Inventory of the James Sexton Layton Papers, 1930-1992

Collection Number 3648

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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/

Processed by

Linda Sellars

Date Processed

August 2002

Encoded by

Linda Sellars

Date Encoded

August 2002

Revisions

Updated in July 2004 by Nancy Kaiser

Descriptive Summary

Repository

Southern Historical Collection

Creator

Layton, James Sexton.

Title

James Sexton Layton Papers, 1930-1992

Call Number

3648

Extent

About 850 items (12.5 linear feet)

Abstract

James Sexton Layton, a writer, was born in Smithfield, N.C., about 1910. In 1961, Layton published The Enchanted Garden: A Poet's Quest (New York: Vantage Press). The collection contains a draft of a novel titled "Love and War," journals, diaries, notebooks, and letters of James Sexton Layton. The journals and diaries document Layton's social and intellectual life, including visiting, reading, writing, and similar activities, in Chapel Hill, N.C., and during his military service in World War II and when he lived in Europe following the war. Journals, 1947-1967, were dictated and then typed. Diaries, 1930-1990, are handwritten, except for the war diaries, which are typed. Letters include volumes in which Layton transcribed letters sent and received by him. The addition of 2004 includes journals, diaries, and letters that fill chronological gaps in the original deposit. Also included are college essays, poetry, some fiction and non-fiction writings that reflect on wartime service, autobiographical fiction, and a few miscellaneous items documenting Layton's work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in Latvia. Also included are hundreds of horoscopes and palmistry studies, a few unidentified photographs, and a Purple Heart for Military Merit medal.

Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access

No restrictions.

Provenance

Received from James Sexton Layton in 1975 and from the estate of James Sexton Layton in 2002 (Acc. 99261) and 2004 (Acc. 99715).

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the James Sexton Layton Papers #3648, Southern Historical Collection, 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.

Layton, James Sexton.

Authors, American--North Carolina--20th century.

Diaries.

Authors, American--Diaries.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.

Europe--Description and travel.

Chapel Hill (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century.

North Carolina--Intellectual life--20th century.

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

Horoscopes.

Palmistry.

Latvia--History--1940-1991.

Biographical Note

James Sexton Layton, a writer, was born in Smithfield, N.C., about 1910. He received an A.B. degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1938 and an M.A. in 1941.

From his journals, it appears that Layton served in the 17th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, U.S. Army, during World War II. From September 1945 until January 1948, he worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in the British Zone of occupied Germany. He then visited Brussels, Paris, and London and spent March-November in Liverpool, before returning to North Carolina. Layton lived in Hillsboro and Chapel Hill from 1949 until his death in 2001.

In 1961, Layton published The Enchanted Garden: A Poet's Quest (New York: Vantage Press).

Collection Overview

The collection includes a draft of a novel titled "Love and War," journals, diaries, notebooks, and letters of writer James Sexton Layton. The journals and diaries document Layton's social and intellectual life, including visiting, reading, writing, and similar activities, in Chapel Hill, N.C., and during his military service in World War II and when he lived in Europe following the war. Journals, 1947-1967, were dictated and then typed. Diaries, 1930-1990, are handwritten, except for the war diaries, which are typed. The folders titled "Letters" contain volumes in which Layton transcribed letters sent and received by him.

The addition of 2004 includes journals, diaries, and letters that fill chronological gaps in the original deposit. Also included are college essays, poetry, some fiction and non-fiction writings that reflect on wartime service, autobiographical fiction, and a few miscellaneous items documenting Layton's work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in Latvia. Also included are hundreds of horoscopes and palmistry studies, a few unidentified photographs, and a Purple Heart for Military Merit medal.

Organization of Collection

Original Deposit
Addition of 2004

Detailed Description of the Collection

Items Separated

Items separated include oversize papers (OP-3648/1), photographs (P-3648), and a museum item (MU-3648/1).