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.
Size | 9.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 8000 items) |
Abstract | The Hill and Grosvenor families of Memphis, Tenn., were joined by the marriage of Olivia Polk Hill (1861-1934) and Charles Niles Grosvenor (1850-1931) in 1885. The couple had three children: Phoebe Olivia (1886-1963), Charles Niles, Jr. (1890-1930), and Napoleon Hill (1888-1968). The Grosvenors resided in Memphis, El Paso, Tex., and Pass Christian, Miss. The collection primarily documents their extended family, friends, and social life in Memphis and El Paso. Topics of note include courtship and love letters, student life at the University of the South, Georgia Tech, and Washington and Lee University. Other papers include portraits; financial and legal materials; poems and other writings; diaries; material relating to Army Air Force training during World War II; and maps of mines in Chihuahua, Mexico. |
Creator | Hill (Family : Memphis, Tenn. : Hill, Napoleon, 1830-1909)
Grosvenor (Family : Memphis, Tenn.) |
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.
The Hill and Grosvenor families were wealthy and prominent residents of Memphis, Tennessee. These two families were joined by the marriage of Olivia Polk Hill (1861-1934) and Charles Niles Grosvenor (1850-1931) in December 1885. Olivia Polk Hill Grosvenor's father, Napoleon Hill (1830-1909), made his fortune during the California gold rush, spending 1850-1857 in California. Upon his return to Memphis, he married Mary Martin Wood (1835-1922), daughter of Benigna Polk Wood (1816-1887) and William H. Wood (1814-1888), a large planter. Hill then established a series of firms in Memphis, culminating in the formation, with Nolan Fontaine, of Hill Fontaine and Co., a large inland cotton house. During the 1880s, Hill also purchased interests in Alabama coal lands.
Charles Niles Grosvenor was a business partner of John Overton in Memphis. In 1897, he and his wife Olivia moved to El Paso, Texas, for his health. The three Grosvenor children, Phoebe Olivia (1886-1963), Charles Niles, Jr. (1890-1930), and Napoleon Hill (1888-1968), remained in Memphis. Apparently in 1902, Olivia Hill Grosvenor moved back to Memphis, followed by her husband in 1903. Grosvenor then entered business for himself.
The Grosvenors spent much of their later years in Pass Christian, Miss.
Back to TopThis collection consists primarily of correspondence between members of the Hill and Grosvenor families and their friends. Also included is documentation relating to their financial and legal activities, social and civic activities, writings, and education. The correspondence series contains numerous love letters between Olivia Hill and Charles Niles Grosvenor; Phoebe Olivia Grosvenor and Marion G. Evans; and Phoebe Airey Evans and Jack Petree. Subseries 3.4 contains notes and other material by and about Jack Petree when he was in aviation training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in 1942. Subseries 3.6 contains three maps showing ore deposits and mining shafts in Chihuahua, Mexico. Pictures consist of portraits of identified and unidentified Grosvenor, Hill, Evans, Polk, Petree, Beard, and other family members; two photograph albums containing snapshots and informal portraits at family gatherings; and other images depicting travel in the western United States, Mississippi, Arizona, Toronto; camp in El Paso, Tex.; and unidentified buildings and locations.
Formats include cabinet cards, albumen prints, platinum prints, and photograph albums.
Records of the James S. Robinson Drugstore, received with this collection, were placed in MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS (#517), as Unit 50.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal correspondence of the Hill and Grosvenor families with family members and friends.
Letters between family members and friends. Folder 1 contains primarily the correspondence of the Wood and Hill families. Correspondence beginning in 1871 consists largely of invitations from and replies to Charles Niles Grosvenor. Love letters between Charles Grosvenor and Olivia "Sallie" Polk Hill begin in 1874 and continue until their marriage in 1885. Numerous letters to Olivia "Sallie" Hill from her many suitors begin about 1878.
Family correspondence continues. Letters dated 1890-1891 are mostly between Frank F. Hill, who was in school at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and family and friends. Letters to Frank from W. H. Bickers mention visits to "spoarting [sic] houses" (i.e. brothels) in Memphis. Beginning in 1892, letters to Frank are addressed to Pantops Academy, Charlottesville, Virginia. A letter to Olivia H. Grosvenor from Hamlin Garland (2 December 1895) is in folder 61. Beginning in 1897, there are letters from Olivia and Charles Grosvenor in El Paso, Texas, to her parents and children in Memphis, and, in 1902, between Charles Grosvenor in El Paso and Olivia, who seems to have returned to Memphis.
Folder 45-55
Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55 |
1890 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 45-55 |
Folder 56 |
1891 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 56 |
Folder 57-59
Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59 |
1892 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 57-59 |
Folder 60-61
Folder 60Folder 61 |
1894-1895 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 60-61 |
Folder 62 |
1895-1896 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 62 |
Folder 63-69
Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69 |
1897 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 63-69 |
Folder 70-83
Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83 |
1898 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 70-83 |
Folder 84-90
Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90 |
1899 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 84-90 |
Folder 91-97
Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97 |
1900 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 91-97 |
Folder 98-102
Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102 |
1901 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 98-102 |
Folder 103-112
Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112 |
1902 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 103-112 |
Folder 113-122
Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121Folder 122 |
1903 #04191, Subseries: "1890-1903." Folder 113-122 |
Letters between Olivia and Charles Grosvenor and their children: Napoleon "Nap" at Staunton Military Academy, Staunton, Virginia, and, beginning in fall 1908, at Georgia School of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia; Phoebe at Hamilton Institute, Washington, D. C., and, in 1905, in Paris, France; and C. N., Jr. "Niles" in Staunton, and, beginning in fall 1908, at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.
Correspondence between Phoebe and Marion G. Evans and other suitors begins about 1908. Bert Parker is an especially persistent suitor. His letters begin in 1910 and continue until his rejection by Phoebe in 1914. Correspondence between Phoebe and Frank Harris, a lieutenant in the Navy, begins about 1912 and continues until his death in an automobile accident, 9 October 1915.
Folder 123-135
Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135 |
1904 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 123-135 |
Folder 136-155
Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155 |
1905 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 136-155 |
Folder 156-168
Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168 |
1906 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 156-168 |
Folder 169-171
Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171 |
1907 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 169-171 |
Folder 172-173B |
1908 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 172-173B |
Folder 174-181
Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181 |
1909 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 174-181 |
Folder 182-188
Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188 |
1910 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 182-188 |
Folder 189-192
Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192 |
1911 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 189-192 |
Folder 193-196
Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196 |
1912 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 193-196 |
Folder 197-202
Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202 |
1913 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 197-202 |
Folder 203-205
Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205 |
1914 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 203-205 |
Folder 206A-206B |
1915 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 206A-206B |
Folder 207 |
1916 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 207 |
Folder 208-210
Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210 |
1917 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 208-210 |
Folder 211-214
Folder 211Folder 212Folder 213Folder 214 |
1918 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 211-214 |
Folder 215-219
Folder 215Folder 216Folder 217Folder 218Folder 219 |
1919 #04191, Subseries: "1904-1919." Folder 215-219 |
Correspondence between the Grosvenors and family and friends continues, including the correspondence of Phoebe Grosvenor Evans and Marion G. Evans. Letters in November 1932 include children's Christmas lists and corresponding orders to Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Correspondence during the 1920s between Marion G. Evans, Charles Niles Grosvenor, and various attorneys and businessmen relates to the estate of Mary M. Wood Hill (1835-1922). Letters beginning 18 April 1932 relate to the 17 April destruction by fire of the Grosvenor home in Pass Christian, Mississippi.
Folder 220-224
Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224 |
1920 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 220-224 |
Folder 225 |
1921 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 225 |
Folder 226-232
Folder 226Folder 227Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232 |
1922 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 226-232 |
Folder 233-236
Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236 |
1923 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 233-236 |
Folder 237-244
Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243Folder 244 |
1924 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 237-244 |
Folder 245-249
Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249 |
1925 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 245-249 |
Folder 250-253
Folder 250Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253 |
1926 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 250-253 |
Folder 254-257
Folder 254Folder 255Folder 256Folder 257 |
1927 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 254-257 |
Folder 258-259
Folder 258Folder 259 |
1928 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 258-259 |
Folder 260-265
Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265 |
1929 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 260-265 |
Folder 266-272
Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272 |
1930 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 266-272 |
Folder 273-280
Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280 |
1931 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 273-280 |
Folder 281-294
Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294 |
1932 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 281-294 |
Folder 295A-297 |
1933 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 295A-297 |
Folder 298-302
Folder 298Folder 299Folder 300Folder 301Folder 302 |
1934 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 298-302 |
Folder 303 |
1935 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 303 |
Folder 304-305
Folder 304Folder 305 |
1936 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 304-305 |
Folder 306-309
Folder 306Folder 307Folder 308Folder 309 |
1937-1938 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 306-309 |
Folder 310-312
Folder 310Folder 311Folder 312 |
1939 #04191, Subseries: "1920-1939." Folder 310-312 |
Chiefly correspondence between Phoebe Airey Evans and Jack Petree. Also included is correspondence between Olivia Polk Evans Jefferds, Phoebe Evans Petree, and their parents.
Financial and legal materials of the Wood, Hill, and Grosvenor families. Items include receipts, records of disbursements, bills, appraisals, correspondence with attorneys, CPA reports, and stock reports of Hill & Fontaine Land Company. Also included are lists of renters, insurance-related items, lists of checks written, financial statements, and tax materials.
Poetry, short stories, and essays by members of the Hill and Grosvenor families. Most of these are holograph works, but a few are typed carbon copies. Many of these works are unsigned. Poems by Olivia H. Grosvenor, who also wrote under the pseudonym "Midget," make up the bulk of the signed material. Included in folder 464 is sheet music for "Phoebe's Lullaby" with lyrics by Olivia H. Grosvenor. Folder 464 also contains two issues of Napoleon Hill's Magazine (Vol. 1, Nos. 1-2, April and June 1921), founded and edited by Napoleon Hill, which advocated following the Golden Rule, especially in business practices. Folder 454 contains poems written by Olivia Polk Evans, circa 1931-1932, and an illustrated booklet of poems copied by her in 1932. Folder 451 contains the dedication page and a poem from a book dedicated to Olivia Polk Hill, 25 August 1884.
Folder 451-464
Folder 451Folder 452Folder 453Folder 454Folder 455Folder 456Folder 457Folder 458Folder 459Folder 460Folder 461Folder 462Folder 463Folder 464 |
Writings, 1879-1932 and undated #04191, Subseries: "3.1. Writings, 1879-1932 and undated." Folder 451-464 |
Notes, minutes, correspondence, reports, membership lists, financial records, and other items relating to various social and civic groups of Memphis and Tennessee. Included are items relating to The Council Magazine; the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense (circa 1917); Memphis Colonial Dames, Tennessee Society of Colonial Dames of America, and National Society of Colonial Dames of America; Lamar and Magnolia Civic Clubs; Tennessee Women's Press and Author's Club; Ingleside Book Club; Memphis Women's Club; and church activities.
Folder 465-472
Folder 465Folder 466Folder 467Folder 468Folder 469Folder 470Folder 471Folder 472 |
Social and Civic Activities, 1895-1942 and undated #04191, Subseries: "3.2. Social and Civic Activities, 1895-1942 and undated." Folder 465-472 |
Materials related to the education of various members of the Hill and Grosvenor families. Among these are certificates, report cards, tuition receipts, tests, and assignments. Individuals represented include Phoebe Olivia Grosvenor Evans, Napoleon Grosvenor, Charles Niles Grosvenor, Jr., Olivia Polk Evans, and Phoebe Airey Evans.
Folder 473 |
Education-related Material, 1899-1942 and undated. #04191, Subseries: "3.3. Education-related Material, 1899-1942 and undated." Folder 473 |
Items relating to the training and service of Jack Petree, husband of Phoebe Airey Evans, during World War II. Included are class notes and tests, squadron and tent lists, and other items. Much of the material is from the Air Crew School, Maxwell Field, Alabama, and the Army Air Forces Pre-Flight School, also at Maxwell Field.
Folder 474-477
Folder 474Folder 475Folder 476Folder 477 |
Jack Petree, circa 1942 and undated. #04191, Subseries: "3.4. Jack Petree, circa 1942 and undated." Folder 474-477 |
Genealogical and historical notes, medical records, maps, and other items relating to the Hill and Grosvenor families. Folder 480 includes several floor plans of family houses and a map of Waukesha, Wisconsin (1907). Other maps, listed in this folder, but filed in oversized Papers, include three maps of mines and mineral zones of Pinos Altos, Chihuahua, Mexico (1897-1899); a map of Fort Smith, Arkansas (1906); a plat for President's Island, Tennessee (June 1920) (an island in the Mississippi River six miles below Memphis and Jones Landing, Arkansas); and a map of the Polk-Brooks "addition" to Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee.
Folder 478 |
Genealogical and Historical Materials #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." Folder 478 |
Folder 479 |
Medical Records #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." Folder 479 |
Folder 480 |
Maps #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." Folder 480 |
Oversize Paper OP-4191/1-6
OP-4191/1OP-4191/2OP-4191/3OP-4191/4OP-4191/5OP-4191/6 |
Oversize Maps #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." OP-4191/1-6 |
Folder 481 |
Miscellaneous items #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." Folder 481 |
Folder 482 |
Newspaper clippings (photocopies) #04191, Subseries: "3.5. Other Papers, 1893-1935 and undated." Folder 482 |
Letter, birth announcement, wedding invitation, and These Blooming Friends by I. Young Correthers.
Folder 483 |
Miscellaneous papers, 1920, 1935, 1943, 1954 #04191, Subseries: "3.5A. Other Papers, 1920-1954 (Addition of January 2018)." Folder 483 |
Account books, school composition books, diaries, and medical charts of the Wood, Hill, and Grosvenor families.
Acquisitions Information: Accession 103322
Portraits of identified and unidentified Grosvenor, Hill, Evans, Polk, and Beard family members; two photograph albums containing snapshots and informal portraits at family gatherings; and other images depicting travel in the western United States, Mississippi, Arizona, Toronto; camp in El Paso, Tex.; and unidentified buildings and locations. Of note is a portrait of an unidentified man in blackface and costume.
Formats include cabinet cards, albumen prints, platinum prints, and photograph albums.
Image Box IB-04191/2 |
Family pictures, 1870s-1950s #04191, Series: "5A. Pictures, circa 1870s-1950s (Addition of January 2018)." IB-04191/2Portraits and snapshots of both identified and unidentified men, women, and children; travel in the western United States, El Paso, Arizona, Toronto; camping in Texas; and unidentified buildings and locations. Of note is a portrait of an unidentified man in blackface and costume. |
Image Box IB-04191/3 |
Family pictures, 1890s-1930s #04191, Series: "5A. Pictures, circa 1870s-1950s (Addition of January 2018)." IB-04191/3Oversize portraits of both identified and unidentified men, women, and children and scenes from travels. |
Photograph Album PA-04191/1 |
Family pictures, 1917 #04191, Series: "5A. Pictures, circa 1870s-1950s (Addition of January 2018)." PA-04191/1Informal portraits and snapshots taken at family gatherings. |
Photograph Album PA-04191/2 |
Family pictures, circa 1900-1910s #04191, Series: "5A. Pictures, circa 1870s-1950s (Addition of January 2018)." PA-04191/2Snapshots of the waterfront, children swimming and playing. |
Processed by: Enola Guthrie and Gina Overcash, December 1988; Nancy Kaiser and Patrick Cullom, March 2018.
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Dawne Howard Lucas, December 2021
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