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Collection Number: 00214

Collection Title: DeRosset Family Papers, 1671-1940 (bulk 1821-1877)

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.


expand/collapse Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Size 5.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2000 items)
Abstract The DeRosset family descended from French Huguenot Armand John DeRosset, who immigrated to the American colonies in the 1730s and settled in Wilmington, N.C., where four generations of DeRossets worked as physicians and merchants. Family members included Armand John DeRosset (1767-1859) and his wife Catherine Fullerton DeRosset (1773-1837) and children Moses John (1796-1826), Catherine Fullerton Kennedy (1800-1889), Eliza Ann (1802-1888), Magdalen Mary (1806-1850), and Mary Jane Curtis (1813-1903). Also included were Armand John DeRosset (1807-1897), his wife Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset (1812-1876), and their children, Katherine Douglas Meares (1830-1914) and Louis Henry (1840-1875) and Louis's wife Marie Trapier Finley DeRosset (1844-1870) and daughter Gabrielle de Gondin Waddell (b. 1863). Correspondence of members of the white DeRosset family document the family’s business and financial interests, which depended on enslaved labor before and during the American Civil War; politics; military service; and social and religious life in Wilmington, N.C., Hillsborough, N.C., Columbia, S.C., New York, N.Y., and other locations. Letters between white women form the bulk of the collection’s correspondence, and topics include education of their children, family health, fashion, social events, religious opinions, and household problems. Other correspondence relates to mercantile partnerships in Wilmington and New York City; family members' relocation to England because of interests in the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road after the American Civil War; the family rice plantation in Brunswick County, N.C.; and slaves in North Carolina and South Carolina. Civil War era letters describe hardships on the homefront and shipping goods from Bermuda through the Union blockade of Wilmington. Included are some letters written by slaves, some of which describe the yellow fever epidemic of 1862. Some Reconstruction era letters discuss activities of former DeRosset slaves. Also included is correspondence with British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was a family friend. Financial and legal materials include papers documenting land transactions; papers relating to slave sales and a volume listing births and deaths of DeRosset slaves, 1770-1854; wills and estate papers; and military commissions. Of special interest are a group of French documents, including a 1671 marriage contract and an 1817 deed of emancipation for a Charleston, S.C., slave. Other materials include records, 1801-1806, of the Nine-Penny Whist Club of Wilmington; a Civil War narrative describing running the Wilmington blockade; scattered diaries of DeRosset women; and materials relating to the history of Saint James Episcopal Church, Wilmington. The Addition of 2007 consists of Moses John DeRosset's travel diary documenting a trip to western Europe in 1854; Moses John DeRosset's autograph album containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates, 1855-1863; Adelaide S. Meares's autograph album containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates at the Patapsco Female Institute in Maryland; diplomas and certificates, 1850s-1870s.
Creator DeRosset family.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

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 DeRosset Family Papers #214, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
Microfilm copy available.
Acquisitions Information
Received from William Lord DeRosset Jr. in 1928; from Dougald MacMillan of Chapel Hill, N.C., in memory of Gabrielle de Gondin DeRosset, in 1937 and 1969; and from Carolyn DeRosset McCoy of Fort Holmes, Tex., in March 2007 (Acc. 100621).
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.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Lisa Tolbert, December 1992

Encoded by: Bari Helms, February 2005

Updated by: Margaret Dickson, July 2007; Nancy Kaiser, November 2020; Dawne Howard Lucas, March 2021

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.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

The DeRosset family was established in North Carolina in the 1730s with the immigration of physician Armand John DeRosset, a French Huguenot. Four generations of the men worked as physicians and merchants in Wilmington, N.C.

Armand John DeRosset Sr. (1767-1859) was raised by his stepfather, Adam Boyd. He attended schools in Hillsborough before enrolling in Nassau Hall (now Princeton University) and studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to Wilmington and became a prominent citizen. He married first Mary Fullerton (d. 1797) and with her had three daughters who died young and one son, Moses John DeRosset (1796-1826), who died shortly after completing his medical education. In 1797, Armand married Mary's sister, Catherine Fullerton (1773-1837), and had with her five children: Catherine (1800-1889); Eliza Ann (1802-1888), later known as "Aunt Liz"; Magdalen Mary (1806-1850); Armand John, Jr. (1807-1897); and Mary Jane (1813-1903). Catherine DeRosset married the Reverend William Kennedy (d. 1840), moved to Columbia, S.C., and became step mother to his children. Mary Jane married Moses Ashley Curtis (1808-1872), moved to Hillsborough, N.C., and had ten children, five of whom lived to maturity. Eliza Ann and Magdalen never married.

Armand John DeRosset Jr. became a physician and businessman in Wilmington. He established a mercantile partnership, with a branch office in New York City, and conducted business on behalf of the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road in the United States and Great Britain. He married first Eliza Jane Lord (1812-1876), and had with her eleven children: Katherine (1830-1914); William Lord (1832-1910); Eliza Hill (Lossie) (b. 1843); Alice (1836-1897); Moses John (1838-1881); Louis Henry (1840-1875); Armand Lamar (b. 1842); Edward Swift (1844-1861); Thomas Childs (1845-1878), frequently referred to as "the Colonel"; Annie (1848-1855); and Frederic Ancrum (b. 1856). He married second Catherine (Cattie) Kennedy (1830-1894), his sister Catherine DeRosset Kennedy's step-daughter.

The children of Armand and Eliza DeRosset married as follows. Katherine Douglas DeRosset married Gaston Meares (1821-1862) and had six children, including Magdalen DeRosset (1851-1855), Gaston (1852-1861), Armand DeRosset (b. 1854), Eliza Lord (1856-1858), Richard Ashe (b. 1858), and Louis Henry (b. 1860). William Lord DeRosset married first Caroline Horatio Nelson (d. 1861) and had with her two children, and married second Elizabeth Simpson Nash (b. 1840), with whom he had six more. Alice London DeRosset married Graham Daves (1836-1902), no issue. Moses John DeRosset married Adelaide Savage Meares (1839-1897) and had many children. Eliza Hall DeRosset married Charles D. Myers (1834-1892) and had many children. Louis Henry DeRosset married first Marie Trapier Finley (1844-1870), with whom he had a daughter, Gabrielle DeRosset (b. 1863), who later married Alfred Moore Waddell; and second Jane Dickinson Cowan (b. 1848), with whom he had two children, including a daughter Katharine (b. 1875). Armand Lamar DeRosset married Tallulah Ellen Low (1845-1901) and had many children. Frederic Ancrum DeRosset married Mary Williams Green (b. 1859) and had no children. Thomas Childs DeRosset was unmarried at the time of his death. Edward Swift DeRosset and Annie DeRosset died in childhood.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection includes DeRosset family papers, chiefly 1821-1877, relating to family life and social, religious, political, and military activities of DeRossets in Wilmington, N.C., and Hillsborough, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; New York, N.Y.; and other locations. Included is correspondence of several generations of DeRosset women, documenting the education of children, family health, fashion, social events, religious opinions, and household problems. Other correspondence relates to mercantile partnerships in Wilmington and New York City; family members' relocation to England because of interests in the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road after the American Civil War;; the family rice plantation in Brunswick County, N.C.; and slaves in North Carolina and South Carolina. Civil War era letters describe hardships on the homefront and shipping goods from Bermuda through the Union blockade of Wilmington. Included are some letters written by slaves, some of which describe the yellow fever epidemic of 1862. Some Reconstruction era letters discuss activities of former DeRosset slaves. Also included is correspondence with British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was a family friend. Financial and legal materials include papers documenting land transactions; papers relating to slave sales and a volume listing births and deaths of DeRosset slaves, 1770-1854; wills and estate papers; and military commissions. Of special interest are a group of French documents, including a 1671 marriage contract and an 1817 deed of emancipation for a Charleston, S.C., slave. Other materials include records, 1801-1806, of the Nine-Penny Whist Club of Wilmington; a Civil War narrative describing running the Wilmington blockade; scattered diaries of DeRosset women; and materials relating to the history of Saint James Episcopal Church, Wilmington. The Addition of 2007 consists of one travel diary belonging to Moses John DeRosset, documenting a trip to western Europe, July-August 1854, and including a map of Switzerland; an autograph album belonging to Moses John DeRosset containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates, 1855-1863; an autograph album belonging to Adelaide S. Meares containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates at the Patapsco Female Institute in Maryland; a diploma from the Patapsco Female Institute belonging to Adelaide S. Meares, 1856; a certificate of honor from the University of the City of New York belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1859; two medical degrees belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1860; a medical certificate from the state of North Carolina belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1876; and a certificate of membership from the Medical Society of the City and County of New York belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1878.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1702-1940 and undated.

About 1350 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly personal family correspondence of DeRosset family women. Their letters to each other are generally long and informative, containing much information about life in Wilmington and other towns in North and South Carolina. Their primary topics of conversation included the education of children, family health, fashion, household matters, social events, and religious opinions, but extended to a wide variety of other matters.

There is little information about the medical practices of DeRosset physicians, but the women's letters reveal their own considerable medical knowledge. Family correspondence contains scattered information about business interests including mercantile partnerships in Wilmington and New York, railroad interests, the family rice plantation, and other concerns.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Loose Letters, 1702-1940.

About 1320 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Correspondence of four generations of the DeRosset family, particularly the families of Armand John DeRosset (1767-1859), his son Armand John, Jr. (1807-1897), his granddaughter Katherine DeRosset Meares (1830-1914) and grandson Louis Henry DeRosset (1840-1875), and his great granddaughter, Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell (b. 1863).

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.1. 1702-1815.

About 20 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly letters of Adam Boyd, step father of Armand John DeRosset Sr. (1767-1859). Boyd was forced to leave Wilmington because of his debilitating asthma and wrote long, informative letters from Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn., and Natchez, Miss. Also included is correspondence of Armand J. DeRosset Sr. (1767-1859), and his second wife, Catherine Fullerton (1773-1837), including letters from Armand's son, Moses John, while a student at the University of North Carolina.

Folder 1

1702-1815

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.2. 1817-1849.

About 250 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Scattered letters of Armand John DeRosset Sr. (1767-1859), who wrote to his wife and children during occasional business trips, but chiefly letters exchanged between female members of the DeRosset and related families. Major correspondents include Catherine Fullerton DeRosset (1773-1837), her unmarried daughters, Eliza Ann (1802-1888) and Magdalen DeRosset (1806-1850), and their married sisters Catherine DeRosset Kennedy (1800-1889) of Columbia, S.C., and Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis (1813-1903) of Hillsborough, N.C. Much correspondence during this period relates to the family of Armand John DeRosset Jr. (1807-1897), and his wife Eliza Jane Lord (1812-1876).

Devout Episcopalians, the women wrote letters are full of religious opinions and information about church politics and personalities, especially regarding Saint James Church in Wilmington. Other topics of discussion include family and household concerns, sickness, and the education of children. In addition to information about social and daily life in Wilmington, many letters contain information about the small town of Smithville (now Southport) in Brunswick County, N.C., where the DeRossets owned a rice plantation. Catherine DeRosset Kennedy (1800-1889) frequently wrote her mother and sisters from Charleston and Columbia, S.C., about her life as the wife of the Reverend William Kennedy (d. 1840) and as step mother to his children. The Kennedy family had many financial difficulties and, after Kennedy's death, Katherine moved to Wilmington with her ten-year-old step daughter Catherine. Catherine (Cattie) became the second wife of Armand J. DeRosset Jr. sometime after 1876.

During the 1840s, letters relate chiefly to Katherine (Kate) Douglas DeRosset (1830-1914). Correspondence between Kate and her parents, Armand and Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset, documents her education at schools in Boston and New York, and at Saint Mary's in Raleigh, N.C. In 1849, a few letters to Gaston Meares, Kate's fiancee, reveal his business concerns. For example, a letter of 13 February 1849 refers to a "sea expedition" that Meares was apparently planning with Armand J. DeRosset Jr. to go to the California gold fields. Other business references disclose that Armand John DeRosset Jr. traveled to England on business for the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road.

Of particular note are scattered letters from friends and family about westward migration, including one from Catherine Childs Woodbury, 7 September 1847, about her father building forts on the Oregon Trail, and another from Julia Ann Eccleston, 5 March 1849, about her husband's murder by Indians and her hard life on the frontier in Bastrop, Tex.

Folder 2

1817-1823

Folder 3

1824-1826

Folder 4

1827-1829

Folder 5

1830-1835

Folder 6

1836

Folder 7

1837

Folder 8

1838-1839

Folder 9

1840-1842

Folder 10

1843

Folder 11-12

Folder 11

Folder 12

1844

Folder 13-16

Folder 13

Folder 14

Folder 15

Folder 16

1845

Folder 17-19

Folder 17

Folder 18

Folder 19

1846

Folder 20-21

Folder 20

Folder 21

1847

Folder 22-23

Folder 22

Folder 23

1848

Folder 24-25

Folder 24

Folder 25

1849

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.3. 1850-1860.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly correspondence documenting the married life of Katherine Douglas DeRosset (1830-1914), who married Gaston Meares in 1850. Early in their marriage letters show that she lived at the Smithville plantation while he travelled on business. In 1854, letters document Meares's successful campaign for the state assembly; he was elected representative of Brunswick County, N.C. His letters from Raleigh, never lengthy, make some mention of legislative business, his affairs in Brunswick County, and other matters.

In 1855, Meares moved his family to New York City, where he entered into the mercantile partnership of [Barron C.] Watson and Meares. This marks the beginning of an extensive correspondence between Katherine DeRosset Meares and her mother, Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset. Kate's letters are filled with details of her daily activities: the births and deaths of her children (one daughter died of diphtheria, another of whooping cough); house hunting in Brooklyn and other unaccustomed decisions that she feared would make her "a strong minded woman"; housekeeping problems; shopping in the city; and Yankee servants. In turn, Eliza DeRosset wrote her daughter from Wilmington about family and town news; sewing; illness; attempts to hire a white servant, 23 September 1857; hiring an Irish servant, 1 October 1857; visiting and parties in and around Wilmington; excursions to the beach; and the activities of Saint James Episcopal Church. By the late 1850s, Eliza's letters are filled with expressions of loneliness and depression in her large house, nearly empty after the departure of most of her eleven children. Her letters also display her knowledge and application of medical remedies. She described illnesses and deaths in Wilmington in detail and prescribed treatments herself, 8 February 1859.

Scattered letters document the education of Kate's younger brothers in Geneva, Switzerland. William Lord DeRosset wrote from the University of North Carolina in 1854.

Also during this period, letters show that Armand John DeRosset Jr. continued to travel on railroad business, investigated copper and gold mines in North Carolina, and conducted other business in South Carolina and Boston. There is some documentation about the New York office of Brown and DeRosset, a mercantile firm based in Wilmington. Family letters document the death of Armand J. DeRosset Sr. in 1859. Letters of 1860 reflect growing tension in Wilmington as the nation moved toward war. On 9 December, Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset wrote that the town was on alert and its citizens preparing for its defense.

Folder 26-27

Folder 26

Folder 27

1850

Folder 28-29

Folder 28

Folder 29

1851

Folder 30

1852-1853

Folder 31-32

Folder 31

Folder 32

1854

Folder 33-35

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

1855

Folder 36-38

Folder 36

Folder 37

Folder 38

1856

Folder 39-42

Folder 39

Folder 40

Folder 41

Folder 42

1857

Folder 43-44

Folder 43

Folder 44

1858

Folder 45-47

Folder 45

Folder 46

Folder 47

1859

Folder 48-49

Folder 48

Folder 49

1860

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.4. 1861-1864.

About 150 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly Civil War correspondence documenting the Confederate sympathies of the DeRosset family, and their efforts to stay out of the way of the clashing armies. When the war started, Armand and Eliza Lord DeRosset were in New York City visiting Kate. Letters indicate that the Armand DeRosset and Gaston Meares families moved temporarily to Hillsborough. By 1862, the Armand DeRossets had returned to Wilmington, and Eliza's letters document her work with the Wayside Hospital at that place. After a yellow fever epidemic in 1863, they rented a house in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Armand traveled to Wilmington occasionally to conduct business.

Catherine (Cattie) Kennedy became a significant correspondent during this period, writing her stepmother from Columbia, S.C., about such things as housekeeping problems; nursing her sick brothers (who eventually died of tuberculosis); high prices and shortages of food, clothing, and other supplies; and the hiring out of slaves. Also among the correspondents during this period are the elderly DeRosset sisters, Eliza Anne in Hillsborough and Kate in Wilmington.

Correspondence is chiefly among DeRosset family women, who discuss their own experiences as war refugees and housekeepers in an economy of scarcity. Their letters also contain strong evidence of their Confederate sympathies and many references to the military service of male relatives, particularly Gaston Meares, who was killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill, 1 July 1862. In 1863, Kate Meares settled in Chapel Hill and briefly taught school. She received letters from Northern friends who sympathized with the Southern war effort.

Letters show that for a short time in November 1861 Kate Kennedy worked at the military hospital in Petersburg, Va. Also of interest are letters from Alice DeRosset Daves (1836-1897), showing that she traveled with her husband, Graham Daves (1836-1902) in Virginia and North Carolina while he took part in various military engagements.

As the war dragged on, family letters are filled with discussions of hardships encountered by refugees in Wilmington, Richmond, and Columbia. Toward the end of 1864, the focus of correspondence shifts toward Louis Henry DeRosset (1840-1875) and his wife Marie Finley DeRosset (1844-1870). In that year, the couple took up residence with their baby daughter, Gabrielle, in Hamilton, Bermuda. Letters between Armand and Louis show that Louis supplied goods to the DeRosset commission firm in Wilmington by running the blockade from Bermuda.

Of particular note during this period are several letters written to refugee DeRossets by their slaves in Wilmington. Letters describe the health and welfare of the enslaved people left behind, especially the yellow fever epidemic of 1862; the need for clothing for an upcoming wedding; mistreatment of enslaved people who had been hired out; and faith in God.

Folder 50-52

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

1861

Folder 53-55

Folder 53

Folder 54

Folder 55

1862

In letters dated 10 June 1862, 3 October 1862, 23 October 1862, and 28 October 1862, William Henry Thurber (active 1862) writes about his own poor health, yellow fever outbreaks, visits by doctors from Charleston, S.C., and the health of George, Kitty, Benny, Bella, and Wellington, who were also enslaved in Wilmington. On behalf of Kitty Ann, he asks that she not be “put with” (trafficked) to the same man who had worked her “all most to death.” He also requests that a message of love be passed to his mother, who was enslaved in Hillsborough and expresses his Christian faith and the need for prayers. See folders 54 and 55.

In a letter dated 3 October 1862, Bella DeRosset (active 1781-1862) reports on the health of Juliet, Kitty Ann, Joseph, Jimmie, Julia, and George, who were also enslaved in Wilmington, N.C., and sends messages to Fanny, Peggy, and Marriah, who were enslaved in Hillsborough, N.C. She refers to yellow fever outbreaks in Wilmington, scarcity of provisions, and her Christian faith. See folder 55.

Folder 56-59

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Folder 59

1863

In a letter dated 25 March 1863, Jimmey (active 1863) requests money to purchase clothing suitable for his upcoming wedding after he had received permission to get married. He also reports on the health of Bella and Julia, who were also enslaved in Wilmington, N.C. See folder 56.

Folder 58 includes a letter, August 1863, from Daniel B. Hanes (?), a Black man enslaved by the white DeRosset family in Wilmington, N.C. In his letter, Haines reported on the health of other enslaved people including Julian and William and discussed his previous working conditions after being trafficked or “hired out.” He also requested information about sending money to the DeRossets and requested that letters be sent via an agent of the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad.

Folder 60-63

Folder 60

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

1864

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.5. 1865-1871.

About 250 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Correspondence of Louis Henry and Marie Finley DeRosset, chiefly documenting their sojourn in England. Immediately after the war, they moved to England with their daughter, Gabrielle, living first in London and later in Liverpool. Louis had many employment problems, and the family seems to have had continual financial difficulties. In spite of this, correspondence shows that the DeRossets enjoyed the society of the British upper class, including several members of the nobility. Among their friends was Lord Edward Bulwer Lytton, whose estate they visited on several occasions (see also series 1.2).

Letters to Louis and Marie from family members in Wilmington contain details about Reconstruction, activities of freed slaves in the area, Episcopal Church affairs, and difficulties relating to their rice plantation. On 18 May 1865, Kate Meares discussed the former DeRosset slave, Louisa, who was attending school in Wilmington. The activities of other former DeRosset slaves are frequent subjects of correspondence. Letters between Armand and Louis document the efforts of father and son to establish trade connections between Liverpool, where Louis apparently worked for a shipping company, and Wilmington. Letters show that Armand's trip to England on behalf of the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road failed to produce needed investment, and resulted in DeRosset's disassociation with this company. Along with family letters from the states, the Louis DeRossets received letters and invitations from British friends. There are descriptive letters from Marie about the countryside of Cross Maglen, County Armagh, Ireland, where she visited for health reasons in 1865.

The DeRossets were neighbors of the Jefferson Davis family in London, and when Marie died in 1870 of an overdose of laudanum, Varina Davis volunteered to take Gabrielle to live with the family in Wilmington. However, to escape his mounting debts, Louis took the child himself in May of 1870. Louis left Gabrielle with her grandparents and obtained a clerking position in New York. He lost this job in 1871 and returned to Wilmington.

Folder 64-67

Folder 64

Folder 65

Folder 66

Folder 67

1865

Folder 68-71

Folder 68

Folder 69

Folder 70

Folder 71

1866

Folder 72-73

Folder 72

Folder 73

1867

Folder 74-76

Folder 74

Folder 75

Folder 76

1868

Folder 77-79

Folder 77

Folder 78

Folder 79

1869

Folder 80-84

Folder 80

Folder 81

Folder 82

Folder 83

Folder 84

January-August 1870

Folder 85

October-December 1870

Folder 86

1871

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.6. 1872-1940.

About 250 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly correspondence of Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell. Her father, Louis, was plagued by business failure until his death in 1875. Correspondence during this period is scattered with the exception of 1894-1895. During that period, Armand John DeRosset Jr. was receiving treatment at the Post Graduate Hospital in New York City. Gabrielle DeRosset visited her grandfather Armand every day and wrote frequent letters to her aunts, Alice Daves and Kate Meares in Wilmington. In 1896, Gabrielle married Alfred Moore Waddell. Twentieth-century letters chiefly document her interest in genealogy, her membership in the Colonial Dames, and her other historical research interests. Letters show that Gabrielle was retained in 1919 to write the history of Saint James Episcopal Church in Wilmington.

Folder 87

1872-1874

Folder 88

1875-1877

Folder 89

1880-1889

Folder 90

1890-1894

Folder 91-92

Folder 91

Folder 92

1895

Folder 93

1896-1899

Folder 94

1900-1910

Folder 95

1911-1912

Folder 96

1913-1915

Folder 97

1916-1919

Folder 98

1920-1922

Folder 99

1923-1924

Folder 100

1925-1926

Folder 101

1927-1928

Folder 102

1929

Folder 103

1930

Folder 104

1931

Folder 105

1932

Folder 106

1933

Folder 107

1934-1935

Folder 108

1936-1940

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.7. Undated.

About 100 items.
Folder 109

Catherine (Cattie) Kennedy DeRosset

Folder 110

Eliza Ann DeRosset

Folder 111

Mary Jane DeRosset Curtis

Folder 112

Rebecca Geneva Haigh

Folder 113-114

Folder 113

Folder 114

DeRosset family members and others

Folder 115-116

Folder 115

Folder 116

Letters to and from England

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. Letter Books, 1849-1870.

4 volumes.

Arrangement: chronological.

Lettercopy books containing business letters of Armand DeRosset Jr. documenting his efforts on behalf of the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road, his mercantile concerns, and other business matters. Copies of his letters document his business connections in Wilmington, New York, and London, and include letters to his father.

Louis Henry DeRosset's letters were written from New York, Wilmington, and Galveston and Austin, Tex., chiefly to business firms about shipping, steamer lines, cotton cargoes, and progress in getting a charter from the Texas state legislature. Also included are letters to Lord Bulwer-Lytton, and others regarding arrangements for an American production of one of Bulwer-Lytton's plays.

The remnants of a scrapbook of letters assembled by Louis H. DeRosset for his daughter, Gabrielle, document their London years, including letters of Edward Bulwer Lytton. Gabrielle apparently added letters to her father's collection.

Folder 117

Armand DeRosset Jr., 1849, Index and pp. 1-39

Folder 118

Armand DeRosset Jr., 1849-1865, pp. 40-99

Folder 119

Armand DeRosset Jr., 1865, pp. 100-159

Folder 120

Armand DeRosset Jr., 1865-1866, pp. 160-207

Folder 121

L. H. DeRosset, 1868-1869

Folder 122

L. H. DeRosset, 1869

Folder 123

Collected letters to L. H. and Marie DeRosset, 1866-1870

Folder 124

Collected letters to L. H. and Marie DeRosset, 1868-1870

Folder 125-126

Folder 125

Folder 126

Collected letters to L. H. and Marie DeRosset, 1870

Folder 127

Collected letters to L. H. and Marie DeRosset, 1868-1870

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Financial and Legal Materials, 1671-1895.

About 155 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Primarily legal papers concerning land transactions, including deeds, indentures, surveys, and land grants; slave bills of sale; wills and estate papers; military commissions, several signed by William Blathwayt, 1690s; and miscellaneous receipts and accounts. Of particular note are several French documents, including a marriage contract dated 18 February 1671 and a deed of emancipation for a Charleston, S.C., slave, 1817.

Financial and legal volumes include a slave record that lists births and deaths of DeRosset family slaves from 1770 to 1854. Also included is Marie DeRosset's book of household accounts and expenses in England, 1869-1870.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Loose Papers, 1671-1895.

About 150 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Folder 128

1671-1699

Oversize Paper OP-214/1

Louis DeRosset captain commission, 1674

Signed by Louis XIV

Oversize Paper OP-214/2

Louis DeRosset captain commission, 1689

Under William and Mary, signed by Shrewsbury

Oversize Paper OP-214/3

Louis DeRosset captain commission, 1697

Under William III, signed by William Blathwayt

Folder 129

1720-1759

Oversize Paper OP-214/12

Armand DeRosset medical diploma, 3 December 1720

University of Basel

Oversize Paper OP-214/4

Indenture, 27 June 1747

Deed for 300 acres in New Hanover County, N.C., from Charles Harrison to Armand DeRosset

Oversize Paper OP-214/6a-6b

Land grant, 20 September 1754

Land grant, with plat, for 400 acres in Anson County, N.C., to Moses John DeRosset

Folder 130

1763-1789

Oversize Paper OP-214/5

Moses John DeRossset will, 1 March 1768

Wilmington, N.C.

Oversize Paper OP-214/9

Land grant, 24 December 1771

Land grant for 640 acres in New Hanover County, N.C., to John Lyon and George Palmer

Oversize Paper OP-214/7a-7b

Lewis Henry DeRosset wills, 21 April 1779

Two wills

Oversize Paper OP-214/8

Lewis Henry DeRosset memorial, [1780?]

Signed by Lewis DeRosset

Folder 131

1790-1799

Oversize Paper OP-214/1a-10e

Deed of trust, 8 November 1795

Mary DeRosset to James Moore and Archibald Maclaine. Includes property settlement worked out before the marriage of Mary DeRosset and Adam Boyd. Includes inventory

Oversize Paper OP-214/13

Marriage agreement between Mary DeRossett and Adam Boyd, 17 March 1796

Folder 132

1800-1809

Oversize Paper OP-214/11

Letter of attorney, 1807

By J. Daniel McNeile, granting power of attorney to Armand John DeRosset

Folder 133

1810-1819

Folder 134

1820-1829

Folder 135

1830-1839

Folder 136

1840-1849

Folder 137

1850-1869

Folder 138

1870-1895 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Volumes, 1770-1870.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Diaries, 1798-1936.

20 volumes.

Arrangement: chronological.

Included in this series are the diary, June-September 1798, of Catherine Fullerton in Charleston, S.C., about everyday social and domestic activities; two journals of Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset concerning people and activities during a visit to England and France, 1865-1866; and 18 journals, 1885-1936, of Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell containing accounts of her daily life and travels. Catherine Fullerton's diary contains commentary on the marriages of many of her friends and acquaintances. Eliza Lord DeRosset's journals consist of a volume of sketchy notes and a neater and more complete account of her visits to London and Paris. Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell's diaries are primarily lists of people seen and daily activities, with little or no narrative or commentary.

Folder 141

Catherine Fullerton, 1798

Folder 142

Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset, 1865

Folder 143

Eliza Jane Lord DeRosset, 1865-1866

Folder 144

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1885-1887

Folder 145

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1887-1893

Folder 146

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1893-1896

Folder 147

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1897-1902

Folder 148

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1902-1906

Folder 149

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1906-1910

Folder 150

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1911-1914

Folder 151

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1914-1917

Folder 152

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1917-1920

Folder 153

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1920-1921

Folder 154

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1921-1922

Folder 155

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1922-1924

Folder 156

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1924-1925

Folder 157

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1925

Folder 158

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1925-1928

Folder 159

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1928-1934

Folder 160

Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, 1934-1936

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Other Materials.

About 250 items.

Miscellaneous items, including records of the Nine-Penny Whist Club of Wilmington, a society organized by Armand John DeRosset Sr., include membership lists, minutes, and resolutions. Writings consist of poems, speeches, and historical essays written by various DeRosset family members and others. The Civil War narrative describes blockade running activities in Wilmington. The autobiographies of Armand John DeRosset Sr. and Jr. contain information that may not be readily documented elsewhere in the collection. Colonial Dames and United Daughters of the Confederacy materials include minutes of meetings, speeches, and other information collected by Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell, who also collected most of the genealogical information and conducted research for a book about Saint James Episcopal Church in Wilmington.

Folder 161

Nine-penny Whist Club Papers, 1801-1806

Folder 162-163

Folder 162

Folder 163

Writings, by DeRosset family members and others

Folder 164

Civil War Narrative and Notes on North Carolina History

Folder 165

Autobiographies of Armand John DeRosset, Sr. and Jr.

Folder 166-167

Folder 166

Folder 167

Colonial Dames and UDC Materials of Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell

Folder 168-175

Folder 168

Folder 169

Folder 170

Folder 171

Folder 172

Folder 173

Folder 174

Folder 175

Genealogical Materials

Folder 176-178

Folder 176

Folder 177

Folder 178

Saint James Church History Materials

Folder 179-180

Folder 179

Folder 180

Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material

Museum Item MU-214/1

St. Mark's Seal

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Pictures.

6 items.
Image P-214/1

Image of Omar ibn Said (1770?-1864)

Matted albumen print

Photographic print of Omar ibn Said, an Islamic scholar and the author of an 1831 autobiography. Said survived the middle passage from his home in Futa Toro, Africa to North America and was enslaved in South Carolina and later North Carolina by James Owen. On the verso of the image, white politician Alfred Moore Waddell wrote a narrative description of Said’s life stating that he had lived in Wilmington, N.C., and died in Bladen County, N.C. A copy of “Oh ye Americans”: The Autobiography of Omar ibn Said is included in the folder with the image.

Image P-214/2

Unidentified woman, seated, holding a book

London studio portrait, found among the collected letters of L. H. and Marie DeRosset.

Image P-214/3-6

P-214/3

P-214/4

P-214/5

P-214/6

Four prints of charcoal drawings, images of African Americans by H. P. Kimball.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Microfilm.

1 item.
Reel M-214/1

Microfilm

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of March 2007, 1854-1878.

8 items.

A travel diary belonging to Moses John DeRosset, documenting a trip to western Europe, July-August 1854, and including a map of Switzerland; an autograph album belonging to Moses John DeRosset containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates, 1855-1863; and an autograph album belonging to Adelaide S. Meares containing autographs and quotes from schoolmates at the Patapsco Female Institute in Maryland, 1856. Also included in the addition are a diploma from the Patapsco Female Institute belonging to Adelaide S. Meares, 1856; a certificate of honor from the University of the City of New York belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1859; two medical degrees belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1860; a medical certificate from the state of North Carolina belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1876; and a certificate of membership from the Medical Society of the City and County of New York belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1878.

Folder 181

Moses John DeRosset travel diary, 1854

Folder 182

Adelaide S. Meares autograph album, 1856

Folder 183

Moses John DeRosset autograph album, 1855-1863

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-214/2

Patapsco Female Institute diploma belonging to Adelaide S. Meares, 1856

Certificate of honor from the University of the City of New York belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1859

Two medical degrees belonging to Moses John DeRosset, 1860

Moses John DeRosset medical certificate from the state of North Carolina, 1876

Extra Oversize Paper X-OP-214/14

Moses John DeRosset certificate of membership from the Medical Society of the City and County of New York, 1878

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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