Inventory of the Fisher Family Papers, 1758-1896
Collection Number 258
Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
- 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/
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Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
- Creator
- Fisher family.
- Title
- Fisher Family Papers, 1758-1896
- Call Number
- 258
- Language of Materials
- Materials in English
- Extent
-
- Items: About 4,050
- Linear Feet: 7.0
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Administrative Information
- Acquisitions Information
- Gift of Christine Fisher of Salisbury, N.C., before 1939; Archibald Henderson of Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1963 and 1973; Mary Henderson of Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1963 and 1964; and the John Steele Henderson family in 1964-1965.
- Processing Information
- Processed by: Elizabeth Pauk, April 1993
- Encoded by: Eben Lehman, May 2007
- 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.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the Fisher Family Papers #258, 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.
Online Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- Account books.
- Beard family.
- Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850.
- Choctaw Indians--Mississippi--History--19th century.
- Confederate States of America. Army--Military life.
- Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 6th.
- Diaries.
- Durango (Mexico : State)--Economic conditions.
- Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
- Farm equipment--History--19th century.
- Fisher, Charles, 1789-1849.
- Fisher, Charles Frederick, 1816-1861.
- Fisher family.
- Georgia--Description and travel.
- Gold mines and mining--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Legislators--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Merchants--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Mexico--Description and travel.
- Miners--Mexico--History--19th century.
- Mineral industries--Mexico--History--19th century.
- Mineral industries--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Newspaper publishing--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
- North Carolina--Politics and government--1775-1865.
- North Carolina Railroad Company.
- Plantations--Mississippi.
- Politicians--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Railroads--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Real property--Mississippi--History--19th century.
- Real property--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Reid, Christian, 1846-1920.
- Rowan County (N.C.)--History.
- Salisbury (N.C.)--History.
- Slavery--Mississippi.
- Smith County (Miss.)--History.
- Slavery--North Carolina.
- United States--Politics and government--1775-1783.
- United States--Politics and government--1784-1865.
- Western Carolinian.
- Western North Carolina Railroad Company.
- Whig Party (U.S.)
- Women authors, American--North Carolina.
Biographical Note
Among members of the Beard and Fisher families of Salisbury, Rowan County, N.C., was Lewis Beard (1754-11 December 1820), who was born in Salisbury, son of John Lewis and Christine Snapp Beard. He was a prosperous businessman, owning almost 15,000 acres in Rowan, Montgomery, and Burke counties, some containing valuable mineral deposits. He operated a large store in Salisbury, as well as two large plantations on the Yadkin River. As a leading citizen of Salisbury, he served as assessor of town lands, public treasurer of Rowan County, high sheriff of Rowan, director of the Salisbury branch of the Bank of Cape Fear, and member of the North Carolina House of Commons, 1791-1792, and the North Carolina Senate, 1793.
Lewis Beard's daughter Christine married Charles Fisher (20 October 1789-May 1849), a prominent politician and businessman of Salisbury. Fisher studied law, but never practiced the profession. Fisher was elected to the state Senate in 1818 and, in 1819, was elected to fill the congressional seat of George Mumford upon Mumford's death in office. Fisher served two terms in Washington, becoming an ardent supporter of John C. Calhoun. Fisher returned to North Carolina after declining to seek a third term in Congress. In 1828, Fisher presented a lengthy "Report on the Establishment of Cotton and Woolen Manufacturers" to the North Carolina State Assembly. This report was reprinted in full by the American Farmer within a month and was circulated widely throughout the South. Fisher was then elected to the North Carolina House of Commons seven times, serving as speaker in 1830 and 1831. He became a leader of the western half of the state, and worked for a constitutional convention in North Carolina to give more power to the western counties. In North Carolina, he continued to work on behalf of Calhoun's presidential aspirations, taking Calhoun's part on many issues, such as the tariff, the national bank, and nullification.
Charles Fisher was involved in many business activities. He was a partner in several gold mining companies in western North Carolina, some of which were located on property inherited from Lewis Beard. He owned half interest in a plantation in Smith County, Miss., and dabbled in land speculation in that state, which led to his involvement in the resettlement of the Choctaw Indian Nation.
Fisher died in 1849, and his business interests were taken over by his son, Charles F. Fisher (26 December 1816-21 July 1861) (Charles Frederick). Charles F. Fisher attended Yale University in 1835, but returned to Salisbury after one semester. He worked in his father's mining companies and became co-publisher of the Western Carolinian, a political newspaper supporting the philosophy of John C. Calhoun. In 1855, he was elected president of the North Carolina Railroad. While serving as president, he received a contract for construction of part of the western route of the railroad. This action angered some of the stockholders, but Fisher was reelected president in 1859 without incident. Fisher volunteered for the Confederate army and was elected colonel of the 6th North Carolina Regiment. He was killed in the Battle of First Manassas. His close friend, S. L. Fremont, named Fort Fisher on the Cape Fear River in his honor.
Charles F. Fisher and his second wife, Fanny Alexander Caldwell Fisher, had three children, including Frederick C. Fisher and Frances C. Fisher. Frances married J. M. Tiernan, who was involved in the mining business. She wrote novels under the pen name of Christian Reid.
Back to TopCollection Overview
Chiefly political, business, and financial correspondence of Charles Fisher and his son, Charles F. Fisher, of Salisbury, N.C. Charles Fisher's correspondence discusses both national and North Carolina politics, especially John C. Calhoun and his presidential aspirations. Charles Fisher's business correspondence concerns gold mining; his Smith County, Miss., plantation; land speculation in Choctaw Indian territory in Mississippi; and a controversy involving the Bank of Salisbury. Charles F. Fisher's correspondence concerns his mining interests, including letters from stockholders and overseers, his business investments, and his work as president and contractor of the North Carolina Railroad. After his death, correspondence relates to the settlement of his estate. In the 1880s and 1890s, writer Frances Fisher Tiernan (Christian Reid) received letters from her French editor and from her husband, describing his experiences managing a mine in the state of Durango, Mexico.
Financial and legal papers for members of the Beard family and Fisher family, especially Lewis Beard, Charles Fisher, and Charles F. Fisher, consist of indentures; land grants and surveys; receipts; lists of tools, supplies, and purchases; and work records, contracts, and stock certificates, mostly relating to gold mining in North Carolina, Charles Fisher's Mississippi plantation, construction of the Western North Carolina Railroad, the Choctaw Indian Nation's land claims against the United States government, and Charles F. Fisher's procurement of provisions, clothing, and equipment for the 6th North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War.
Other papers include political writings and notes of Charles Fisher and Charles F. Fisher, including drafts and notes for speeches, a lecture on steam-powered boats, and reports on gold mines. There is also part of a story by Frances F. Fisher. Also included are many documents relating to the land claims of the Choctaw Indian Nation in Mississippi, descriptions of patents for improved farm machinery, and military papers, including enlistments for the 6th North Carolina Regiment.
There are 57 volumes, including account books for the Yadkin toll bridge, Lewis Beard's general store, iron foundries, and blacksmith work; Charles Fisher's scrapbooks on politics and economics, and account books for his travel on plantation and Choctaw land claims business; Charles F. Fisher's diary of a trip through northeastern Georgia in 1833, account books, lists of subscribers for the Western Carolinian, and record books of the Western North Carolina Railroad; and a penmanship book of Frederick C. Fisher.
Back to TopArrangement of Collection
-
1. Correspondence
1.1. 1810-1849
1.2. 1850-1861
1.3. 1862-1896
1.4. Undated
2. Financial and Legal Papers
2.1. 1758-1850
2.2. 1851-1890
2.3. Undated
3. Writings and Notes
4. Other Papers
5. Volumes
5.1. Account Books, Memoranda, and Scrapbooks of Charles Fisher
5.2. Diaries, Account Books, and Scrapbooks of Charles F. Fisher
5.3. Business records of the Western Carolinian
5.4. Business records of the Western North Carolina Railroad and the North Carolina Railroad
5.5. Penmanship book of Frederick C. Fisher
Items Separated
Oversize volumes (SV-258/17, 18, 22)
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Correspondence, 1810-1896 and undated.
About 400 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
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1.1. Correspondence, 1810-1849.
About 150 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly political, business, and financial correspondence of Charles Fisher and his son, Charles F. Fisher, of Salisbury,
Rowan County, N.C. From 1810 to 1826, correspondence consists primarily of letters to Charles Fisher and drafts and copies
of his letters to friends, constituents, and fellow politicians, concerning his political life. Fisher's correspondence with
fellow politicians discusses both national and North Carolina politics, especially political maneuvering in the North Carolina
legislature and the United States Congress, presidential elections, John C. Calhoun's career and chances of gaining the presidency,
Whig party politics, and political rivalries among Calhoun and Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster.
Calhoun wrote several letters to Charles Fisher in which he reflected on possible strategies for strengthening his support
in North Carolina, including the role of the Western Carolinian, a journal supporting Calhoun and his policies; presidential appointments to the Cabinet; the chances of his own candidacy
for president; secession; support for Calhoun in the northern United States; and the possibility of building a national road
through the southern states to New Orleans.
After 1826, there are many letters to Charles Fisher regarding his business affairs, including land sales, his partnership
in a plantation in Mississippi, and a dispute over his purchase of land grants in Montgomery County, N.C. Political correspondence
continues in the 1830s, discussing the tariff; legislative battles over the national bank; the death of Judge Bouldin on the
floor of the Senate; states' rights; Calhoun; and John Branch and the Eaton Affair, including a letter from John Branch himself
explaining his conduct in that controversy. There are several letters from Dixon H. Lewis discussing political strategies
and comparing Clay and Calhoun's chances for nomination to the presidency, and a letter from William P. Mangum to John Beard
concerning national politics, divisions between the North and South on the tariff and slavery, Daniel Webster, the comparative
atmospheres of the South and North, the degeneration of the Whig party, and Calhoun's presidential ambitions. Charles Fisher
wrote several letters to his son, Charles F. Fisher, regarding politics and business, Washington gossip, his motives for refusing
his party's nomination for governor in 1846, the annexation of Texas and Texan resistance, and the threat of British hegemony
in North America.
Charles Fisher's main interests in the 1830s and 1840s, besides state and national politics, were his gold mining ventures
and land speculation in the Choctaw Indian territory in Mississippi. In the 1830s, the correspondence discusses the incorporation
of his gold mining company, including land purchases, possible competition, the company's chances of success, problems with
North Carolina banking and currency policies, the extent of gold deposits in Rowan County, N.C., approaches to working the
mines, production, and the need for new investments. In the 1830s, Charles Fisher, along with several partners, purchased
land from Choctaw Indians in Mississippi. The 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek promised recompense to the Choctaw for their
lands if they would remove to Oklahoma Indian Territory. However, by the time the Indians made their claims, the government
had already sold most of the land to settlers who had displaced the Indians. Charles Fisher took up the Choctaws' cause, trying
to help them gain rightful payment for their property.
In the 1830s and 1840s, Charles Fisher wrote copiously to business partners and officials in Congress and the Bureau of Indian
Affairs regarding the Choctaw claim. The letters suggest strategies for negotiating with Washington and argue the injustice
of Congress's actions, and the legality of Chickasaw and Choctaw treaty rights, accusing Indian agents of scheming to profit
from the Choctaw and to "debauch the young Indian women." He also corresponded with his business partners regarding the prospects of land sales in the Indian Territory and persuading
the Choctaw to move west at the proper time, discussing frankly his negotiations on the land claims, legal issues, the possibilities
of bribing government officials, and rivalries with other speculators and among the Choctaw themselves.
During the last years of his life, Charles Fisher became involved in a controversy involving the Bank of Salisbury, a branch
of the Bank of Cape Fear. Citizens of Salisbury accused the cashier of the Bank of using his office for his personal gain,
conducting horse trading on the premises, "shaving notes," and insulting certain members of the community. The Bank's board of directors defended the cashier, and correspondence details
Fisher's arguments against the cashier and the Bank's defense. Fisher also received several letters from political colleagues,
including one describing a fistfight between House members in Washington. Charles Fisher died in 1849.
Folder
11810-1823
Folder
21824-1829
Folder
31830-1832
Folder
41834-1839
Folder
51840-1841
Folder
61842-1845
Folder
71846
Folder
81847
Folder
91848
Folder
101849
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1.2. Correspondence, 1850-1861.
About 180 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Largely correspondence of Charles Fisher's son, Charles F. Fisher. Charles F. Fisher continued his father's mining concerns,
and the correspondence details the sales of mines, the purchase of mining supplies and settlement of accounts, and hiring
slaves to work the mines. Fisher received several letters from Philadelphia from a spokesman for the board of trustees of
the Lewis Mine, admiring his sentiments over a sick slave and contrasting them with those of abolitionists. He also received
letters from overseers asking for money, discussing management issues, and giving progress reports.
There are a few letters regarding Charles F. Fisher's father's Choctaw Indian land claims and several on his investment in
the agricultural inventions of one of his employees, Jonathan Sullivan. In 1852, Fisher became involved in the construction
of the Western North Carolina Railroad, and the letters reflect his deepening involvement in planning the construction of
the railroad. Elected president of the Western North Carolina Railroad in 1855, Charles F. Fisher was awarded a contract to
build one section of the railroad, creating a controversy in 1857, which he survived. The correspondence shows his defense
of his position and includes letters from both his supporters and his critics. One letter describes the railroad and countryside
of Morristown, Tenn., as "somewhat tinctured with abolitionism and under the fearful dynasty of Abraham." After his enlistment in the 6th North Carolina Regiment following North Carolina's secession from the United States, there
are several letters from enlisted men asking for commissions and other letters regarding his work in obtaining supplies for
the regiment. Charles F. Fisher was killed at the Battle of Manassas, 21 July 1861.
Folder
111850
Folder
121851
Folder
131852
Folder
141853
Folder
151854
Folder
161855
Folder
171856
Folder
181857
Folder
191858
Folder
201859
Folder
211860
Folder
221861
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1.3. Correspondence, 1862-1896.
About 45 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence concerning the settlement of Charles F. Fisher's estate and letters about numerous other topics. There are
a few letters regarding the admission of Charles F. Fisher's son, Frederick C. Fisher, to the Virginia Military Institute;
a letter describing Charles F. Fisher's land holdings on Saint Joseph's Island, Hancock County, Miss.; an 1869 letter from
Pikes Peak, Colo., describing the gold mines in that region; an 1870 letter seeking testimony of spousal abuse for a divorce
case; letters to Frederick C. Fisher in the 1880s regarding copper mining, his land holdings, and his neglect of a postal
route; and a letter to Christine Fisher asking for the 6th North Carolina Regiment flag and including reminiscences about
a soldier's service with her brother, Charles F. Fisher.
There are also letters to Frances Fisher Tiernan from Charles Victor de Varigny (1829-1899), French editor, critic, and writer,
about translating and publishing her works in France; and from her husband, J. M. Tiernan, during his travels in Mexico on
mining business, in which he described the people and sights of Mexico City and the State of Durango, a meeting with Mexican
president Porforio Diaz, his opinions of Mexicans and his criticism of those Americans who displayed prejudice against them,
and his anger at the United States Congress's support of revolution in Cuba. He also discussed his management techniques at
the mines and his troubles with both Mexican and foreign workers, including an embezzling official and a recalcitrant British
engineer.
Folder
231862
Folder
241863-1884
Folder
251893-1896
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1.4. Correspondence, undated.
About 15 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters regarding business and legal matters, including mining, the railroads, land disputes, and commissions in the army.
Folder
26Undated
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2. Financial and Legal Papers, 1758-1890 and undated.
About 5,800 items.
Financial and legal papers of members of the Fisher and Beard families of Rowan County, N.C.
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2.1. Financial and Legal Papers, 1758-1850.
About 1,950 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Material from 1761 to 1809 consists largely of indentures for land purchases, land grants, deeds, depositions over property
disputes, land surveys in Rowan, Montgomery, and Mecklenburg counties, N.C., receipts, and articles of agreement, chiefly
belonging to Lewis Beard, father-in-law of Charles Fisher. Much of Beard's property appears to have been acquired from Henry
Eustace McCulloh, son of the largest land speculator in colonial North Carolina. After 1810, there are an increasing number
of land surveys, indentures, deeds, and articles of agreement for members of the Fisher family, including Charles, Jacob,
and George, and after Lewis Beard's death in 1820, many papers relating to the settlement of his estate.
From the 1820s through the 1840s, there are papers detailing Charles Fisher's gold mining activities and investment in a plantation
in Mississippi. These items include legal documents regarding the purchase of land and shares for various gold mining companies;
items concerning a land dispute involving fraudulent land surveys in Buncombe County, N.C.; and a document extending gold
prospecting privileges in Davidson County, N.C. There are also receipts and lists of construction and mining supplies, mining
promissory notes, work records, memoranda of articles obtained for hands working in the mines, an account of gold extracted
by Charles Fisher in 1842-1843, and a record of gold weights and deposits.
In 1836, Charles Fisher formed a partnership with Samuel Lemley to purchase the Cuba plantation in Smith County, Miss. Documents
relating to the plantation consist of receipts for various plantation expenses, lists of purchases of supplies for the plantation
in New Orleans by the overseer, lists of tools taken to the plantation and of work done by Indians on the plantation, logs
of expenses for various trips to Mississippi, an agreement with William Thomas to oversee the plantation, and a document regarding
Charles Fisher's sale of his interest in the plantation to Lemley in 1840.
Other legal and financial documents dated before 1851 include receipts for household and plantation expenditures, taxes, and
paid debts, indentures, and promissory notes. Charles Fisher's son, Charles F. Fisher, was co-publisher of the Western Carolinian, a political journal, and from 1833 to 1842, there are many receipts for subscriptions and advertisements to the journal,
lists of past due accounts, and publishing expenses. Other documents include articles of agreement regarding the acquisition
of Choctaw and Chickasaw land in Mississippi, 1841; an 1826 agreement between Saint Luke's Episcopal Church and the Lutheran
congregation of Salisbury, N.C., arranging for the future disposition of the church building located at the German graveyard;
documents related to the attested will of Dr. George Hazelton, in Somerset, England, 1824; a certificate commemorating Charles
Fisher's election to the United States Congress; and lists of expenses for Congress.
Folder
271758-1773
Folder
281775-1779
Folder
291780-1789
Folder
301790-1799
Folder
311800-1807
Folder
321810-1819
Folder
331820-1823
Folder
341824-1829
Folder
351830-1832
Folder
361833-1835
Folder
37-381836-1838
Folder
391839
Folder
401840
Folder
411841-1845
Folder
421846-1850
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2.2. Financial and Legal Papers, 1851-1890.
About 3,300 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly materials of Charles F. Fisher, including receipts for taxes; household and plantation expenses; doctors' bills; railroad
records; land sales and surveys, including Fisher's purchase of land in Smith County, Miss.; and promissory notes, and indentures.
There is also material relating to gold mines, including work records, shipping records, records of supplies, documents concerning
purchases of land and interest in the Russell Mine, records of incorporation of the Perseverance Mining Co., and memoranda
of gold bullion deposited at the United States Mint.
As president of the Western North Carolina Railroad, Charles F. Fisher was awarded a contract to build a section of the track.
Much of the material from 1852 to 1860 consists of work records for both enslaved and free laborers; contracts for the hire
of slaves and valuations of slaves; vouchers for work; work reports and financial accounts of various overseers; and estimates
of masonry and grading work. Financial records include stock certificates; insurance policies; contracts for laying track
and grading on the railroad; lists of tools and supplies; receipts and bills for labor, transportation, provisions, tools,
dynamite, and fuses; and receipts of Charles F. Fisher, his partners in the Western North Carolina Railroad, and his overseers.
Other items include a receipt for jail time for an African American boy; a memorandum of land belonging to Charles F. Fisher
on Saint Joseph Island, Miss.; an "Act to incorporate Beaufort and Salisbury Railroad Co."; stock holdings of Fisher, Caldwell, and Simonton; and bills for damages to timber.
Receipts, statements, work records, and overseers' lists of hands, tools, mules, and provisions given to the hands continue
during the Civil War. After his enlistment in the 6th North Carolina Regiment, Charles F. Fisher also began procuring medicines,
provisions, clothing, fabric, and tents for the regiment, as well as making loans to fellow soldiers. There are lists of loans
and payments, correspondence concerning and receipts for supplies and camp and garrison equipage, and accounts for payrolls
and for "bounty money" for the regiment.
Apparently popular with his fellow officers, Charles F. Fisher's death in the First Battle of Manassas prompted a circular
calling for a regiment of volunteers to be formed called the Irrepressibles, with the purpose of avenging the deaths of General
Robert S. Garrett and Colonel Fisher. After his death, financial and legal material consists of claims by and against his
estate, continued work reports from the railroad overseers, lists of mines and personal property, accounts of the sale of
property, and accounts of the 6th North Carolina Regiment. Other items include complementary passes on the North Carolina
Railroad for Fannie and Christine Fisher; stock sales and dispensation of Western North Carolina Railroad stock; receipts
for the board of runaway slaves; purchases by the Confederate States of America of provisions and hay; papers relating to
Christine Fisher's assumption of the guardianship of Charles F. Fisher's children; a note collecting on past debts in order
to pay off outstanding debts to northern merchants after the war; tax receipts; legal documents relating to a suit filed against
Fisher's estate; and a claim of damages to a farmer's land, crops, and livestock caused by railroad employees.
After 1870, there are many legal documents on a variety of cases, including one charging a jury to decide "whether or not [Edward Leatherwood and Jason Leatherwood] are idiot inebriate or lunatic or incompetent to manage their own
affairs"; journal entries and other documents relating to a suit of Western North Carolina Railroad officers against usurpers appointed
by the North Carolina legislature; a publishing contract with Frances C. Fisher (Christian Reid) for her novel Bonny Kate; and other legal documents relating to trials, mostly regarding land and property disputes, in which Frederick C. Fisher
participated as both counsel and plaintiff.
Folder
431851-1853
Folder
441854-1855
Folder
45-461856
Folder
47-501857
Folder
51-541858
Folder
55-581859
Folder
59-611860
Folder
62-651861
Folder
661862
Folder
671863-1864
Folder
681865-1869
Folder
691870-1890
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2.3. Financial and Legal Papers, undated.
About 500 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly items of Charles F. Fisher, with waybills especially prominent. Other items include notes and mathematical calculations,
depositions, drafts of agreements and contracts, notes of legal cases involving mineral rights, receipts, articles of agreement,
and indentures. There are also a number of undated land surveys of property in Rowan, Burke, Randolph, and Montgomery counties,
N.C., belonging to George Fisher and Lewis Beard.
Folder
70-73Undated
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3. Writings and Notes, 1823-1854 and undated.
About 85 items.
Arrangement: by subject.
Chiefly political writings and notes of Charles Fisher, including outlines, notes, and drafts of speeches, pamphlets, and
legislation. Subjects include Andrew Jackson's administration; the tariff; the national bank; the Whig and Democratic parties;
General Speight's conduct in the 1830 election; rationales for slavery; opposition to the candidacy of John Long Jr. (1785-1857)
for the United States Congress on the grounds that he was born a Quaker and associated with the opponents of slavery; justification
of Taylor's march into Mexican territory in 1848 and of the annexation of Texas; and the Missouri question, circa 1820. An
1823 memorandum book includes notes on France, the exile of free blacks; free schools in Massachusetts; the growth of trees;
a method for circulating knowledge; local and national politics; a description of North Carolina; a method for making ice
creams; and the dangers of young people mingling without supervision.
There are also a few political writings by Charles F. Fisher, including a draft of a speech, and notes on ad valorem taxes, North Carolina's constitutional convention, and party politics. Other writings include a lecture and copies of correspondence
of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin all concerning steam powered boats; a report on properties of the North Carolina
Gold Mining Company, Davidson County, N.C.; essays and notes by Charles F. Fisher, probably written while he was a student
at Yale University, on modern and classical history, military maneuvers, capital punishment, and legal issues; an essay on
idleness written by a young Frederick C. Fisher of Salisbury, N.C.; poems; a discussion of materialism versus spiritualism;
and pages 33-54 of a story or novel by Frances F. Tiernan, who published under the pen name of Christian Reid.
Folder
74-75Political writings and notes
Folder
76Writings on a mechanical boat
Folder
77Writings on mining
Folder
78Miscellaneous writings
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4. Other Papers, circa 1847-1861 and undated.
About 230 items.
Arrangement: by subject.
Material, circa 1847, relating to land claims of the Choctaw Indian Nation in Mississippi and their eventual relocation to
Oklahoma, including lists of Indian families; notes on the history of the Choctaw claim; notes on Choctaw religion; drafts
of material pertaining to Charles Fisher's pursuit of Choctaw claims; and a list of Indians and supplies, presumably relating
to their journey west.
There are also descriptions, plans, and other papers relating to Jonathan Sullivan's efforts, 1849-1856, to secure patents
on a variety of inventions in which Charles F. Fisher had half-interest, including those for the improved construction of
wheels and axles for carriages, a corn crusher, and a straw-cutting machine.
Military papers, beginning in 1861, consist of enlistments, 28 May 1861-1 July 1861, for four companies in the 6th North Carolina
Regiment; muster rolls for the regiment; and a few other documents.
Miscellaneous undated papers include a list of mineral specimens obtained from Lake Superior; drawings and plans for railroad
tools and other items; a map of the Piedmont Gold Mines in Rowan County, N.C.; recipes for the cure of cholera morbus, and
distemper in cows; and specifications for a well at Salisbury, N.C.
Folder
79Choctaw Indian claims
Folder
80Patents
Folder
81-82Military papers
Folder
83Miscellaneous undated papers
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5. Volumes, 1821-1873.
57 items.
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5.1. Account Books, Memoranda, and Scrapbooks of
Charles Fisher, 1821-1845 and undated.
25 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder
84V-258/1: Ledger, June 1832-March 1824
Ledger for the Yadkin toll bridge, listing passengers, freight, and costs by date.
Folder
85V-258/2: Scrapbook, circa 1830-1837
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings on politics, census records, elections, and medical remedies, pasted over an old penmanship
book belonging to Susan Elizabeth Fisher.
Folder
86V-258/3: Commonplace book, September 1833-circa 1842
Commonplace book, containing political notes and memoranda, legal notes, and extracts from works on history, philosophy, and
slavery.
Folder
87V-258/4: Account book, 1837-1838
Account book of Thomas & Beard, Davie County, N.C., containing accounts for lumber, carpentry, and agricultural and household
items, and listing names, items purchased, and cost by date.
Folder
88V-258/5-A: Account book, May-October 1839
Account book for the Richmond Hill Foundry, listing dates, customer names, and payments for ironmongering and repair work.
Folder
89V-258/5-B: Account book, circa 1839
Account book of David Thomas and Lewis Beard for smith work, listing names, work performed, and cost by date.
Folder
90V-258/5-C: Bill book and ledger, Undated
South River Iron Works Bill Book and Ledger, listing dates, customer names, and payments for ironmongering and repair work.
Folder
91V-258/5-D: Account book and ledger, 1838-1839
Ironworks and blacksmith account book and ledger, Davie County, N.C., listing dates, customer names, and payments for ironmongering
and repair work.
Folder
92V-258/5-E: Account book, 1839-1840
S. Y. Iron Foundry account book (possibly South Yadkin), containing accounts for smith work, listing names, work performed,
and cost by date.
Folder
93V-258/6: Day book, September 1838-September 1839
Day book, Davie County, N.C., containing accounts, listed by date, customer name, and cost, for lumber, household and plantation
merchandise, and provisions such as corn, sugar, coffee, tobacco, wool, and brick.
Folder
94V-258/7-A: Old mill book, September 1838-July 1839
"Old mill book of Lewis Beard and David Thomas," containing work records for hands, sometimes listing tasks performed and other notes. The last section of the book has been
removed.
Folder
95V-258/7-B: Time book, September 1838-May 1839
Time book, kept by Jonathan Sullivan, listing work records for a mill at Wolf River, with occasional notes on clothing and
other articles purchased by the workers.
Folder
96V-258/8: Account book, 1839-1840
Account book for the S. Y. Grist Mill (possibly South Yadkin), containing accounts for meal, corn, flour, and other products
listed by date, customer name, and cost.
Folder
97V-258/9: Time book, November 1839-1840
Time book for Davie County, N.C., listing hours worked and amount paid for each worker, as well as notes on absences and other
items.
Folder
98V-258/10: Account book, September-November 1840
Account book for miscellaneous items, including mill work, livestock, lumber, household and agricultural items, listed by
date, customer name, and cost.
Folder
99V-258/11-A: Memoranda book, 1840
Memoranda book of Charles Fisher, listing accounts, memoranda on bank business, expenses for a trip to Mississippi, land sales,
addresses, Choctaw Indian words, agricultural notes, and an account of pygmies in Tennessee.
Folder
100V-258/11-B
"A book containing a list of lands purchased by Thomas L. Cowan of the North Carolina Land Company in Mississippi in 1845." The North Carolina Land Company included Charles Fisher, Thomas G. Polk, who emigrated to Mississippi, and Thomas L. Cowan.
There are also inserted leaves listing land purchases in Saint Helena District, La.
Folder
101V-258/12-A: Memoranda book, 1840
Memoranda book, containing notes on dinner party conversations, geography, politics, classical history, and slavery in the
West Indies, probably belonging to Charles Fisher.
Folder
102V-258/12-B: Scrapbook, circa 1844
Scrapbook containing newspaper clippings on politics, agriculture, statistics, and contemporary society, with a subject index
in the front and back pages of the volume.
Folder
103V-258/12-C: Scrapbook, circa 1844-1845
Scrapbook containing newspaper clippings on politics, agriculture, and contemporary society, as well as a few manuscript notes.
There is an index in the front of the volume.
Folder
104V-258/13-A: Commonplace book, 1845-1846
Commonplace book "concerning Leaf River Indians," containing notes on the Choctaw Indian language, the early explorers of the lower Southern states, notes on the land claims
of Choctaw Indians represented by Charles Fisher, Fisher family history, addresses, and miscellaneous accounts and notes.
Folder
105V-258/13-B: Commonplace book, undated
Commonplace book containing notes on legal questions.
Folder
106V-258/13-C: Commonplace book, undated
Commonplace book containing notes on classical history, philosophy, and mining.
Folder
107V-258/13-D: Commonplace book, undated
Ccommonplace book containing abstracts and notes on Blackstone's Commentaries.
Folder
108V-258/13-E: Commonplace book, Undated
Commonplace book containing "Day's Algebra Problems," from Jeremiah Day's Algebra.
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5.2. Account Books and Diaries of Charles F. Fisher, 1833-1858; 1873.
9 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder
109V-258/14: Diary, 15-30 April 1833
Diary of Charles F. Fisher, then fifteen years old, on a trip with his father Charles Fisher and Dr. Benjamin Austin through
the Cherokee Indian territory of northwestern Georgia. The purpose of the journey was to scout for gold mine sites, but Charles
F. Fisher's entries concentrate on the weather, incidents of the journey, and geography of the land, with some description
of the Cherokee Indians they encountered.
Folder
110V-258/15-A: Daybook, October 1845-December 1846
Daybook of Charles F. Fisher, detailing financial transactions, purchases, contractual agreements, trip expenses, and miscellaneous
notes.
Folder
111V-258/15-B: Daybook, 1848
Daybook of Charles F. Fisher, with similar material to V-258/15-A.
Folder
112V-258/15-C: Daybook, 1849
Daybook of Charles F. Fisher, with similar material to Volumes 15-A and 15-B
Folder
113V-258/16: Memoranda, 1851-1855
Memoranda of expenses of Charles F. Fisher, listing financial transactions, purchases, and trip expenses.
Folder
114SV-258/17: Store book, 1853-1854
Store book for Rimer & Mowrey, containing accounts for sales of beef, "stake," "shank," and "rost", and lists of purchases of cattle, with an index to customer names in the front of the volume.
Folder
115SV-258/18: Store book 1851-1858
Store book listing sales of household and agricultural goods, as well as work records.
Folder
116V-258/19: Ledger 1853-1854
Ledger for "The Shoales," containing accounts for wheat, corn, coffee, bacon, wood, tobacco, salt, and other provisions, and work records.
Folder
117V-258/20: Time book August 1854; 1873
Time book containing records of work performed. There are also notes on Latin, politics, and philosophy on the backs of pages
dated 1873.
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5.3. Records of the Western Carolinian, 1833-1843.
6 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological.
Record books of subscriptions, accounts, and expenses of the Western Carolinian, a journal of opinion co-published by Charles F. Fisher, that supported the ideology of John C. Calhoun.
Folder
118SV-258/21: Ledger 1833-1834
Lists of subscribers to the Western Carolinian, arranged geographically. The lists are in an old ledger of John Lewis Beard, which also contains miscellaneous notes of
members of the Fisher family.
Folder
119SV-258/22: Ledger 1833-1843
Lists of subscribers to the Western Carolinian and their accounts, arranged geographically by county.
Folder
120V-258/23: Cash book 1835-1839
Cash book, containing accounts for subscriptions to the Western Carolinian, as well as accounts for publishing expenses in the Salisbury office, and a record of sales of Beckwith's anti-dyspeptic
pills. There are many blank pages in the volume.
Folder
121V-258/24: Account book, 1838-1839
Account book of Benjamin Austin, Charles F. Fisher's business partner, listing receipts for subscriptions and advertisements,
and publishing expenses.
Folder
122V-258/25: Account book
Account book, probably for the Western Carolinian, containing lists of new subscribers, discontinued subscriptions, receipts, and publishing and printing expenses.
Folder
123V-258/26: Account book, 1840
Account book, probably for the Western Carolinian, listing advertising and subscription accounts and printing expenses.
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5.4. Record Books of the Western North Carolina Railroad and the North Carolina Railroad, 1840-1861.
16 volumes.
Folder
124V-258/27: Account book, 1840-1849
Account book of Charles F. Fisher, listing his financial transactions. There are also a few papers related to the estate of
Charles Fisher.
Folder
125V-258/28: Account book, 1855
Account book for the North Carolina Railroad, listing expenditures for construction supplies such as buckets, oil cans, lanterns,
and so forth.
Folder
126V-258/29: Time book, 1856-1857
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, listing amounts paid to each worker and total costs for labor.
Folder
127V-258/30-A: Time book November 1857
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad for track laying, containing records for work performed each day, as well
as miscellaneous notes.
Folder
128V-258/30-B: Expenditures, 1857
Monthly expenditures for the Western North Carolina Railroad's contract work.
Folder
129V-258/30-C: Expenditures 1858
Monthly expenditures for the Western North Carolina Railroad's contract work.
Folder
130V-258/31-A: Expenditures, 1859
Monthly expenditures for the Western North Carolina Railroad's contract work.
Folder
131V-258/31-B: Timebook, May-December 1859
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, supervised by John Birkhart at Conley's Gap, N.C.
Folder
132V-258/32: Time book March-September 1861
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, supervised by William P. Dunavant.
Folder
133V-258/33: Time book, March-October 1861
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, supervised by J. A. Owen at Twigg's Ridge, N.C.
Folder
134V-258/34: Time book, March-November 1861
Time book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, supervised by C. Younts.
Folder
135V-258/35: Index 1856-1859
Summary of payments for labor on the Western North Carolina Railroad, arranged alphabetically by worker's name. Probably an
index to Volumes 29, 30-B, 30-C, and 31-A.
Folder
136V-258/36: Account book, December 1855-November 1856
Account book for the Western North Carolina Railroad, containing lists of purchases, apparently from Fisher, Burroughs, &
Co., for small tools, hardware, and provisions.
Folder
137V-258/37: Time book, September-October 1858
Time book for hands working on the Western North Carolina Railroad.
Folder
138V-258/38: Time book, January-June 1860
Time book for hands working on the Western North Carolina Railroad.
Folder
139V-258/39: Time book, February-August 1860
Time book for work on the Western North Carolina Railroad.
Folder
140V-258/40: Time book, February-December 1861
Time book for work on the Western North Carolina Railroad, kept by supervisor William P. Dunavant.
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5.5. Penmanship Book of Frederick C. Fisher, undated.
1 volume.
Folder
141V-258/41: Penmanship book, undated
Penmanship book belonging to Charles F. Fisher's son, Frederick C. Fisher.
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