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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.
Size | About 5000 items (6.5 linear feet) |
Abstract | Marion Stuart Davis was a Louisburg, N.C., architect, who specialized in the construction of churches and schools. His sister, Mabel Irwin Davis, was a teacher at Louisburg College and a librarian of the Warren County Memorial Library. This collection includes Marion Stuart Davis's personal and business correspondence, architectural project files, legal and financial papers, Masonic papers, family history materials, and materials relating to the history of Louisburg College. Also included are Mabel Irwin Davis materials, chiefly letters; financial papers; writings; school papers; and notebooks containing attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. There are also some materials relating to Davis's sister, Mary Davis Allen, who served as president of Louisburg College; his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis; and to other family members. |
Creator | Davis, Marion Stuart, 1877-1959. |
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.
Architect Marion Stuart Davis, who is alternately referred to as M. S. Davis, Jr., or M. Stuart Davis, was born in Louisburg, N.C., in 1877. His parents were Matthew Smart Davis, a prominent educator in Franklin County, N.C., and Sarah Louisa Hill Davis. Davis married May Amanda Holmes in 1913, and they had four children: Marion Stuart, Kenneth, May, and Sarah.
After being educated in the Louisburg schools, Davis attended Trinity College, Durham, N.C., and the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He did not graduate from either institution, and his architectural skills were acquired via correspondence school and self-study. Davis's architectural practice focused on the construction of churches and schools within North Carolina. In addition to architectural design work, he was also involved in agriculture and owned a property insurance business. During World War II, he served with the office of the Post Engineer at Camp Butner, N.C. Davis was an active Mason and one-time Master of the Louisburg Lodge. He died in 1959.
Educator and librarian, Mabel Irwin Davis, who was a sister of Marion Stuart Davis, was born in Louisburg, N.C., in 1874. She was educated at Louisburg College and taught there for a number of years before assuming the position of librarian at the newly created Warren County Memorial Library in 1924. Davis served in this post until her retirement in 1954. In addition to her professional activities, she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and secretary of the Warren County Historical Society. She died in 1961.
Back to TopThis collection is architect Marion Stuart Davis's personal and business correspondence, architectural project files, legal and financial papers, Masonic papers, Davis family history papers, and materials relating to the history of Louisburg College.
Davis's chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Sarah Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen), and his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis. Business correspondence, primarily related to his architectural practice in North Carolina, is with clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Note that correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in the Series 2 project files.
Architectural project files contain construction specifications, correspondence, invoices, account statements, building supply literature, brief notes, pamphlets, plans, blueprints, and photographs. There are also lists of church building projects; professional architectural association materials; newspaper clippings about church buildings and church architecture; and correspondence, pamphlets, government documents, and newspaper clippings relating to Davis's activities with the Franklin County Industrial Association.
Financial and legal papers consist of contracts for the purchase of real estate, dental care, a Model T Ford, and subsurface mineral rights; life insurance policies; receipts; statements of account; and other items. There is also correspondence concerning Davis's involvement with Mabel Davis's financial affairs.
Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413 materials are official lodge correspondence, meeting notes, membership rolls, printed programs, and a brief history of the Louisburg lodge. There are also a 1907 copy of "H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. and his Followers" and materials relating to other clubs with which Davis was associated.
Also included are family history materials; essays about Louisburg, N.C., Louisburg College, and the Davis family; school records; World War II ration cards and books; and other papers. Family history clippings relate to a number of different family members, but Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen) is most prominently represented. Essays include remembrances by Mary Davis Allen about her tenure as president of Louisburg College and Marion Stuart Davis's history of his family's relationship with the College. There are also historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Mabel Irwin Davis materials include letters, financial papers, writings, school papers, and notebooks. Notebooks contain attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. Some writings discuss literature and history. Other writings are fictional short works with religious or moralizing themes; a play; The March of Events: A Pageant; and a tribute to her cousin, poet and novelist Edwin Wiley Fuller.
Back to TopProcessing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly, personal and business correspondence of Marion Stuart Davis. His chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Susan Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen, and his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis. Additional correspondence between Marion Stuart Davis and Mabel Davis concerning Mabel's financial affairs is filed in Series 3, Legal and Financial Papers.
Davis's business correspondence is primarily related to his architectural practice in Louisburg, N.C. Business correspondents were clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Additional correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in project files in Series 2, Professional Papers.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Most of Davis's professional papers are architectural project files. These files are not uniform in content and may contain some of the following types of materials: construction specifications, correspondence, invoices, account statements, building supply literature, brief notes, pamphlets, plans, blueprints, and photographs. There are also lists of church building projects; professional architectural association materials; newspaper clippings about church building and church architecture; and correspondence, pamphlets, government documents, and newspaper clippings related to Davis's activities with the Franklin County Industrial Association.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: by type.
Material chiefly related to Marion Stuart Davis's financial and legal concerns. They include contracts for land, dental treatment, and a Model T Ford; life insurance policies; receipts, statements of account; and other materials. There is also a file concerning Davis's involvement with Mabel Irwin Davis's financial affairs.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Primarily materials related to Davis's activities with Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413. Included are official lodge correspondence, meeting notes, membership rolls, blank certificates, printed programs, and a brief history of the Louisburg lodge. There is also a 1907 copy of "H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. and his Followers" and materials relating to other organizations with which Davis was associated.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Family history newspaper clippings; essays about Louisburg, Louisburg College, and the Davis family; school records; World War II ration cards and books, identification papers, family photographs, and other items. Clippings relate to a number of family members, but Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen) is most prominently represented. Essays include remembrances by Mary Davis Allen about her tenure as president of Louisburg College and Marion Stuart Davis's history of his family's relationship with the College. Also included are a court order from 1770 related to Mosley v. Jones and Phillips and historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Chiefly letters, financial papers, writings, school papers, and notebooks of Mabel Irwin Davis. The bulk of this subseries is comprised of Davis's notebooks and writings. Notebooks are not uniform in nature, but may contain attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. The writings include essays about literature and history; original fictional short works with religious or moralizing themes; a play; The March of Events: A Pageant; and a tribute to her cousin, the poet and novelist, Edwin Wiley Fuller.
Additional materials related to Mabel Irwin Davis can be found in Series 1, Correspondence, and in Series 3, Legal and Financial Papers, which contains a file concerning her financial affairs that was maintained by Marion Stuart Davis.
The additions of 2004 and 2005 are arranged in the same way as, but have not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly, personal and business correspondence of Marion Stuart Davis. His chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Susan Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen, his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis, and his children. Also included is the personal correspondence of May Amanda Holmes Davis with her mother, Ida Long Holmes, her brother, Russell Holmes, her daughter, May Davis, and other family members. Davis's business correspondence is primarily related to his architectural practice in Louisburg, N.C. Business correspondents were clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Additional correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in project files in Series 2, Professional Papers.
Arrangement: chronological.
Davis's architectural project files primarily contain contracts for architectural and engineering work. Other files contain lists of building projects; professional architectural association materials; and newspaper clippings about school architecture. Also included are materials relating to Davis's work in the insurance business with Davis and Davis and the Davis Insurance Agency.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Material chiefly related to Marion Stuart Davis's financial and legal concerns. They include contracts and deedsfor land; life insurance policies; receipts and statements of account; correspondence with Louisburg College regarding financial and legal disputes with Davis; and other materials. There are also files concerning Ida Long Holmes's financial affairs.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Primarily materials related to Davis's activities with Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413, the bulk of which are receipts. Also included are certificates from the National Geographic Society and the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, as well as printed materials from the North Carolina Anti-Saloon League.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Family history newspaper clippings; a diary and an account book; a number of writings by May Amanda Holmes Davis; school records; identification papers; advertising pamphlets; United States Military Academy ephemera; and other items. The miscellaneous folder includes a United States Government Thrift Card from the 1920s; a 1948 driver's license; and a 1904 voter registration certificate. Also included are historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Additional materials related to Mabel Irwin Davis can be found in Series 1, Correspondence.
Photographs (folders P-5073/1-4).
Oversized papers (folders OP-5073/1-3).
Oversized volume (folders V-5073/S-1).
Back to TopThe additions of 2004 and 2005 are arranged in the same way as, but have not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Finding aid updated in September 2005 by Linda Sellars and Valerie Gillispie because of additions.
Back to Top