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Size | 14 items |
Abstract | Letters from Harriet Burt Parker Spruill, a homemaker, to various relatives concerning social and personal matters in Littleton, Halifax County, N.C., and other matters, including a trip Spruill made to Washington, D.C., in 1918, which she described in great detail in a 137- page letter. The addition of September 2022 includes typed copies of letters written primarily by Spruill, 1879-1919. |
Creator | Spruill, Harriet Burt Parker, b. 1860. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Carolyn Roff, July 1986
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Dawne Howard Lucas and Rebecca Stubbs, February 2023
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.
Harriet Burt Parker Spruill was born 13 March 1860, in Enfield, N.C. She was the daughter of Col. Francis Marion Parker, a distinguished Civil War soldier, and Sally Tart Phillips. One of her ancestors was John Haywood, who settled in Edgecombe County and was a surveyor for Lord Granville. She was one of nine children.
In 1881, at the age of 20, she married Peter Arrington Spruill. They lived in Littleton, N.C.
Back to TopLetters written by Harriet Burt Parker Spruill to different family members. They discuss her wedding and various parties she attended, as well as a celebration occasioned by the delivery of a new piano. The most notable item is Harriet's 133-page letter to her sister Kate that describes a trip to Washington, D.C., in 1917. The addition of September 2022 includes typed copies of letters written primarily by Spruill, 1879-1919.
Back to TopFolder 1 |
Loose letters, 1881-1916 |
Folder 2 |
Loose letters, 1917-1921 |
Folder 3 |
Loose letters Undated |
Folder 4 |
Bound letters |
Folder 5 |
Letters of Harriet Burt Parker Spruill, 1879-2007Acquisitions information: Received from the estate of Katharine Harrison via Tim West in September 2022 (Acc. 20221220.2). West notes that most of the letters might also be in the Harrison & Smith Family Papers (#5144). Includes typed copies of letters written primarily by Harriet Burt Parker Spruill, originally assembled in a three-pronged report cover titled Letters of Harriet Burt Parker Spruill and presented as a gift from Katharine (Kate) Harrison to Spruill's great-granddaughter Mary in 1985. The preface to the letters includes a letter from Harrison explaining the gift, and a relative's letters about their discovery of the correspondence. The letters from Spruill ("Hattie") are described with a brief heading (recipient and some context), likely added by Harrison. Most of the letters are written by Spruill and describe the events of her life and family interactions, but there are a couple from her relatives and one from her husband's military colleague discussing Spruill's husband’s death in France during the 1918 influenza pandemic. There is also documentation of Spruill's parents' wedding. There is a list, "People Mentioned In The Letters," listed chronologically by appearance with brief descriptions. Copies of letters to Harrison from former Southern Historical Collection director Carolyn Wallace and Southern novelist Allan Gurganus are included at the end. |
Folder 6 |
Letters of Harriet Burt Parker Spruill, 1986-2007Acquisitions information: Received from the estate of Katharine Harrison via Tim West in September 2022 (Acc. 20221220.2). Includes seven letters and notes, dating from 1986 to 2007, from relatives and other parties expressing appreciation for Spruill's letters. Items were removed from an enclosure in the back of Letters of Harriet Burt Parker Spruill. |