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Collection Number: 04185

Collection Title: Dorothy Meares Coleman Papers, 1861-1979 (bulk 1895-1979).

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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Size About 300 items (1.5 linear feet).
Abstract Dorothy Meares Coleman (1890-1981) was a native and resident of Fairfield County, S.C. Her parents were Richard Ashe Meares, an engineer who participated in bringing electricity to rural areas of South Carolina, and Louise Woodward Palmer. Dorothy had five siblings: Kate DeRosset Meares, Harriet Woodward Meares, Gertrude Palmer Meares, Gaston Meares, and Elizabeth Bessie Meares. Dorothy Meares married Allen Coleman in 1920 and with him had Louise, who married John Fowler in 1942. The collection includes scattered correspondence, clippings, writings, printed materials, and photographs of Dorothy Meares Coleman and family, chiefly 1895-1979. Also included are genealogical and biographical materials concerning the Palmer, Woodward, DeRosset, and Meares families of South Carolina; materials concerning Woodward Baptisit Church in Chester, S.C., and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgeway, S.C.; two 1861 certificates of Disability for Discharge; an 1862 letter to Lieutenant Edward Spearman from the auditor's office of the North Carolina Troops Headquarters; and family photographs, including a daguerreotype of Harriet Woodward.
Creator Coleman, Dorothy Meares.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Dorothy Meares Coleman Papers, #4185, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Dorothy Meares Coleman and Louise Coleman Fowler, February 1979 (Acc. 079183).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Amanda Loeb, October 2013

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Dorothy Meares Coleman (1890-1981) was a native and resident of Fairfield County, S.C. Her parents were Richard Ashe Meares, an engineer who participated in bringing electricity to rural areas of South Carolina, and Louise Woodward Palmer. Dorothy had five siblings: Kate DeRosset Meares, Harriet "Rita" Woodward Meares, Gertrude Palmer Meares, Gaston Meares, and Elizabeth "Bessie" Meares". Kate earned a doctorate in classical languages from the University of North Carolina. Dorothy married Allen Coleman in 1920. The couple had one daughter, Louise, who married John Fowler in 1942.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection includes scattered correspondence, clippings, writings, printed materials, and photographs of Dorothy Meares Coleman and family. Also included are genealogical and biographical materials concerning the Palmer, Woodward, DeRosset, and Meares families of South Carolina; materials concerning Woodward Baptist Church in Chester, S.C., and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgeway, S.C.; two 1861 certificates of Disability for Discharge; an 1862 letter to Lieutenant Edward Spearman from the auditor's office of the North Carolina Troops Headquarters; and family photographs, including a daguerreotype of Harriet Woodward.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Dorothy Meares Coleman Papers, 1861-1979 (bulk 1895-1979)

Folder 1-2

Folder 1

Folder 2

Correspondence, 1894-1979 and undated

Scattered correspondence of Dorothy Meares Coleman and family members, including father R. A. Meares; sisters Kate DeRosset Meares, Gertrude Palmer Meares, and Harriet Woodward Meares; and daughter Louise Coleman Fowler. Chiefly comprised of letters on family life and geneology. Included is correspondence concerning Kate Meares' memberships in various social organizations, R. A. Meares' work on rural electrification in South Carolina, and the death of Gertrude Meares following an operation. A daguerrotype referred to in an 1894 letter to Dr. John D. Palmer corresponds to SF-P-4185/1.

Folder 3-5

Folder 3

Folder 4

Folder 5

Genealogical materials, 1933-1973 and undated

Genealogical and biographical materials concerning the Palmer, Woodward, DeRosset, and Meares families of South Carolina. Chiefly consists of clippings, notes, essays, and printed materials. Included are application materials of Katherine DeRosset Meares in the National Society United States Daughters of 1812 and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

Folder 6-7

Folder 6

Folder 7

Church materials, 1928-1974 and undated

Clippings, correspondence, photographs, and printed materials related to Woodward Baptist Church in Chester, S.C., and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgeway, S.C. Includes correspondence of Dorothy Meares Coleman and Arthur Cornwall concerning his ancestor and church founder, Elder William Woodward.

Folder 8-10

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Writings and other materials, 1895-1972 and undated

Writings, correspondence, and clippings concerning members of the Coleman, Meares, Palmer, Woodward, DeRosset, and Fowler families. Includes writings and research notes of Kate Meares on family history and other subjects, as well as correspondence and printed materials concerning the death of R. A. Meares.

Folder 11

Civil War materials, 1861-1862

Two Certificates of Disablility for Discharge signed by "Meares, Col. Comd.," 2 and 5 October 1861, and a letter addressed to Lieutenant Edward Spearman from the Auditor's Office, N.C. Troops Headquarters, concerning his financial accounts, 4 April 1862.

Image Folder PF-4185/1

Family photographs, 1883, 1931, 1962, and undated

Portraits and snapshots of members of the Palmer, Meares, and Coleman families. Includes portraits of Ed Palmer, Gertrude Palmer Edwards, Louise Palmer Meares, Mary Meares Galt, Dr. John Ramsey Davis Palmer ("Old Pa"), R. A. Meares, Dorothy Meares Coleman, and Louise Palmer Coleman. Also includes a group photograph of the Meares and Coleman families at Thanksgiving, Charlotte, N.C., 1962.

Special Format Image SF-P-4185/1

Daguerreotype of Harriet Woodward Palmer, undated

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