Inventory of the Edmonia Cabell Wilkins Papers, 1782-1949

Collection Number 2364

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Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
block Descriptive Summary
block Administrative Information
block Online Catalog Headings
block Biographical Note
block Collection Overview
plus Detailed Description of the Collection
block Items Separated
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
Southern Historical Collection
Creator
Wilkins, Edmonia Cabell, 1865-1949.
Title
Edmonia Cabell Wilkins Papers, 1782-1949
Call Number
2364
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: 1,330
Linear Feet: 3.5
Abstract
Edmonia Cabell Wilkins was a genealogist. Members of her family included Edmonia's greatgrandfather, planter William Wyche Wilkins (1768-1840); William's twin brother, planter and lawyer John Limbrey Wilkins (1768-1850); and William's son, planter and lawyer Edmund Wilkins (1796-1867) The family lived chiefly in Greensville and Brunswick counties, Va., and Northampton County, N.C.
The collection includes personal and business correspondence, financial and legal papers, genealogical materials, and other papers of several generations of the Wilkins family. Most of the letters are financial in nature. Financial and legal materials, 1782-1909, include bills and receipts concerning property, plantation affairs, and investments in several Virginia and North Carolina railroads; a few documents relating to the purchase and upkeep of slaves; lawyers' accounts and trial dockets from Halifax and Northampton counties, N.C.; and other legal and business papers. Plantation papers relate chiefly to the Belmont and Meadows plantations in Northampton County. Also included are account books for a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and the Gaston Hotel in Gaston, N.C. Other papers include notebooks of law students at the Litchfield Law Academy, Litchfield, Conn., ca. 1817-1819, and of a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, 1851-1860. About half the collection consists of items relating to the genealogical activities of Edmonia C. Wilkins, 1920-1949. There is little information on the Civil War or sectional tensions of the time.

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Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions.
Usage Restrictions
Microfilm copy of Edmund Wilkins's letterbook, 1857-1861, should be used instead of the original, which is very fragile.
Alternate Form of Material
Edmund Wilkin's letterbook, 1857-1861, available on microfilm.
Reel 1: Letterbook
All or part of this collection is also available on microfilm from University Publications of America as part of the Records of ante-bellum southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, Series J.
Acquisitions Information
Gifts of Edmonia Cabell Wilkins and Henry Wilkins Lewis, 1941-1989.
Processing Information
Processed by: Scott Philyaw, July 1992
Encoded by: Mara Dabrishus, September 2004
This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992.
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the encoding of this finding aid.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Edmonia Cabell Wilkins Papers #2364, Southern Historical Collection, 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.
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Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Account books.
Belmont Plantation (Northampton County, N.C.).
Blacksmiths--History--19th century.
Brunswick County (Va.)--Social life and customs.
Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
Family--Virginia--Social life and customs.
Gaston Hotel (Gaston, N.C.).
Genealogists--North Carolina.
Genealogists--Virginia.
Greenville County (Va.)--Social life and customs.
Law--Study and teaching--Connecticut--History--19th century.
Lawyers--North Carolina--History--19th century.
Litchfield Law Academy--Students--History--19th century.
Meadows Plantation (Northampton County, N.C.).
Medicine--Study and teaching--Pennsylvania--History--19th century.
North Carolina--Genealogy.
Northampton County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
Plantations--North Carolina--Northampton County.
Plantations--Virginia.
Railroads--North Carolina--History.
Shoemakers--History--19th century.
Slavery--Southern States.
Wilkins, Edmonia Cabell, 1865-1949.
Wilkins, Edmund, 1796-1867.
Wilkins family.
Wilkins, John Limbrey, 1768-1850.
Wilkins, William Wyche, 1768-1840.
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Biographical Note

Edmonia Cabell Wilkins (1865-1948), genealogist, was the daughter of physician Edmund Webb Wilkins (1830-1899). Other Wilkins family members include Edmund Webb Wilkins's grandfather, lawyer/planter William Wyche Wilkins (1768-1840), a native of Brunswick (later Greensville) County, Va., who moved to nearby Northampton County, N.C., around 1814; his grandfather's twin brother, lawyer/planter John Limbrey Wilkins (1768-1850) of Brunswick County, Va.; and William Wyche Wilkins's children, including lawyer/planter Edmund Wilkins (1796-1867) of Northampton County; John Limbrey Wilkins (1801-1843); William Webb Wilkins (1803-1858); and Rebecca A. Wilkins (1806-1842), wife of Alexander Brodnax (d. 1832).

The Wilkins family owned several plantations in the Roanoke River valley of North Carolina and Virginia. They also owned a significant number of slaves. As Whigs, they were active in the promotion of internal improvements, especially railroads to link the town of Gaston with Petersburg, Va., and Raleigh, N.C. Three members of the family--William Wyche Wilkins, John Limbrey Wilkins, and Edmund Wilkins--attended Litchfield Law Academy in Connecticut.

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Collection Overview

The collection contains personal and business correspondence, 1786-1949, of several generations of the Wilkins family of Greensville County, Va., Brunswick County, Va., and Northampton County, N.C. Most of the letters are financial in nature. Financial and legal materials, 1782-1909, include bills and receipts concerning property, plantation affairs, and railroad investments in several Virginia and North Carolina railroads; a few documents relating to the purchase and upkeep of slaves; lawyers' accounts and trial dockets from Halifax County, N.C., and Northampton County, N.C.; and other legal and business papers. Also included are account books for a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and the Gaston Hotel.

Other papers include notebooks of law students at Litchfield, Conn., ca. 1817-1819, and a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, 1851-1860. About half of the collection consists of items relating to the genealogy activities of Edmonia C. Wilkins, 1920-1949. There is little information on the Civil War or sectional tensions of the time.

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Arrangement of Collection

1. Correspondence
1.1. 1786-1864 and undated
1.2. 1865-1949 and undated
2. Financial and Legal Papers
2.1. Loose Financial and Legal Papers
2.1.1. 1782-1865 and undated
2.1.2. 1874-1909 and undated
2.2. Financial and Legal Volumes
3. Genealogical Materials
3.1. Genealogical Correspondence
3.2. Genealogical Notes and Clippings
4. Other Papers
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Items Separated

Items separated include oversize volumes V-2364/S-12 and V-2364/S-17.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Correspondence, 1786-1949 and undated.

About 385 items.
Arrangement: mostly chronological.
Chiefly business correspondence and business papers of several generations of the Wilkins family of Greensville and Brunswick counties, Va., and Northampton County, N.C., with scattered family letters.
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1.1. Correspondence, 1786-1864 and undated.
About 265 items.
Most of the early letters relate to William Wyche Wilkins and his twin brother John Limbrey Wilkins. After 1820, they relate increasingly to William W. Wilkins's son, Edmund Wilkins. Some letters, 1857-1861, have been bound together to form volume 1. Note that these letters, which deal largely with Edmund Wilkins's plantation affairs, are not in strict chronological order. With the exception of a few letters about family matters, correspondence in this series relates to such issues as plantation management; trade with merchants in Petersburg, Va., and other states; railroad investments; and other business matters. There are only three items from the Civil War years, and none of these relate directly to the war.
Folder 1
1786-1839
Folder 2
1831-1839

Digital version: Letter from R. A. Clement and Charles P. Hartwell to Edmund T. Wilkins, 20 February 1839
Folder 3
1840-1849
Folder 4
1850
Folder 5-7
1851
Folder 8
1852-1859
Folder 9
1857-1861
Volume 1, Edmund Wilkins letterbook (formerly volume 8)
Folder 10
1858-1864
Folder 11
Undated letters before 1865
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1.2. Correspondence, 1880-1949 and undated.
About 120 items.
The few letters before 1920 deal chiefly with routine family matters. The bulk of the letters are dated 1920 to 1949 and are addressed to Edmonia C. Wilkins from Eric Norfleet and E. W. Lewis; they deal chiefly with Edmonia's investments in second mortgages. Some later family correspondence is also included.
Folder 12
1880-1900
Folder 13
1920-1949
Folder 14
Undated after 1864

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2. Financial and Legal Papers, 1782-1909 and undated.

About 340 items.
Chiefly bills and receipts concerning property; plantation affairs; investments in several Virginia and North Carolina railroads; documents relating to the purchase, hire, and maintenance of slaves; lawyers' accounts and trial dockets from Halifax and Northampton counties, N.C.; and other legal and business papers. Also included are account books for a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and the Gaston Hotel.
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2.1. Loose Financial and Legal Papers, 1782-1909 and undated.
About 320 items.
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2.1.1. Loose Financial and Legal Papers, 1782-1865 and undated.
300 items.
Chiefly bills and receipts concerning property, plantation affairs, railroad investments in several Virginia and North Carolina railroads, with a few items relating to the purchase, hire, and maintenance of slaves. Also included are scattered receipts, 1805-1835, from racing seasons at the Belfield Jockey and Racing Club. Most are written on the backs of playing cards.
Folder 15
1782-1810
Folder 16
1811-1829
Folder 17
1830-1834
Folder 18
1835-1839
Folder 19
1840-1949
Folder 20
1850-1865
Folder 21
Undated before 1866
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2.1.2. Loose Financial and Legal Papers, 1874-1909 and undated.
About 20 items.
Chiefly land records, deed abstracts, and records of the burial expenses of Nicholas E. Davis (d. 1874).
Folder 22
1874-1909 and undated after 1865
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2.2. Financial and Legal Volumes, 1811-1870.
19 items.
Arrangement: chronological by latest date.
Folder 23
Volume 2, 1811-1916, 180 pp.
Account book of William Wyche Wilkins in Greensville County, Va., and Northampton County, N.C. (formerly volume 20)
Folder 24
Volume 3, 1824-1826, 160 pp.
Account book, owner unknown (formerly volume 22)
Folder 25
Volume 4, 1824-1827, 258 pp.
Shoemaker's account book, owner unknown (formerly volume 2)
Folder 26
Volumes 5-9, 1830-1837, 127 pp. total
Trial dockets kept by Edmund Wilkins for Northampton and Halifax counties, N.C. See also volumes 14-15 (formerly volume 24)
Folder 27-28
Volume 10-11, 1837-1840, 40 pp. total
Record books with brief entries relating to the operation of rail and stage lines and passenger accommodations in Gaston, N.C. Companies mentioned include the Petersburg and Greensville Railroad Company, the Petersburg Railroad Company, and the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad Company
Folder 29
Volume S-12, 1837-1840, 163 pp.
Gaston Hotel account book
Folder 30
Volume 13, 1824-1841, ca. 110 pp. (pages 64-110 missing)
Book belonging to Edmund Wilkins, including lists of books in Wilkins's library, inventories of slaves, and an inventory of William Wilkins's estate (formerly volume 23)
Folder 31
Volume 14-15, 1838-1841, 98 pp. total
Trial dockets kept by Edmund Wilkins for Northampton and Halifax counties, N.C. See also volumes 5-9 (formerly volumes 24 and 25)
Folder 32
Volume 16, 1790-1849, 183 pp.
Account book of John Limbrey Wilkins of Brunswick County, Va. (formerly volume 1)
Folder 33
Volume S-17, 1850-1853, 103 pp.
Account book, owner unknown, (formerly volume 6)
Folder 34
Volume 18. 1853-1865. 1-3 pp.
Belmont and Meadows plantation accounts, (formerly volume 7)
Folder 35
Volume 19, 1836-1870, 53 pp.
Entries in two different hands, owner(s) unknown, 1836-1842 entries are financial accounts; entries from the 1860s through 1870 list notes due

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3. Genealogical Materials, 1925-1948 and undated.

About 600 items.
Correspondence, notes, and other materials of Edmonia C. Wilkins concerning the genealogy of the Wilkins and related families.
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3.1. Genealogical Correspondence, 1925-1948 and undated.
About 350 items.
Correspondence of Edmonia C. Wilkins with family members and others concerning the genealogy of the Wilkins and related families.
Folder 36
1925-1933
Folder 37
1934-1935
Folder 38
1936
Folder 39
1937
Folder 40
1938
Folder 41
1939
Folder 42
1940
Folder 43-45
1941
Folder 46
1942
Folder 47
1943-1944
Folder 48
1945
Folder 49
1946
Folder 50
1947
Folder 51
1948
Folder 52
>Undated
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3.2. Genealogical Notes and Clippings, undated.
250 items.
Notes collected by Edmonia C. Wilkins on the genealogy of the Wilkins and related families.
Folder 53-56
General notes
Folder 57
Notes from Lucy P. Williamson
Folder 58
Notes on the Wilkins, Douglas, and Wyche families
Folder 59
Notes on the Wilkins, Douglas, Wyche, and Judkins families
Folder 60
Notes on the Wilkins, Lamkin, Davis, Garland, Flood, Edmunds, and Wright families
Folder 61
Notes on the Wilkins, Douglas, Jones, Flood, Wyche, and Poythress families
Folder 62
Notes on the Williams, Douglas, and Wyche families
Folder 63-64
Notes on the Fletcher and Robinson families
Folder 65
Notes on the Raines family
Folder 66-67
Clippings

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4. Other Papers, 1817-1860 and undated.

10 items.
Notebooks of law students at Litchfield, Conn., ca. 1817-1819; Edmund Wilkins's medical notebook, ca. 1851-1860; and miscellaneous papers, including an undated script for a Masonic ceremony, a prayer in German, a map of Gaston, N.C., several recipes, and a manuscript copy of a fairy tale called "The Little Grey Mouse."
Folder 68-69
Volume 20-21, ca. 1817-1819, ca. 110 pp. total
Notebooks of law students at Litchfield, Conn., (formerly volumes 13 and 19)
Folder 70
Volume 22, ca. 1851-1860, 122 pp.
Edmund Wilkins's medical notebook probably kept while he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania (formerly Volume 4)
Folder 71
Miscellaneous papers

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