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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.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 2.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 970 items) |
| Abstract | William A. Whitaker was a chemist; business executive; and collector of art, autographs, literary and historical manuscripts, and rare books. The collection consists of manuscripts collected by Willaim A. Whitaker. Among them are materials pertaining to British and Spanish colonial America; the Revolutionary War, including correspondence of General Nathanael Greene; slavery, including certificates of freedom and slave bills of sale; the Civil War; English literature, including correspondence by George Cruikshank, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, and others; and other items, including correspondence of Henry Clay. Also included are Whitaker's personal correspondence, 1904-1957; his diaries, 1952-1956; and records of his collecting activities. |
| Creator | Whitaker, William Asbury, 1883-1960. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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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.
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Related Collections
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Biographical
Information
William Asbury Whitaker was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1883. His parents were William A. Whitaker, Sr., and Anna Bitting Whitaker. Whitaker graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1904 and did postgraduate work at Columbia University (1905) and at the University of Chicago (1911-1912). He was a teacher of chemistry and metallurgy, first at the City College of New York and later at the University of Kansas (1911-1918). He moved to the import/export business, worked as a chemist, and was a partner in the firm of Francis I. DuPont. He retired in 1940.
Whitaker's passion was collecting books and manuscripts. Starting in 1946, he made a series of major donations to the University of North Carolina Library. In recognition of Whitaker's accomplishments in his profession and for his generosity, the University awarded him an honorary degree in 1956. William A. Whitaker died in New York City on 28 February 1960.
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Scope and Content
The collection is divided into three major components: Series 1 and 2 represent Whitaker's collection of autographs, literary, and historical manuscripts; Series 3 comprises Whitaker's personal papers; and Series 4 is his collection of images of autograph subjects and his postcard collection. The majority of his correspondence and diaries center on his activity as a collector and donor to the University of North Carolina.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Americana, 1630-1865.
Arrangement: topical.
This series consists of manuscripts collected for their autograph value. Selected autographs of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and members of the Continental Congress are present. Subseries 1.6 and 1.7 contain substantive correspondence by Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene and 19th-century orator Henry Clay. Engravings of Clay, Greene, and others can be found in Series 4.
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Subseries 1.1. Spanish America, 1630-1741.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 1.2. Early South, 1667-1832.
Arrangement: chronological.
A sampling of documents collected primarily for their autograph value, covering North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia.
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Subseries 1.3. Slavery, 1769-1856.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 1.4. Revolutionary War Era, 1750-1853.
Arrangement: chronological.
A rough grouping of documents relating to the revolutionary war and the pre-Civil War United States.
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Subseries 1.5. Civil War Era, 1844-1865.
Arrangement: chronological.
Grouping of primarily correspondence relating to the Civil War, and participants in the war (some pre-dating the conflict).
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Subseries 1.6. Nathanael Greene Correspondence, 1781-1783.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 1.7. Henry Clay Correspondence, 1807-1848 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence by Henry Clay (1777-1852), American politician and orator. The 9 August 1848 letter has an oval photo of Clay attached to the letter. The undated letter is to the Hon. Joseph Nickolson and has a fragment from a letter addressed to Washington Irving attached.
| Folder 11 |
1807-1848 and undated #03433, Subseries: "1.7. Henry Clay Correspondence, 1807-1848 and undated." Folder 11 |
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Series 2. Literary Miscellany, 1587-1899.
Arrangement: topical.
A miscellaneous grouping of manuscripts collected primarily for their autograph value.
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Subseries 2.1. George Cruikshank Correspondence, 1837-1876.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.2. Charles Dickens Materials, 1844-1932.
Arrangement: chronological.
Eight letters by Dickens and the manuscript for an article on Dickens and related correspondence to appear in The Dickensian .
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Subseries 2.3. William Makepeace Thackeray Correspondence, 1849-1857.
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Subseries 2.4. Miscellany, 1597-1899
and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Series 3. Personal Papers, 1904-1957.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 3.1. Correspondence, 1904-1957.
Arrangement: chronological.
Whitaker's early correspondence is primarily from his mother and father (William A. Whitaker, Sr. and Anna Bitting Whitaker) of Winston-Salem, N.C. From 1913 to 1915, Whitaker, a professor of the University of Kansas, received a number of letters from John Muldoon. Muldoon lived with an aunt in Atlantic City, N.J. and Whitaker acted as his "Big Brother."
Whitaker's later correspondence centered around building his collection of autographs and books as well as correspondence with UNC librarian, Charles Rush. Most of the correspondence with Rush concerns his substantial donations of books and manuscripts to the University Library. From the late 1940s on, substantial correspondence with rare book dealers is present, including Alan Thomas, Parke-Bernet Galleries (Arthur Swann), Francis Edwards, Ltd., A.S.W. Rosenbach, and Mary Benjamin among others. Copies of Whitaker's correspondence is present in many instances.
The undated correspondence in folder 29 also includes some genealogical materials on the Whitaker family.
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Subseries 3.2. Diaries, 1951-1956.
This grouping consists of Whitaker's personal diaries for 1952, 1954-1956. In the diaries Whitaker kept track of book and manuscripts acquisitions and donations as well as social engagements and financial matters. Also present are three logs documenting his collections and donations to UNC.
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Subseries 3.3. Receipts and Acknowledgments, 1930-1957 and undated.
Arrangement: roughly chronological.
Receipts for rare book and manuscript purchases and gift acknowledgements from the UNC Library. The bulk of the material falls between 1949-1953.
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Series 4. Pictures, undated.
Arrangement: by format, then content.
This grouping consists of engravings, prints, and postcards. Whitaker collected engraving of individuals whose autographs were present in his collection. The postcards are primarily of the Western United States dating from the early 20th century. They document scenic wonders, mines, and refineries. An autographed postcard of Orville Wright is contained in PF-3433/12.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Tim Pyatt, April 1995
Encoded by: Kathryn Michaelis, March 2010
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