Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#3792
WALTER ALVES PAPERS
Inventory
Abstract: Walter Alves of Orange County, N.C., was the son of James
Hogg (1730-1804) and Anne McDowal Alves Hogg (1732-1801) of
Scotland. Alves's father legally changed his children's surname
from Hogg to Alves in honor of their mother. Walter Alves married
Mary Amelia Johnston, daughter of William Johnston (d. 1785), with
whom he had nine children. Alves, a staunch Federalist, served in
the North Carolina General Assembly, 1793-1795; was a trustee of
the University of North Carolina, 1795-1813; and speculated heavily
in North Carolina and Tennessee lands.
Primarily business papers of Walter Alves, including
correspondence, surveys, rental accounts, and other papers relating
to Alves's extensive land holdings in North Carolina and in the
Clinch and Powell River regions of eastern Tennessee. Also
included are family correspondence, letters from Federalist
politicians, and papers relating to Alves's move to Henderson, Ky.
Correspondents include Gavin Alves, Richard Bennehan, William
Boylan, Duncan Cameron, Walter Evans, William Gaston, William B.
Grove, Archibald Henderson, James Hogg, Alex Mebane, James Norwood,
and Henry Tazewell. Many items pertain to the estate of Alves's
father-in-law, William Johnston, and relate to the efforts of
Edmund Fanning (1739-1818), North Carolina colonial official and
loyalist for whom Johnston worked, to recover properties
confiscated during the Revolution. These papers include
correspondence, 1805-1812, between Alves and noted Virginia lawyer
John Wickham (1763-1839).
Online Absenteeism.
Catalog Alves family.
Terms: Alves, Gavin.
Alves, Walter, 1768-1819.
Bennehan, Richard, 1743-1825.
Boylan, William, 1777-1861.
Cameron, Duncan, 1777-1853.
Estates (Law)--North Carolina--History--19th century.
Evans, Walter.
Fanning, Edmund, 1737-1818.
Federal Party (N.C.).
Gaston, William, 1778-1844.
Grove, William Barry, d. 1818?
Henderson, Archibald, 1768-1822.
Henderson (Ky.)--History.
Hogg family.
Hogg, James, 1729-1805.
Johnston, William, d. 1785.
Lawyers--Virginia--History--19th century.
Mebane, Alexander, 1744-1795.
Migration, Internal--Southern States--History--19th
century.
North Carolina--Economic conditions--19th century.
Norwood, James.
Real estate investment--North Carolina.
Real estate investment--Tennessee.
Real estate management--North Carolina.
Real estate management--Tennessee.
Scottish Americans--North Carolina--History.
Tazewell, Henry, 1753-1799.
Tennessee--Economic conditions--18th century.
Tennessee--Economic conditions--19th century.
United States--History--Revolution,
1775-1783--Confiscations and contributions.
Wickham, John, 1763-1839.
Size: About 250 items (0.5 linear feet).
Provenance:Gift of Henry Powell Alves in May 1949; of the Henderson
family via Mrs. Lyman A. Cotten in October 1965; and of Mrs.
Archibald Henderson in March 1973.
Access: No restrictions.
Processing Note: This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship
of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office
of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
Related Collections: Henry Powell Alves Papers (#2816);
Hogg and Norwood Family Papers (#2258);
James Hogg Papers (#341).
Copyright:Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
Their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
Walter (Hogg) Alves was born on 6 October 1768 in
Scotland, the son of James Hogg (1730-1804) and Anne McDowal Alves
Hogg (1733-1801). James Hogg was a native of East Lothian,
Scotland, where he lived until after his marriage and the birth of
several children. A short time before the Revolution, he decided
to leave Scotland for America, landing at Wilmington, N.C., in
1774. During the Revolution, Hogg stood with the colonists and
served on the Committee of Safety. He was also a member of the
Transylvania Company. In 1775, he represented the Transylvania
Company at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he spoke
in favor of allowing Kentucky to enter the union as the 14th
colony, a measure that was blocked by Patrick Henry. James Hogg
was one of the founders of Henderson, Ky.; he was also active in
the founding of the University of North Carolina. At some point,
Hogg successfully applied to the General Assembly of North Carolina
to change the names of his sons Gavin and Walter Hogg to Alves in
their mother's honor.
On 11 May 1787, Walter Alves married Mary Amelia
Johnston, daughter of William Johnston (d. 1785), agent to noted
Virginia lawyer John Wickham (1763-1839). Nine children were born
of this union: Annie (1788-1852); Elizabeth (1790-1852); James
(1792-1853); William Johnston (1793-1866); Mary (1797-1806);
Haywood (1799-1854); Samuel Johnston (1801-1821); Walter
(1803-1856); and Robert (1806-1860). Walter Alves served in the
North Carolina General Assembly, 1793-1795. He was trustee of the
University of North Carolina, 1795-1813, and treasurer of the board
of trustees, 1795-1799. A staunch Federalist, he counted William
B. Grove, William Polk, and William Gaston as close political
allies. His business interests centered on land speculation in
North Carolina and Tennessee.
Collection Overview
Primarily business papers of Walter Alves, including
correspondence, surveys, rental accounts, and other papers relating
to Alves's extensive land holdings in North Carolina and in the
Clinch and Powell River regions of eastern Tennessee. Also
included are family correspondence, letters from Federalist
politicians, and papers relating to Alves's move to Henderson, Ky.
Correspondents include Gavin Alves, Richard Bennehan, William
Boyland, Duncan Cameron, Walter Evans, William Gaston, William B.
Grove, Archibald Henderson, James Hogg, Alex Mebane, James Norwood,
and Henry Tazewell. Many items pertain to the estate of Alves's
father-in-law, William Johnston, and relate to the efforts of
Edmund Fanning (1739-1818), North Carolina colonial official and
loyalist for whom Johnston worked, to recover properties
confiscated during the Revolution. These papers include
correspondence, 1805-1812, between Alves and noted Virginia lawyer
John Wickham (1763-1839).
Materials are divided between loose papers and volumes,
of which there are two. Pages 4-12 of this inventory contain
descriptions of materials in Series 1. Loose Papers and Series 2.
Volumes that were written in 1970; pages 13-14 contain descriptions
of materials that were added to Series 1 in 1973. These materials
were integrated in chronological order into the original accession.
SHELF LIST
Box 1 (only)