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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 FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 17.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 10,000 items) |
| Abstract | Prominent members of the Battle family of North Carolina included William Horn Battle (1802-1879) of Louisburg, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, lawyer, legislator, judge of the North Carolina superior and supreme courts, and trustee and professor of law at the University of North Carolina; his son, Kemp Plummer Battle (1831-1919) of Chapel Hill and Raleigh, lawyer, president of the Chatham Railroad, who was active in state affairs during the Civil War, served as state treasurer and as University of North Carolina president, 1876-1891, and professor of history, 1891-1907; and Kemp Plummer Battle's son, William James Battle (1870-1955), University of North Carolina and Harvard student, professor of classics, dean, and acting president, 1893-1917, and professor of classics, 1920-1955, at the University of Texas, and professor of classics, 1917-1920, at the University of Cincinnati. Papers give detailed coverage of the life of William Horn Battle and his family and many aspects of North Carolina history, including life on the Confederate homefront and social conditions during Reconstruction. There are also materials relating to the Episcopal Church, in which the Battles were active lay members, and some slave bills of sale and Chatham County Railroad items. Papers of Kemp Plummer Battle relate to his interest in the early history of North Carolina and of the University of North Carolina. Papers of William James Battle document family and personal affairs. They are especially rich in Battle family history, but do not include many items relating to his professional career. Volumes are chiefly student notes and personal accounts kept by William James Battle, 1885-1909. The addition of April 2005 contains correspondence and other papers of Battle family members, mostly Kemp Plummer Battle (1831-1919), but also his wife and children. Professional papers of Kemp Plummer Battle include his notes from the secret sessions of the North Carolina convention of 1861, notes and drafts of articles and speeches by Kemp Plummer Battle, clippings of articles by or about Kemp Plummer Battle, and a few other items. Many letters are from Cornelia Phillips Spencer (1825-1908), whose brother Charles Phillips married Kemp Plummer Battle's aunt, Laura Caroline Battle. |
| Creator | Battle family. |
| 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
William Horn Battle (1802-1879) lived near Louisburg, N.C., until late 1839, when he moved to Raleigh. In 1843, he moved to Chapel Hill and remained there until the closing of the University of North Carolina in 1868, when he went to Raleigh to live with his sons. Battle served as a Superior Court judge in 1840 and as a Supreme Court judge, 1852-1865. He was a Whig in politics and represented Franklin County in the House of Commons, 1833-1834. Battle was a professor of law at the University of North Carolina. The connection of the Law School with the University was nominal at the time, but Battle, as a prominent trustee, father of several University students, and close friend of University President David L. Swain, was quite active in University affairs.
Battle married Lucy Martin Plummer, daughter of a prominent family in Warren County, N.C. Their son, Kemp Plummer Battle, married his cousin, Martha Ann Battle (Pattie). Kemp Plummer Battle studied at the University of North Carolina, where he remained as a tutor for several years after graduation, studying law at the same time. When he secured his law license, he began to practice in Raleigh and soon thereafter married Pattie. They lived in Raleigh for 20 years. During this time, Kemp Plummer Battle practiced law and participated in public affairs as a member of the Convention of 1861; state treasurer, 1866-1868; and as an active member of the Whig Party before the Civil War, and, after the war, as a moderate conservative, and later Democrat. He was president of the Chatham Railroad and had interests in real estate ventures through the Southern Land Agency and Battle, Heck, and Company. Kemp Plummer Battle was active in the re-opening of the University of North Carolina. In 1876, he was elected president of the University and, in 1877, moved to Chapel Hill to begin work. He remained president until 1891, when he resigned to become professor of history, a post he held until his retirement in 1907.
William James Battle, youngest son of Kemp Plummer Battle, was born in Raleigh and lived in Chapel Hill after his father became president of the University of North Carolina. He was graduated from the University in 1888 and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. In 1889-1890, he was an instructor of Latin at the University of North Carolina. In 1893, he taught briefly at the University of Chicago, then moved to the University of Texas, where he served until 1917 as associate professor and professor of Greek, dean of the College of Arts (and later of the faculty) and as acting president. In 1917, William James Battle joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati, where he stayed until 1920 when he returned to Texas as professor of classical languages. He lived in Austin until his death in 1955. He was co-author of The Battle Book with Herbert B. Battle and Lois Yelverton.
Laura Caroline Battle Phillips (1824-1919) was the youngest child of Joel Battle and his wife Mary "Pretty Polly" Johnston Battle. Laura Battle was married to Professor Charles Phillips on 8 December 1847 at the Battle home in Chapel Hill, N.C. Their children included sons William and Alexander and daughters Mary and Lucy. Charles Phillips (1822-1889) was the son of James and Julia Vermeule Phillips of Chapel Hill, N.C. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina, 1841; a tutor, 1844-1854; professor of mathematics, 1854-1868 and 1875-1879; and professor emeritus, 1879-1889. He taught at Davidson College, 1868-1874. Charles Phillips's sisiter, Cornelia Phillips (1825-1908), married James Munroe Spencer in 1855 and went with him to Alabama. At his death in 1861, she and her daughter Julia James "June" Spencer came back to Chapel Hill. During her last years, she lived in Cambridge, Mass., with her daughter and son-in-law, June and James Lee Love, and their children, Cornelia and James Spencer Love.
Below is a genealogical chart including most Battle family members who figure prominently in the papers. The children of James Smith Battle and Sallie Harriet Westray Battle and of Kemp Plummer and Susan Martin Plummer are not listed in chronological order by date of birth. Some Plummer family information is also included.
Plummer Family
For further information, see The Battle Book and Kemp Plummer Battle's Memories of an Old-Time Tar Heel.
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Scope and Content
Papers give detailed coverage of the life of William Horn Battle and his family and many aspects of North Carolina history, including life on the homefront in the Confederate States of America during the Civil War and social conditions during Reconstruction. There are also materials relating to the Episcopal Church, in which the Battles were active lay members, and some slave bills of sale and Chatham County Railroad items. Papers of Kemp Plummer Battle relate to his interest in the early history of North Carolina and of the University of North Carolina. Papers of William James Battle document family and personal affairs. They are especially rich in Battle family history, but do not include many items relating to his professional career. Volumes are chiefly student notes and personal accounts kept by William James Battle, 1885-1909.
Series 1 and Series 2 are currently maintained as separate accessions based on restrictions that, at one time, covered materials in Series 2. Series 1 consists of papers focusing primarily on William Horn Battle and his son, Kemp Plummer Battle. Series 2 contains papers of William James Battle, son of Kemp Plummer Battle, that were restricted until 15 years after his death. Because both series include material for 1875-1919, researchers interested in this time period should consult both series for items of potential interest.
The addition of April 2005 contains correspondence and other papers of Battle family members, mostly Kemp Plummer Battle (1831-1919), but also his wife Martha Ann (Pattie) Battle (d. 1913), and their children, Cornelia Viola Battle Lewis (1857-1886), Kemp Plummer Battle Jr. (1859-1922), Thomas Hall Battle (1860-1936), and Herbert Bemerton Battle (1862-1929). Kemp Plummer Battle's other children appear less frequently in the correspondence. Many letters are from Cornelia Phillips Spencer (1825-1908), whose brother Charles Phillips married Kemp Plummer Battle's aunt, Laura Caroline Battle. Professional papers of Kemp Plummer Battle include his notes from the secret sessions of the North Carolina convention of 1861, notes and drafts of articles and speeches by Kemp Plummer Battle, clippings of articles by or about Kemp Plummer Battle, and a few other items.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919.
Processing note: See also Addition of April 2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and other papers offering detailed documentation of the life of William Horn Battle and his family. Letters of his wife and family when Battle was away on the judicial circuit give a full account of events in Chapel Hill, N.C., as well as details of home life. Battle's letters, written as he traveled around North Carolina, describe a wide spectrum of people and events. When he served on the North Carolina Supreme Court, he traveled primarily to Raleigh and Morganton, where a western session of the Court was held. During these years, Battle was also professor of law at the University of North Carolina. Beginning in 1843, there is a great deal of material on the University scattered through the papers.
After Battle's marriage to Lucy Martin Plummer, there are many references in the papers to the activities of her brothers and sisters, as well as to those of the many Battle family relatives. As the children grew older and married, the families of their wives or husbands are documented. This is especially true for Martha Ann Battle (Pattie), whose family, after her marriage to Kemp Plummer Battle, is represented fully in the papers. After William Horn Battle's death in 1879, materials tend to focus on Kemp Plummer Battle and his family.
Both William Horn Battle and Kemp Plummer Battle were active in the public affairs of North Carolina and in the affairs of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the papers include correspondence with important political, civic, and church leaders. Also of interest are three deeds of sale for the purchase of slave girls by Mary Battle from Amos J. Battle on 23 October 1833, Robert Ricks of Edgecombe County on 21 December 1841, and Richard Battle on 1 October 1843, and an article by Kemp P. Battle on the Chatham County Railroad, of which he was president (filed with miscellaneous material). The article includes biographical information and also discusses the railroad's organization at the beginning of the Civil War to provide access to the iron and coal mines of Chatham County.
| Folder 1-18 |
1765-1848 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 1-18Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18 |
| Folder 19-35 |
1849-1856 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 19-35Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35 |
| Folder 36-50 |
1857-May 1864 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 36-50Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50 |
| Folder 51-65 |
June 1864-April 1868 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 51-65Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65 |
| Folder 66-82 |
May 1868-1876 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 66-82Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82 |
| Folder 83-98 |
1877-1888 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 83-98Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98 |
| Folder 99-111 |
1889-April 1902 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 99-111Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111 |
| Folder 112-128 |
May 1902-1919 #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 112-128Folder 112Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128 |
| Folder 129-141 |
Undated and miscellaneous #03223, Series: "1. Battle Family Papers, 1765-1919." Folder 129-141Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141 |
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Series 2. William James Battle, 1876-1955.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal papers, family correspondence, and genealogical material of William James Battle. These papers are almost entirely family correspondence, except for a few brief schoolboy items. From the time Battle entered Harvard University until the death of his father, there is much overlap in subject matter with Series 1. Included here are circular family letters. The Battles communicated amongst themselves with Kemp Plummer Battle circulating letters that William eventually collected. The more prominent correspondents include William James Battle's father, his brothers, especially Herbert Bremerton Battle and Thomas Hall Battle, and his nephews, especially Kemp Davis Battle, Hyman L. Battle, Ivey Foreman Lewis (professor of biology, University of Virginia), and Kemp Plummer Lewis. Scattered throughout the letters are references to the Rocky Mount Mills and the Erwin Mills, but there are few details about the companies and no records of their operations.
Except for references to William James Battle's work in family letters, there is little information on his career. There are many allusions to his difficulties in Texas during the gubernatorial administration of James Edward Ferguson, 1915-1917, and later during the administration of his wife, Miriam A. Wallace Ferguson ("Ma" Ferguson), 1925-1927. However, few details are given.
A major topic of these papers is The Battle Book, a family history compiled by Herbert B. Battle and completed after his death by William James Battle and Lois Yelverton. Many of the papers relate to information collected for this book or to the details of editing, publishing, and distributing it.
| Folder 1-12 |
1876-1890 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 1-12Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
| Folder 13-25 |
1891-April 1892 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 13-25Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25 |
| Folder 26-38 |
May 1892-September 1893 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 26-38Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38 |
| Folder 39-49 |
October 1893-August 1894 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 39-49Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49 |
| Folder 50-62 |
September 1894-February 1896 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 50-62Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62 |
| Folder 63-78 |
March 1896-October 1897 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 63-78Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78 |
| Folder 79-93 |
November 1897-June 1899 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 79-93Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93 |
| Folder 94-108 |
July 1899-1901 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 94-108Folder 94Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108 |
| Folder 109-122 |
1902-November 1905 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 109-122Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121Folder 122 |
| Folder 123-138 |
December 1905-May 1907 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 123-138Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138 |
| Folder 139-155 |
June 1907-May 1909 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 139-155Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155 |
| Folder 156-173 |
June 1909-December 1911 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 156-173Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172Folder 173 |
| Folder 174-189 |
1912-May 1915 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 174-189Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189 |
| Folder 190-203 |
June 1915-May 1919 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 190-203Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203 |
| Folder 204-218 |
June 1919-1926 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 204-218Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210Folder 211Folder 212Folder 213Folder 214Folder 215Folder 216Folder 217Folder 218 |
| Folder 219-233 |
1927-1930 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 219-233Folder 219Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224Folder 225Folder 226Folder 227Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233 |
| Folder 234-250 |
1931-1934 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 234-250Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243Folder 244Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249Folder 250 |
| Folder 251-265 |
1935-April 1943 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 251-265Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255Folder 256Folder 257Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265 |
| Folder 266-279 |
May 1943-1948 #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 266-279Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279 |
| Folder 280-282 |
1949-1955 and undated #03223, Series: "2. William James Battle, 1876-1955." Folder 280-282Folder 280Folder 281Folder 282 |
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Series 3. Volumes, 1883-1909.
Manuscript volumes belonging to William James Battle and consisting chiefly of school notebooks from his undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina.
| Folder 283 |
Volume 1, 1885, 192 pp. #03223, Series: "3. Volumes, 1883-1909." Folder 283School notebook of notes taken by William James Battle in the chemistry class of Frank P. Venable at the University of North Carolina. |
| Folder 284 |
Volume 2, 1886, 237 pp. #03223, Series: "3. Volumes, 1883-1909." Folder 284School notebook of notes taken by William James Battle in the chemistry class of Frank P. Venable at the University of North Carolina. |
| Folder 285 |
Volume 3, 1883-1893, 100 pp. #03223, Series: "3. Volumes, 1883-1909." Folder 285Notebook with miscellaneous items by William James Battle. Included is "An Account of Consolidation of the Libraries [at the University of North Carolina] in June 1886"; charts of age, weight and height of young members of the Battle and Lewis families, 1880s and 1890s; and a miscellaneous bibliographic information. |
| Folder 286 |
Volume 4, 1892-1909, 150 pp. #03223, Series: "3. Volumes, 1883-1909." Folder 286Personal account book of William James Battle from his time at Harvard, Chapel Hill, Chicago, and Austin. |
| Folder 287 |
Volume 5, ca. 1888, 68 pp. #03223, Series: "3. Volumes, 1883-1909." Folder 287School notebook of notes taken by William James Battle in a constitutional law class at the University of North Carolina. |
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Series 4. Pictures, 1855-1940s.
Processing note: See also Addition of April 2005.
Photographs of Battle family members and others.
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Addition of April 2005 (Acc. 100061), 1842-1921.
Processing note: The Addition of April 2005 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials. Series 5 has been added to hold professional papers of Kemp Plummer Battle.
Correspondence and other papers of Battle family members, mostly Kemp Plummer Battle (1831-1919), his wife Martha Ann (Pattie) Battle (d. 1913), and their children, Cornelia Viola Battle Lewis (1857-1886), Kemp Plummer Battle Jr. (1859-1922), Thomas Hall Battle (1860-1936), and Herbert Bemerton Battle (1862-1929). Kemp Plummer Battle's other children appear less frequently in the correspondence. Many letters are from Cornelia Phillips Spencer (1825-1908), whose brother Charles Phillips married Kemp Plummer Battle's aunt, Laura Caroline Battle. Professional papers of Kemp Plummer Battle include his notes from the secret sessions of the North Carolina convention of 1861, notes and drafts of articles and speeches by Kemp Plummer Battle, clippings of articles by or about Kemp Plummer Battle, and a few other items.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing, February 1996
Encoded by: Peter Hymas, October 2004
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the encoding of this finding aid.
Revisions: Finding aid updated in August 2005 by Linda Sellars.
The Addition of April 2005 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials. In the addition, Series 5 has been added to hold professional papers of Kemp Plummer Battle.
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