]
]
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 FAQ section for more information.
Expand/collapse
Collection Overview
| Size | About 19,800 items (79.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Susie Marshall Sharp (1907-1996) of Reidsville, N.C., attorney and jurist, was elected chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1974, becoming the first woman elected chief justice of a state supreme court in the United States. A graduate of the North Carolina College for Women and the University of North Carolina School of Law, Sharp began the practice of law in Reidsville in 1929. She served as Reidsville city attorney, 1939-1949; North Carolina superior court judge until 1962; and as North Carolina supreme court justice, 1962-1979. The collection documents Susie Sharp's professional career and personal life through correspondence, subject files, speeches, and other material, chiefly 1920s-1990s. Subject files contain clippings, memoranda, and correspondence about judicial and personal matters. There are also speeches, chiefly on judicial topics, that Sharp delivered beginning in the 1950s; notebooks in which she defined legal terms and cited precedents; and memoranda, opinions and other materials related to cases she decided. Correspondence, speeches, and other materials document Sharp's 1974 campaign as Democratic Party candidate for the chief justiceship, and there are related letters from friends and associates after her election and her selection as one of twelve 1975 Time magazine Women of the Year. Some of the materials relate to William Haywood Bobbitt, whose retirement as chief justice made way for Sharp's election, and to professors, particularly Albert Coates, and students at the University of North Carolina School of Law and the North Carolina College for Women (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). Topics include judicial reform and procedures, particularly relating to discipline of judges; women in the judiciary; women lawyers; women's rights, including the Equal Rights Amendment; and prisoners' rights. Much of the personal correspondence is with Sharp family members and friends. The Additions of 2001 and 2005 chiefly contain materials similar to that of the original deposit. The Additions of April and August 2008 relate chiefly to family and private life, including correspondence between Susie Sharp and her siblings discussing trials and family affairs; postcards from various Sharp family members; a photograph of Sharp's father, James Merrit Sharp; scrapbooks compiled by Sharp's mother, Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp; clippings; a music lesson book; and sewing materials. The Addition of March 2009 includes newspaper clippings and scrapbooks that document Sharp's career and personal correspondence with family and friends, some of which is in Gregg shorthand. There are also family and professional photographs and photograph albums; calendars, diaries, notebooks, and other volumes that record professional and private affairs; and other materials, such as personal scrapbooks that reflect Sharp's interest in various lifestyle topics, clippings relating to the Klenner-Lynch murders, and papers of James Merritt Sharp that concern fundraising for the Near East College Association. |
| Creator | Sharp, Susie, 1907-1996. |
| Language | English. |
Expand/collapse
Information For Users
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.
Expand/collapse
Related Collections
Expand/collapse
Biographical Information
Susie Marshall Sharp was born in Rocky Mount, N.C., on 7 July 1907 to James Merritt Sharp and Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp. She was the eldest of seven children who survived to adulthood, including Sally Blackwell, Annie Hill, Thomas Adolphus, Louise Wortham, Florence Abigail, and James Vance.
James Merritt Sharp was born 26 September 1877. In 1900, he established Sharp Institute, a co-educational day and boarding school. The school burned down in 1907. Sharp had been studying law, and the end of his teaching career led to one as a lawyer. Sharp passed the Supreme Court's bar examination in 1908. In 1914, he moved his practice to Reidsville, N.C., where he remained for the next 38 years. He served in the North Carolina State Senate in 1925 and 1927, representing the 17th district.
Annie Britt Blackwell (4 March 1884-9 April 1971), the daughter of John Pomfret Blackwell and Sally Wortham Blackwell, was a teacher at Sharp Institute. She married James Merritt Sharp in 1906.
Susie Marshall Sharp, the couple's first child, was named after her mother's younger sister Susie and her Civil War grandfather, James Marshall Sharp. Susie Sharp attended Reidsville public schools from 1914 to 1924. An excellent student and a champion debater, she was chosen class salutatorian. Following her graduation from high school in 1924 and her entrance to the North Carolina College for Women (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Sharp developed an interest in chemistry. In part because of her debating ability, however, she had been encouraged to become a lawyer, and, in 1926, following an all-night session of wrestling over her decision, she chose law over chemistry.
In 1926, Sharp entered the School of Law at the University of North Carolina, the only woman in her class. She soon encountered the entrenched attitudes of the time that opposed women being lawyers. In spite of the obstacles, Sharp became an editor of the North Carolina Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. She received her LL.B. degree with honors in 1929. Sharp passed the bar examination in 1928 while still in school and returned to Reidsville in 1929 to practice law with her father. In the early 1930s, Sharp served as secretary and legal researcher at the University of North Carolina School of Law. As a female lawyer Sharp was a rarity at the time; women were not allowed to serve on juries in North Carolina until 1946.
Sharp was appointed Reidsville's city attorney in 1939. In 1948, her growing influence in the governmental and political affairs of Rockingham County led her father's friend, Kerr Scott, to appoint her as his campaign manager for Rockingham County in the Democratic primary for governor. In the summer of 1949, Governor Scott appointed Susie Sharp to the North Carolina Superior Court bench, making her the first female judge in the history of the state. Judge Sharp's first term established her interest in prison conditions, a concern she maintained for the remainder of her career.
Governor Terry Sanford appointed Sharp to the North Carolina Supreme Court on 9 March 1962. Justice Sharp's appointment made her the first female member of the North Carolina Supreme Court and only the second associate justice from Rockingham County, Thomas Settle having preceded her nearly 100 years earlier in 1868. She was elected in November to fill the remainder of Associate Justice Emory Denny's term, and, in 1966, she was elected to a full eight-year term.
Forced by a newly enacted retirement law to retire in 1974, Chief Justice William Haywood Bobbitt and the rest of the court encouraged Sharp, as the senior associate justice, to seek the chief justiceship. In 1974, she became the first female in the United States to be elected chief justice of a state supreme court, garnering 74 percent of the vote.
During Justice Sharp's seventeen-year tenure on the court, she wrote 459 majority opinions. Her first reported case was Trust Company v. Willis , 257 N.C. 59 (1962), and her last reported case was Pipkin v. Thomas & Hill, Inc., 298 N.C. 278 (1979). In addition, she authored 124 concurring opinions and 45 dissenting opinions.
Sharp's major opinions include: Toone v. Adams, 262 N.C. 403 (1964), about an umpire's right to sue a baseball team and manager who had incited the crowd against him; D & W, Inc. v. Charlotte , 268 N.C. 577 (1966), ruling that brown-bagging in restaurants was not permitted under the law then in existence; Rabon v. Rowan Memorial Hospital, Inc. , 269 N.C. 1 (1967), abolishing hospitals' immunity from liability under the charitable immunity doctrine; Hall v. Board of Elections, 280 N.C. 600 (1972), establishing criteria for college students' eligibility to vote where they went to college; Smith v. State, 289 N.C. 303 (1976), that limited the ancient doctrine of "sovereign immunity"; and In re Peoples, 296 N.C. 109 (1978), the first decision removing a judge for willful misconduct in office.
Chief Justice Sharp successfully advocated for a constitutional amendment, passed in 1980, requiring that all judges be lawyers, after having faced fire extinguisher salesman James Newcomb as her Republican opponent for the chief justiceship.
Sharp received many honors, beginning in 1950 with an honorary LL.D. degree from the North Carolina College for Women. She received an honorary L.H.D. degree from Pfeiffer College in 1960 and honorary LL.D.s from Queens College in 1962, Elon College in 1963, Wake Forest College in 1965, Catawba College in 1970, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970, and Duke University in 1974. In 1952, the February issue of the Ladies Home Journal recognized her as one of the thirteen outstanding women in public office throughout the country. Twenty-four years later, she was selected by Time magazine in its 6 January 1976 issue as one of twelve women of the year for 1975.
Sharp's accomplishments resulted in a series of awards from women's organizations including the 1959 Achievement Citation from the North Carolina Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the Distinguished Service Award for Women from the Chi Omega Sorority in 1959, the Alumni Service Award from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1975, and the Special Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement from the New York Women's Bar Association in 1976.
Susie Sharp died in 1996.
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Scope and Content
The collection documents Susie Sharp's professional career and personal life through correspondence, subject files, speeches, and other material, chiefly 1920s-1990s. Subject files contain clippings, memoranda, and correspondence about judicial and personal matters. There are also speeches, chiefly on judicial topics, that Sharp delivered beginning in the 1950s; notebooks in which she defined legal terms and cited precedents; and memoranda, opinions and other materials related to cases she decided. Correspondence, speeches, and other materials document Sharp's 1974 campaign as Democratic Party candidate for the chief justiceship, and there are related letters from friends and associates after her election and her selection as one of twelve 1975 Time magazine Women of the Year. Some of the materials relate to William Haywood Bobbitt, whose retirement as chief justice made way for Sharp's election, and to professors, particularly Albert Coates, and students at the University of North Carolina School of Law and the North Carolina College for Women (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). Topics include judicial reform and procedures, particularly relating to discipline of judges; women in the judiciary; women lawyers; women's rights, including the Equal Rights Amendment; and prisoners' rights. Much of the personal correspondence is with Sharp family members and friends, 1920s-1980s, although there are no letters from the 1950s and few from the 1960s. The Additions of 2001 and 2005 chiefly contain materials similar to that of the original deposit. The Additions of April and August 2008 relate chiefly to family and private life, including correspondence between Susie Sharp and her siblings discussing trials and family affairs; postcards from various Sharp family members; a photograph of Sharp's father, James Merrit Sharp; scrapbooks compiled by Sharp's mother, Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp; clippings; a music lesson book; and sewing materials. The Addition of March 2009 includes newspaper clippings and scrapbooks that document Sharp's career and personal correspondence with family and friends, some of which is in Gregg shorthand. There are also family and professional photographs and photograph albums; calendars, diaries, notebooks, and other volumes that record professional and private affairs; and other materials, such as personal scrapbooks that reflect Sharp's interest in various lifestyle topics, clippings relating to the Klenner-Lynch murders, and papers of James Merritt Sharp that concern fundraising for the Near East College Association.
Note that, in some cases, original file folder titles have been retained.
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Series Quick Links
Expand/collapse
Series 1. Office Files, 1929-April
1986.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, and March 2009.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.1. General Subject Files, July 1946,
August 1963-July 1985.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Letters, memoranda, magazine and newspaper articles, pamphlets, research materials, and other items chiefly documenting Susie Sharp's professional, but with some materials relating to her personal life.
While most of the items date from the late 1960s on, the materials on the Fultz quadruplets, for whom Sharp served as trustee, contain letters from earlier in the decade and a 1946 deed by which Sharp's father sold property to the Fultz family.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation folders document Sharp's involvement in a presidential commission to recommend a successor to FBI Director Clarence M. Kelley. Sharp had initially begged off the assignment when contacted by Vice President Walter F. Mondale but agreed when importuned by Attorney General Griffin Bell, an old acquaintance.
The judicial district files contain information about judges who had been accused of wrongdoing. There is similar material in files under the name of particular judges (e.g., such as Ken Griffin) and in the In re Peoples materials in Series 1.6.
The materials on Albert Coates include correspondence, newspaper clippings, and remarks Sharp made at a ceremony honoring him. Coates was one of Sharp's teachers at the University of North Carolina School of Law and the founder of the Institute of Government at UNC.
Prison letters are from prisoners complaining about prison conditions or about the circumstances of their convictions. Sharp was known to have a long-standing interest in maintaining humane prison conditions.
There is a substantial amount of material, including newspaper clippings and correspondence, on the Equal Rights Amendment. Despite her role as a trailblazer for women lawyers, women judges, and women in government generally, Sharp received criticism from some quarters for her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Sharp believed that, while women must be afforded equal opportunities, their position in society entitled them to certain preferential protections, such as pensions, that a rigorous interpretation of the Equal Rights Amendment would destroy.
Note that Sharp's original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.2. 1974 Chief Justice Campaign Files, July 1973-November 1974.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001 and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, correspondence, invoices, and other materials related to Susie Sharp's campaign for election to the position of chief justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1974, Chief Justice William H. Bobbitt was forced to step down due to a law requiring judges to retire at age 72. Justice Sharp was next in line in seniority, but she had to be elected to the position. She expected that her Republican opponent would be Elreta Alexander, a state district judge. Alexander was defeated in the primary, however, by Jim Newcomb, a businessman without any legal training or experience. Sharp made the importance of legal experience the central theme of her campaign.
Note that Sharp's original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained. See also folder 477 for speeches given during the campaign.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.3. General Correspondence, October
1972-April 1986.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001 and January 2005.
Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent.
Much of this correspondence is of a professional nature, but there are many personal letters, particularly to and from Sharp family members.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.4. Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and Time Magazine Files, November 1974-January 1976.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Correspondence offering Sharp congratulations on her 1974 election to the chief justiceship of the North Carolina Supreme Court and her selection as one of Time magazine Women of the Year, 1975.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.5. Speech Files, April
1959-September 1981.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by speech title or group/occasion.
Texts of various speeches Susie Sharp delivered during her career, most of which relate to the law and her experiences. Please note that a few speeches may be found elsewhere in the collection, particularly in the General Subject Files (Series 1.1).
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.6. Case Files, 1962-1979.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by case name.
Research memoranda and opinions delivered in various cases during Susie Sharp's tenure on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Cases of note include D & W, Inc. v. Charlotte , 268 N.C. 577 (1966), ruling that brown-bagging in restaurants was not permitted under the law then in existence, and In re Peoples , 296 N.C. 109 (1978), the first opinion of this court removing a judge from office for willful misconduct in office.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979.
Arrangement: alphabetical by term defined.
Contents of seven three-ring binders with definitions of legal terms and doctrines. The papers from each binder have been arranged alphabetically, but separated to show the structure of the original seven binders. Some of the binders were clearly begun early in Susie Sharp's legal career, with others started after she was on the bench.
| Folder 514-520 |
A-B #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 514-520Folder 514Folder 515Folder 516Folder 517Folder 518Folder 519Folder 520 |
| Folder 521-527 |
C-D #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 521-527Folder 521Folder 522Folder 523Folder 524Folder 525Folder 526Folder 527 |
| Folder 528-535 |
E-F #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 528-535Folder 528Folder 529Folder 530Folder 531Folder 532Folder 533Folder 534Folder 535 |
| Folder 536-542 |
G-H #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 536-542Folder 536Folder 537Folder 538Folder 539Folder 540Folder 541Folder 542 |
| Folder 543-549 |
I-K #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 543-549Folder 543Folder 544Folder 545Folder 546Folder 547Folder 548Folder 549 |
| Folder 550-556 |
L-M #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 550-556Folder 550Folder 551Folder 552Folder 553Folder 554Folder 555Folder 556 |
| Folder 557-563 |
N-P #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 557-563Folder 557Folder 558Folder 559Folder 560Folder 561Folder 562Folder 563 |
| Folder 564-570 |
Q-R #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 564-570Folder 564Folder 565Folder 566Folder 567Folder 568Folder 569Folder 570 |
| Folder 571-577 |
S-T #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 571-577Folder 571Folder 572Folder 573Folder 574Folder 575Folder 576Folder 577 |
| Folder 578-584 |
U-Z #04898, Subseries: "1.7. Legal Notebooks, 1929-1979. " Folder 578-584Folder 578Folder 579Folder 580Folder 581Folder 582Folder 583Folder 584 |
Expand/collapse
Series 2. Personal Correspondence, 1900-1989.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, April 2008, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent.
Susie Sharp's personal correspondence with family and friends. The letters begin in the 1920s and continue through the 1980s. There is a noticeable lack of correspondence in the 1950s and only a smattering in the 1960s. Some personal letters that Sharp kept in her office files may be found in Series 1, particularly the Sharp Family folder in the Series 1.1, Series 1.3, and Series 1.4.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.1. 1900-1929.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, April 2008, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Personal letters written to and from Susie Sharp, mostly in the 1920s. Included are letters from her father and mother, James Merritt Sharp and Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp, as well as from her siblings Annie, Sallie, Tommy, Florence, and Louise. Other correspondents were Sharp's mother's sister Susie Webb Blackwell Garrett, her husband A. Earle Garrett, Sr., and their son A. Earle Garrett, Jr.
Sharp's friends from Reidsville included Margaret Fillman and Janie Sands. The High School Notes folder contains notes passed to Sharp from classmates in her secondary school. Nuion Boulliat was Sharp's pen pal from France, and Constance Gwaltney was a friend from the North Carolina College for Women.
Correspondents connected with the University of North Carolina include law professor Millard Breckenridge and his wife Venitah and students, including Maude Brown, Dorothy Fahs, Lee Kennett, Lina Keller, Howard Gibson Godwin, and Eleanor Torrens. Ruby Ross was a secretary in the law school.
The only letter written before the 1920s is a 1900 love letter to Sharp's mother.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.2. 1930-1949.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, April 2008, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent.
In September 1930, Sharp accepted a position as law school secretary and research assistant from Dean Charles T. McCormick of the University of North Carolina School of Law. This position brought her back into the Chapel Hill orbit early in the 1930s. Law school faculty and staff correspondents in this period include Agnes R. Neville, Charles McCormick, Albert Coates, A. C. McIntosh, and M. T. Van Hecke. Law school students include Hugh Lobdell, William T. Covington, Jr., Allen Langston, and John B. Lewis. Jean Breckenridge Newnam is the daughter of UNC law professor Millard Breckenridge.
In addition to correspondence from the family members identified in Series 2.1, there are also letters from Sharp's younger brother James Vance Sharp, also known as Kits.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.3. 1960-1989.
Processing note: See also Additions of January 2001, January 2005, April 2008, and March 2009.
Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent.
Correspondence from family members includes letters from Susie Sharp's sister Annie Hill Sharp Klenner and her children Fredrick Klenner, Jr., and Gertrude Klenner Wilkerson; Sharp's sister Florence Sharp Newsom and her children Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch and Robert Newsom, Jr.; Sharp's brother James Vance Sharp and his wife Gwen Sharp; Sharp's sister Louise Sharp, who had moved back into the family residence in Reidsville; Sharp's brother Thomas Sharp, his wife Bobbie Sharp, and their daughter Tyrell Sharp; and Larry Taylor and Barbara Taylor, the son and daughter-in-law of Sharp's deceased sister Sallie.
Other correspondents include Judge Bobbitt's sister, Mary Potts, and Sharp's secretary, Virginia Lyons.
Louise Sharp's correspondence is particularly voluminous. She kept in touch with many family members and wrote long Christmas letters detailing the activities of many family members.
Expand/collapse
Additions
Expand/collapse
Addition of January 2001 (Acc. 98825), 1906-1997 and undated.
The Addition of January 2001 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1. Office Files, 1910, 1923-1996
and undated.
Chiefly correspondence, clippings, financial records, campaign materials, notes, legal documents, and other papers documenting Susie Sharp's professional interests and activities. Included are articles about Sharp's judical career and accomplishments; records of the Sharp family properties in Rockingham County, N.C.; speeches; and case files.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.1. General Subject Files, 1910, 1923-1996, and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Chiefly letters, clippings, financial records, reports, research materials, and other papers documenting Susie Sharp's professional interests and activities. Included are articles about Sharp's judical career and accomplishments as well as information about her colleagues. Also included are records of the Sharp family properties in Rockingham County, N.C.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.2. 1974 Chief Justice Campaign Files, 1974.
A campaign brochure and election results from Susie Sharp's campaign for the position of chief justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.3. General Correspondence, 1928, 1945-1992, and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence about Susie Sharp's professional endeavors and financial matters.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.5. Speech Files, 1980-1985 and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Chiefly notes and text drafts of speeches Susie Sharp delivered during her career. Included is her acceptance of the North Carolina Citizens Association's 1980 Public Service Award.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.6. Case Files, 1926,
1953-1979, and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical by case name.
Chiefly memoranda, correspondence, research materials, and other legal papers about various cases Susie Sharp was involved with during her career. The cases describe a variety of legal issues.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2. Personal Correspondence, 1906,
1931-1997, and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly Susie Sharp's personal correspondence with family and friends. The letters document Sharp's life, including her accomplishments, family matters, and everyday activities.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.1. 1900-1929.
Invitation to the wedding of Susie Sharp's parents, Annie Britt Blackwell and Professor James Merritt Sharp, 3 July 1906.
| Folder 992 |
1906 #04898, Subseries: "2.1. 1900-1929." Folder 992 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.2. 1930-1959.
Chiefly Susie Sharp's correspondence with family and friends about her life and the activities of family members. Included is a letter from J. M. Sharp's campaign, 1938, for the position of Judge of the Superior Court of the 21st Judicial District.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.3. 1960-1989.
Chiefly letters written to and from Susie Sharp describing family affairs, Christmas messages, birthday wishes, local news, and other personal matters. Included are condolences received following the loss of family members and get-well cards following Sharp's automobile accident in 1986. Correspondence from family members includes letters from Susie Sharp's sister, Annie Hill Sharp Klenner and her children, Fredrick Klenner, Jr., and Gertrude Klenner Wilkerson; Sharp's sister, Florence Sharp Newsom, and her children, Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch and Robert Newsom, Jr.; Sharp's brother, James Vance Sharp, and his wife, Gwen Sharp; Sharp's sister, Louise Sharp, who had moved back into the family residence in Reidsville; Sharp's brother, Thomas Sharp, his wife, Bobbie Sharp, and their daughter, Tyrell Sharp; and Larry Taylor and Barbara Taylor, the son- and daughter-in-law of Sharp's deceased sister Sallie. Other correspondents include Evelyn Ripple (Mrs. Hoyle Ripple), Lelia Alexander, and Ruth Hutchinson.
| Folder 997 |
1960-1964 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 997 |
| Folder 998 |
1965-1967 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 998 |
| Folder 999 |
1968-1969 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 999 |
| Folder 1000 |
1970 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1000 |
| Folder 1001-1007 |
1971 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1001-1007Folder 1001Folder 1002Folder 1003Folder 1004Folder 1005Folder 1006Folder 1007 |
| Folder 1008 |
1972 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1008 |
| Folder 1009 |
1973 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1009 |
| Folder 1010-1014 |
1974 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1010-1014Folder 1010Folder 1011Folder 1012Folder 1013Folder 1014 |
| Folder 1015-1016 |
1975 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1015-1016Folder 1015Folder 1016 |
| Folder 1017-1022 |
1976 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1017-1022Folder 1017Folder 1018Folder 1019Folder 1020Folder 1021Folder 1022 |
| Folder 1023-1028 |
1977 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1023-1028Folder 1023Folder 1024Folder 1025Folder 1026Folder 1027Folder 1028 |
| Folder 1029-1031 |
1979 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1029-1031Folder 1029Folder 1030Folder 1031 |
| Folder 1032-1036 |
1980 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1032-1036Folder 1032Folder 1033Folder 1034Folder 1035Folder 1036 |
| Folder 1037 |
1981 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1037 |
| Folder 1038-1039 |
1982 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1038-1039Folder 1038Folder 1039 |
| Folder 1040-1041 |
1983 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1040-1041Folder 1040Folder 1041 |
| Folder 1042 |
1984 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1042 |
| Folder 1043-1054 |
1985 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1043-1054Folder 1043Folder 1044Folder 1045Folder 1046Folder 1047Folder 1048Folder 1049Folder 1050Folder 1051Folder 1052Folder 1053Folder 1054 |
| Folder 1055-1072 |
1986 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1055-1072Folder 1055Folder 1056Folder 1057Folder 1058Folder 1059Folder 1060Folder 1061Folder 1062Folder 1063Folder 1064Folder 1065Folder 1066Folder 1067Folder 1068Folder 1069Folder 1070Folder 1071Folder 1072 |
| Folder 1073-1079 |
1987 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1073-1079Folder 1073Folder 1074Folder 1075Folder 1076Folder 1077Folder 1078Folder 1079 |
| Folder 1080-1084 |
1988 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1080-1084Folder 1080Folder 1081Folder 1082Folder 1083Folder 1084 |
| Folder 1085-1090 |
1989 #04898, Subseries: "2.3. 1960-1989." Folder 1085-1090Folder 1085Folder 1086Folder 1087Folder 1088Folder 1089Folder 1090 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.4. 1990-1997 and undated.
Chiefly correspondence of Louise Sharp, Susie Sharp's sister, and undated letters. Included are correspondence with family members, birthday cards, and Christmas letters.
| Folder 1091-1095 |
1990 #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated." Folder 1091-1095Folder 1091Folder 1092Folder 1093Folder 1094Folder 1095 |
| Folder 1096-1097 |
1991 #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated." Folder 1096-1097Folder 1096Folder 1097 |
| Folder 1098 |
1992-1994 #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated." Folder 1098 |
| Folder 1099 |
1996-1997 #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated." Folder 1099 |
| Folder 1100-1107 |
Undated #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated." Folder 1100-1107Folder 1100Folder 1101Folder 1102Folder 1103Folder 1104Folder 1105Folder 1106Folder 1107 |
Expand/collapse
Addition of January 2005 (Acc. 99984), 1929-1993 and undated.
Processing note: The Addition of January 2005 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1. Office Files, 1950-1992 and
undated (bulk 1962-1978).
Chiefly correspondence, clippings, financial records, notes, legal documents, and other papers documenting Susie Sharp's professional and some personal interests. Included are her court opinions between 1962 and 1978, case files, a few speeches, and some general subject files. This addition is roughly sorted and maintained in Sharp's original order whenever possible.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.1. General Subject Files, 1950-1992.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Court papers, college and high school diplomas, awards, licenses, financial records, pamphlets, brochures, committee papers, some family material, writings documenting Susie Sharp's professional, and some personal, interests. Also included are notebooks recording Sharp's health and activities during her final years and a certificate to practice law granted to James Merritt Sharp from the United States Supreme Court dated 8 October 1923. Original file names maintained when possible.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.3. General Correspondence, 1962-1980 and undated.
Arrangement: original order.
Chiefly correspondence about Susie Sharp's professional and financial matters. Original order and file names maintained whenever possible.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.5. Speech Files, 1951-1979 and undated.
Arrangement: roughly chronological.
Notes and drafts of speeches delivered by Susie Sharp during her career. Included is the oath of office for Governor Jim Hunt in 1979.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.6. Case Files, 1968-1979 and undated.
Miscellaneous case files, chiefly memoranda, notes and other court related papers. These were piled together in a locked filing cabinet in no particular order.
| Folder 1322-1326 |
Case Files #04898, Subseries: "1.6. Case Files, 1968-1979 and undated." Folder 1322-1326Folder 1322Folder 1323Folder 1324Folder 1325Folder 1326 |
| Folder 1327 |
Hall vs. Hall: Non-support of Property Adjustment #04898, Subseries: "1.6. Case Files, 1968-1979 and undated." Folder 1327 |
| Folder 1328-1332 |
Loose Papers #04898, Subseries: "1.6. Case Files, 1968-1979 and undated." Folder 1328-1332Folder 1328Folder 1329Folder 1330Folder 1331Folder 1332 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.8. Opinions, 1962-1979.
Arrangement: chronological.
Bound reports of Sharp's opinions for each North Carolina Supreme Court session between 1962 and 1979.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.9. Clippings, 1949-1996 and undated (bulk 1974-1984).
Various newspaper and magazine clippings relating to Susie Sharp.
| Folder 1353-1368 |
Clippings #04898, Subseries: "1.9. Clippings, 1949-1996 and undated (bulk 1974-1984)." Folder 1353-1368Folder 1353Folder 1354Folder 1355Folder 1356Folder 1357Folder 1358Folder 1359Folder 1360Folder 1361Folder 1362Folder 1363Folder 1364Folder 1365Folder 1366Folder 1367Folder 1368 |
| Folder 1369 |
Magazine Articles #04898, Subseries: "1.9. Clippings, 1949-1996 and undated (bulk 1974-1984)." Folder 1369 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2. Personal Correspondence, 1929-1993 and undated.
Chiefly Susie Sharp's personal correspondence with family and friends documenting her personal life, accomplishments, family matters, and everyday activities.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.1. 1900-1929.
A congratulatory note from a Virginia of Salisbury dated 26 March 1929.
| Folder 1370 |
March 1929 #04898, Subseries: "2.1. 1900-1929." Folder 1370 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.2. 1930-1959.
Cards and letters from friends and family.
| Folder 1371 |
1930-1955 #04898, Subseries: "2.2. 1930-1959." Folder 1371 |
| Folder 1372 |
1956-1959 #04898, Subseries: "2.2. 1930-1959." Folder 1372 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.3. 1960-1989.
Cards and letters from friends and family. Included are two volumes of bound letters regarding Sharp's appointment to the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1962.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2.4. 1990-1997 and undated
Cards and letters from, and to, friends and family.
| Folder 1389 |
1990-1993 #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated" Folder 1389 |
| Folder 1390-1391 |
Undated #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated" Folder 1390-1391Folder 1390Folder 1391 |
| Folder 1392 |
Draft to Francis Driscoll #04898, Subseries: "2.4. 1990-1997 and undated" Folder 1392 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 3. Pictures, 1966 and
undated.
| Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-4898/2 |
Oversized Pictures #04898, Subseries: "3. Pictures, 1966 and undated." OP-PF-4898/2A picture of the North Carolina Supreme Court Justices, autographed by each Justice including Susie Sharp, dated 1966; an original cartoon by Gene Payne depicting a decision made by Justice Susie Sharp, dated 1 December 1966; an undated photograph of a group of people with Susie Sharp, possibly of her family. |
Expand/collapse
Addition of April 2008 (Acc. 100899)
The Addition of April 2008 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Correspondence between Susie Sharp and her siblings discussing trials and family affairs; postcards from various Sharp family members; a photograph of Sharp's father, James Merrit Sharp; a scrapbook compiled by Sharp's mother, Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp; clippings; and a music lesson book.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2. Personal correspondence, 1905-1971 and undated.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 3. Pictures, 1943.
| Image Folder P-4898/2 |
Sharp, Merritt James and Taylor, Jimmy, 1943 #04898, Subseries: "3. Pictures, 1943." P-4898/2Black and white professional photograph of James Merrit Sharp with his grandson Jimmy Taylor, Richmond, Ind. |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 4. Other materials, circa
1900-1956.
| Folder 1396 |
"Music Notes: My Book One," circa 1925 #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, circa 1900-1956." Folder 1396 |
| Folder 1397 |
Other papers, 1904-1956 #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, circa 1900-1956." Folder 1397Includes a photocopied pamphlet on the Sharp Institute, 1904-1905; a 1944 newspaper clipping on Susie Sharp; a 1956 newspaper clipping on the 100th birthday of Mrs. J. P. Wilson; and a 1944 Christmas shopping list. |
| Folder 1398 |
Scrapbook: Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp, circa 1900 #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, circa 1900-1956." Folder 1398Chiefly newspaper clippings on religious topics, prayers, essays, printed pictures, and poems. |
Expand/collapse
Addition of August 2008 (Acc. 101030)
The Addition of August 2008 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Materials belonging to Annie Britt Blackwell Sharp, including sewing materials from the American System of Dressmaking of the American College in Kansas City, Mo.; a fabric sample catalog from Gluck Mills; and an apron scrapbook with pictures of aprons clipped chiefly from sewing pattern catalogs and an apron party favor, circa 1950-1952, designed to wrap around a six-ounce bottle of Coca Cola.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 4. Other materials, 1940s-1960s.
Includes American System of Dressmaking tuition receipts and printed sewing lessons and patterns; fabric sample catalog from Gluck Mills; and an apron scrapbook with pictures of aprons clipped chiefly from sewing pattern catalogs and an apron party favor, circa 1950-1952, designed to wrap around a six ounce bottle of Coca Cola.
| Folder 1399 |
Sewing materials #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, 1940s-1960s." Folder 1399Includes American System of Dressmaking tuition receipts and printed sewing lessons and patterns (XOPF-4898/1) and a fabric sample catalog from Gluck Mills. |
| Oversize Volume SV-4898/48 |
Apron scrapbook, 1940s-1960s #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, 1940s-1960s." SV-4898/48Pictures of aprons clipped chiefly from sewing pattern catalogs. |
| Folder 1400 |
Apron scrapbook, 1940s-1960s: Enclosures #04898, Subseries: "4. Other materials, 1940s-1960s." Folder 1400Includes pictures of aprons clipped chiefly from sewing pattern catalogs and an apron party favor, circa 1950-1952, designed to wrap around a six ounce bottle of Coca Cola. |
Expand/collapse
Addition of March 2009 (Acc. 101076)
The Addition of March 2009 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
The Addition of March 2009 includes general subject files; 1974 chief justice campaign files; speeches; case files; newspaper clippings and scrapbooks that document Susie Sharp's career; personal correspondence with family and friends, some of whom were also a part of Sharp's professional life; family and professional photographs and photograph albums; and calendars, diaries, notebooks, and other volumes that record professional and private affairs. Other materials include personal scrapbooks that reflect Sharp's interest in health and beauty, recipes, and other lifestyle topics; clippings relating to the Klenner-Lynch murders; Reidsville, N.C., high school and University of North Carolina yearbooks and books on Gregg shorthand, law, marriage, sex, politics, and other subjects; and papers of James Meritt Sharp that concern fundraising for the Near East College Association.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.1. General subject files, 1929-1989 and undated.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by subject.
Correspondence, memoranda, magazine and newspaper articles, pamplets, law journals, land deeds, maps, and other items chiefly documenting Susie Sharp's professional life.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.2. Chief Justice Campaign Files, 1974.
| Folder 1422 |
Chief Justice campaign files, 1974 #04898, Subseries: "1.2. Chief Justice Campaign Files, 1974." Folder 1422Materials include a "State Candidates' Questionnaire" compiled by the League of Women Voters of North Carolina; clippings related to Susie Sharp's campaign for chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; and a list of attendees for a luncheon for Susie Sharp. |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.5. Speeches, 1951-1964 and undated.
Speeches chiefly relate to Susie Sharp's experiences as a woman in law. Some files include clippings and correspondence.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.6. Case Files, 1929-1979 and undated.
Chiefly memoranda, correspondence, research materials, and other legal papers relating to various legal cases, including State of North Carolina v. Joan Little, that Susie Sharp was involved with during her career. Also included are materials related to Susie Sharp's 1986 lawsuit filed against Elizabeth Hartmann, seeking damages to compensate for lifestyle changes that resulted from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 1.9. Clippings and professional scrapbooks, 1930s-1990s.
Chiefly newspaper clippings and scrapbooks related to Susie Sharp's career and to the Klenner-Lynch murders described in Jerry Bledsoe's Bitter Blood; some lifestyle pieces that represent Sharp's personal interests may also be included. Many scrapbooks also include photographs.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by name and subject.
Chiefly Susie Sharp's personal correspondence with family, friends, and mentors and acquaintances in the legal field. Some letters were excised by Susie Sharp, but in many cases she copied the original letter in full in Gregg shorthand in bound volumes. Many letters to Sharp include clippings.
| Folder 1557 |
Bobbitt, William H., 1949, 1953 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1557 |
| Folder 1558 |
Breckenridge, Millard S., 1949-1979 and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1558 |
| Folder 1559-1562 |
Breckenridge, Millard S.: Copied letters in shorthand, December 1928-April 1957, and miscellaneous, August 1958 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1559-1562Folder 1559Folder 1560Folder 1561Folder 1562 |
| Folder 1563-1564 |
Driscoll family, 1974-1991 and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1563-1564Folder 1563Folder 1564 |
| Folder 1565-1566 |
Happer, Gladys Morgan, 1927-1949, 1953, 1963, and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1565-1566Letters from Gladys Morgan Happer concern women and higher education, women in medicine, medicine in India, World War II, and marriage and children. Folder 1565Folder 1566 |
| Folder 1567-1580 |
Kesler, John C., 1949-1990 and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1567-1580Letters from Susie Sharp to John Kesler between the years 1949 and 1973 were partially excised by Sharp; correspondence between 1980 and 1990 is primarily greeting cards from Kesler to Sharp. Folder 1567Folder 1568Folder 1569Folder 1570Folder 1571Folder 1572Folder 1573Folder 1574Folder 1575Folder 1576Folder 1577Folder 1578Folder 1579Folder 1580 |
| Folder 1581-1583 |
Kesler, John C.: Copied letters in shorthand, 1947-1966 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1581-1583Folder 1581Folder 1582Folder 1583 |
| Folder 1584-1585 |
Mebane, Jessie: 1964-1973 and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1584-1585Letters from Susie Sharp's former college professor and friend relating Mebane's experience while hospitalized in a mental institution in the 1960s and her religious views and beliefs; also included are various writings by Mebane. Folder 1584Folder 1585 |
| Folder 1586 |
Sharp, Annie Britt Blackwell, 1949, 1953 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1586 |
| Folder 1587-1589 |
Sharp family, 1937-1991 and undated #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1587-1589Includes correspondence with Susie Sharp, Louise Sharp, and other family members. Folder 1587Folder 1588Folder 1589 |
| Folder 1590-1591 |
Retirement, 1979-1980 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1590-1591Contains letters written to Susie Sharp following her retirement with copies of her responses to each letter. Folder 1590Folder 1591 |
| Folder 1592-1593 |
Sympathy letters, 1952-1953 #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1592-1593Includes sympathy letters to Susie Sharp following the death of her father, James Merritt Sharp, and her sister, Sallie Blackwell Sharp Taylor. Folder 1592Folder 1593 |
| Folder 1594-1595 |
Other correspondents, circa 1940s-1980s #04898, Subseries: "2. Personal correspondence, 1927-1991 and undated." Folder 1594-1595Topics include social news, recipes, congratulatory sentiments from friends and colleagues, and legal cases and court matters. Also included are letters related to the Klenner-Lynch killings. Folder 1594Folder 1595 |
Expand/collapse
Subseries 3. Pictures, 1880s-1990
and undated.
Arrangement: Alphabetical and chronological.
Chiefly photographs and photograph albums depicting Susie Sharp's family, personal, and professional life.
Expand/collapse
Subseries 4. Other materials, 1911-1990s.
Includes personal scrapbooks and a sample of newspaper clippings that reflect Susie Sharp's interest in the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, health and beauty, recipes, and other lifestyle topics; Annie Blackwell Sharp's 1922-1924 diary; funeral materials relating to the Klenner-Lynch murders; Reidsville, N.C.; high school and University of North Carolina yearbooks; books on Gregg shorthand, law, marriage, sex, politics, and other subjects; and papers of James Meritt Sharp that concern fundraising for the Near East College Association.