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Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1350 items) |
Abstract | Members of the Manly family of Wake County, N.C., included Charles Manly, governor of North Carolina, 1849-1851; his son, Basil Charles Manly, a lawyer who served as mayor of Raleigh, N.C.; and son-in-law George Badger Singeltary, lawyer of Greenville, N.C. The collection includes correspondence, financial and legal items, military papers, estate papers, account books, genealogical material, and other items relating to the family of Charles Manly. Materials pertain to the daily lives and financial and legal interests of the Manly family, chiefly 1847-1870, with some material concerning military careers during the Mexican and Civil wars. Topics include Charles Manly's personal business and law practice; lives of students at the University of North Carolina in the 1850s, including seven student essays by William Henry Manly and one letter concerning the closing of the University in 1868; the lives of women on a plantation in Wake County, especially in the 1850s, including their relations with slaves; George Badger Singeltary's dishonorable discharge during the Mexican War and other aspects of Singeltary's life; activities of the 9th and 44th North Carolina regiments in the Civil War; and the estates of William H. Haywood Sr., James C. S. McDowell, and others. |
Creator | Manly (Family : Wake County, N.C.) |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
Processed by: Connie Cartledge and Anne von Storch, February 1986
Encoded by: Bari Helms, April 2005
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.
Charles Manly (1795-1891), last Whig governor of North Carolina, 1849-1851, was born in Chatham County, the son of Captain Basil Manly. His siblings included the Reverend Basil Manly, president of the University of Alabama; Matthias Manly, justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina; and Louisa Sophia, whose second husband was Pleasant M. Powell, a planter of Powellton, N.C.
In 1817, after graduating from the University of North Carolina and studying law in Raleigh, Charles Manly married Charity Hare Haywood, daughter of William H. Haywood, Sr., a prominent Raleigh banker. Charity Hare Haywood was the sister of William Henry Haywood Jr., United States senator, and sister-in-law of Edward B. Dudley, governor of North Carolina, 1836-1840. Manly's legal career centered in Raleigh, where he practiced law before and after his term as governor. He also owned the large plantation, Ingleside, northeast of Raleigh in Wake County.
The Manlys had twelve children. The oldest daughter was Ann Eliza (b. 1818). The oldest son, John Haywood (1820-1874), practiced law in Galveston, Tex. Langdon Cheves (1822-circa 1890), often referred to as "Chev," became a physician in Raleigh. Charles Jr. (1824-1848) and William Henry (1826-1848) both died as young men. Cora (1829-1876), known as "Sis Co" or "C", married George Badger Singeltary, a lawyer of Greenville, in 1853 or 1854. Singeltary became a Confederate colonel and was killed in 1862 (see The Confederate Reveille (1898)). A fifth son died as a baby. The third daughter, Julia (1832-1900), married James McDowell, owner of Quaker Meadows Plantation near Morganton, and had a number of children. McDowell also served as a Confederate colonel and was killed in the war. In 1855, Helen (1835-1921) married John Gray Blount Grimes, a planter of Pitt County, who served as a Confederate captain and was imprisoned during the war. They had six children, one of whom, Olivia Blount Grimes, was the donor of this collection.
Between 1855 and 1863, Sophia Louisa (b. 1837), the governor's next youngest daughter, received hundreds of letters from relatives and friends. Her correspondents included Sally Bett Tayloe and Clara Hoyt of Washington, N.C., and Annie and Fannie de Roulhac of Orange County. Fannie later married Daniel Heyward Hamilton and was the mother of J. G. de Roulhac Hamilton, founder of the Southern Historical Collection. Sophia's most persistent beau between 1858 and 1863 was Thomas Chapeau Singeltary, younger brother of her brother-in-law George Badger Singletary, law student, and eventually also a Confederate colonel, commanding the 44th Regiment after his brother's death. Sometime after 1863, Sophie married Edward Jones Hardin, who bought the McDowell plantation, and moved with him to Texas.
Basil Charles (1839-1882), the governor's youngest son, a Confederate major (lst Artillery, 10th Regiment), managed the Ingleside plantation, practiced law, and served as mayor of Raleigh. The youngest daughter, Ida (1844-1908), like her sisters, carried on an ample correspondence.
Sources of this historical note and chart are Ashe's Biographical History of North Carolina, volume 6; The Confederate Reveille (1898); and Robert K. Krick, Lee's Colonels (1984).
Manly Family
Haywood Family
Correspondence, financial and legal items, military papers, estate papers, account books, genealogical material, and other items relating to the family of Charles Manly (1795-1871), governor of North Carolina, 1849-1851. The collection pertains to the daily lives and financial and legal interests of the Manly family, chiefly 1847-1870, with some material concerning military careers during the Mexican War and the Civil War. Topics documented include Charles Manly's personal business and law practice; lives of students at the University of North Carolina in the 1850s, including seven student essays by William Henry Manly and one letter concerning the closing of the University in 1868; the lives of women on a plantation in Wake County, N.C., especially in the 1850s, including their relations with slaves; George Badger Singeltary's dishonorable discharge during the Mexican War and other aspects of Singeltary's life; activities of the 9th North Carolina Infantry Regiment and the 44th North Carolina Infantry Regiment in the Civil War; and the estates of William H. Haywood Sr., James C. S. McDowell, and others.
About half of these papers are letters received between 1850 and 1870 by members of the Manly family, the principal recipients being Charles Manly, Sophia Louisa Manly, and George Badger Singeltary. Also included are financial and legal items, other correspondence, estate papers, and an account book, all of which reflect the legal and business interests of Charles Manly and George Badger Singeltary. After Singeltary's death in 1862 and the death of James C. S. McDowell in 1863, Manly handled the financial affairs of their estates and families and, as a result, acquired Singeltary's papers and McDowell's estate papers. In addition, financial and legal items of William H. Haywood Sr. (Manly's father-in-law), are included in this collection. Manly was one of the executors of Haywood's estate and also a partner in several of Haywood's business ventures.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to members of the family of Governor Charles Manly from Manly's brother, his in-laws, and the cousins, friends, and beaux of his younger children.
Letters from the 1850s through 1860 reflect the lives and interests of an articulate group of young people of the privileged planter and professional class of ante-bellum society in North Carolina. All of the Manly men attended the University of North Carolina, as did several of the young men who wrote to Manly's daughters. Correspondence from Chapel Hill, N.C., is limited chiefly to social doings there. Basil Manly (1839-1882) and some of his correspondents read law with Judge Richmond Pearson at Richmond Hill. The Manly girls went to Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, N.C.; a few of their letters and those of their contemporaries have to do with their school experience, but more concern the social life of young ladies. Chatty letters from and to the three married sisters, Cora Manly Singeltary, Julia Manly McDowell, and Helen Manly Grimes, describe many aspects of plantation and town life: domestic duties of the household mistress, procuring plants for the kitchen garden, relations with slaves, as well as fashions and social activities.
Correspondence from 1861 to 1863 reflects the war. Notable 1861 items include a letter of 5 June, from J. H. Jenkins of Greenville, N.C., concerning the impact of the war and certain "pro Mr. Lincoln" neighbors, and one of 11 November from M. F. Arundel of Beaufort, N.C., regarding the naval blockade. Thomas C. Singeltary's letters to Sophie, 1861-1863, describe the movements of his regiment (the 44th) in General James Johnston Pettigrew's brigade. Other letters from these years describe life on the battle front as well as the home front.
Correspondence from 1864 to 1886 consists chiefly of letters to and from Charles Manly. Items include letters from Manly's oldest son, John Haywood Manly, living in Houston, Tex., in 1866. The letters of Edward J. Hardin and Sophia Manly Hardin from the 1870s have to do primarily with Hardin's business travels from Texas to New York and elsewhere. There are also letters from Charles Manly to his brother, the Reverend Basil Manly (1798-1868), including one, dated 4 August 1868, about the closing of the University of North CarolinaC. The majority of the correspondence relates to family news, business, and political affairs. In several letters of 1866, Manly reveals his personal anguish over the illness of his daughter Ann Eliza Manly and her treatment at Mount Hope Institution.
Correspondence of 1922 and 1927 to 1935 consists chiefly of letters to Olivia Blount Grimes from various family members concerning Manly family genealogy. One letter is from J. G. de Roulhac Hamilton discussing the possibility of obtaining Charles Manly's papers for the University of North Carolina.
Other notable items include a letter of 22 September 1782, from Moses Young in Cork, Ireland, to Jonathan Williams in Nantes, France, introducing Edward Jones, a gentleman from North Ireland who planned to emigrate to "our Country" via Nantes; a letter of 8 February 1839, from Elizabeth Maultsby Manly (Charles Manly's mother) to her son Basil Manly commenting on Charles's relationship with his sister and children; a letter, 15 January 1842, of Charles Manly Sr., to Langdon Cheves Manly relating his taking Charles Manly Jr. to New York to arrange passage on the Victorian; and a letter dated 9 October 1886 from H. H. Reynolds, president of the H. H. Reynolds Tobacco Company of Winston, N.C., giving instructions to his addressee ("Dear Sir") as a participant in "the parade" of 26 October.
Folder 1 |
1782, 1839 |
Folder 2 |
1842, 1846-1855 |
Folder 3 |
1855 |
Folder 4-9
Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9 |
1856 |
Folder 10-12
Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
1857 |
Folder 13-14
Folder 13Folder 14 |
1858 |
Folder 15-17
Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
1859 |
Folder 18-19
Folder 18Folder 19 |
Undated 1850s |
Folder 20-23
Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23 |
1860 |
Folder 24 |
1861 |
Folder 25 |
1862 |
Folder 26 |
1863 |
Folder 27 |
1864-1868 |
Folder 28 |
Undated 1860s |
Folder 29 |
1870-1871 |
Folder 30 |
1873-1882, 1886 |
Folder 31 |
1922, 1925 |
Folder 32 |
1927 |
Folder 33 |
1928 |
Folder 34 |
1929-1933 |
Folder 35-36
Folder 35Folder 36 |
Undated and fragments |
Arrangement: by type.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to George Badger Singeltary from relatives, friends, business associates, military commanders, and soldiers. The majority of the business correspondence concerns legal matters and the collection of various financial accounts. Locations of the correspondents are chiefly places in North Carolina.
Of interest is a letter, 30 August 1818, of George E. Badger to John Singeltary, George Badger Singeltary's father, discussing married life.
For 1847, noteworthy letters include those of soldiers and commanders who wrote from Mexico to defend Singeltary when he was dishonorably discharged from the United States Army in Mexico. The papers provide only sketchy details of this incident.
From 1848 to 1860, correspondence consists chiefly of business and family letters. Notable items include six letters from Thomas Ruffin, 1853-1855, who in 1855 expressed concern about the popularity and growth of the American (Know Nothing) Party in North Carolina (folders 42, 43, 48). In addition, there are letters from a brickmaker and inventor, L. F. H. Smith of Baltimore, Md. Smith and Singeltary exchanged ideas for improving Smith's inventions, and Smith sent several of his inventions to Singeltary. In addition, Singeltary received correspondence relating to his business and legal practice from correspondents throughout North Carolina.
The 1861 correspondence relates chiefly to Singeltary's military operations near New Bern, N.C. Letters convey routine commands and requests from soldiers to transfer to Singeltary's company. There is little information about actual battles; most of the correspondence is administrative. Notable correspondents include D. H. Hill (folders 59, 61, and 62), and Governor Henry T. Clark (folders 55, 57, and 59).
Folder 37a |
1818 |
Folder 37b |
1847 |
Folder 38 |
1848-1851 |
Folder 39 |
1852 |
Folder 40-42
Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42 |
1853 |
Folder 43-45
Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45 |
1854 |
Folder 46-49
Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49 |
1855 |
Folder 50 |
1856 |
Folder 51-52
Folder 51Folder 52 |
1857 |
Folder 53 |
1850s |
Folder 54 |
1858-1860s |
Folder 55-62
Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62 |
1861 |
Folder 63 |
1862 |
Arrangement: by type.
Printed and handwritten materials documenting Singeltary's service in the Mexican and Civil Wars. Items include commissions; four muster rolls of Company A, the Green County Riflemen, and the Perquimans Beauregards of the 9th Regiment of North Carolina Volunteers; orders; general and special reports; volunteer lists for military service; statements for court martial hearings; and other material.
Folder 64 |
Commissions, 1846-1849, 1861-1862 |
Folder 65 |
Muster Rolls, 1861 |
Folder 66-67
Folder 66Folder 67 |
Orders, 1861 |
Folder 68 |
Orders, 1861-1862 |
Folder 69 |
Other, 1860-1861 |
Folder 70 |
Other, 1861 and undated |
Arrangement: by type.
Items relate to Singeltary's personal business and to legal agreements that Singeltary prepared. Included are bills, receipts, store accounts, financial notes, deeds, legal agreements, legal statements, and other material. Items are chiefly related to Singeltary's personal affairs. However, about thirty items, interfiled among the others, have no relation to Singeltary's own affairs and probably represent the legal interests of his clients.
Folder 71 |
Financial Items, 1846, 1851-1852 |
Folder 72 |
Financial Items, 1853 |
Folder 73-74
Folder 73Folder 74 |
Financial Items, 1854 |
Folder 75 |
Financial Items, 1855 |
Folder 76 |
Financial Items, 1856 |
Folder 77 |
Financial Items, 1857 |
Folder 78 |
Financial Items, 1858 |
Folder 79 |
Financial Items, 1859-1860 |
Folder 80 |
Financial Items, 1861 |
Folder 81 |
Financial Items, 1869-1873 |
Folder 82 |
Financial Items, undated |
Folder 83 |
Legal Items, 1837-1853 |
Folder 84 |
Legal Items, 1854-1857 |
Folder 85 |
Legal Items, 1858-1860 |
Folder 86 |
Legal Items, 1850s-1860s and undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Survey reports and sketches, political speeches, printed items, notes on election returns, and other material. One notable item, circa January 1861, is an agreement between William B. Rodman and Edward J. Warren, describing the rules for their duel.
Folder 87 |
1828, 1845-1861 |
Folder 88 |
1850s-1860s and undated |
Arrangement: by type.
Papers apparently collected by Manly, who was executor or connected in some other way to the estates of William H. Haywood Sr., James C. S. McDowell, John Norcott, and Nymphus A. Price. These papers consist chiefly of legal and financial items.
Arrangement: by type, then chronological.
Correspondence, receipts, accounts, bills, financial notes, deeds, legal correspondence and papers concern Haywood's post as clerk of the United States Circuit Court for the District of North Carolina. Also included are a few papers of Haywood's son, William H. Haywood Jr. Notable items from 1854-1868 include items documenting the selling of several family slaves, valuation listings of slaves, and, in 1865, an item listing terms and costs of hiring former slaves.
Folder 89 |
General, 1800-1802, 1817-1818 |
Folder 90 |
General, 1831-1835, 1841, 1847-1848 |
Folder 91 |
General, 1852-1853 |
Folder 92 |
General, 1854-1857 |
Folder 93 |
General, 1857 |
Folder 94 |
General, 1858-1859 |
Folder 95 |
General, 1860-1868 |
Folder 96 |
General, undated |
Folder 97 |
Court Papers, 1801-1802, 1847-1856 |
Folder 98 |
Court Papers, 1857 and undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, receipts, bills, and accounts concerning the estate of James C. S. McDowell, chiefly financial items documenting the school expenses of McDowell's children and other expenses of his family after his death. Also included are correspondence and legal papers documenting Edward G. Hardin's renting of the McDowell plantation and his eventual purchase of the property.
Folder 99 |
1863-1869 |
Folder 100 |
1870-1871 |
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, financial and legal items, military papers, travel accounts and an obituary notice document the life of Charles Manly Jr.
Folder 101 |
Correspondence, 1847-1849 |
Folder 102 |
Financial and Legal Items, 1842-1843 |
Folder 103 |
Financial and Legal Items, 1844, 1847-1848 |
Folder 104 |
Military Papers, 1848 |
Folder 105 |
Obituary Notice, 1848 |
Folder 106-107
Folder 106Folder 107 |
Travel Accounts, 1842 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Legal items document the division of Norcott's plantation between Norcott's heirs. It is unclear how these papers came into Charles Manly's possession. Perhaps Norcott had been a client of George Badger Singeltary, whose estate Manly handled.
Folder 108 |
1849, 1858 |
Arrangement: by type.
Items relate to Charles Manly's personal business and his law practice. Financial items include bills, receipts, notes, an account book, and other items. About one third of the financial items relate to Manly's payment of local and state taxes. The account book documents Manly's activities as commissioner of the Court of Equity for managing funds of Eleanor Kyle and Virginia Kyle; as partner in a shoemaking business with William H. Haywood; as part owner of Roanoke, a stallion; and as part owner of a meadow with Governor J. M. Morehead. It also records other property accounts, chiefly in Raleigh; estate settlements; and medical and custodial expenses for Ann E. Manly. The papers relating to Charles Daffron, a kinsman of Charles Sr., concern Daffron's financial difficulties and document the financial help he received from Charles Manly. Two items, 1842, document the expenditure of Charles Manly Jr.'s passage on the Victoria.
The legal items consist chiefly of correspondence and notes relating to Manly's legal practice in Chatham County, N.C. One notable item is a fee book which lists fees owed to Manly from individuals of Chatham County. Another item of particular interest is a deposition, circa 1861, of prisoners testifying against Francis Riggs, apparently on trial for disloyalty to the Confederacy. It is unclear what connection Manly had with the case.
Folder 111 |
Financial Items, 1820-1830 |
Folder 112 |
Financial Items, 1831-1842 |
Folder 113 |
Financial Items, 1846-1863 |
Folder 114 |
Financial Items, 1864-1869 |
Folder 115 |
Financial Items, 1870 |
Folder 116 |
Financial Items, 1871 |
Folder 117 |
Financial Items, 1872 |
Folder 118 |
Financial Items, 1873-1874 |
Folder 119 |
Financial Items, 1875-1876, 1870s |
Folder 120 |
Financial Items: Account Book, 1836-1866 |
Folder 121 |
Financial Items: Charles Daffron Papers, 1855-1866 |
Folder 122 |
Legal Items, 1859, 1861, 1869, 1875, and undated |
Folder 123 |
Chatham Court Items, 1828, 1839-1843 |
Folder 124 |
Chatham Court Items, 1850-1852 |
Folder 125 |
Chatham Court Items, 1854-1856 |
Folder 126 |
Chatham Court Items, 1857-1858 |
Folder 127 |
Chatham Court Items, 1850s |
Folder 128 |
Chatham Fee Book, 1845-1860 |
Arrangement: by type.
Newspaper clippings, genealogical material, insurance papers of Charles Manly, receipts and bills of the Ladies' Memorial Association, and other materials reflect the various interests and activities of members of the Manly family. The Confederate medals and ribbons probably belonged to Major Charles Manly Stedman (1841-1930). Items of William Henry Manly include addresses and essays, a University of North Carolina diploma, and a Philanthropic Society diploma and resolution. Seven essays were written while Manly was a student at the University of North Carolina. The majority of items pertain to Charles Manly. Items of particular interest are his oaths, pardons, and "Yankee depredations statement," 1865-1866. Among the miscellaneous items are notes about an 1850 meeting of the vestry of the parish of Christ Church, Raleigh, N.C., and treasury notes of North Carolina and Virginia, 1861-1862.
Folder 129 |
Clippings |
Folder 130 |
Confederate Medals and Ribbons, circa 1890-1910 |
Folder 131-135
Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135 |
Genealogical Material |
Folder 136-137
Folder 136Folder 137 |
Genealogical Material: Maultsby Family |
Folder 138 |
Insurance Papers |
Folder 139 |
Ladies Memorial Association |
Folder 140 |
Oaths, Pardons, and Depredations Statement |
Folder 141-142
Folder 141Folder 142 |
William Henry Manly, 1846-1848 |
Folder 143 |
Miscellaneous Items |