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 Samuel McDowell Tate Papers #00710, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Gift of the Misses Tate before 1940. Letterbook addition of 1944 was acquired at the same time as the original gift, but not listed in the original inventory. Addition of miscellaneous letters and telegrams in April 2001 purchased from Charles Apfelbaum (Acc. 98908). Addition of John Lockhart letter in January 2002 purchased from McGowan Book Company (Acc. 99154). Addition of miscellaneous letters and financial and legal materials in January 2004 purchased from Charles Apfelbaum (Acc. 99692).

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.

This collection was rehoused with support from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.

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.

• Confederate States of America. Army--Appointments and retirements.
• Democratic Party (N.C.)--History--19th century.
• Legislators--North Carolina--History--19th century.
• Mineral industries--North Carolina--History--19th century.
• North Carolina--Economic conditions.
• North Carolina--Politics and government--1865-1950.
• Pearson, R. C. (Robert Caldwell), 1807-1867.
• Railroads and state--North Carolina--History--19th century.
• Railroads--North Carolina--History--19th century.
• Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--North Carolina.
• Speculation--North Carolina--History--19th century.
• Tate, Samuel McDowell, 1830-1897.
• Western North Carolina Railroad Company.

Samuel McDowell Tate was born 6 September 1830, in Morganton, N.C. He served as colonel in the Confederate army. After the war, he was president of the Western North Carolina Railroad, except when removed by Republicans. From 1874 to 1886, Tate represented Burke County in the North Carolina General Assembly. He was appointed federal examiner of national banks in 1886 and state treasurer in 1893. Throughout the postwar period, Tate was a longtime leader of the Democratic party in western North Carolina. He married Jennie Pearson, daughter of R. C. Pearson, in 1866. He died in 1897.

Correspondence and other papers of Samuel McDowell Tate. The collection consists chiefly of political and business correspondence relating to the affairs of the Western North Carolina Railroad, which was involved in corruption during Reconstruction. Tate's political correspondents included most of the Redeemer element of the state. Also included are papers and a volume relating to state bonds; telegraph lines; land speculation; marble, mica, and talc mining; state elections; Burke County, N.C., schools; a proposed change in the judicial system; prohibition; Wilberforce College; and the Western Insane Asylum. There is also a small amount of military papers, including appointments and a pardon for enlisted men who had been arrested for being absent without leave; newspaper clippings; and ephemera. There are few Civil War items. Addition of January 2004 materials consist of correspondence and financial and legal documents. Letters are mainly addressed to Samuel McDowell Tate, but a few early and undated letters are addressed to his wife, Jennie Pearson. The majority of the letters relate to business, railroad, and political affairs. Financial and legal materials include account sheets, receipts, court documents, and deeds. Some early documents pertain to accounts for Tate's father-in-law, R. C. Pearson.