Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#4267
HARDEN FAMILY PAPERS
Inventory
Abstract: Correspondence, genealogical material, receipts,
programs, cookbooks, recipes, clippings, speeches,
writings, blueprints, photographs, and scrapbooks of
the Harden family of Alamance County, N.C. The bulk
of the material documents the public career of Junius
Hill Harden (1859-1944), an industrialist, pertaining
especially to Harden's efforts to locate a rayon mill
in Alamance County in the 1920s and to his involvement
with the Congregational-Christian Church. There is
also some material pertaining to Junius Hill Harden's
sons, Boyd Harden (b. 1899) and Graham Harden (b.
1892), who were doctors, and to his father, Peter Ray
Harden (fl. 1865), including items relating to the
latter's involvement in the Big Falls Manufacturing
Company in Alamance County in the late 19th century.
Photographs include pictures of early gas stations in
Alamance County and of the University of North
Carolina around 1921 when Boyd Harden was yearbook
editor.
Online Catalog Terms:
Alamance County (N.C.)--Description--Views.
Alamance County (N.C.)--Industries--History.
Automobiles--Service stations--North Carolina--Photographs.
Big Falls Manufacturing Company (Alamance County, N.C.).
Congregational churches--North Carolina--History--20th
century.
Harden, Boyd, b. 1899.
Harden family.
Harden, Graham, b. 1892.
Harden, Junius Hill, 1859-1944.
Harden, Peter Ray, fl. 1865.
Rayon industry and trade--North Carolina.
Textile industry--North Carolina--History--20th century.
University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--Photographs.
Size: About 1,700 items (3.5 linear feet).
Provenance: Received from Dr. and Mrs. Boyd Harden of Chapel
Hill, N.C., in January and April 1981, and from
Ann Harden Bradford of Durham, N.C., in January
1985.
Access: No restrictions.
Related Collection: Edwin Michael Holt Papers (#350).
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States
copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Series Descriptions
Series 1. Junius Harden
Series 2. Peter Ray Harden
Series 3. Boyd Harden
Series 4. Graham Harden
Series 5. Other Papers
Series 6. Pictures
Shelf List
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
Junius Hill Harden was born 6 November 1859 to Peter Ray and
Sarah Elizabeth Holt Harden in Graham, Alamance County, N.C. He
was educated at Graham Normal School and Baltimore Business
College. He married Lula Graham on 25 September 1891.
Harden was active in industry, education, transportation,
public utilities, and real estate in Alamance County. He was
responsible for establishing the Piedmont Power and Light
Company, the first electric plant in the county; the Alamance
Railway Company, the county's first electric street car line; the
first ice plant in the area; and the first paved streets in
Graham. The county's first telephone operated from his textile
mill. Harden helped found Elon College and the first hospital in
Alamance County. He reorganized the Holt Granite Mills and was
instrumental in developing other industries in the county through
the Harden Industrial Cities Corporation. It was through his
efforts that the first rayon manufacturing plant came to
Burlington. Harden died on 11 June 1944 in Graham.
Harden's sons, Graham and Boyd, were both physicians in
Alamance County. Graham was born in Big Falls, N.C., in 1892.
He was graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1915
and received a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1919. In 1921, he married Mary Bonner Williams. Boyd was
born in Burlington, N.C., on 5 February 1899 and was graduated
from the University of North Carolina in 1921.
Collection Overview
The bulk of these papers relate to the public career of Junius
Harden. Material relating to Junius Harden's father, Peter Ray
Harden, is in Series 2. Material relating to Junius Harden's son
Boyd is in Series 3, and to his son Graham in Series 4. Series 5
contains maps of Alamance County, a cipher book, and two
scrapbooks, one chiefly containing advertising cards and the
other relating to Masonic activities of one of Boyd Harden's
relatives. Pictures of Harden family members, of business
leaders, and of the University of North Carolina, ca. 1921, are
in Series 6.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Junius Harden
1845-1962. About 1450 items.
Arrangement: by subject.
Includes correspondence, blueprints, genealogical material,
cookbooks, recipes, legal material, clippings, and programs
documenting the public career and interests of Junius Harden.
Most of the material relates to Harden's various business
ventures. Of particular interest is material documenting
Harden's efforts to locate A. M. Johnson Mills, a rayon
manufacturing plant in Alamance County in the 1920s (folders
36-49). Also of interest is genealogical material (folders
10-17) compiled by Harden, and material relating to his
involvement with Providence Memorial Christian Church in Graham
(folder 35) and the Western Carolina Christian Conference
(folders 50-53). Note that there are a few blueprints relating
to some of Junius Harden's projects filed as oversize and rolled
papers.
Folder 1a-d Alamance Railway and Electric Company (see also
Series 6)
2-3a Barnwell Brothers
3b BurGraHaw Traction Company
4 Burlington Mills
5-7 Cookbooks
8-9 Elon College
10-17 Genealogical materials
18 Good Roads Manufacturing Company
19-20 Harden Brothers Famous Cream
21-22 Harden Industries Cities Corporation
23-29 J. H. Harden and Company
30-31 Miscellaneous--includes blueprint detailing
electric line survey, 1908, linking Burlington,
Graham, and Haw River
32 Mission Chapel
33a North State Realty Company
33b Personal materials--chiefly letters on routine
family matters; many letters are addressed to Lula
Harden
33c Piedmont Railway and Electric Company (volume
4267/S-1)
34 Political material
35 Providence Memorial Association (see also Series
6)
36-49 Rayon manufacturing
50-53 Western Carolina Christian Conference
Series 2. Peter Ray Harden
1849-1891. About 60 items.
Includes correspondence, receipts, and contracts pertaining to
the Big Falls Manufacturing Company and to Peter Harden and Sons,
both of which were located in Alamance County.
Folders 54-55 Includes volume 4267/S-2, an account book for
1887-1890
Series 3. Boyd Harden
1916-1971. About 60 items.
Includes correspondence, programs, writings, bills and
receipts, and loose material from a scrapbook (see Series 5) of
Boyd Harden.
Folder 56 General
57 Miscellaneous bills and receipts
58-59 Scrapbook materials
Series 4. Graham Harden
1907-1935. About 10 items.
Three postcards to Graham Harden and miscellaneous bills and
receipts.
Folder 60
Series 5. Other Papers
1890s-1920s. About 10 items.
A cipher book, 1837-1841, of Westley L. Coble, whose
relationship to the Hardens is unknown; six rolled maps of
Alamance County, 1890s-1920s, some with handwritten annotations
indicating ownership of land; a scrapbook, which may have been
compiled by Boyd Harden, chiefly containing advertisement cards
from the turn of the century and some newspaper clippings
relating to the Harden family (loose material from this scrapbook
has been filed in Series 3); and a scrapbook, 1875-1923, of
Albert D. Holmes of Melrose, Mass., documenting his Masonic
activities. Albert D. Holmes appears to have been a relative of
Boyd Harden's wife, Ruth Elizabeth Holmes Harden, who, according
to newspaper reports, was the daughter of Albert Bourne Holmes of
Pennsylvania.
Folder 61 Cipher book, 1837-1841
62 Alamance County maps, 1890s-1920s (filed with
rolled papers)
63 Advertising card scrapbook (volume 4267/S-3)
64 Albert D. Holmes scrapbook (volume 4267/S-4)
Series 6. Pictures
1780-ca. 1930. About 100 items.
Arrangement: by subject.
Photographs of the Harden family, the Alamance Railway
Company, the Providence Memorial Christian Church, gas stations
in and around Alamance County (with the number of gallons of gas
used per month noted on the backs of the pictures), and pictures
of the University of North Carolina from around 1921 when Boyd
Harden was yearbook editor. There are also publicity photographs
of Senator Josiah William Bailey, Governor Clyde R. Hoey,
Representative Carl T. Durham, Lt. Governor A. H. Graham,
Superintendent of Public Instruction Clyde A. Erwin, and Director
of Conservation and Development R. Bruce Etheridge in connection
with their being cited by the Industrial Development of Alamance
County organization.
Folder P-4267/1 Harden family
/2 Pages from family Bible, recording births
and deaths, 1780-1872
/3 Alamance Railway Company
/4 Gas stations
/5 Providence Memorial Christian Church
/6 University of North Carolina
/7 Industrial Development of Alamance County
/8 Miscellaneous
SHELF LIST
Box 1 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 1-5)
Box 2 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 6-20)
Box 3 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 21-25)
Box 4 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 26-35)
Box 5 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 36-49)
Box 6 Series 1. Junius Harden (folders 50-53)
Series 2. Peter Ray Harden (folders 54-55)
Series 3. Boyd Harden (folders 56-59)
Box 7 Series 4. Graham Harden (folder 60)
Series 5. Other Papers (folders 61-64)
Items separated:
Oversize papers
(1 folder, chiefly blueprints relating to Series 1)
Rolled papers
(1 blueprint relating to Series 1; 6 maps from Series 5)
Volumes 4267/S1-4
Series 6. Pictures (folders 1-8)