Inventory of the Preston Davie collection, 1560-1903

Collection Number 3406


Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Collection Information
Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Online Catalog Headings
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
Back to Top

Descriptive Summary

Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Creator
Davie, Preston, b. 1881.
Title
Preston Davie collection, 1560-1903
Call Number
3406
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
About 600 items (3.0 linear feet)
Abstract
Preston Davie of Louisville, Ky., and New York, N.Y., was a lawyer and collector of historical manuscripts and books chiefly relating to the history of the American South during the colonial, Revolutionary, and early national periods. Papers are scattered, largely unrelated items, some of interest chiefly as autographs, others containing significant information on political and military affairs. The greatest number of items relates to the Revolutionary War in the South, particularly the Carolinas, but also Virginia and Georgia. These include letters and other documents of many military and civic leaders. There are papers related to French attempts at colonization in the 16th century, 18th-century colonial history of the Carolinas, and the siege of Charleston, S.C., 1780; and letters, 1774-1779, from John Pringle (1753-1843) of South Carolina discussing American Revolutionary diplomacy from Europe. A separate series consists of documents pertaining to lands in North and South Carolina acquired by the Kershaw and Chesnut families of South Carolina. Persons represented in the collection include: John Ashe (1720?- 1781), Theodore Broughton, William Bull (1710-1791), Thomas Burke (circa 1747-1783), Richard Caswell (1729-1789), Gaspard de Coligny (1519-1572), Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805), Horatio Gates (1728-1806), Alexander Gillon (1741-1794), James Glen (1701-1777), Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), Wade Hampton (1754-1835), Cornelius Harnett (1723-1781), William Howe (1732-1786), Allen Jones (1729-1793), Henry Laurens (1724-1792), John Laurens (1754-1782), John Alexander Lillington (1725-1786), Francis Marion (1732-1795), Alexander Martin (1740-1807), Abner Nash (1740-1786), Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828), Griffith Rutherford (1721-1805), John Rutledge (1739- 1800), Jethro Sumner (1733-1785), Nicholas Trott (1663-1740), and William Tryon (1729-1788).


Back to Top

Administrative Information

Acquisitions Information
Acquired 1958-1960
Gift 1958-1960
Processing Information
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Additional Descriptive Resources
A more complete finding aid for this collection is available at the Southern Historical Collection.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Preston Davie collection, #3406, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Back to Top

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Ashe, John, 1720?-1781.
Broughton, Theodore.
Bull, William, 1710-1791.
Burke, Thomas, ca. 1747-1783.
Caswell, Richard, 1729-1789.
Chesnut family.
Coligny, Gaspard de, 1519-1572.
France--Colonies--America.
Gadsden, Christopher, 1724-1805.
Gates, Horatio, 1728-1806.
Gillon, Alexander, 1741-1794.
Glen, James, 1701-1777.
Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786.
Hampton, Wade, 1752-1835.
Harnett, Cornelius, 1723-1781.
Howe, William, 1732-1786.
Jones, Allen, 1739-1807.
Kershaw family.
Laurens, Henry, 1724-1792.
Laurens, John, 1754-1782.
Lillington, John Alexander, 1725-1786.
Marion, Francis, 1732-1795.
Martin, Alexander, 1740-1807.
Nash, Abner, ca. 1740-1786.
Pinckney, Thomas, 1750-1828.
Pringle, John Julius, 1753-1843.
Rutherford, Griffith, 1721-1805.
Rutledge, John, 1739-1800.
Southern States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
Southern States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.
Sumner, Jethro, 1733?-1785.
Trott, Nicholas, 1663-1740.
Tryon, William, 1729-1788.
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Foreign public opinion.
Back to Top

Biographical Note

Preston Davie of Louisville, Ky., and New York, N.Y., was a lawyer and collector of historical manuscripts and books chiefly relating to the history of the American South during the colonial, Revolutionary, and early national periods.

Back to Top

Collection Overview

Papers are scattered, largely unrelated items, some of interest chiefly as autographs, others containing significant information on political and military affairs. The greatest number of items relates to the Revolutionary War in the South, particularly the Carolinas, but also Virginia and Georgia. These include letters and other documents of many military and civic leaders. There are papers related to French attempts at colonization in the 16th century, 18th-century colonial history of the Carolinas, and the siege of Charleston, S.C., 1780; and letters, 1774-1779, from John Pringle (1753-1843) of South Carolina discussing American Revolutionary diplomacy from Europe. A separate series consists of documents pertaining to lands in North and South Carolina acquired by the Kershaw and Chesnut families of South Carolina. Persons represented in the collection include: John Ashe (1720?- 1781), Theodore Broughton, William Bull (1710-1791), Thomas Burke (circa 1747-1783), Richard Caswell (1729-1789), Gaspard de Coligny (1519-1572), Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805), Horatio Gates (1728-1806), Alexander Gillon (1741-1794), James Glen (1701-1777), Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), Wade Hampton (1754-1835), Cornelius Harnett (1723-1781), William Howe (1732-1786), Allen Jones (1729-1793), Henry Laurens (1724-1792), John Laurens (1754-1782), John Alexander Lillington (1725-1786), Francis Marion (1732-1795), Alexander Martin (1740-1807), Abner Nash (1740-1786), Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828), Griffith Rutherford (1721-1805), John Rutledge (1739- 1800), Jethro Sumner (1733-1785), Nicholas Trott (1663-1740), and William Tryon (1729-1788).