock, land, vegetables, and securities.