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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 | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 700 items) |
| Abstract | The Memphis Cotton Exchange was founded in 1874 in Memphis, Tenn., as a trade organization to regulate buying and pricing in the cotton market. The exchange became home to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange in 2006. The collection consists of records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company, F.G. Barton Cotton Company, and other materials relating to the cotton trade industry. Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company materials include minute books, 1873-2005; volumes of handwritten accounting, trading, and shipment records for major cotton markets, 1909-2002; registers of memberships and visitors to the Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1873-2006; reports of cases brought before the Arbitration Committee of the Memphis Cotton Exchange concerning the pricing of cotton; accounts of daily consolidated receipts of shipments and seasonal stock totals at U.S. ports; annual audit reports; administrative and financial records, including documents related to internal operations, partners, employees, and members, 1884-1996; and annual financial reports, 2000-2003. F.G. Barton Cotton Company materials include financial records; daily cotton trade reports; ledgers of Otto Seyppel (1854-1913), a cotton planter and merchant associated with F.G. Barton Cotton Company, circa 1910-1916; and reel-to-reel audio recordings of company meetings, circa 1974. Materials with no identifiable administrative or corporate origins include ledgers, shipment records, cotton interest calculators, published books related to the cotton industry, and some business correspondence of Brown W. Wilson of Wilson Sales Corporation in Gastonia, N.C., relating to the cotton and garment industries, circa 1946-1947. |
| Creator | Memphis Cotton Exchange. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. 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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Historical Information
The Memphis Cotton Exchange was founded in 1874 in Memphis, Tenn., to serve as a trade organization to regulate cotton marketing in a growing cotton market. The exchange produced rules and regulation on cotton trading and set standards for buying and pricing cotton in Memphis, Tenn., and throughout the South. Cotton trading occurred on the first floor, where only members of the exchange were allowed to trade. The Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company was founded in 1927 and operated as the owner and manager of the Memphis Cotton Exchange building in Memphis, Tenn.
In 1978 the Memphis Cotton Exchange trading floor was closed in favor of computer trading. The floor became home to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange in 2006, and is used to educate the public about the industry and agriculture of cotton.
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Scope and Content
The collection consists of records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1873-2006, and other materials relating to the cotton industry, including records of the F.G. Barton Cotton Company, 1910-1974, that were given to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and other ledgers and publications.
Series 1 Memphis Cotton Exchange includes minute books describing general meetings, special meetings, annual meetings, and reports of the Board of Directors for the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company, 1873-2005; volumes of handwritten accounting, trading, and shipment records for major markets in the cotton industry, 1909-2002; registers of memberships and visitors to the Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1873-2006; reports of cases brought before the Arbitration Committee of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, detailing disputes between agents and corporations in the cotton industry concerning the pricing of cotton; accounts of daily consolidated receipts of shipments and seasonal stock totals at U.S. ports; annual audit reports on the accounting records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company; administrative and financial records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, including charter constitution, by-laws, rules, and regulations; and documents related to internal operations of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1884-1996, with information on licenses, subscriptions, partners, employees, and memberships, and annual financial reports, 2000-2003.
Series 2 F.G. Barton Cotton Company consists of records that were donated to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Materials include records of loans from F.G. Barton Cotton Company to cotton producers, accounting records, freight refund records, cotton factors, cash books, check books, credit books, and daily cotton trade reports to the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company of New York. Also included are a transcription of a 1922 Arkansas Supreme Court case between F.G. Barton Cotton Company and F.K. Marks; ledgers of Otto Seyppel (1854-1913), a cotton planter and merchant associated with F.G. Barton Cotton Company, circa 1910-1916; and reel-to-reel audio recordings of company meetings, circa 1974.
Series 3 Other Materials contains records with no identifiable administrative or corporate origins. Materials include ledgers, shipment records, cotton interest calculators, and published books related to the cotton industry. There is also business correspondence of Brown W. Wilson of Wilson Sales Corporation in Gastonia, N.C., relating to the cotton and garment industries, circa 1946-1947. The Brown W. Wilson letters were given to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange by William D. Lawson in Gastonia, N.C.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1873-2006.
Administrative, legal, and financial records relating to the cotton industry and to the operation of the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company. Materials include meeting minutes, cotton industry market reports, membership records, visitors' registers, audit reports, arbitration case records, shipping records, and the constitution and by-laws of the Memphis Cotton Exchange.
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Subseries 1.1. Minute Books, 1873-2005.
Arrangement: Chronological, followed by supplemental volumes of general meeting minutes.
Rebound and original volumes containing handwritten and typed meeting minutes, balance sheets, newspaper clippings, memoranda, and reports to the Board of Directors of the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Minutes record proceedings of general meetings, special meetings, and annual meetings of the Board of Directors for the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company. Many volumes include administrative and financial records as part of minutes and reports to the Board of Directors. Many volumes also include printed annual reports provided to members of the Memphis Cotton Exchange at the annual meeting by the Board of Directors.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Subseries 1.2. Cotton Industry Market Reports, 1909-2002.
Chiefly bound volumes of handwritten accounting, trading, and shipment records for major markets in the cotton industry, including Liverpool, U.K.; Memphis, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; and New York, N.Y.
New York Futures include handwritten daily cotton trading options. Liverpool Cotton Reports include daily cotton statements listing "tone of spot market," quotations, sales, and receipts in American dollar and London silver, and weekly cotton statements listing sales, stock, receipts, actual exports, and "afloat." New Orleans Futures contain handwritten daily trading options including "tone of market." New Orleans Spot Market contains daily handwritten accounts of "tone of market," grade quotations, sales, and receipts.
Memphis Cotton Reports contain daily handwritten accounts of spot sales, "tone of market," amount sold, and colors of cotton.
Daily Interior Market reports contain daily handwritten accounting records for cotton markets in Montgomery, Ala.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fresno, Calif.; Atlanta, Ga.; Augusta, Ga.; New Orleans, La.; St. Louis, Mo.; Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Dallas, Tex.; Fort Worth, Tex; and Houston, Tex.
Reports of Daily Cotton Movement contain daily and monthly handwritten accounts of receipts, shipments, and "exports, consumption, and burnt" cotton.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Subseries 1.3. Membership and Visitor Registers, 1873-2006.
Chiefly registers of memberships of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, including information on transfers, names, dues, and dates of memberships.
Visitors' Registers contain handwritten account of visitors including date, name, "where from," and "introduced by."
Note that original volume titles have been retained, unless otherwise noted.
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Subseries 1.4. Arbitration Case Records, 1927-1999.
Typed case reports with handwritten notes and signatures, pasted or fastened to pages of leather bound notebooks. Reports describe cases brought before the Arbitration Committee of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, detailing transactions between agents and corporate entities in the cotton industry relating to disputes concerning the pricing of cotton.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Subseries 1.5. Receipts, Shipments, and Stocks in United States Ports, 1914-1965.
Handwritten accounts of daily consolidated receipts of seasonal stock totals at United States ports, including list of ports.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Subseries 1.6. Audit Reports, 1925-1977.
Soft-bound, typed annual reports on the accounting records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange and the Memphis Cotton Exchange Realty Company.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Subseries 1.7. Other Materials, 1873-2003.
Miscellaneous administrative and financial records of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, including charter constitution, by-laws, rules, and regulations. Materials include printed 1907 and 1927 constitutions of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, signatures of members, 1907-2003, and list of presidents and secretaries, 1873-1975. Other administrative records document internal operations of the Memphis Cotton Exchange between 1884 and 1996, and include information on licenses, subscriptions, partners, employees, and memberships. There are also annual financial reports, 2000-2003.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
| Folder 42 |
Volume 94: Constitution, By-laws, Rules, and Regulations of the Memphis Cotton Exchange #05566, Subseries: "1.7. Other Materials, 1873-2003." Folder 42Printed 1907 and revised 1927 constitution, by-laws, rules, and regulations pasted into bound notebook. Includes signatures of members, 1907-2003. |
| Folder 31 |
Volume 157: Memphis Cotton Exchange Charter Constitution and By-Laws, 1873-1975 #05566, Subseries: "1.7. Other Materials, 1873-2003." Folder 31Printed document stapled into pages with typewritten additions to the text. Includes list of presidents and secretaries 1873-1975. |
Folder 32-33
Folder 32Folder 33 |
Volume 158-159: Memphis Cotton Exchange administrative records #05566, Subseries: "1.7. Other Materials, 1873-2003." Folder 32-33Typed administrative documents organized and labeled in sections: "Statistics" are typed data on cotton shipments, sales, etc., 1884-1939; "Newspapers" are expiration dates of newspaper subscriptions; "Licenses" are lists of warehouses, pickeries, weighers, 1965-1990; "Partners" are lists of non-member partners with floor privileges, 1990; "Employees" is a list of employees of members holding floor privileges, 1972-1997; "Other floor privileges" is a list of individuals granted floor privileges by Memphis Cotton Exchange Board of Directors, 1957-1993; "Representatives of Members" is a list of representatives of member organizations, 1972-1993; and "Members of Memphis Cotton Exchange" is a list by date of membership and name, 1916-1996. There are also typescript documents regarding cotton production and marketing; a list of presidents of Memphis Cotton Exchange, 1938-1978; summaries of appeals cases, Leftwich and Tomkinson vs. Hugh E. Tucker and Company (1947) and J.F. Smithwick and Company vs. W.J. Britton and Company (1945); Memphis Cotton Exchange seasonal sales totals for 1940-1969; rules and protocols for transfers of membership; list of sales of memberships, 1963-1978; and other administrative notes. |
Folder 34-35
Folder 34Folder 35 |
Volume 160: Memphis Cotton Exchange Annual Financial Reports, 2000-2003 #05566, Subseries: "1.7. Other Materials, 1873-2003." Folder 34-35Printed financial reports of annual revenues, expenses, and balances. |
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Series 2. F.G. Barton Cotton Company Records, 1910-1974.
Records of the F.G. Barton Cotton Company that were sent to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Materials include records of loans from F.G. Barton Cotton Company to cotton producers, accounting records, freight refund records, cotton factors, cash books, check books, credit books, and daily cotton trade reports to the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company of N.Y. Also included are a transcription of a 1922 Arkansas Supreme Court case between F.G. Barton Cotton Company and F.K. Marks; ledgers of Otto Seyppel (1854-1913), a cotton planter and merchant associated with F.G. Barton Cotton Company, circa 1910-1916; and reel-to-reel audio recordings of company meetings, circa 1974.
Note that original volume titles have been retained.
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Series 3. Other Materials, 1877-1988.
Chiefly ledgers, shipment records, cotton interest calculators, and published books related to the cotton industry. The administrative origins of the ledgers and shipment records are unidentified. Also included is business correspondence of Brown W. Wilson of Wilson Sales Corporation in Gastonia, N.C., relating to the cotton and garment industries, circa 1946-1947. The Brown W. Wilson letters were given to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange by William D. Lawson in Gastonia, N.C.
Folder 36-37
Folder 36Folder 37 |
Brown W. Wilson correspondence, circa 1946-1947 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Folder 36-37Chiefly business correspondence of Brown W. Wilson of Wilson Sales Corporation in Gastonia, N.C., circa 1946-1947. Materials include letters and telegrams between Wilson and others in the cotton industry and the garment industry. Some invoices and financial reports, including 1946 audit report for the Southern Pickery, Inc., in Memphis, Tenn., and 1947 report from the United States Tariff Commission regarding long-staple cotton. Letters were given by William D. Lawson in Gastonia, N.C., to The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/149 |
Ledger, 1920-1923 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/149Bound corduroy volume containing handwritten accounting records for bills payable, bills receivable, commission accounts, concentration claims, dividends on stocks, fire insurance, merchandise, profit and loss, cotton sales, freight and charges, interest, and storage. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/151 |
Ledger, 1920-1926 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/151Handwritten accounting records of interest, storage, merchandise, miscellaneous, and bills receivable. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/152 |
Ledger, 1930-1937 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/152Handwritten records of cash received and paid out. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/150 |
Ledger, 1935-1943 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/150Handwritten accounting records of interest, merchandise, miscellaneous, and bills receivable. |
| Folder 44 |
Volume 153: Ledger, 1985-1990 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Folder 44Small bound volume containing handwritten records of accounts for different farms and plantations, with columns for date, commission due, purchase number, and price. |
| Folder 45 |
Volume 154: Ledger, 1991-1992 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Folder 45Small bound volume containing handwritten records of accounts for different farms and plantations, with columns for date, commission due, purchase number, and price. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/155 |
Detailed Shipments from Memphis, 1925-1928 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/155Original volume title has been retained. Handwritten account of shipments from presses, through shipments, through receipts, net receipts, and Memphis proper receipts. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/156 |
Detailed Shipments from Memphis, 1933-1935 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/156Original volume title has been retained. Handwritten daily records of shipments in columns for Union, Memphis, Tri-State, Federal, West Memphis, Linters, and Totals for Memphis Proper. Back of volume includes record of net shipments per week. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/165 |
Cotton Region Rainfall Bulletin, 1929-1936 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/165Original volume title has been retained. Monthly handwritten account of rainfall in cotton region recording date, state, town, inch, and average rainfall. States recorded include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Large bound volume in fragile condition. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/109 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1877 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/109Published by Richard B. and Percy C. Clarke. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/125 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1885 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/125Published by M.G. Hall. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/110 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1900 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/110Published by the Delbridge Company |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/126 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1907 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/126Published by the Delbridge Company |
| Folder 46 |
Volume 111: Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1917 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Folder 46Published by H.H. Strubler. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/127 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1917 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/127Published by T.G. Johnson Company |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/112 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, 1947 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/112Published by the Delbridge Company |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/128 |
Cotton Interest Calculator Book, undated #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/128Published by C.R. Jacobs. |
| Folder 47 |
Volume 161: Hearings before the Committee on Agriculture House of Representatives on H.R. 8149 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Folder 47Soft cover volume printed by U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965. Transcription of hearings in the House of Representatives on H.R. 8149, "A bill to extend for two years the provisions for cotton equalization payments and domestic acreage allotments with modifications under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938." |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/162 |
Corporate Resolutions by Isabel Drummond, 1926 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/162Published by the Ronald Press Company, N.Y. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/163 |
Tennessee Code Annotated Vol. 3, 1988 Replacement #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/163The Official Tennessee Code prepared under the supervision of the Tennessee Code Commission. Published by the Michie Company, Law Publishers, Charlottesville, Va. |
| Oversize Volume SV-05566/164 |
Cotton and the Cotton Market by W. Hustace Hubbard, 1923 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." SV-05566/164Published by D. Appleton and Company, N.Y. |
| Box 7 |
Cotton Year Books, 1930-1947 #05566, Series: "3. Other Materials, 1877-1988." Box 7Blue bound volumes published by the New York Cotton Exchange containing statistics related to the growth and sale of cotton. |
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Items Separated
Processed by: Virginia Ferris and Amanda Loeb, January 2014
Encoded by: Virginia Ferris, January 2014
Updated by: Dawne Howard Lucas, October 2021
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