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Collection Number: 01478

Collection Title: Stephen D. Heard Papers, 1758-1889.

This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

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.


This collection was processed with support, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.

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Size 8.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2600 items)
Abstract Stephen D. Heard, lawyer, commission merchant, and native of Wilkes County, Ga., practiced law in Talbotton, Ga., from about 1835 until about 1847. In 1836, he married Mary Anne Willis of Wilkes County, whose father, Colonel Richard Jefferson Willis, later signed the Ordinance of Secession. About 1847, Heard moved to Augusta, Ga., where he worked for the remainder of his life as a commission merchant in the successive firms of Dye & Heard, Heard & Simpson, S. D. Heard, and S. D. Heard & Son. Heard was an active Mason, a member of the Augusta Board of Health (1858), a wartime city alderman, a member of the board of directors of the Milledgeville Railroad Company (1862) and of the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad Company (1874), and president of the Macon & Augusta Railroad Company (1866). His son and partner Richard Willis Heard (d. 1880) married Anna Platt of Augusta, Ga., in 1868. Correspondence and financial and legal materials, chiefly 1840-1864, concern the successive firms in which Heard was involved. Business materials show extensive commercial connections with local planters and small town merchants, as well as with merchants in Savannah, Charleston, and New York. Letters and other items document the impact of the Civil War on Heard's business. After the Civil War, papers doucument the development of crop lien arrangements with local farmers. Volumes include account books, shipping records, bank books, and letterpress copies of correspondence. The collection also contains some family materials, including correspondence, diaries, recipe and remedy books, and household account books. There are also materials relating to the Platt family, including the courtship and honeymoon of Richard Willis Heard and Anna Platt and a furniture business operated in Augusta by Anna's father, Charles Platt. There is also a volume with names and dates of birth for several generations of slaves.
Creator Heard, Stephen D., 1807-1875.
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 Stephen D. Heard Papers #1478, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from R. Willis Heard of Savannah, Georgia, in 1948, from Alexander Heard in 1987, and from Edward R. MacKethan in September 2015 (Acc. 102315).
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 C. Tolbert, June 1994; Jodi Berkowitz and Amy Morgan, January 2019

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, March 2021

This collection was processed with support, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.

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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

Stephen D. Heard (1807-1875), lawyer, commission merchant, and native of Wilkes County, Ga., practiced law in Talbotton, Ga., from about 1835 until about 1847. In 1836, he married Mary Anne Willis of Wilkes County, whose father, Colonel Richard Jefferson Willis, later signed the Ordinance of Secession. About 1847, Heard moved to Augusta, Ga., where he worked for the remainder of his life as a commission merchant in the successive firms of Dye & Heard, Heard & Simpson, S. D. Heard, and S. D. Heard & Son. Heard was an active Mason, a member of the Augusta Board of Health (1858), a wartime alderman, a member of the board of directors of Milledgeville Railroad Co. (1862) and of the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad Co. (1874), and president of the Macon & Augusta Railroad Co. (1866). In 1861, Heard was commissioned second lieutenant in the Silver Greys, a volunteer organization for home defense, and served throughout the war. After the war Heard established a business partnership with his son, Richard Willis Heard. Stephen D. Heard was a first cousin twice removed of the Stephen Heard who served as governor of Georgia in 1781.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Correspondence and financial and legal materials chiefly 1840 to 1874 concerning the successive firms in which Heard was involved. Business materials document a commercial network that extended from local planters and small town merchants to Southern ports such as Savannah and Charleston, and northeastern trade centers, especially New York. Papers following the Civil War document the development of crop lien arrangements with local farmers. Volumes include account books, shipping records, bank books, and letterpress copies of correspondence.

The collection also contains some family materials, including correspondence, diaries, recipe books, and household account books. There is little correspondence, however, between Stephen D. Heard and his immediate family. The bulk of family correspondence was written by extended family members who had moved away, and it is difficult to develop a full picture of Heard family life in Augusta from this material. One exception to this observation is the courtship of Richard Willis Heard and Anna Platt, which is well documented by notes the young couple exchanged. They were married in Augusta in 1868 and their honeymoon is also documented in a travel diary kept by Richard. Three volumes relate to a furniture business operated in Augusta by Anna's father, Charles Platt, and other materials relate to the Platt Family.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Heard Business Materials, 1758-circa 1920.

About 2200 items.

Arrangement: chronological by type of material.

Correspondence, financial and legal Papers, and account books chiefly related to Stephen D. Heard's business activities, including his early law practice in Talbotton, Ga. and a series of partnerships in the commission business focusing primarily on the cotton trade in Augusta, Ga. Letters and accounts show that some of Heard's clients were women.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Business Correspondence, 1833-1879.

About 900 items.

Arrangement: chronological by type of material.

Although some correspondents include relatives or family members for whom Heard served as commission merchant, these letters are almost entirely devoted to business affairs. There is very little reference to personal or family matters in this correspondence. See Series 2.1 for family correspondence.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.1. Loose Papers, 1833-1879.

About 900 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Business correspondence can be roughly categorized according to four chronological periods.

1833-1849. Chiefly letters related to Heard's law practice in Talbotton, Ga. Correspondence shows that Heard also pursued various civic and commercial activities during this period. Heard moved from Talbotton sometime in the late 1840s.

1855-1860. Chiefly letters related to the commission business of Simpson and Heard in Augusta, Ga. Heard apparently entered the commission business in Augusta around September 1849 in partnership with M. M. Dye, but soon established a long-term partnership with James R. Simpson. Letters were written by three types of correspondents--customers, agents, and suppliers--thus documenting Heard's commission business from several angles. Letters also show other phases of Heard's public and professional life, including his various civic activities and his involvement in railroad development.

1861-1865. Letters during this period document the impact of the Civil War on the commission business. The Heard and Simpson partnership ended sometime during this period.

1866-1879. Chiefly letters related to commission business of S. D. Heard and Son. Richard Willis Heard entered into partnership with his father sometime after the war ended. Father and son re-established ties with New York merchants and resumed investment in railroad development.

Folder 1

1833-1840

Folder 2

1841

Folder 3

1842

Folder 4

1843-1844

Folder 5

1845-1849

Folder 6

1855-1858

Folder 7

1859 January

Folder 8

1859 February-March

Folder 9

1859 April

Folder 10

1859 May

Folder 11

1859 June

Folder 12

1859 July-December

Folder 13

1860 1-5 January

Folder 14

1860 6-10 January

Folder 15

1860 11-16 January

Folder 16

1860 17-23 January

Folder 17

1860 24-31 January

Folder 18

1860 March-May

Folder 19

1860 June-August

Folder 20

1860 September-December

Folder 21

1861

Folder 22

1862 January-July

Folder 23

1862 August-December

Folder 24

1863

Folder 25

1864

Folder 26

1865 January-June

Folder 27

1865 July-August

Folder 28

1865 September

Folder 29

1865 October

Folder 30

1865 November

Folder 31

1865 December

Folder 32

1866 January-March

Folder 33

1866 April-December

Folder 34

1867 January-May

Folder 35

1867 June-December

Folder 36

1868

Folder 37

1869 January-August

Folder 38

1869 September-December

Folder 39

1870 January-April

Folder 40

1870 May-December

Folder 41

1871 January-March

Folder 42

1871 April-December

Folder 43

1872 January-March

Folder 44

1872 May-June

Folder 45

1872 July-August

Folder 46

1872 September-December

Folder 47

1873 January-May

Folder 49

1874 January-July

Folder 50

1874 August-December

Folder 51

1875-1876

Folder 52

1878-1879

Folder 53

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1.2. Letterbooks, 1855-1871.

2 items.

Arrangement: chronological according to date of last entry.

(Note that when a volume's number has changed as a result of reprocessing, the old numbers may be found in square brackets following the current volume number.)

Folder 54

Volume 1 [31, II-2]: 1855-1856; 1864-1867. Pages 1-106 (1855-1856) consist of letters and accounts documenting the grocery business of R. S. Hook, whose business connections extended far beyond his actual store location in Chattanooga, Tenn. Hook described his work as the "commission and forwarding business," and he handled produce such as fruit, potatoes, bacon, lard, sausage, coffee, and lots of corn. Letters to suppliers and customers include various Georgia merchants. It was an apparently impressive wholesale business since Hook informed a merchant in Macon that he had 20,000 pounds of bacon, hams, and shoulders ready for shipment on 17 April 1856. The second part of this book, pages 108-493 (1864-1867), represents some of the best documentation in the collection for the impact of the Civil War on the commission business of Stephen D. Heard. Among the letters are many bills and invoices for sales of produce. Letters and accounts show that the character of the business changed significantly during the war. A diverse range of agricultural products, from wheat to peach brandy and syrup replaced cotton. Nevertheless, business seems to have continued throughout the war. Heard wrote on 9 May 1865 that Augusta was under Yankee rule but there was "no danger in sending forward produce, indeed they encourage it." By 1866 letters and accounts show that cotton reemerged as the center of Heard's commission business.

Folder 55

Volume 2 [34, II-5]: 1868-1871. Letterpress copy book containing copies of business letters written by Heard and Son includes letters to other merchants, but consists chiefly of letters to clients. Letters sometimes contain copies of factor's accounts.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. Financial and Legal Materials, 1758-circa 1920.

About 1260 items.

Arrangement: chronological by type of material.

Loose papers and a variety of account books documenting the business interests of Stephen D. Heard and his associates, especially his commission business partnerships in Augusta, Ga. Scattered information may also relate to personal or to family financial and legal matters.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2.1. Loose Papers, 1758-circa 1920.

About 1200 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Shipping invoices, bills, receipts, indentures, land grants, and other financial and legal documents chiefly related to the business interests of Stephen D. Heard. These papers can be roughly categorized according to four chronological periods.

From 1758 to 1833, records consist chiefly of land grants and plats related to land in Orangeburgh District, S. C. Scattered materials continue to relate to land in Orangeburgh throughout remaining periods. The connection between this land and Stephen D. Heard is unclear.

From 1834 to 1849, papers relate chiefly to Heard's business interests in Talbotton, Ga. Much of this information documents his law practice, but also shows early merchant activities.

From 1850 to 1867, papers document Heard's commission business in Augusta, particularly the firm, Heard & Simpson. A few documents relate to the partnership of Heard & Dye, but by 1853 Heard had formed a partnership with James R. Simpson. Papers include information about Heard's participation in such civic groups as the Masons and the Augusta fire company. A few papers relate to Richard Willis Heard's activities in the Civil War, but bills and receipts continue primarily to document Stephen D. Heard's business concerns throughout the war years. [See Volume 1 for more extensive documentation about the impact of the Civil War on Heard's commission business.]

From 1868 to 1875, papers document the postwar firm of S. D. Heard & Son. New commercial developments of particular note during this period include a series of crop lien factor's agreements; regular market reports from New York agents who managed the cotton trade for the firm; and scattered information related to Heard's involvement in railroad development.

Each period also contains scattered information related to personal or family expenses for goods and services from tailoring to tuition. Some documentation concerns slaves either purchased or hired by Heard, including occasional bills for medical treatment.

Folder 56

1758-1799

Folder 57

1801-1815

Folder 58

1816-1824

Folder 59

1825-1834

Folder 60

1835-1837

Folder 61

1838-1839

Folder 62

1840

Folder 63

1841

Folder 64

1842-1843

Folder 65

1844

Folder 66

1845-1849

Folder 67

1850-1854

Folder 68

1855-1858

Folder 69

1859

Folder 70

1860 January

Folder 71

1860 February-May

Folder 72

1860 June-July

Folder 73

1860 August-December

Folder 74

1861 January-February

Folder 75

1861 March-August

Folder 76

1861 September-December

Folder 77

1862 January-February

Folder 78

1862 March-June

Folder 79

1862 July-August

Folder 80

1862 September-December

Folder 81

1863 January-February

Folder 82

1863 March-July

Folder 83

1863 August-December

Folder 84

1864 January-May

Folder 85

1864 June-December

Folder 86

1865 January-August

Folder 87

1865 September

Folder 88

1865 October

Folder 89

1865 November-December

Folder 90

1866 January-February

Folder 91

1866 March-May

Folder 92

1866 June-December

Folder 93

1867 January-March

Folder 94

1867 April-August

Folder 95

1867 September-December

Folder 96

1868 January-March

Folder 97

1868 April-May

Folder 98

1868 June-July

Folder 99

1868 August

Folder 100

1868 September-October

Folder 101

1868 November

Folder 102

1868 December

Folder 103

1869 January-February

Folder 104

1869 March-May

Folder 105

1869 June-December

Folder 106

1870 January-April

Folder 107

1870 May-September

Folder 108

1870 October-December

Folder 109

1871 January-February

Folder 110

1871 March

Folder 111

1871 April-December

Folder 112

1872 January-February

Folder 113

1872 March

Folder 114

1872 April-May

Folder 115

1872 June

Folder 116

1872 July

Folder 117

1872 August

Folder 118

1872 September

Folder 119

1872 October

Folder 120

1872 November

Folder 121

1872 December

Folder 122

1873 January-February

Folder 123

1873 March

Folder 124

1873 April-May

Folder 125

1873 June-December

Folder 126

1874

Folder 127

1875-circa 1920

Folder 128

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2.2. Account Books, 1842-1878.

60 items.

Arrangement: chronological according to date of last entry.

(Note that when a volume's number has changed as a result of reprocessing, the old numbers may be found in square brackets following the current volume number.)

Ledgers, daybooks, cash books, memorandum books, bills, receipts, bank books, and shipping records, documenting Heard's extensive connections with planters surrounding Augusta, Ga., and with merchants in Savannah, Charleston, and New York. Account books document each of Heard's successive partnerships in Augusta, beginning with Heard & Dye and ending with S. D. Heard & Son. Volumes show that throughout his mercantile career cotton was the focus of Heard's business concerns; nevertheless, he also handled a variety of other types of agricultural produce raised on local farms.

Heard's early career as a lawyer in Talbotton, Ga., is documented by one docket book. Some volumes, particularly general ledgers and cash books, contain scattered entries related to personal or family expenses. Household account books are contained in Series 2. Heard Family Materials, because they were often kept by female members of the family and have no connection to the commission business.

Folder 129

Volume 3 [B18]: 1842-1846. "Docket Book" lists cases of Stephen D. Heard litigated in inferior and superior courts of Talbotton, Ga. Heard recorded brief descriptions of outcomes for most cases he handled.

Folder 130

Volume 4 [I-3]: 1855-1858. "Cotton Bills, Simpson & Gardner, 1856." Accounts include names of customers, amount of charges, and payments made.

Folder 131

Volume 5 [I-6]: 1858-1859. Cotton bills showing accounts that include names of customers, amount of charges, and payments made.

Folder 132

Volume 6 [44, IV-2]: 1858-1859. "Mechanics Bank, Augusta, Ga., in account with Heard & Simpson." Information on the account includes dates of deposits, amounts of checks written, and balances.

Folder 133

Volume 7 [B1]: 1854-1860. Memorandum book chiefly documenting cotton shipments to Charleston, New York, and Savannah. Entries identify agents receiving shipments in each city. This volume also contains accounts that apparently document wages for hired workers, along with supplies they purchased. Other entries list freight charges for cotton shipments by boat.

Folder 134

Volume 8 [I-7]: 1858-1860. "Boat Account." Ledger showing shipments listed by date under each customer's name.

Folder 135

Volume 9 [43, IV-1]: 1858-1860. "Bank of Augusta in account with J. R. Simpson." Information about the account includes dates of deposits, withdrawals, and balances.

Folder 136

Volume 10 [B24]: 1859-1862. "S. D. Heard's Cash Book," shows bank balance, notes, interest, and itemized expenses.

Folder 137

Volume 11 [B20]: 1860-1862. "Heard & Simpson, Memorandum, Storage on Goods. Delivery of Salt." Information includes number and cost of bags of salt delivered to each customer. Storage accounts apparently do not relate to cotton. Instead they chiefly relate to storage of unspecified machinery. For example, Heard and Simpson stored "19 boxes of machinery" for George Schley.

Folder 138

Volume 12 [45, IV-3]: 1858-1863. Check book issued by Mechanics Bank, Augusta, Ga. Information on check stubs includes date check was written, brief note about the purpose of the check, and account balance.

Folder 139

Volume 13 [32, II-3]: 1860-1863. "Cotton Book No. 5." contains copies of invoices for cotton handled by Heard & Simpson. Information includes charges for drayage and storage.

Folder 140

Volume 14 [B2]: 1853-1854; 1861-1863. This volume contains two distinct sections. The first section (1853-1854) shows "Bank of Augusta in account with S. D. Heard," showing deposits, withdrawals, and balances. A second section (1861-1863) contains "Cotton Collections, J. R. Simpson," with information that includes name of customer, number of bales, and amount collected.

Folder 141

Volume 15 [B12]: 1862-1863. "The Mechanics Bank with Heard and Simpson." Account book shows deposits, amounts of checks, and balances.

Folder 142

Volume 16 [46, IV-4]: 1863. Check book issued by Bank of the State of Georgia at Augusta. Information on check stubs includes date check was written, brief note about purpose of check, and remaining account balance.

Folder 143

Volume 17 [B7]: 1857-1864. "The Mechanics Bank, Augusta, Ga., in account with S. D. Heard." Information includes deposits, amounts of checks, and remaining balances.

Folder 144

Volume 18 [B21]: 1861-1864. "Post Office Pass Book, Augusta, Ga.," shows postage expenses for Heard & Simpson and for S. D. Heard.

Folder 145

Volume 19 [B8]: 1864-1865. "Bank of Augusta in account with S. D. Heard." Information includes deposits, cash withdrawals, and remaining balances.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/20

Volume 20 [I-5]: 1844-1866. Cotton ledger organized by client, includes location of client's residence and bales of cotton sold.

Folder 146

Folder number not used

Folder 147

Volume 21 [B9]: 1865-1866. "The National Bank of Augusta, Augusta, Ga., in account with S. D. Heard." Information includes deposits, withdrawals, and balances.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/22

Volume 22 [I-10]: 1861-1867. General business ledger. In addition to accounts with individual clients, entries organized in various other categories such as cash account, merchandise account, bills receivable, bills payable, insurance, and interest.

Folder 148

Folder number not used

Folder 149

Volume 23 [40, III-3]: 1865-1867. "Southern Express Company Money Receipt Book." Receipts for shipments consigned by S. D. Heard showing names of addressees and value of shipment.

Folder 150

Volume 24 [I-1]: 1845-1868. Receipt book. Record of amounts received from M. M. Dye; Dye, Robertson & Co.; Dye & Heard; Heard & Simpson; and S. D. Heard, on cotton accounts.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/25

Volume 25 [I-11]: 1861-1868. Daybook contains a record of daily business activities. Information includes a brief description of reason for expense or income. Entries relate to personal family expenses as well as general commission business. Individual entries were transferred to ledgers as noted in the margins.

Folder 151

Folder number not used

Folder 152

Volume 26 [I-12]: 1861-1868. Cash book contains double entries related to cash received and expended. Entries balanced regularly. Information includes name of client and brief notation of service or other reason for transaction.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/27

Volume 27 [I-13]: 1867-1868. Ledger. In addition to accounts with individuals, this volume contains accounts identified as cash, merchandise, interest, insurance, expense, and family. In general, information recorded simply shows cash received or expended for each account, without description of services or goods purchased or rendered.

Folder 153

Folder number not used

Folder 154

Volume 28 [B10]: 1867-1868. "Savings Bank of Augusta in account with S. D. Heard." Entries show amounts of deposits, withdrawals, running balances, and interest.

Folder 155

Volume 29 [B3]: 1867-1869. "Mem'm. Sales of cotton by S. D. Heard and from May S. D. H. & Son, March 15, 1867 to 25 March '69." Entries show names of customers and amounts collected.

Folder 156

Volume 30 [47, IV-5]: 1868-1869. "Savings Bank of Augusta in account with S. D. Heard & Son." Account book shows dates of deposits, withdrawals, and balances.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/31

Volume 31 [I-2]: 1853-1870. Ledger containing cotton accounts organized by client, showing purchases and sales. Information includes: from whom cotton was bought, marks, number of bales, weights, prices; and to whom bales were sold, marks, weights, unit prices, total amounts, storage charges, commission, interest, and net sales.

Folder 157

Folder number not used

Folder 158

Volume 32 [I-9]: 1861; 1868-1870. This volume contains two parts. Most entries compose a "Cash Book" (1861) for Heard & Simpson showing daily double entries of receipts and expenditures with brief notes about the reason for each transaction. Accounts from 1868 to 1870 show monthly summaries of bales of cotton received and delivered by S. D. Heard & Son.

Folder 159

Volume 33 [33]: 1867-1870. Copies of Invoices for cotton sold by S. D. Heard & Son. Information includes drayage, taxes, and commissions charged.

Folder 160

Volume 34 [B4]: 1869-1870. "Mem'm. Sales of Cotton By S. D. Herd & Son." Pencilled entries show names of customers and amounts collected.

Folder 161

Volume 35 [38, III-1]: 1857-1871. "A[ugusta] & S[avannah] Rail Road Freight Book, S. D. Heard, and S. D. Heard and Son." Daybook showing shipments. Information includes name of customer, destination, freight charges, and sometimes the contents of the shipment are itemized. Freight bills for 1871 are for Central Railroad.

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Volume 36 [I-14]: 1868-1871. Cash book containing double entries balanced regularly. Some entries include brief notation of reason for expense or income.

Folder 162

Folder number not used

Folder 163

Volume 37 [35, II-6]: 1870-1871. Copies of Invoices for cotton sold by S. D. Heard & Son.

Folder 164

Volume 38 [B5]: 1870-1871. "Mem'm. Sales of Cotton by S. D. Heard & Son." Pencilled entries show names of customers and amounts collected.

Folder 165

Volume 39 [I-8]: 1868-1872. "Produce receips by S. D. Heard & Son." Accounts chiefly show rope and bagging sold. Additional transactions include cotton seed sales and produce received (for example, wheat, peas, tobacco, apples, hay). Also listed is an account labeled "Received from Chattanooga, TN, weight of 514 sks. corn in a/c J. J. Bryan."

Folder 166

Volume 40 [B11]: 1870-1872. "Savings Bank of Augusta in Account with S. D. Heard & Son." Information includes deposits, cash withdrawals, and balances.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/41

Volume 41 [I-17]: 1871-1872. Cash book contains double entries related to cash received and expended. Entries balanced regularly. Information includes name of client and brief notation of reason for transaction.

Folder 167

Folder number not used

Folder 168

Volume 42 [I-19]: 1871-1872. Volume containing "Commercial Insurance Co. Open Fire Policy with S. D. Heard & Son," includes brief description of warehouses where cotton was stored. Insured property chiefly consisted of cotton and fertilizers. Some 1880 household accounts recorded at the back of the volume show expenses for cook, housegirl, and washing.

Folder 169

Volume 43 [I-25]: 1870-1873. Partially used check book issued to S. D. Heard & Son. Stubs list name of recipient, amount paid, and date. Some pages of unused checks were used in 1882 to list boarders and their dates of arrival at Sand Hills, Ga. Among the boarders listed were Willis Heard, Martin Charles Heard, Anna C. Heard, and Martin Francis Muir Heard.

Folder 170

Volume 44 [I-18]: 1871-1873. Daybook labeled "S. D. Heard & Son: W. H. Scales Book containing weights of planter's cotton." Recorded information includes clients' names, number of bales, and weights of cotton.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/45

Volume 45 [I-20]: 1872-1873. "New York Futures" Index and "Augusta Futures." Entries show stocks?/contracts? bought and sold.

Folder 171

Folder number not used

Folder 172

Volume 46 [36, II-7]: 1872-1873. Copies of Invoices for cotton sold by S. D. Heard & Son.

Folder 173

Volume 47 [42, III-5]: 1872-1873. "Georgia Rail Road, Augusta Depot." Receipts for shipments received from S. D. Heard & Son. Most of this volume is empty.

Folder 174

Volume 48 [39, III-2]: 1857-1874. "Georgia Rail Road Bills." Daybook showing shipments. Information includes name of customer, destination, freight charges, and sometimes the itemized contents of the shipment.

Folder 175

Volume 49 [B26]: 1873-1874. Memorandum book of Richard Willis Heard. The volume contains miscellaneous notes related to commission business. Heard warned anyone who might find the volume, "The finder will please return this little mem'm. book to R. W. Heard, #8 McIntosh St., Augusta, Georgia. To him only is it useful."

Folder 176

Volume 50 [B16]: 1872-1875. "Express Receipts, Book #2," contains receipts of the Southern Express Company showing date, destination, and value of shipment.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/51

Volume 51 [I-23]: 1873-1875. Cash book containing double entries balanced regularly. Some entries include brief notation of reason for transaction.

Folder 177

Folder number not used

Folder 178

Volume 52 [37, II-8]: 1873-1875. Copies of Invoices for cotton sold by S. D. Heard & Son.

Folder 179

Volume 53 [B6]: 1873-1875. Memorandum book showing sales of cotton by S. D. Heard & Son. Information includes names of customers, and amounts collected.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/54

Volume 54 [I-16]: 1870-1876. Ledger containing cotton accounts organized by client, showing purchases and sales. Information includes: from whom cotton was bought, marks, number of bales, weights, prices; and to whom bales were sold, marks, weights, unit prices, total amounts, storage charges, commission, interest, and net sales.

Folder 180

Folder number not used

Folder 181

Volume 55 [41, III-4]: 1872-1876. "Central Rail Road, Augusta Depot." Itemized receipts for shipments received from S. D. Heard & Son. Most of this volume is empty.

Folder 182

Volume 56 [B17]: 1872-1876. "Express Receipts, Book #3," contains receipts of the Southern Express Company showing date, destination, and value of shipment.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/57

Volume 57 [I-24]: 1873-1876. "Trial balances, S. D. Heard & Son, Augusta, Ga." Accounts with individuals listed with monthly balances.

Folder 183

Folder number not used

Folder 184

Volume 58 [B13]: 1876-1877. "The Bank of Augusta in Account with R. W. Heard." Account book chiefly shows deposits, balanced regularly. Withdrawals are not itemized.

Folder 185

Volume 59 [B27]: 1876-1878. Memorandum book of Richard Willis Heard containing miscellaneous notes and accounts related to his commission business. The volume also contains a vote tally for an unidentified election.

Oversize Volume SV-1478/60

Volume 60 [27]: Undated. Index for an unidentified volume listing account name and page number.

Folder 186

Folder number not used

Oversize Volume SV-1478/61

Volume 61 [28]: Undated. Index for an unidentified volume listing account name and page number.

Folder 186

Folder number not used

Oversize Volume SV-1478/62

Volume 62 [29]: Undated. Undated. Index for an unidentified volume listing account name and page number.

Folder 186

Folder number not used

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Heard Family Materials, 1830-1935.

About 180 items.

Arrangement: chronological by type of material.

Family correspondence, household account books, diaries and other materials unrelated to the commission business. Much of this material relates to women and children.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Family Correspondence, 1830-1935.

About 150 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Chiefly letters to family members other than Stephen D. Heard related to personal or family matters rather than business. Letters can be categorized according to two chronological periods.

1830-1847. There are only a few letters during this period, chiefly from family members of Mary Willis Heard. There is very little correspondence between Stephen D. Heard and his immediate family. Two letters exchanged between Stephen D. Heard and Mary Willis Heard are all the surviving documentation for the family's years in Talbotton, Ga. There are no family letters to document the 1850s years in Augusta.

1861-1889. Chiefly correspondence of Richard Willis Heard and Anna Platt Heard. Anna received several letters from family members separated during the war, including one from her brother Charlie at Pauley Island. The most substantive documentation for the war years, however, consists of several letters to Richard from his admirer, Annorette Greene, who revealed the impact of the Civil War in the small Georgia town of Greensboro. The collection contains more substantial documentation for postwar experience than for wartime events. Letters from Anna's brother in Knoxville, Tenn., describe postwar violence in east Tennessee. Richard received long letters from a friend named "Dime" who moved to War Trace, Tenn., after the war and discussed his readjustment to civilian life. Of particular note is a letter (23 October 1865) to Anna from her "old mamy," Ellis Davis. In 1867 a series of notes (dated and undated) exchanged by Richard W. Heard and Anna Platt document their courtship. Their marriage is less well documented in scattered letters written during occasional separations when Richard traveled on business or Anna visited family. Among the correspondents during this period are Anna's parents and other Platt family members, and Charlie, Willis, and Frankie Heard, the sons of Anna and Richard.

Folder 187

1830-1847

Folder 188

1861-1863

Folder 189

1864-1865

Folder 190

1866

Folder 191

1867

Folder 192

1868 January-April

Folder 193

1868 May-December

Folder 194

1868 Undated 1868

Folder 195

1869

Folder 196

1870-1874

Folder 197

1876-1879

Folder 198

1880-1896; 1935

Folder 199-200

Folder 199

Folder 200

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Volumes and Other Family Materials, 1843-1889.

About 30 items.

Arrangement: chronological according to date of last entry.

(Note that when a volume's number has changed as a result of reprocessing, the old numbers may be found in square brackets following the current volume number.)

Travel diary and memorabilia related to the honeymoon trip of Richard Willis Heard and Anna Platt Heard in 1868; diary of R. W. Heard kept while he was a young school-aged boy; and miscellaneous household accounts. See also Subseries 1.2.2., Volumes S-25, S-27, and 43 for additional information related to family expenses.

Folder 201

Volume 63 [B19]: circa 1843. Small volume with miscellaneous scattered entries, apparently used by more than one person. Entries include a copy of a letter written in 1843 by Mary L. C. Heard in Dover, Green County, Ga., about cooking and baking for a fair. Other undated entries consist chiefly of miscellaneous lists or personal accounts for items ranging from powder, shot, and lead, to clothing and school books.

Folder 202

Volume 64 [B25]: 1868. Travel diary kept by Richard Willis Heard during his honeymoon trip with Anna A. Platt. The couple were married on 3 June 1868, and visited New York, the Catskills, Niagara Falls, and Quebec, Canada, in June and July. Heard described sights and activities for most days of the trip. The volume also contains a list of bridal presents identifying the gift and the name of the giver. See also Folder 203 for printed materials, receipts and other items the couple accumulated during their honeymoon trip.

Folder 203

1868, Honeymoon memorabilia

Folder 204

Volume 65 [I-26]: 1887-1889. Cash accounts of Mrs. C. Anna Heard showing income and expenditures chiefly related to household maintenance and personal items. For example, expenses include insurance, shingles for the stable, carpet, and shoes. Volume also includes an account labeled "Servants Season, 1888-89," showing names of servants and monthly earnings.

Folder 205

Volume 66 [B28]: 1887-1889. "Diary of R. W. Heard from September 3rd, 1887 to October 6th, 1889." Heard, probably the son of Anna Platt and Richard Willis Heard, reveals an active childhood in short but descriptive daily entries. The diary begins while Heard and his mother were on vacation in New York and New Haven. He mentions such boyish activities as bowling, billiards, tennis, whist, croquet, fishing, football. Upon returning to Augusta, Heard performed such household chores as painting and yard work. In September of 1889, Heard traveled to Bethlehem, Penn. to take the entrance exam at Lehigh University. Though he did not pass the exam, he entered a nearby preparatory school and boyish games gave way to rigorous studying.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Other Materials, 1826-1874.

About 200 items.

(Note that when a volume's number has changed as a result of reprocessing, the old numbers may be found in square brackets following the current volume number.)

A variety of materials, some with an unclear connection to Stephen D. Heard's commission interests or to the Heard family. Much of this material relates to the Platt family before the marriage of Anna Platt and Richard Willis Heard. School materials consist of mathematics lessons of Charles A. Platt (1826) and grade reports (1858-1860) of his daughter, Anna, at The Misses Sedgwick's School (in Augusta?). Three volumes relate to the furniture business of Charles A. Platt. Other Platt family information includes a family register with a slave list, and an extensive library inventory.

Election returns document several Talbot County, Ga., elections from 1838 to 1849. Also included are poetry and other writings by unidentified authors, newspaper clippings, and a variety of advertisements, certificates, and other printed materials. A cookbook and account books document unidentified households. [See also Subseries 1.1.2. Volume 1 for accounts documenting the grocery business of R. S. Hook in Chattanooga, Tenn. The connection between Hook's business and Stephen D. Heard's commercial interests is unclear.]

Folder 206

Election Returns, Talbot County, Ga., 1838-1849

Folder 207

Poetry and other writings

Folder 208

School Materials, 1826-1860

Folder 209-210

Folder 209

Folder 210

Miscellaneous certificates, advertisements, and other printed materials

Folder 211

Newspaper clippings

Folder 212

Volume 67 [30, II-1]. 1846-1849. Letterpress copy book containing copies of letters and a few accounts of Charles A. Platt related to his furniture business in Augusta, Ga. Letters primarily represent orders addressed to furniture makers or suppliers often containing descriptions of furniture and occasional drawings. Accounts and letters also document furniture prices and how much Platt ordered.

Folder 213

Volume 68 [B23]: 1839-1865. This volume contains four distinct sections--a ledger, a family register, inventories, and recipes. First, "Chas. A. Platt's Ledger, New York," (1839-1846) documents cash received and expended. Information includes dates and amounts of transactions, itemized expenses, and accounts with individual clients. Among the entries is an account documenting shipment costs for "Goods ship'd to the store in Augusta." The second part consists of a Platt family register showing names and dates of birth and death for several Platt family members. According to the last dated entry, Charles Platt died on 15 May 1865. This section also includes a "Negroe Register" showing names and dates of birth for several generations of Platt family slaves. The third section consists of an "Inventory of Library Books, January 1849, Elizabeth Platt," listing over 490 volumes; and an "Inventory of House Linens," 1852. The final undated section consists of recipes and remedies from cakes and puddings to soap and rheumatism.

Folder 214

Volume 69 [B22]: 1828-1867. "The Property of Mrs. Anna Edgar, Augusta, Geoa., September 1828." Recipe book apparently passed down through several generations. In addition to recipes for food preparation--orange pudding and roast, for example --entries also cover a wide variety of topics such as remedies for dysentery, a formula for whitewash, and a "recipe for knitted lace." Some recipes identify the original source and are dated. Mrs. Smith's tomato and onion recipe of 1867 appears to be the latest entry.

Folder 215

Volume 70 [I-4]: 1854-1857; 1866-1867. Memorandum book of a person with the initials M. M. R. B. (a woman?) contains household and personal accounts, including payment of hired laborers. Also contains a list of letters written and received (1866-1867).

Folder 216

Volume 71 [I-15]. 1869; 1871. This volume is composed of three distinct sections. The first section consists of a daybook documenting furniture business of C. A. Platt. Entries show itemized furniture sales. Customers included Stephen D. Heard and his son Richard Willis Heard. The second section is a series of lists of "Names of Parties and post office addresses of those furnished with mosquito net circulars, 1871." These lists include companies in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The third undated section represents a commonplace book of transcribed poetry.

Folder 217

Volume 72 [I-21]: 1872-1874. Record of monthly payments of George L. Oliver to Augusta Real Estate & Building Association, possibly for stock purchased in the company. Also includes record of transfer of account as collateral security and its reassignment. The volume includes a printed copy of the constitution and by-laws of the real estate association.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Oversize Papers.

Oversize Paper OP-1478/1-8

OP-1478/1

OP-1478/2

OP-1478/3

OP-1478/4

OP-1478/5

OP-1478/6

OP-1478/7

OP-1478/8

Oversize papers

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Additions

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.1. Genealogical Materials of Heard, Platt, and Willis Families (Addition of January 2015)

Acquisitions Information: Acc. 102156.

Box 18

Genealogical materials of Heard, Platt, and Willis families

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.2. Genealogical papers of Heard, Nesbit, and Willis families (Addition of September 2015)

Acquisitions Information: Accession 102315

This addition consists of 4 booklets documenting the family tree of Stephen D. Heard (1807-1875), Virginia Lord Heard (1905-1997), Richard Willis Heard (1906-1992), George Alexander Heard (1917-2009), Richard Willis Heard (1871-1959), and Virginia Lord Nesbit (1879-1963). It also includes facsimiles and transcriptions of a journal and a monograph written by George Willis (1754-1827) of Wilkes County, Ga. and King William County, Va.

Box 19

Genealogical papers of Heard, Nesbit, and Willis families

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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