Inventory of the Alfred M. Waddell Papers, 1768-1935
Collection Number 743
Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Collection Information
- 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/
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Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
- Creator
- Waddell, Alfred M. (Alfred Moore), 1834-1912.
- Title
- Alfred M. Waddell Papers, 1768-1935 (bulk 1875-1900).
- Call Number
- 743
- Language of Materials
- Materials in English
- Extent
- About 800 items (2.0 linear feet).
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Administrative Information
- Acquisitions Information
- Gift of Mrs. Alfred M. Waddell prior to 1940, with an addition received from Mrs. D.C. Waddell of Georgetown, S.C., in April 1961.
- Additional Descriptive Resources
- A more complete finding aid for this collection is available at the Southern Historical Collection.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the Alfred M. Waddell Papers, #743, Southern Historical Collection, The 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.
- African Americans--North Carolina--Wilmington--History--19th century.
- Authors, American--North Carolina--19th century.
- Cameron family.
- Confederate States of America. Army--Officers.
- Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Infantry Regiment, 41st.
- Cookery--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Democratic Party (N.C.)--History--19th century.
- DeRosset family.
- Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
- Historians--North Carolina.
- Lawyers--North Carolina--History--19th century.
- Legislators--United States.
- Moore family.
- Myers family.
- Nash family.
- North Carolina--Politics and government.
- North Carolina--Race relations.
- Riots--North Carolina--Wilmington--History--19th century.
- Waddell family.
- Waddell, Alfred M. (Alfred Moore), 1834-1912.
- Waddell, Gabrielle DeRosset.
- Waddell, Hugh D., 1799-1879.
- White supremacy movements--North Carolina.
- Wilmington (N.C.)--History--19th century.
- Wilmington (N.C.)--Politics and government.
- Wilmington (N.C.)--Race relations.
Related Material
-
DeRosset Family Papers (#214) and Meares and DeRosset Family Papers (#499), Southern Historical Collection, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Biographical Note
Alfred M. Waddell (1834-1912) was an lawyer, Confederate Army officer, journalist, author, orator, United States Representative, 1871-1879, and mayor of Wilmington, N.C., 1898-1905. Born in Hillsborough, N.C., Waddell attended the Bingham School and the Caldwell Institute, and later graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1853. He practiced law in Wilmington, N.C., and served in the Confederate Army as lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Cavalry, 41st North Carolina Infantry during the Civil War. Waddell served four terms as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1871 to 1879. After his reelection campaign failed in 1878, Waddell resumed his law practice in Wilmington, N.C., and engaged in various literary and historical pursuits. He served a brief stint as editor of the Charlotte Journal-Observer, 1881-1882, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1880 and 1896. During the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot, Waddell led the white citizens group that forced the Republican mayor and city council to resign. After the insurrection, Waddell was installed as mayor of Wilmington, a position he held until 1905. As mayor, Waddell helped reestablished white control of the city, which ultimately led to the resurgence of the Democratic Party in the state. He died on 17 March 1912 and was interred at Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, N.C.
Publications by Alfred M. Waddell include: A Colonial Officer and His Times, 1754-1773: A Biographical Sketch of General Hugh Waddell of North Carolina (1890), Some Memories of My Life (1908), and A History of New Hanover County and the Lower Cape Fear Region, 1723-1800 (1909).
Note adapted from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (1996), vol. 6, edited by William S. Powell.
Back to TopChronology
| 1834 | Born in Hillsborough, Orange County, N.C., 16 September 1834. |
| 1853 | Graduated from the University of North Carolina. |
| 1855 | Admitted to the North Carolina Bar and began legal practice in Wilmington, N.C. |
| 1856 | Supported the American Party ticket. |
| 1857 | Married Julia Savage. |
| 1860 | Supported the Constitutional Union party ticket and attended the party's convention as a delegate from North Carolina. |
| 1858-1861 | Clerk of the court of equity of New Hanover County, N.C. |
| 1860-1861 | Owned and edited the Unionist newspaper, the Wilmington Herald. |
| 1863-1864 | Served as a lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Cavalry, 41st North Carolina Infantry Regiment, but resigned because of poor health. |
| 1871-1879 | Four terms as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives. Waddell advocated the end of partisanship and sectionalism, and decried Radical Republican policies. In his final term, Waddell served as chair of the committee on post offices and roads. |
| 1878 | Married Ellen Savage after the death of his first wife Julia Savage. Julia and Ellen were sisters. |
| 1879 | Resumed law practice in Wilmington, N.C. |
| 1880; 1886 | Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. |
| 1881-1882 | Editor, Charlotte Journal-Observer. |
| 1896 | Married Gabrielle DeRosset of Wilmington, N.C. |
| 1898-1905 | Mayor of Wilmington, N.C. Waddell was the leader of the white citizens group during the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot and was installed as mayor in the wake of the insurrection. |
| 1912 | Died, 17 March 1912, and interred in Oakdale Cemetery, Wilmington, N.C. |
Collection Overview
The collection includes correspondence, writings, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous papers of Alfred M. Waddell. The bulk of the collection, 1875-1900, consists of correspondence with national and state Democratic Party leaders and members of the Cameron family and other prominent North Carolina families, legal correspondence, manuscripts and clippings of writings and speeches of a religious, literary, political, or historical nature, genealogical research into the DeRosset, Waddell, Moore, and Myers families, and correspondence with other writers and historians. There are some papers related to Waddell's service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War with the 41st North Carolina Infantry Regiment, as well as his activities as mayor of Wilmington, N.C., especially his involvement in the white supremacy campaign and Wilmington Race Riot of 1898. Also included are a few colonial and early 19th century papers of the related DeRosset, Moore, Nash, and Waddell families of Hillsborough, N.C., and Wilmington, N.C. Volumes in the collection include a letterpress copybook, 1886-1894, of Waddell's law office; a recipe book, 1890, and scrapbooks belonging to Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell related to her involvement in the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Colonial Dames; and two notebooks belonging to Hugh Waddell, one containing notes on legal subjects, 1820s, and another containing notes on art, architecture, and classical literature.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Alfred M. Waddell Papers, 1768-1835.
About 800 items.
Folder
11768-1889
Items include transcribed copies of eighteenth-century Waddell family papers, official papers concerning Alfred M. Waddell's
Civil War service, several letters to Waddell, and poems, speeches, and other writings by Waddell. Items of interest include
a letter from W. Burgwyn to Mrs. Waddell, 17 March 1768; will of Hugh Waddell of Bladen County, N.C., 10 November 1772; will
of John Nash of Prince Edward County, Va., 8 March 1776; will of Mary Waddell of Bladen County, N.C., 20 April 1776; and a
letter from Francis Nash at Trenton, N.J., to his wife Sally (Moore), 25 July 1777. Also included is a letter to a Mr. Drinkwater
at Gloucestershire concerning Hugh Waddell's sons, 23 January 1783; official papers concerning Alfred M. Waddell's Civil War
service such as his commission as assistant deputy quartermaster for the 3rd Brigade, North Carolina Militia, 15 January 1859;
his appointment as captain of the 4th North Carolina Infantry, 23 May 1861; a letter of resignation, 19 August 1861, his appointment
as 1st lieutenant and later lieutenant colonel of the 41st North Carolina Regiment, 16 March and 4 August 1863; a letter of
resignation, 10 August 1864; and a signed oath to renounce his support of the "so-called Confederate States of America," and to support the Constitution, 14 March 1865. Additional items include a letter from Wade Hampton to Waddell regarding
an address to the "colored people of Columbia, S.C.," 3 April 1867; a letter from A. J. DeRosset to Waddell, 13 August 1870; clippings of a speech Waddell gave denouncing the
Grant administration, 19 October 1872; a poem titled "My Southern Home," 1876; letters from Abram Hewitt, 1884; and letters from Anna Alexander Cameron and Rebecca Cameron of Hillsborough, N.C.,
regarding southern pride and the Lost Cause, 1887.
Folder
2a1890-1896
Copies of speeches delivered by Waddell including his "Defense of the Cause"; letters to Waddell from James Sprunt and others praising his speeches; a petition from the Democratic citizens of Wilmington,
N.C., urging Waddell to address them; and letters from Carrie Moffitt and Mary Stevens Beall. There is also lengthy correspondence
between Waddell and Richard H. Lewis regarding Waddell's religious beliefs, specifically, his refutation of "everlasting misery" for sinners, and his decision to hold the church responsible for "misrepresentations of Truth" and "libel on our Father."
Folder
2b1898-1899
Materials chiefly concern Waddell's role in the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot. Items include: a letter from the Committee of Colored
Citizens of Wilmington, N.C., renouncing their support of newspaper editor H. L. Manly; a 9 November 1898 declaration issued
by the white citizens of Wilmington, N.C., establishing an ultimatum for Manly to leave the city and stating that, among other
conditions, they "will no longer be ruled, and will never again be ruled by men of African Origin"; a list of African-American citizens summoned by Waddell and other leaders of the white citizens group; and letters to Waddell
from J. M. Cameron, Rebecca Cameron, and W. H. Tate praising Waddell for his handling of the turbulent situation. Letters
from Rebecca Cameron to Waddell reveal her attitude that violence was necessary to reestablish white control of Wilmington:
"there is a time to kill," Cameron wrote to Waddell, "let it be buckshot and let it be at close range."
Folder
31900-1906
Correspondence between Waddell and Tulane University President Edwin A. Alderman regarding "southern character" and its contribution to American civilization; a resolution of the United Confederate Veterans honoring John B. Gordon; letters
from Bennehan Cameron; and letters to Waddell in response to a speech he delivered at Newberry College, S.C.
Folder
41906-1910
Chiefly letters to Waddell from other historians and writers praising his memoir Memories of My Life and concerning other historical topics. Correspondents include W. Henry Hoyt, Newton Martin Curtis, Kemp Plummer Battle,
R. D. W. Connor, and Samuel A. Ashe. There is also a list of books, speeches, lectures, and sketches published by Waddell
between 1872 and 1906.
Folder
51911-1935
Letters, clippings, and other materials concerning the Waddell family and Alfred M. Waddell's death in 1912.
Folder
6Writings and genealogical materials
Writings by Waddell, including "The Bride of St. Philip: A Colonial Romance, " and genealogical materials concerning the Waddell family and other early families of the Cape Fear area.
Folder
7Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell materials
Architectural drawing of a memorial to Francis Nash and various essays on religious and other topics possibly authored by
Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell.
Folder
8Clippings and map of Wilmington, N.C. area
Various newspaper clippings probably compiled by Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell, and a hand drawn map of Wilmington, N.C., and
Brunswick County, sketched circa 1890s-1900s, that appears to depict the area during the Revolutionary War era. The map includes
the names of property holders in the area, and the location of sawmills, forts, and other landmarks.
Folder
9-10Writings and clippings
Essays and other writings of Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell related to her involvement in the Colonial Dames and the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, clippings concerning the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot, and poems by Alfred M. Waddell.
Folder
11Essay and clippings on religious topics
Newspaper clippings and a 21-page essay by Waddell concerning his religious beliefs, chiefly, his views on the afterlife and
eternal punishment.
Folder
12R. P. Ashe letters and other materials
Two undated letters, circa 1860s-1870s, from R. P. Ashe in San Francisco, Calif., to Waddell that describe mining and other
activities in the Utah Territory and in California. Also included are clippings, essays, and other materials on political
topics produced by Waddell or possibly by Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell.
Folder
13Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell materials
Chiefly materials pertaining to Gabrielle (DeRosset) Waddell's activities in the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Folder
14Waddell family history
Genealogy of the Waddell and related families.
Folder
15Volume 1: Notebook, 1872-1875
Notebook containing mounted newspaper clippings of texts and extracts of speeches and writings of Alfred M. Waddell.
Folder
16Volume 2: Notebook, 1874
Sixteen-page manuscript copy of extracts from Karl Wilhelmi's Life of the Northmen in Iceland and Greenland (Heidelburg, 1842), translated from the German. There is also a five-page article on the subject by Alfred M. Waddell, 1874.
Folder
17Volume 3: Notebook, 14 January 1878
Notebook containing text, partly in manuscript and partly mounted clippings, of the address "Two Americans Morse and Maury," delivered at Masonic Temple, N.Y., and various other locations.
Folder
18Volume 4: Letterpress Copy Book, 1886-1894
Letterpress book recording outgoing correspondence of Waddell's law office in Wilmington, N.C.
Folder
19Volume 5: Recipe Book, circa 1890
Recipe book kept by Gabrielle DeRosset at Princeton, N.J., and Wilmington, N.C.
Folder
20Volume 6: Scrapbook, 1872-1894
Scrapbook contains clippings about Alfred M. Waddell's speeches and activities, remembrances of the Civil War, events in Wilmington,
N.C., state and national politics, and the 1880 National Democratic Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Folder
21Volume 7: Scrapbook, 1899-1932
Scrapbook contains clippings about Alfred M. Waddell; obituaries and clippings about the DeRosset, Waddell, and Myers families;
material on the Colonial Dames, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Episcopal Church matters; and clippings concerning
the death of Katherine DeRosset Meares in 1914.
Folder
22Volume 8: Scrapbook, 1925
Clippings, photographs, souvenirs, invitations, and other materials related to a visit by the Colonial Dames of America to
Sulgrave Manor, England, the ancestral home George Washington's family. Gabrielle DeRosset Waddell was regent of the North
Carolina Colonial Dames.
Folder
23Volume 9: Law Student Notebook of Hugh Waddell, 1820s.
Law notebook contains definitions, notes on legal concepts, and memoranda on acts of the Assembly. A note in the back of the
book, written by Hugh Waddell in 1858, indicates that the notebook was made by him in the 1820s and had been useful in the
years since.
Folder
24Volume 10: Moore Family History, undated
Bound manuscript volume containing 13 pages of Moore family history in narrative form. It includes quotations from an address
by George Davis at the University of North Carolina on 8 June 1855 and copied some time after the Civil War.
Folder
25Volume 11: Hugh Waddell Notebook, circa 1850s-1860s
Hugh Waddell's notes on art, architecture, and classical literature (50 pages).
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