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 Preston Davie collection, #3406, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Acquired 1958-1960

Gift 1958-1960

Additional Descriptive Resources

A more complete finding aid for this collection is available at the Southern Historical Collection.

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.

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.

• 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.

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).