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Collection Number: 00260

Collection Title: W. Stump Forwood Papers, 1836-1897

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.


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Size 3.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1600 items)
Abstract William Stump Forwood was a physician of Darlington, Harford County, Md. Forwood, who attempted to justify slavery on medical grounds, served as president of various local medical societies and was a local historian of his home town. The collection includes correspondence, speeches and writings, magazine and newspaper clippings, financial papers, and pictures of William Stump Forwood. Included are letters, 1864-1865, from Forwood's brother Henry Hays Forwood (born 8 November 1842), who was a prisoner in Camp Morton, Ind., during the Civil War, and Forwood's father Samuel (fl. 1800-1890), in Gosport, Clarke County, Ala. materials. Among the clippings are advertisements for medical devices, most notably several for uterine supporters. Among the photographs are two pictures of a device for treating a fractured clavicle.
Creator Forwood, W. Stump (William Stump), 1830-1892.
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.
Restrictions to Use
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 W. Stump Forwood Papers #260, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
All or part of this collection is available on microfilm from University Publications of America as part of the Records of antebellum southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, Series J.
Acquisitions Information
Purchased from The American Autograph Shop, Marion Station, Pa., in 1936. Typed transcriptions of letters received from William Mitchell of Enterprise, Ala., in February 1999 (Accession # 98306).
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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Processed by: Gina Overcash, February 1988

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2020 and January 2021

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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

William Stump Forwood, son of Samuel Forwood, was a physician and local historian of Darlington, Md. He was born 27 January 1830 in Darlington and remained there most of his life. At his father's urging, he moved to Gosport, Ala., in 1848, returning to Maryland in 1851. He again lived in Gosport during the period 1870-1873. He married Pamela Wilson, probably in June 1857. She died in childbirth on 19 March 1860. On 6 May 1863, Forwood married Addie Bond. Forwood and his second wife had two children, Lizzie and Katie.

Forwood served as president of the Clarke County, Alabama, Medical Society; the Pennsylvania and Maryland Union Medical Association; and the Harford Historical Society, of which he was a charter member. He was also president and founder of the Medical Society of Harford County.

Forwood wrote extensively on the "ethnological" justification for slavery. He also published articles in medical journals on a variety of topics. He was the author of An Historical and Descriptive Narrative of the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, first published in 1870.

Forwood remained active in his medical practice until his death, apparently in 1891.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Correspondence, speeches and writings, magazine and newspaper clippings, financial papers, and pictures of William Stump Forwood. Included are letters, 1864-1865, from Forwood's brother Henry Hays Forwood (born 8 November 1842), who was a prisoner in Camp Morton, Ind., during the Civil War, and Forwood's father Samuel (fl. 1800-1890), in Gosport, Clarke County, Ala. materials. Among the clippings are advertisements for medical devices, most notably several for uterine supporters. Among the photographs are two pictures of a device for treating a fractured clavicle.

Addition of February 1999

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1836-1897 and undated.

About 850 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Mostly personal and professional correspondence of William Stump Forwood with family members, friends, and professional associates.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. 1836-1861.

About 270 items.

Mostly letters from family members, especially from Forwood's father, Samuel, who moved to Gosport (Clarke County), Ala., in 1832. These letters concern health matters and farming conditions in Alabama. Also of interest are Samuel Forwood's references to slavery and the impending Civil War.

In a letter dated 8 October 1846, Samuel Forwood advised his son to become a doctor because "it will not prevent you from being a Farmer, you could attend to both...and it is an easy profession to acquire."

Numerous letters, beginning 4 April 1857, discuss the alleged intellectual inferiority of the black race.

Folder 1

1836-1841

Folder 2

1842-1843

Folder 3

1844-1845

Folder 4

1846

Folder 5

1847

Folder 6

1848

Folder 7

1849

Folder 8

1850-1851

Folder 9

1852-1853

Folder 10

1854-1855

Folder 11

1856

Folder 12

January-August 1857

Folder 13

September-December 1857

Folder 14

January-March 1858

Folder 15

April-June 1858

Folder 16

July-December 1858

Folder 17

1859

Folder 18

January-June 1860

Folder 19

July-December 1860

Folder 20

1861

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. 1862-1865.

About 50 items.

Most notable correspondent is Forwood's brother Henry Hays Forwood (born 8 November 1842), who was a prisoner in Camp Morton, Ind. His letters are dated from 23 May 1864 until his release 26 February 1865.

Folder 21

1862

Folder 22

1863

Folder 23

1864

Folder 24

1865

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. 1866-1884.

About 250 items.

Letters from Samuel Forwood continue, except for the periods 1870-1873, when William Stump Forwood was in Alabama, and 1873-1875, a break in correspondence apparently due to a disagreement between Forwood and his father leading to Forwood's return to Maryland.

Forwood's interest in local history and Mammoth Cave also apparently began during this period. Letters beginning in 1868 concern a lawsuit involving the Mammoth Cave book.

Correspondence beginning in 1874 reflects Forwood's almost constant financial troubles. In a letter dated 10 September 1876, he wrote of his difficulties collecting payments, and stated, "my profession is not a profitable one ...." Letters beginning in 1883 concern a lawsuit against his brother Henry over a financial matter.

Letters during this period also mention Forwood's unnamed illness, a recurrent topic in letters from 1875 until his death in or about 1891.

Folder 25

1866

Folder 26

1867

Folder 27

1868

Folder 28

1869

Folder 29

1870

Folder 30

1871

Folder 31

1872

Folder 32

1873

Folder 33

1874

Folder 34

January-June 1875

Folder 35

July-December 1875

Folder 36

1876

Folder 37

1877-1878

Folder 38

January-February 1879

Folder 39

March-December 1879

Folder 40

1880-1881

Folder 41

1882

Folder 42

1883

Folder 43

1884

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.4. 1885-1897.

About 270 items.

Letters of this period concern medical and historical society matters and family genealogical matters. There are few letters from family members.

Folder 44

January-September 1885

Folder 45

October-December 1885

Folder 46

January-May 1886

Folder 47

June-July 1886

Folder 48

August 1886

Folder 49

September 1886

Folder 50

October-December 1886

Folder 51

January-April 1887

Folder 52

May-June 1887

Folder 53

July 1887

Folder 54

August 1887

Folder 55

September 1887

Folder 56

October 1887

Folder 57

November-December 1887

Folder 58

1888

Folder 59

January-June 1889

Folder 60

July-December 1889

Folder 61

January-September 1890

Folder 62

October-November 1890

Folder 63

December 1890-1891, 1897

Folder 64

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1A. Transcriptions of Letters, 1854-1881 (Addition of February 1999).

Acquisitions Information: Accession 98306

Typed transcriptions of letters in the William Stump Forwood Papers as well as photocopies of pictures of William Stump Forwood and his father, Samuel Forwood. The letters were transcribed from microfilm by William Miller in 1998.

Folder 133

Transcriptions and copies

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Writings and Speeches, 1853-1890 and undated.

About 75 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Writings and Speeches by William Stump Forwood, 1857-1890 and undated.

About 60 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Writings, speeches, and notes by William Stump Forwood on medical, historical, and other topics. Many of the medical writings were published in medical journals. See Folder 101 for a partial list of published articles. This subseries also includes minutes and proceedings of medical societies, historical and genealogical materials, and writings about slavery and the black race.

Folder 65

The Negro--A Distinct Species, No. 2 (December 1857)

Folder 66

A Case of Cancer of the Pancreas and Stomach (19 November 1858)

Folder 67

The Treatment of Dysentery (24 December 1858)

Folder 68

A Vaginal Anomaly (8 January 1859)

Folder 69

Ethnological Papers, No. 1 (April 1860)

Folder 70

Bayard Taylor (for the Harford Times, 7 October 1860)

Folder 71

On the Logical Determination of Genus, Species, and Variety, by A. Denny, M.D. with Prefatory Letter from Dr. Forwood (1 January 1861)

Folder 72

Notes on Ethnological and Anatomical Differences in the Races (circa 1861)

Folder 73

President Lincoln on Emancipation (22 March 1862)

Folder 74

Hic Iacet Clayton (26 June 1862)

Folder 75

A Case of Obstructed Labor from Deformity of the Pelvis; With Remarks (7 September 1862)

Folder 76

The Irrepressible Conflict (13 September 1862)

Folder 77

Letter to the editor, Philadelphia Inquirer, about the Civil War (declined) (27 September 1862)

Folder 78

Letter to The Southern Aegis about the Poetical, "Rock Me to Sleep Mother" (September 1862)

Folder 79

"Slavery the Cause of the War" (circa 1861-1865)

Folder 80

The Treatment of the Sick Stomach of Pregnancy (9 August 1868)

Folder 81

Country Roads: The Stafford and Rock Run Road (21 December 1868)

Folder 82

Meeting of the Pennsylvania and Maryland Union Medical Association (25 August 1881)

Folder 83

Maryland to Pennsylvania. "Remarks ...before the Meeting of the Pa. & Md. Union Med. Association" (25 August 1881)

Folder 84

Account of Visit with Dr. S. J. Ramsay (24 June 1882)

Folder 85

The President's Address delivered before the Pa. and Md. Union Medical Association (31 August 1882)

Folder 86

About Professional Fees (7 August 1882)

Folder 87

Notes on Cases of Typhoid Fever; Fever TyphoMalarial Bibliography (2 March 1883)

Folder 88

Proceedings. Medical Society of Harford Co. (8 May 1883)

Folder 89

Proceedings. Medical Society of Harford Co. (13 November 1883)

Folder 90

Charter Members. The Medical Society of Harford Co. (13 November 1883)

Folder 91

Canning Houses and the Public Health (November 1883)

Folder 92

Transactions of the Harford Medical Society, 1797-98 (13 December 1883)

Folder 93

In Memoriam. Thomas King of Kenton (23 June 1885)

Folder 94

Harford Co. Historical Society. Minutes (2 September 1885)

Folder 95

"Arbor Day" Remarks (10 April 1889)

Folder 96

Stump-Smith Genealogy (24 November 1889)

Folder 97

Quinine--The Panacea (16 April 1890)

Folder 98

Notes on Darlington Academy (16 September 1890)

Folder 99

Toast: Harford County, Md. (undated)

Folder 100

Tobacco (undated)

Folder 101

List of Articles Published in the Medical and Surgical Reporter (undated)

Folder 102

Untitled and miscellaneous writings, dated

Folder 103

Untitled and miscellaneous writings, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Writings by Others, 1853-1888 and undated.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Financial Materials, 1856-1887.

About 550 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Mostly bills and receipts of William Stump Forwood for various items, including bills from chemists and druggists for medical supplies. Folder 117 contains two Confederate pay vouchers, one for Lieutenant James H. Brooks for May 1864 and one illegible, dated March 1864.

Folder 117

Pay Vouchers. Confederate States of America (1864)

Folder 118-119

Folder 118

Folder 119

Bills and Receipts (circa 1856-1860)

Folder 120-121

Folder 120

Folder 121

Bills and Receipts (circa 1860-1861)

Folder 122-123

Folder 122

Folder 123

Bills and Receipts (circa 1861-1862)

Folder 124-125

Folder 124

Folder 125

Bills and Receipts (circa 1863-1864)

Folder 126-127

Folder 126

Folder 127

Bills and Receipts (circa 1864-1865)

Folder 128-129

Folder 128

Folder 129

Bills and Receipts (circa 1865-1867)

Folder 130-131

Folder 130

Folder 131

Bills and Receipts (circa 1867-1887)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Clippings, Advertisements, and Other Papers, 1871-1890 and undated.

About 25 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Newspaper clippings; advertisements; brochures for medical and other items; historical and genealogical items; and other materials. Of particular interest are the advertisements for medical devices, most notably several for uterine supporters.

Folder 132

Clippings, advertisements, and other papers, 1871-1890 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Pictures, 1854-1881.

5 items.

This series contains a daguerreotype of William Stump Forwood in a case ornamented with mother of pearl inlay. Also included are two prints made from the daguerreotype and two pictures of a device for treating a fractured clavicle.

Special Format Image SF-P-260/1

Daguerreotype of William Stump Forwood (22 February 1854)

Image P-260/2-3

P-260/2

P-260/3

Prints from daguerreotype

Image P-260/4-5

P-260/4

P-260/5

In the words of Dr. Forwood, "Two photographs--front and back view--illustrating the application of Bartlett's Modification of Fox's Apparatus for Fractured Clavicle." (31 January 1881)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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