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Collection Number: 05203

Collection Title: Adkins, Davis, and Fulton Family Papers, 1856-1921

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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Size 1.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 800 items)
Abstract James Davis Jr. of Stokes County, N.C., married Elizabeth McAnally in 1817. Together they had 13 children including Mary Ann Davis, Emily Caroline Davis, and James William Davis. Mary Ann Davis married Wilson Fulton in 1841, and they had nine children. The Fulton family moved to Texas shortly before the Civil War. Emily Caroline Davis married Hiram Adkins, a tutor for the Davis family children, in 1858. Hiram became a preacher in the Davis family chapel and helped with its operations as well as running other businesses in Stokes County, N.C., including lumber mills. The collection contains family papers of the related Adkins, Davis, and Fulton families. Correspondence includes letters to and from Hiram Adkins, Emily Caroline Davis Adkins, and their children. There is also correspondence of James William Davis and other Davis family members. Letters discuss family affairs; life in Stokes County, N.C.; finances; and travel. There is also correspondence among the children of Mary Ann Davis Fulton and Wilson Fulton, and letters to Mary Ann Davis Fulton, living in Texas, from her siblings James William Davis and Luretta Campbell Davis in Stokes County, mainly discussing family affairs. Other materials include deeds and probate materials; a 1921 notebook, author unknown, documenting business travel around North Carolina possibly selling insurance; an account book listing family names and insurance information; bills and receipts for lumber mills run by Adkins and Davis family members; and a list of parishioners and financial records of the chapel on Davis property. There are also annotated typed transcriptions of family letters and research notes compiled by J. Daniel Mahar in 2005, donor-generated compact discs that duplicate some items in the collection and may include additional items, and other items.
Creator Adkins family.



Davis family.



Fulton family.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Adkins, Davis, and Fulton Family Papers #5203, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received by Daniel Mahar in April 2005 (Acc. 100039)
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Kathryn Roth, March 2008

Encoded by: Kathryn Roth, March 2008

Finding aid updated for born digital processing by Laura Hart.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

James Davis Jr. of Stokes County, N.C., married Elizabeth McAnally in 1817. Together they had 13 children including Mary Ann Davis, Emily Caroline Davis, and James William Davis.

Mary Ann Davis, also known as "Polly," married Wilson Fulton in 1841, and they had nine children. The Fulton family moved to Texas shortly before the Civil War.

Emily Caroline Davis married Hiram Adkins, a tutor for the Davis family children, in 1858. Hiram became a preacher in the Davis family chapel and helped with its operations as well as running other businesses in Stokes County, including lumber mills. The children of Emily Caroline Davis and Hiram Adkins included J.P. "Jimmie" Adkins, Sarah Louretta "Lizzie" Adkins, Nancy Margaret Eliza "Nannie" Adkins, Henry Adkins, Edwin Miles "Ed" Adkins, Charles Hiram Adkins, William "Jay" Adkins, and Susan Emily Vines "Susie" Adkins.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection contains family papers of the related Adkins, Davis, and Fulton families. Correspondence includes letters to and from Hiram Adkins, Emily Caroline Davis Adkins, and their children. There is also correspondence of James William Davis and other Davis family members. Letters discuss family affairs; life in Stokes County, N.C.; finances; and travel. There is also correspondence among the children of Mary Ann Davis Fulton and Wilson Fulton, and letters to Mary Ann Davis Fulton, living in Texas, from her siblings James William Davis and Luretta Campbell Davis in Stokes County, mainly discussing family affairs. Other materials include deeds and probate materials; a 1921 notebook, author unknown, documenting business travel around North Carolina possibly selling insurance; an account book listing family names and insurance information; bills and receipts for lumber mills run by Adkins and Davis family members; and a list of parishioners and financial records of the chapel on Davis property. There are also annotated typed transcriptions of family letters and research notes compiled by J. Daniel Mahar in 2005, donor-generated compact discs that duplicate some items in the collection and may include additional items, and other items.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Family papers, 1856-1921.

About 810 items.
Folder 1-8

Folder 1

Folder 2

Folder 3

Folder 4

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Adkins and Davis family Correspondence, 1859-1921

Correspondents include Hiram Adkins, Emily Caroline Davis Adkins and their children J.P. "Jimmie" Adkins, Sarah Louretta "Lizzie" Adkins, Nancy Margaret Eliza "Nannie" Adkins, Henry Adkins, Edwin Miles "Ed" Adkins, Charles Hiram Adkins, William "Jay" Adkins, and Susan Emily Vines "Susie" Adkins. There is also correspondence of James William Davis and other Davis family members. Letters discuss family affairs; Stokes County, N.C.; finances; and travel. Folders 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 correspond to DF-5203/1-4.

Folder 9

Fulton family correspondence, 1861-1907

Correspondence is primarily among the children of Mary Ann Davis Fulton and Wilson Fulton. There are also letters to Mary Ann Davis Fulton, living in Texas, from her siblings James William Davis and Luretta Campbell Davis in Stokes County, N.C., mainly discussing family affairs. This folder corresponds to DF-5203/5.

Folder 10

Business records, 1856-1907

Bills and financial receipts for the mill and lumber businesses run by Adkins and Davis family members. This folder corresponds to DF-5203/6.

Folder 11

Davis chapel documents, 1875-1903

List of parishioners and financial records of the chapel on Davis property where Hiram Adkins was preacher. This folder corresponds to DF-5203/7.

Folder 12

Printed materials, 1900-1906

Fragments of newspaper clippings, articles, and other printed material.

Folder 13

Postcards, 1887-1913

Primarily from Adkins family members. This folder corresponds to DF-5203/8.

Folder 14

Business and travel notebook, 1921

Contains notes documenting business travel around North Carolina possibly selling insurance. Author unknown.

Folder 15

"The Carolina Methodist," 1878

The front page of the 13 July 1878 issue of "The Carolina Methodist".

Folder 16

Family Letters Stokes County and Granville County, North Carolina: Adkins, Davis, Fulton, Gooch, Jones, From Various Sources

Volume of annotated typed transcriptions of letters compiled by J. Daniel Mahar in March 2005. The volume contains letters whose originals are not included in this collection.

Folder 17

Family Notes Stokes County North Carolina: McAnally, Davis, Fulton, and Redman along with associated families Covington, Eason, Carter, Booth, Wright, Morgan, Dunlap, Estes, Gentry, Green, Hollingsworth, Smith, Vawter

Research notes compiled by J. Daniel Mahar in 2005.

Oversize Volume SV-5203/1

The Home Insurance Company Account Book

Lists family names and insurance information about Home Insurance Company members.

Digital Folder DF-5203/1

Adkins papers: Family letters

Migrated from DCD-5203/1

Digital Folder DF-5203/2

Adkins papers: Family letters

Migrated from DCD-5203/2

Digital Folder DF-5203/3

Adkins papers: Family letters

Migrated from DCD-5203/3

Digital Folder DF-5203/4

Adkins papers: Family letters

Migrated from DCD-5203/4

Digital Folder DF-5203/5

Fulton family papers: Letters, 1861-1907

Migrated from DCD-5203/5

Digital Folder DF-5203/6

Adkins papers: Business documents, 1856-1972

Migrated from DCD-5203/6

Digital Folder DF-5203/7

Adkins papers: Davis chapel documents

Migrated from DCD-5203/7

Digital Folder DF-5203/8

Adkins papers: Postcards, 1887-1913

Migrated from DCD-5203/8

Digital Folder DF-5203/9

James W. Davis papers: Deeds and probate materials

Migrated from DCD-5203/9

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