Inventory Samuel McDowell Tate Papers 1810-1918 and undated

Collection Number 710

unc seal
Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
block Descriptive Summary Including Abstract
block Administrative Information
block Online Catalog Terms
block Biographical Note
block Collection Overview
block Arrangement of the Collection
plus Description
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
Southern Historical Collection staff
Date Completed
1930s
Encoded by
Nancy Kaiser and Devon Lee
Revisions:
Finding aid updated in January 2002 by Nancy Kaiser and September 2006 by Devon Lee.
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Descriptive Summary Including Abstract

Creator
Tate, Samuel McDowell, 1830-1897.
Title
Samuel McDowell Tate Papers, 1810-1918 and undated.
Extent
About 2350 items (3.5 linear feet)
Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Abstract
Samuel McDowell Tate (1830-1897) was a Confederate colonel; president of the Western North Carolina Railroad after the Civil War, except when removed by Republicans; representative of Burke County, N.C., to the General Assembly, 1874-1884; bank examiner, 1886; state treasurer, 1893-1894; and longtime Democratic Party leader of western North Carolina. He married Jennie Pearson, daughter of R. C. Pearson, in 1866.
The collection includes correspondence and other papers of Samuel McDowell Tate. Correspondence pertains chiefly to political and business matters relating to the affairs of the 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 schools; a proposed change in the judicial system; prohibition; Wilberforce College; and the Western Insane Asylum. Lastly, there is 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. The addition of January 2004 consists 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.
Language
English.


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Administrative Information

Access
No restrictions.
Usage Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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).
Processing note
This collection was rehoused with support from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
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Online Catalog Terms

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.
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Biographical Note

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.

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Collection Overview

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.

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Arrangement of the Collection

1. Samuel McDowell Tate Papers
2. Addition of January 2004 (Acc. 99692)
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Description

Samuel McDowell Tate Papers, 1810-1896.

About 2000 items (3.0 linear feet).
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and other papers of Samuel McDowell Tate. Correspondence spans 1859 to 1896, but the bulk is dated 1868 through 1889. 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. Papers before 1859 consist entirely of bills and receipts. 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.
Box 1
Correspondence, 1859-1875
Box 2
Correspondence, 1876-1882
Box 3
Correspondence, 1883-1884
Box 4
Correspondence, 1885-1887
Box 5
Correspondence, 1888-1889 and undated
Volume 1: letterbook, 1868-1896
Bills and receipts, 1810-1868
Box 6
Bills and receipts, 1870-1889
Military papers, 1861-1865
Newspaper clippings and ephemera
Volume 2: mining reports

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Addition of January 2004 (Acc. 99692), 1845-1918 and undated.

About 350 items.
Arrangement: by type.
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.
Box 7
Correspondence, 1856-1897 and undated
Financial and legal materials, 1845-1893 and undated
Other papers, 1849-1918 and undated
Envelopes and other papers. The relation between these papers and other materials in the collection is unclear.

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