Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#380
WILLIAM JOHNSON PAPERS
Inventory
Compiled by
Rebecca Hollingsworth
July 1992
Abstract: Business and family letters, chiefly 1783-1849, of
the family of William Johnson, a Franklin County,
N.C., planter, including correspondence concerning
such matters as the Philanthropic Society at the
University of North Carolina, 1812, the hiring out of
slaves, conditions in Alabama in 1838, and life on the
home front during the Civil War; financial and legal
papers, chiefly 1840-1854, of John H. Hawkins and
various members of the Johnson family; and an undated
manuscript by Simon Blank of the 6th New York Cavalry
Regiment, "Anecdotes of a Soldier who Fought in the
War of Rebellion under Generals Grant and Sheridan."
Correspondents include William's brother George W.
Johnson, merchant of Milton, N.C.; sisters Elizabeth
("Betsy"), Sally Adams, Rebecca (d. 1838), and Emily
C. C. Johnson; and Robert A. Jones.
Online Catalog Terms:
Alabama--Economic conditions--19th century.
Blank, Simon.
Franklin County (N.C.)--Social conditions--Civil War,
1861-1865.
Hawkins, John H., fl. 1831-1853.
Johnson family.
Johnson, George W., fl. 1825-1841.
Johnson, William, fl. 1810-1850.
Merchants--North Carolina--History--19th century.
Milton (N.C.)--Commerce--History--19th century.
Plantation life--North Carolina.
Slavery--North Carolina.
U. S. Army. New York Cavalry Regiment, Sixth.
United States. Army--Military life--History--Civil War,
1861-1865.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal
narratives.
University of North Carolina--Students--19th century.
Size: About 500 items (1.0 linear feet).
Provenance: Gift of Alice Green before 1940.
Access: No restrictions.
Processing Note: 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.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States
copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Biographical Note
Series Descriptions
Series 1. Correspondence
Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers
Series 3. Other Papers
Shelf List
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Col. William Johnson (fl. 1763-1820) was a Franklin County,
N.C., planter. His children included sons William, George, and
Samuel, and daughters Rebecca, Elizabeth, Sally, and Emily.
William Johnson (fl. 1810-1850) attended the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, before returning to Franklin County,
where he became a planter. His brother George W. Johnson (fl.
1825-1890) was a merchant in Milton, N.C.
The relationship of others--John H. Hawkins, Thomas Christmas,
Thomas Jenkins, Thomas Person--represented chiefly in the
Financial and Legal Papers series to the Johnsons is unknown.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Correspondence
1783-1890. About 180 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters, chiefly 1825-1860, of various members of the Johnson
family of Franklin and Caswell counties, N.C. Most letters are
to William Johnston, a planter in Franklin County, from his
brother George W. Johnson, a merchant in Milton, N.C. Letters
chiefly discuss business matters, such as horse trading and the
hiring out of slaves,. and including brief comments, 1838, on
conditions in Alabama. Also included are letters of George W.
Johnson to his brother Samuel and his sisters Elizabeth (Betsy),
Rebecca, and Emily C. C. Johnson, about business matters and
family news; letters, 1810-1812, that William Johnson received
when he was a student at the University of North Carolina,
including several from Robert A. Jones, 1812, concerning business
of the Philanthropic Society; and letters, 1783-1800, to William
and George's father Col. William Johnson, also a planter.
Folder 1 1783-1809
2 1810-1811
3 1812-1820
4 1822-1832
5 1833-1835
6 1836-1837
7 1838-1839
8 1841-1849
9 1850-1859
10 1860-1870, 1878, 1888-1890, and undated
Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers.
1760-1888. About 310 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Mostly bills, receipts and accounts, 1842-1865, pertaining to
the affairs of John H. Hawkins as guardian of the children of
Thomas Christmas and Thomas Jenkins. Also included are papers,
1760-1813, concerning Col. William Johnson, including deeds for
land in Franklin County and bills of sale for slaves; deeds,
1838-1841, for land bought by Thomas Person; and receipts and
accounts, 1856-1888, of Elizabeth ("Betsy") and George W.
Johnson.
Folder 11 1760-1823
12 1824-1838
13 1840-1843
14 1844-1845
15 1846
16 1847-1848
17 1849-1852
18 1853
19 1854-1868
20 1870-1888
21 Undated
Series 3. Other Papers
Undated. About 10 items.
Included are a handwritten manuscript titled "Anecdotes of a
Soldier who Fought in the War of Rebellion under Generals Grant
and Sheridan" (64 pp.) by Simon Blank of the 6th New York
Cavalry; an essay on "The Scottish Clans and their Tartans"; and
fragments of wallpaper and sketched decorative borders.
Folder 22 "Anecdotes of a Soldier"
23 Miscellaneous items
SHELF LIST
Box 1 Series 1. Correspondence (folders 1-10)
Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers,
1760-1838 (folders 11-12)
Box 2 Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers,
1840-1888 (folders 13-21)
Series 3. Other Papers (folders 22-23)