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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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Collection Overview
| Size | About 3,000 items (15.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Clarke family of North Carolina; the New Hampshire-based Moulton family; and New Bern, N.C., native photographer, Bayard Wootten are included in the collection. In 1886, Mary Devereux Clarke, daughter of the prominent North Carolina poet Mary Bayard Clarke and Major William J. Clarke, married George Moulton, a traveling salesman. George Moulton came from a New Hampshire farming family headed by Nathan and Sarah Moulton. Mary's daughter, Bayard Morgan Wootten, learned photography as a means of supporting herself after she and her husband divorced. While Chief of Publicity for the North Carolina National Guard, Bayard set up a studio at Fort Bragg, N.C. After working in New York City, she returned to North Carolina and went into partnership with her brother George C. Moulton. The Wootten-Moulton studio became the official photographer for the UNC Playmakers and yearbook. George and sister Celia Moulton helped Bayard run studios in New Bern and Chapel Hill while she was taking pictures on location. Bayard sold the Chapel Hill studio in 1954 and lived in New Bern until her death in 1959. Papers of the Wootten, Moulton, and Clarke families chiefly consist of correspondence among family members. Clarke family correspondence discusses Major William J. Clarke's experiences during the Civil War and the literary activities of Mary Bayard Clarke. Moulton family correspondence details the daily life of a large family in New Hampshire in the mid-19th century. Letters from Mary Moulton to her husband George, a traveling salesman, describe life in New Bern during the late 19th century. Bayard Wootten's letters to her brother George and her sister Celia discuss matters relating to the Wootten-Moulton photography studios. Letters to and about Bayard Wootten relate to her teaching in the 1890s and early 1900s, her photography and her photography business, her family life, and her son's service in the U.S. Navy and observations of life in China in the late 1920s. There are also diaries and other personal writings of members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Graves families, some poetry by Mary Bayard Clarke, and some writings of a literary or religious nature by unidentified authors. There are financial and legal papers, bills, and receipts generated by members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families. There is, however, little financial or legal material relating to the operation of the Wootten-Moulton photography studios. Other papers include certificates and licenses, genealogical information, clippings, printed matter, schoolwork, and other materials. |
| Creator | Wootten family.
Moulton family. Clarke family. |
| Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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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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Biographical Information
Mary Bayard Devereux, daughter of a prominent lawyer and planter from Raleigh, N.C., married the Mexican War hero, William J. Clarke in 1848. Since Mary struggled with consumption, the couple soon moved to San Antonio, Tex., hoping that the climate would improve her health. There she wrote poetry while William practiced law and became president of the San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad Association. When the railroad went bankrupt several years later, William obtained a commission in the Confederate Army and Mary returned to Raleigh. William served as colonel of the 24th North Carolina Regiment until his capture at Fort Delaware. The Clarkes moved to New Bern in 1868 where Mary served as a private secretary to a North Carolina Supreme Court justice and William practiced law.
The couple had four children. Their oldest son, Francis, became a nationally known educator of the deaf. After teaching at the New York Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and attending Columbia University, Willie E. Clarke, their second son, received his law degree and practiced with his father in New Bern. Their third son, Thomas, became the superintendent of the Washington State School for the Deaf.
Their daughter, Mary Devereux, married Rufus Morgan and had two children with him, Mary Bayard and Sam. Rufus moved to California to farm in 1879, but died from eating poisonous mushrooms before he could send for Mary. Later, Mary married George Moulton, a traveling salesman from Hampton Falls, N.H.
George Moulton came from a New Hampshire-based farming family, headed by Nathan and Sarah Moulton. Along with the farm, Nathan owned a ship named the Schooner Cornelia. Nathan Andrew, their oldest son, became a schoolteacher and their daughters, Sara Elizabeth, Harriet (Hattie), and Emma, married and settled on farms in the area. Mary Josephine married the Reverend Frank Graves and lived in Hampton Falls and Exeter, N.H. George Moulton's traveling led him to New Bern, where he met and married Mary Devereux Clarke Morgan.
George and Mary lived in the Clarke family home in New Bern. George worked for several years as a traveling salesman for Duffy's Drug Store. They had three children: George C., Warren, and Celia. George kept close contact with his sister Mary Josephine, and George C. spent part of his childhood living in New Hampshire and working on her farm.
Mary's daughter from her first marriage, Bayard Morgan, became an instructor at the Georgia School for the Deaf. There she met and married Charles Wootten. The couple had two children--Charles and Rufus--but separated in 1904. Bayard moved back to New Bern and learned photography as a means of supporting herself. Her work impressed the Commanding General at Camp Glenn so much that he appointed Bayard Chief of Publicity for the North Carolina National Guard. She worked in this capacity until World War I, when she set up a studio at Fort Bragg, N.C.. In 1917, Bayard was appointed the official photographer for the Grand Central Palace in New York City and had a studio there. She soon returned to North Carolina and became the official photographer for the University of North Carolina Playmakers in 1919; this led to a contract to take all of the pictures for the University's yearbook.
Bayard's brother, George C. Moulton, and sister, Celia Moulton, helped her run the studios in New Bern and Chapel Hill from the 1920s to the 1940s, while she was taking pictures on location. George C. married Myrtle Disoway and had a daughter named Mary Louise Moulton. Celia married another photographer, Bill Lively, but they were separated in the early 1930s shortly after the birth of their daughter, Celia. Celia Moulton continued to assist Bayard in the Chapel Hill and New Bern studios. Bayard sold the Chapel Hill studio in 1954 and lived in New Bern until her death in 1959.
From: The Heritage of Craven County, North Carolina. Ed. Barbara M. Howard Thorne. New Bern: The Eastern North Carolina Genealogical Societyin Cooperation with the History Division of Hunter Publishing Company, 1984.
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, financial and legal materials, and photographs of members of the Clarke, Moulton, Graves, and Wootten families. Clarke family correspondence includes letters from William J. Clarke describing his experiences as colonel of the 24th North Carolina Regiment, 1861-1863, and letters written to Mary Bayard Clarke regarding her writing from publishers and admirers, and in response to her queries for information. There are several letters written by Mary Bayard Clarke to her son William E. Clarke.
Moulton family correspondence consists primarily of letters to Sarah Moulton from her children and other relatives describing the details of their daily lives. Letters to George Moulton from Mary Devereux Clarke Morgan Moulton while he was on the road as a traveling salesman for Duffy's Drug store tell about life in New Bern in the late 19th century, as do letters written by George and Mary to their son, George C., who spent part of his childhood in New Hampshire with Mary Josephine Graves.
Wootten-Moulton correspondence contains letters from Bayard to George and Celia Moulton discussing matters relating to the Wootten-Moulton studios. Letters document the later events of Bayard's career after she set up her studios in Chapel Hill and New Bern, but contains little reference to the early years when she began working in as a photographer profession. Also included are letters written by members of the Wootten and Moulton families in New Bern, among them letters to Bayard from her estranged husband, correspondence between Celia Moulton and her husband Bill Lively, and correspondence from Bayard's sons to Mary and Celia Moulton.
There are also diaries and other personal writings of members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Graves families, some poetry by Mary Bayard Clarke, and some writings of a literary or religious nature by unidentified authors. There are financial and legal papers, bills, and receipts generated by members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families. There is, however, little financial or legal material relating to the operation of the Wootten-Moulton photography studios. Other papers include certificates and licenses, genealogical information, clippings, printed matter, schoolwork, and other materials.
The addition contains chiefly letters to and about Bayard Wootten relating to her teaching in the 1890s and early 1900s, her photography and her photography business, and her family life.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials,1788-1960.
Arrangement: chronological.
Personal correspondence of members of the Clarke, Moulton, Graves, and Wootten families.
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Subseries 1.1. Clarke Family Correspondence 1821-1873.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal correspondence among the members of the North Carolina-based Clarke family. The subseries contains early correspondence among Mary Bayard Clarke's relatives and letters written by a young Mary Bayard Clarke to her sister in Raleigh.
Correspondence between Mary Bayard Clarke and William J. Clarke includes a series of letters from William in New York City on a business trip to Mary in San Antonio, Tex., during 1858. Another series of letters written from April to December 1861 to Mary from William details his commission in the Confederate Army and his first months as captain of a volunteer regiment. Of interest are letters written by William during his tenure as Colonel of the 24th North Carolina Regiment referring to battles fought in North Carolina and Virginia, 1861-1863.
Included are a few letters regarding her writing to Mary Bayard Clarke from publishers, admirers, and responses to her queries for information. Of note is a letter dated 6 March 1867 from Zebulon B. Vance, former governor of North Carolina to Mary providing information for one of her articles. Also included are letters to Mary Bayard Clarke from her friend Judge E. L. Reade, who had employed her as his private secretary.
Later correspondence consists of letters to William E. Clarke, Jr., from Mary Bayard and William Clarke, his brother Francis who was studying in New York City, his sister Mary Devereux at boarding school, his cousin Kate, and other friends.
Finally, there are letters from Mary Devereux's first husband, Rufus Morgan, regarding his move to California. Undated correspondence contains a letter from Zebulon Vance to Mary Bayard Clarke, letters to William E. Clarke, Jr., from family members, including several from Mary Bayard Clarke, and letters from Rufus Morgan to Mary Devereux.
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Subseries 1.2. Moulton Family Correspondence, 1788-1883.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence of members of the New Hampshire-based Moulton family. The subseries consists primarily of letters to Sarah Brown Moulton from her children and other relatives. Letters to Sarah from her son Nathan Andrew and her daughters Sarah Elizabeth, Hattie, Emma, and Mary Josephine relate the events of their daily lives. Most letters from her son George describe his traveling in search of work. There is also some correspondence among Sarah's children. Of note are letters dated 25 April1865 from Sarah's sister in Upper Alton, Ill., referring to President Lincoln's funeral and from Sarah's brother, dated 8 May1865, telling about Lincoln's funeral procession in New York City.
Also included are several letters to Nathan Moulton from various correspondents regarding business matters with some mention of politics,1820s-1850s.
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Subseries 1.3. Graves Family Correspondence, 1865-1910.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily letters to Mary Josephine Graves from her children. The subseries also includes materials relating to her husband's appeal for a higher military pension, a document certifying that her husband was ordained a minister, and several post cards from family and friends. For letters from Mary Josephine Graves to her brother George Moulton, see Subseries 1.4.
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Subseries 1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence written after the marriage of Mary Devereux Clarke to George Moulton. The subseries contains correspondence between George and Mary Moulton while he was a traveling salesman for Duffy's Drug Store and she was living in New Bern. There is also correspondence between George and his sister Mary Josephine Graves in New Hampshire. There are several letters written by George and Mary Moulton to their son, George C., who was visiting his aunt, Mary Josephine Graves, in New Hampshire.
Contained here are some letters from Bayard Wootten to George C. Moulton in New Hampshire and to her mother in New Bern. Also included are letters from Willie and Frank Clarke to Mary Moulton and Bayard Wootten and some correspondence of the Moulton family in New Hampshire.
| Folder 58 |
1886-1889 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 58 |
| Folder 59 |
1890-1892 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 59 |
| Folder 60 |
1893-1896 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 60 |
| Folder 61 |
1897 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 61 |
Folder 62-63
Folder 62Folder 63 |
1898 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 62-63 |
Folder 64-67
Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67 |
1899 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 64-67 |
Folder 68-70
Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70 |
1900 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 68-70 |
| Folder 71 |
1901 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 71 |
| Folder 72 |
1902 #04805, Subseries: "1.4. George Moulton Correspondence, 1886-1902. " Folder 72 |
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Subseries 1.5. Wootten-Moulton Correspondence, 1902-1960.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence written while the Wootten-Moulton photography studios were operating in New Bern, Chapel Hill, Fort Bragg, and other locations in North Carolina. The subseries contains letters from Bayard to George C. and Celia Moulton discussing matters relating to the Wootten-Moulton Studios, including letters written in1934 that refer to an exhibit in Charleston, S.C., and to obtaining a contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Correspondence between Bayard Wootten and her estranged husband, Charles Wootten, regarding their impending divorce and their two sons in 1903-1904 and some later letters dated 1915 from Charles to Bayard and to their sons are also in this subseries.
Some correspondence among the Moulton family concerns a dispute over land belonging to a relative of Mary Moulton. Additionally, there are letters from Mary, George C., and Celia to George Moulton while he was visiting Mary Josephine Graves in New Hampshire during the early1920s.
There is a significant amount of correspondence, 1930-1943, between Celia and her husband, Bill Lively, while he was working for Bayard at the Chapel Hill studio and then while he was on the road looking for work. Also contained here are some letters to Bill and Celia from Bill's family and friends.
Later correspondence includes letters from Charles and Rufus Wootten and their wives to Bayard, Mary Moulton, and Celia Lively. Correspondence continues after Bayard's death in1959 with letters to Celia from Charles, Rufus, and others. There are letters from relatives to members of the Moulton family and a small amount of other correspondence.
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Series 2. Writings, 1788-1910.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal writings by members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Graves families also including some poetry by Mary Bayard Clarke and some writings of a literary and religious nature by unidentified authors.
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Subseries 2.1. Clarke Family Writings, 1788-1893 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological
Writings of a literary and personal nature composed by Sally Clarke, William J. Clarke, and Mary Bayard Clarke. The subseries includes several poems by Mary Bayard Clarke and two biographical essays about her.
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Subseries 2.2. Nathan and Sarah Moulton Diaries, 1860-1881.
Arrangement: chronological.
Brief entries in diaries kept on a daily basis by Nathan Moulton in1855 and from1860 to1863 primarily mention the maintenance of the farm, finances, and church meetings. Diaries with entries of varying length kept by Sarah Moulton approximately each year from1865 to1881 also allude to the upkeep of the farm, her expenditures, and the activities of her children, George, Emma, Hattie, Nathan Andrew, and Mary Josephine. Also included is one small diary kept by the Moulton's daughter, Hattie Moulton, in1868 with short entries describing her and her family's activities.
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Subseries 2.3. Mary Josephine Graves Diaries, 1867-1910.
Arrangement: chronological.
Diaries kept by Mary Josephine Moulton , later Mary Josephine Graves in1867,1868, and approximately each year from 1874 to1910. Daily entries of varying length refer to her housework, the maintenance of her family's farm, and the social activities of herself and her family.
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Subseries 2.4. Other Writings, undated.
Arrangement: by type.
Poetry, a speech, sermons, and writings of a religious nature by unidentified authors.
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Series 3. Financial and Legal Materials, 1766-1963.
Arrangement: chronological.
Financial and legal papers, bills, and receipts generated by members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families. The collection includes little financial or legal material relating to the operation of the Wootten-Moulton photography studios.
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Subseries 3.1. Financial and Legal Papers, 1766-1963.
Arrangement: chronological.
Includes deeds, indentures, articles of agreement, tax collection records, bank books, insurance policies, day books listing accounts, and other materials kept by several different members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families. Items of interest include lists of expenses, 1840-1843, for Nathan Moulton's ship, the Schooner Cornelia; materials regarding a land dispute, 1923-1925, surrounding land owned by a relative of Mary Bayard Clarke; and the divorce agreement,1907, between Bayard and Charles Wootten.
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Subseries 3.2. Bills and Receipts, 1810-1920.
Arrangement: chronological by decade.
Bills and receipts for taxes, goods, and services acquired by several different members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families, including materials,1840s, regarding the Schooner Cornelia and receipts,1880s, from a business run by Willie Clarke and Rufus Morgan.
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Series 4. Other Materials, 1830-1930.
Arrangement: by subject.
Materials collected by or relating to different members of the Clarke, Moulton, and Wootten families. Included in Certificates and Licenses is a document conferring the rank of Major on William J. Clarke in1847. The clippings contain an article about William J. Clarke's fighting in the Mexican War, newspaper items collected by William J. Clarke, Bayard Wootten's wedding announcement, and other items.
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Additions after 1996
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Addition of April 1999 (Acc. 98328), 1884-1955.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, 1892-1955; a journal, 1894; an autograph book, 1884; and a few other items of Bayard Wootten; and four letters, 1884-1887, to William E. Clarke. The letters to Clarke are brief and concern legal business. The journal contains stories, poems, and quotations. The correspondence contains many letters to Wootten and only a few written by her. Some have to do with her teaching in the 1890s and early 1900s, some with her photography and her photography business, and some with her family life. A typed letter, August-September 1929, of nine pages from Wootten's son Charles to Wootten describes his travels in China and his experiences as a United States Navy officer on the U.S.S. Pecos.
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Addition of August 2002 (Acc. 99291), 1926-1928.
Arrangement: chronological.
Two letters from Wootten's son Charles to Wootten, one, 22 March 1926, about insurance, and one, 28 August 1928, describing his travels in China and his experiences as a United States Navy officer on the U.S.S. Palos. Also included is a seven-page typed letter, 8 December 1928, from Clare, Charles's wife, to Grandma and Celia, describing her life and activities in China. Related letters may be found in Series 1.5 and in the addition of April 1999.
| Folder 357 |
1926-1928 #04805, Subseries: "Addition of August 2002 (Acc. 99291), 1926-1928." Folder 357 |
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Items Separated