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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.
Size | 6.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5000 items) |
Abstract | Marion Stuart Davis was a Louisburg, N.C., architect, who specialized in the construction of churches and schools. His sister, Mabel Irwin Davis, was a teacher at Louisburg College and a librarian of the Warren County Memorial Library. This collection includes Marion Stuart Davis's personal and business correspondence, architectural project files, legal and financial papers, Masonic papers, family history materials, and materials relating to the history of Louisburg College. Also included are Mabel Irwin Davis materials, chiefly letters; financial papers; writings; school papers; and notebooks containing attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. There are also some materials relating to Davis's sister, Mary Davis Allen, who served as president of Louisburg College; his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis; and to other family members. |
Creator | Davis, Marion Stuart, 1877-1959. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English. |
The additions of 2004 and 2005 are arranged in the same way as, but have not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Finding aid updated in September 2005 by Linda Sellars and Valerie Gillispie because of additions.
Back to TopThe 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.
Architect Marion Stuart Davis, who is alternately referred to as M. S. Davis, Jr., or M. Stuart Davis, was born in Louisburg, N.C., in 1877. His parents were Matthew Smart Davis, a prominent educator in Franklin County, N.C., and Sarah Louisa Hill Davis. Davis married May Amanda Holmes in 1913, and they had four children: Marion Stuart, Kenneth, May, and Sarah.
After being educated in the Louisburg schools, Davis attended Trinity College, Durham, N.C., and the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He did not graduate from either institution, and his architectural skills were acquired via correspondence school and self-study. Davis's architectural practice focused on the construction of churches and schools within North Carolina. In addition to architectural design work, he was also involved in agriculture and owned a property insurance business. During World War II, he served with the office of the Post Engineer at Camp Butner, N.C. Davis was an active Mason and one-time Master of the Louisburg Lodge. He died in 1959.
Educator and librarian, Mabel Irwin Davis, who was a sister of Marion Stuart Davis, was born in Louisburg, N.C., in 1874. She was educated at Louisburg College and taught there for a number of years before assuming the position of librarian at the newly created Warren County Memorial Library in 1924. Davis served in this post until her retirement in 1954. In addition to her professional activities, she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and secretary of the Warren County Historical Society. She died in 1961.
Back to TopThis collection is architect Marion Stuart Davis's personal and business correspondence, architectural project files, legal and financial papers, Masonic papers, Davis family history papers, and materials relating to the history of Louisburg College.
Davis's chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Sarah Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen), and his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis. Business correspondence, primarily related to his architectural practice in North Carolina, is with clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Note that correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in the Series 2 project files.
Architectural project files contain construction specifications, correspondence, invoices, account statements, building supply literature, brief notes, pamphlets, plans, blueprints, and photographs. There are also lists of church building projects; professional architectural association materials; newspaper clippings about church buildings and church architecture; and correspondence, pamphlets, government documents, and newspaper clippings relating to Davis's activities with the Franklin County Industrial Association.
Financial and legal papers consist of contracts for the purchase of real estate, dental care, a Model T Ford, and subsurface mineral rights; life insurance policies; receipts; statements of account; and other items. There is also correspondence concerning Davis's involvement with Mabel Davis's financial affairs.
Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413 materials are official lodge correspondence, meeting notes, membership rolls, printed programs, and a brief history of the Louisburg lodge. There are also a 1907 copy of "H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. and his Followers" and materials relating to other clubs with which Davis was associated.
Also included are family history materials; essays about Louisburg, N.C., Louisburg College, and the Davis family; school records; World War II ration cards and books; and other papers. Family history clippings relate to a number of different family members, but Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen) is most prominently represented. Essays include remembrances by Mary Davis Allen about her tenure as president of Louisburg College and Marion Stuart Davis's history of his family's relationship with the College. There are also historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Mabel Irwin Davis materials include letters, financial papers, writings, school papers, and notebooks. Notebooks contain attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. Some writings discuss literature and history. Other writings are fictional short works with religious or moralizing themes; a play; The March of Events: A Pageant; and a tribute to her cousin, poet and novelist Edwin Wiley Fuller.
Back to TopProcessing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly, personal and business correspondence of Marion Stuart Davis. His chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Susan Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen, and his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis. Additional correspondence between Marion Stuart Davis and Mabel Davis concerning Mabel's financial affairs is filed in Series 3, Legal and Financial Papers.
Davis's business correspondence is primarily related to his architectural practice in Louisburg, N.C. Business correspondents were clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Additional correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in project files in Series 2, Professional Papers.
Folder 1 |
1902-1911 |
Folder 2 |
1911-1914 |
Folder 3 |
1916 |
Folder 4 |
1918-1942 |
Folder 5 |
1942-1955 |
Folder 6 |
1955-1958 |
Folder 7 |
1958-1968 |
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Most of Davis's professional papers are architectural project files. These files are not uniform in content and may contain some of the following types of materials: construction specifications, correspondence, invoices, account statements, building supply literature, brief notes, pamphlets, plans, blueprints, and photographs. There are also lists of church building projects; professional architectural association materials; newspaper clippings about church building and church architecture; and correspondence, pamphlets, government documents, and newspaper clippings related to Davis's activities with the Franklin County Industrial Association.
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Arrangement: by type.
Material chiefly related to Marion Stuart Davis's financial and legal concerns. They include contracts for land, dental treatment, and a Model T Ford; life insurance policies; receipts, statements of account; and other materials. There is also a file concerning Davis's involvement with Mabel Irwin Davis's financial affairs.
Folder 60 |
Contracts, 1899-1958 |
Folder 61 |
Life insurance policies, 1917-1940 |
Folder 62 |
Receipts and statements of account, 1917-1956 |
Folder 63 |
Income tax returns, 1925-1927 |
Folder 64 |
Mabel Irwin Davis financial file, 1957-1959 |
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Primarily materials related to Davis's activities with Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413. Included are official lodge correspondence, meeting notes, membership rolls, blank certificates, printed programs, and a brief history of the Louisburg lodge. There is also a 1907 copy of "H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. and his Followers" and materials relating to other organizations with which Davis was associated.
Folder 65 |
Louisburg Masonic Lodge, no. 413, 1934-1959 |
Folder 66 |
Bound copy of "H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. and his Followers," 1907 |
Folder 67 |
Miscellaneous civic and social club materials, 1936-1957 |
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Family history newspaper clippings; essays about Louisburg, Louisburg College, and the Davis family; school records; World War II ration cards and books, identification papers, family photographs, and other items. Clippings relate to a number of family members, but Mary Davis Allen (Mrs. Ivey Allen) is most prominently represented. Essays include remembrances by Mary Davis Allen about her tenure as president of Louisburg College and Marion Stuart Davis's history of his family's relationship with the College. Also included are a court order from 1770 related to Mosley v. Jones and Phillips and historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Folder 68-69
Folder 68Folder 69 |
Family and Louisburg, N.C., history materials, 1770-2003 |
Image Folder PF-5073/2 |
Photographs of Davis family members |
Folder 70 |
Louisburg College, 1908-1950 |
Folder 71 |
School records: May Amanda Holmes Davis, 1908-1939 |
Folder 72 |
Ration books and identification papers, 1941-1945 |
Folder 73 |
Newspaper math puzzle contest, 1905 |
Folder 74 |
Miscellaneous printed materials, 1890-1952 |
Folder 75 |
Miscellaneous ephemera |
Processing Note: See also Additions of 2004-2005.
Chiefly letters, financial papers, writings, school papers, and notebooks of Mabel Irwin Davis. The bulk of this subseries is comprised of Davis's notebooks and writings. Notebooks are not uniform in nature, but may contain attendance lists, notes related to teaching at Louisburg College, and original writings. The writings include essays about literature and history; original fictional short works with religious or moralizing themes; a play; The March of Events: A Pageant; and a tribute to her cousin, the poet and novelist, Edwin Wiley Fuller.
Additional materials related to Mabel Irwin Davis can be found in Series 1, Correspondence, and in Series 3, Legal and Financial Papers, which contains a file concerning her financial affairs that was maintained by Marion Stuart Davis.
Folder 76 |
Letter and notes, 1901-1932 and undated |
Folder 77 |
Financial papers, 1887-1903 and undated |
Folder 78 |
Writings, undated |
Folder 79 |
The March of Events: A Pageant, 1917-1918? |
Folder 80 |
Notebook, 1898 |
Folder 81 |
Notebook, 1910 |
Folder 82 |
Notebook, 1914-1915 |
Folder 83 |
Notebook, 1916 |
Folder 84-86
Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86 |
Notebook, undated |
Folder 87 |
Attendance book, Wesleyan Bible class, 1913 |
Folder 88 |
Attendance sheets, 1913-1914 |
Folder 89 |
Miscellaneous school papers, undated |
The additions of 2004 and 2005 are arranged in the same way as, but have not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly, personal and business correspondence of Marion Stuart Davis. His chief personal correspondents were family members, especially his mother, Susan Louisa Hill Davis, his sisters, Mabel Irwin Davis and Mary Davis Allen, his wife, May Amanda Holmes Davis, and his children. Also included is the personal correspondence of May Amanda Holmes Davis with her mother, Ida Long Holmes, her brother, Russell Holmes, her daughter, May Davis, and other family members. Davis's business correspondence is primarily related to his architectural practice in Louisburg, N.C. Business correspondents were clients, contractors, building material suppliers, and other architects. Additional correspondence related to specific design and construction projects is filed in project files in Series 2, Professional Papers.
Folder 90-91
Folder 90Folder 91 |
February 1899-May 1899 |
Folder 92-93
Folder 92Folder 93 |
February 1900-April 1905 |
Folder 94 |
1906 |
Folder 95-98
Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98 |
1907 |
Folder 99-101
Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101 |
1908 |
Folder 102 |
1909 |
Folder 103 |
1910-1917 |
Folder 104 |
1918 |
Folder 105 |
1919 |
Folder 106 |
1920-1925 |
Folder 107 |
1926 |
Folder 108 |
1927-1930 |
Folder 109-112
Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112 |
1931 |
Folder 113 |
1932 |
Folder 114 |
1933-1934 |
Folder 115 |
1935-1936 |
Folder 116 |
1937-1939 |
Folder 117 |
1940-1941 |
Folder 118-120
Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120 |
1942 |
Folder 121 |
1943 |
Folder 122 |
1944 |
Folder 123-124
Folder 123Folder 124 |
1945 |
Folder 125 |
1946-1947 |
Folder 126 |
1948-1949 |
Folder 127 |
1950-1959 |
Folder 128 |
1960-1972 |
Folder 129 |
Undated, pre-1910 |
Folder 130 |
Undated, circa 1910s |
Folder 131 |
Undated, circa 1920s |
Folder 132 |
Undated, circa 1930s |
Folder 133 |
Undated, circa 1940s |
Folder 134 |
Undated, circa 1950s |
Folder 135 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Davis's architectural project files primarily contain contracts for architectural and engineering work. Other files contain lists of building projects; professional architectural association materials; and newspaper clippings about school architecture. Also included are materials relating to Davis's work in the insurance business with Davis and Davis and the Davis Insurance Agency.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Material chiefly related to Marion Stuart Davis's financial and legal concerns. They include contracts and deedsfor land; life insurance policies; receipts and statements of account; correspondence with Louisburg College regarding financial and legal disputes with Davis; and other materials. There are also files concerning Ida Long Holmes's financial affairs.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Primarily materials related to Davis's activities with Louisburg Masonic Lodge No. 413, the bulk of which are receipts. Also included are certificates from the National Geographic Society and the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, as well as printed materials from the North Carolina Anti-Saloon League.
Folder 202 |
Certificates, 1917-1927 |
Folder 203 |
Louisburg Masonic Lodge, no. 413, 1905-1906 |
Folder 204 |
North Carolina Anti-Saloon League: Pamphlets, circa 1905-1909 |
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Family history newspaper clippings; a diary and an account book; a number of writings by May Amanda Holmes Davis; school records; identification papers; advertising pamphlets; United States Military Academy ephemera; and other items. The miscellaneous folder includes a United States Government Thrift Card from the 1920s; a 1948 driver's license; and a 1904 voter registration certificate. Also included are historical notes created by Sarah Davis, the collection's donor.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Additional materials related to Mabel Irwin Davis can be found in Series 1, Correspondence.
Folder 240 |
The Current Literature Club, 1933 and undated |
Folder 241 |
Notebook, 1929-1930 |
Folder 242 |
Postcard, 1934 |
Folder 243 |
Warren County Memorial Library: Clippings and 1954 retirement speech |
Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-5073/1 |
Extra oversize paper folder |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5073/2-3
OPF-5073/2OPF-5073/3 |
Oversize paper folder |
Photographs (folders P-5073/1-4).
Oversized papers (folders OP-5073/1-3).
Oversized volume (folders V-5073/S-1).
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