Inventory of the Wilson and Hairston Family Papers, 1751-1928

Collection Number 4134


Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Online Catalog Headings
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Related Collections
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
Wilson family.
Hairston family.
Title
Wilson and Hairston Family Papers, 1751-1928
Call Number
4134
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: About 16,800
Linear Feet: 51.0
Abstract
Members of the Wilson and Hairston families were planters and merchants of Henry and Pittsylvania counties, Va., and Davie, Rockingham, and Stokes counties, N.C. Peter Hairston (1752-1832), of Pittsylvania, later Henry County, Va., was a merchant of Stokes and Rockingham counties, N.C., and owner of several plantations, including Royal Oak, Sauratown Hill, and Cooleemee Hill. His son-in-law, Peter Wilson (1770-1813), husband of Ruth Stoval Hairston (1783-1852), was a planter of Berry Hill, Brierfield, and Goose Pond, all in Pittsylvania County, Va., and partner in his father-in-law's mercantile business. Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson married second Robert Hairston (1783-1852), of Leatherwood Plantation in Henry County and who, circa 1837, moved to Mississippi to manage his properties there, leaving Ruth in Virginia. Robert's brother, Samuel Hairston (1788-1875), of Oak Hill Plantation, Pittsylvania County, was one of the wealthiest men in Virginia, owning plantations there and in North Carolina and approximately 1700 slaves. His eldest son, Peter Wilson Hairston (1819-1886), lived his adult life at Cooleemee Hill in Davie County, N.C. Peter Wilson Hairston's niece, Ruth Hairston (1863-1936) married Alfred Varley Sims (1864-1944), civil engineer who worked for several railroads, taught engineering, and worked for the Knickerbocker Trust Company as general manager and chief engineer of the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company based in Guantanamo, Cuba, 1905-1908.
The papers include business correspondence, financial and legal papers and scattered personal correspondence of six generations of the Wilson and Hairston families. Among the activities represented are the sale of tobacco through Virginia commission merchants; the service of Peter Hairston (1752-1832) as a deputy sheriff in Henry County, Va., mainly 1751-1788; the manumission of six Hairston slaves in 1832 through the American Colonization Society; purchase of supplies for plantation and household use; and activities of the Sandy Creek, Mayo, County Line, and Staunton River Baptist associations, 1833-1868. Civil War materials are few and consist of scattered family letters and some receipts for foodstuffs sold to the Confederate Army. Throughout the collection there is material concerning the management of the various family plantations. Approximately one-fourth of the collection consists of the personal and professional correspondence of Alfred Varley Sims as a professor at the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), 1895-1904, and as a civil engineer, and includes materials related to his time in Cuba, 1905-1908, and to his connections with various southern and Cuban railroads and other businesses in Cuba and elsewhere.

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Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions.
Alternate Form of Material
Microfilm copy (filmed 1978, 1980) available.
Reel 1: Series 1, 1751-1786
Reel 2: Series 1, 1787-1792
Reel 3: Series 1, 1793-1794
Reel 4: Series 1, 1794-1797
Reel 5: Series 1, 1797-1799
Reel 6: Series 1, 1799-1801
Reel 7: Series 1, 1801-1803
Reel 8: Series 1, 1803-1805
Reel 9: Series 1, 1806-1808
Reel 10: Series 1, 1809-1812
Reel 11: Series 1, 1812
Reel 12: Series 1, 1813-1815
Reel 12a: Series 1, 1816-1817
Reel 13: Series 1, 1817-1820
Reel 14: Series 1, 1820-1822
Reel 15: Series 1, 1823-1824
Reel 16: Series 1, 1824-1826
Reel 17: Series 1, 1826-1829
Reel 18: Series 1, 1829-1832
Reel 18a: Series 1, 1832-1833
Reel 19: Series 1, 1833-1836
Reel 20: Series 1, 1837-1838
Reel 21: Series 1, 1839-1840
Reel 22: Series 1, 1841-1843
Reel 23: Series 1, 1844-1846
Reel 24: Series 1, 1847-1850
Reel 25: Series 1, 1851-1854
Reel 26: Series 1, 1854-1855
There is no Reel 27
Reel 28: Series 1, 1855-1857
Reel 28a: Series 1, 1858-1861
Reel 29: Series 1, 1861-1863
Reel 30: Series 1, 1854-1881
Reel 31: Series 1, 1882-1888
Reel 32: Series 1, 1888-1893
Reel 33: Series 1, 1894-1898
Reel 34: Series 1, 1899-1903
Reel 35: Series 1, 1903-1905
Reel 36: Series 1, 1905-1907
Reel 37: Series 1, 1907-1908
Reel 38: Series 1, 1908-1909
Reel 39: Series 1, 1909
Reel 40: Series 1, 1910
Reel 41: Series 1, 1911
Reel 42: Series 1, 1911-1913
Reel 43: Series 1, 1913-1919
Reel 44: Series 1, 1919-1921 and undated
Reel 45: Series 1, Undated
Reel 46: Series 1, Undated
Reel 56: Series 2, Volumes 1-11
Reel 57: Series 2, Volumes 12-18
Reel 58: Series 2, Volumes 19-25
Reel 59: Series 2, Volumes 26-29
Reel 60: Series 2, Volumes 30-36
Reel 61: Series 2, Volumes 37-39
Reel 62: Series 2, Volumes 40-46
Reel 63: Series 2, Volumes 47-50
Reel 64: Series 2, Volumes 51-86
Reel 65: Series 2, Volumes 87-117
Reel 66: Series 2, Volumes 118-136
Reel 67: Series 2, Volumes 137-139
Reel 68: Series 2, Volumes 140-156
Reel 69: Series 2, Volumes 157-163
Reel 47: Addition, 1780-1884
Reel 48: Addition, 1884-1889, undated 1880s
Reel 49: Addition, 1890-1891
Reel 50: Addition, 1891-1892
Reel 51: Addition, 1892-1893
Reel 52: Addition, 1893-1894, oversize
Reel 53: Addition: 1894, 1896-1897, 1910, undated 1790s, Volumes 164-171
Reel 54: Addition: Volumes 172-174
Reel 55: Addition: Volumes 175-177
Additional Descriptive Resources
A finding aid produced in 1978 includes more genealogical information about the Wilson and Hairston families and a slightly more detailed, chronological inventory of the collection (see folder 1a).
Acquisitions Information
Gift
Processing Information
Processed by: Staff, 1992
The addition of 1979 is arranged in the same order as, but has not been integrated into, materials in the original deposit.
Encoded by: Peter Hymas, June 2005
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the encoding of this finding aid.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Wilson and Hairston Family Papers #4134, 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.

American Colonization Society.
Baptists--Southern States--History--19th century.
Civil engineers--United States.
Cuba--History--American Occupation, 1906-1909.
Davie County (N.C.)--History.
Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs
Family--Virginia--Social life and customs.
Hairston family.
Hairston, Peter, 1752-1832.
Hairston, Peter W.
Hairston, Robert, 1783-1852.
Hairston, Samuel, 1788-1875.
Henry County (Va.)--History.
Merchants--North Carolina.
Merchants--Virginia.
Pittsylvania County (Va.)--History.
Plantations--Mississippi.
Plantations--North Carolina.
Plantations--Virginia.
Railroads--Cuba.
Railroads--Southern States.
Rockingham County (N.C.)--History.
Sims, Alfred Varley, 1864-1944.
Slavery--Mississippi.
Slavery--North Carolina.
Slavery--Virginia.
Slaves--Emancipation.
State University of Iowa--Faculty.
Stokes County (N.C.)--History.
Tobacco--North Carolina.
Tobacco--Virginia.
University of Iowa--History.
Wilson family.
Wilson, Peter, 1770-1813.
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Related Collections

Peter Wilson Hairston Papers (#299), Southern Historical Collection
Robert Hairston Papers (#1148), Southern Historical Collection
Robert Wilson Papers (#1882), Southern Historical Collection
Robert Wilson Account Books (#1896), Southern Historical Collection
Hairston and Wilson Family Papers (#3149), Southern Historical Collection
Samuel Hairston Papers (#3820), Southern Historical Collection
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Biographical Note

Possibly as early as 1730, the first Hairston came to America. This was Peter Hairston, a Scottish immigrant, who may have first lived in Pennsylvania and then in Albemarle County, Va. He had four sons of which one was the progenitor of the Hairstons represented in these papers. This son, Robert Hairston (d. 1783), lived in that part of Pittsylvania County, Va., that became Henry County, Va., in 1777 where he built Marrowbone Plantation. He served as a captain of the Pittsylvania County militia, justice of the peace in Pittsylvania County, and sheriff of Henry County. Robert Hairston and his wife, Ruth Stoval (d. 1808), had three sons, George (1750-1827), Peter (1752-1832), and Samuel (b. 1755), and six daughters.

The first Wilson of the branch represented in these papers, Peter Wilson, immigrated from Scotland to America possibly around 1720. In the 1740s, he made his home along the Dan River in Virginia, located in Halifax County, Va., and later in Pittsylvania County, Va., where he built Wilson's Ferry. Peter Wilson and his wife Alcey had three sons, John (1740-1820), Peter, and William, and four daughters, Nancy, Isabella, Margaret, and Agnes (d. 1812).

This last child, Agnes, married Peter Perkins (1739-1813), the son of Nicholas Perkins and Bethenia Harden. Nicholas settled in the Dan River in 1755 and bequeathed to his son, Peter, the land on which Peter built Berry Hill Plantation near Danville, Va. Also, from 1783 to 1788, Peter and his brother Constantine Perkins owned the Troublesome Creek Ironworks in Rockingham County, N.C. Later, about 1795, Peter Perkins moved to Stokes County, N.C., and around 1805 or 1806, to Tennessee. Peter Perkins and his wife, Agnes Wilson, had one child, Alcey (1766-1814), who married the second son of Robert Hairston (d. 1783) and Ruth Stoval (d. 1808)

The brother of Agnes (Wilson) Perkins and a son of Peter and Alcey Wilson, John Wilson (1740-1820), married Mary Lumpkin in 1767 and lived at Dan's Hill near Wilson's Ferry in Pittsylvania County, Va. He became a wealthy landowner and opened a general merchandise store at his ferry. He and one of his eleven children, Peter (1770-1813), had a partnership in another general merchandise store in Rockingham County, N.C.

Peter Hairston (1752-1832) was a contemporary of John Wilson. He married Alcey Perkins (1766-1814), daughter of Peter Perkins (1739-1813) and Agnes Wilson (d. 1812); they had one child, Ruth Stoval (1783-1869), who married Peter Wilson, the son of John Wilson. Peter Hairston lived his early life in that part of Pittsylvania County, Va., that became Henry County, Va., in 1777. In Henry County, he served as deputy sheriff intermittently between 1781 and 1784 and as a captain of an infantry company under General Nathaniel Greene. During the Revolutionary War, Peter Hairston served in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in such notable battles as Guilford Court House (15 March 1781) and Yorktown (October 1781). While still a resident of Henry County, Va., he began operating a general merchandise store and a blacksmithing shop at Sauratown in Stokes County, N.C. After moving permanently to Stokes County around 1786, he continued to operate his store as well as owning numerous plantations in North Carolina and Virginia including Royal Oak, Sauratown, and Cooleemee. Peter Hairston also represented Stokes County in the North Carolina Assembly for four terms.

Peter Wilson (1770-1813), son of John Wilson and Mary Lumpkin, married a daughter of Peter Hairston and Alcey Perkins, Ruth Stoval Hairston (1783-1869). He owned many plantations including Berry Hill (built by Peter Perkins), Brierfield, and Goose Pond, all in Pittsylvania County, Va. Peter Wilson, in partnership with his father John Wilson, ran a general merchandise store in Rockingham County, N.C. After marrying Ruth Stoval Hairston in 1800, he moved to Berry Hill Plantation but continued to run the Rockingham County store. From 1801 to 1803, Thomas Bouldin and Company probably managed the store for Peter Wilson. He also served as the head of the Second Battalion of the 42nd Regiment of the Pittsylvania County Militia and as a justice of the peace.

After Peter Wilson died in 1813, Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson (1783-1869) married Robert Hairston (1783-1852). He was the son of George Hairston (1750-1827) and Elizabeth (Perkins) Letcher (1759-1818). His father lived in Henry County, Va., where he built Marrowbone Plantation. Robert Hairston owned Leatherwood Plantation in Henry County, and after marrying Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson, he managed her plantations including Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County, Va. Around 1837, he moved to Mississippi to manage the following plantations that he owned: Bend, Black Flat, Choctaw Springs, Moore's Bluff, Nashville Place, and Pepper plantations. His wife was left to manage her properties. At his death, a controversy surrounded his will which left all his property to a slave child.

Samuel Hairston (1788-1875) was a brother of Robert Hairston and lived at Oak Hill Plantation in Pittsylvania County, Va. He married Agnes John Peter Wilson (1801-1880), the daughter of Peter Wilson and Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson Hairston, and they had seven children. In 1854, several newspaper articles described Samuel Hairston as the wealthiest man in Virginia and possibly in the country. His wealth was estimated at between three million and five million dollars, including ownership of around 1700 slaves on plantations in Henry and Patrick counties, Va., and Stokes County, N.C. There are also references in these articles to the comparative wealth of his relatives.

The eldest son of Samuel Hairston, Peter Wilson Hairston (1819-1886), grew up in Pittsylvania County, Va., but lived his adult life first in Davie County, N.C., and later in Baltimore, Md. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1837 and attended the University of Virginia law school from 1837 to 1839. After these years, he helped in the management of his father and Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson Hairston's plantations in Virginia and North Carolina. In 1849, he married Columbia Stuart (1830-1857), sister of General J. E. B. Stuart, and settled at Cooleemee Plantation in Davie County, N.C., which his great-grandfather, Peter Hairston (1752-1832), had willed to him. By 1860, he expanded the acreage at Cooleemee to twice its original size and possibly owned approximately 300 slaves. After the death of Columbia Stuart in 1857, he married Fanny Caldwell, the daughter of Judge David F. Caldwell of Rowan County, N.C. During the Civil War, Peter W. Hairston served as a volunteer aide for General J. E. B. Stuart and General Jubal A. Early, and after the war, he moved to Baltimore, Md., to become a merchant. His overseers continues the management of Cooleemee Plantation until his death.

One sister of Peter W. Hairston, Alcey (1830-1914), married Samuel Harden Hairston (1822-1870) and had three children. One of these children, Ruth (1863-1936), married Alfred Varley Sims (1864-1944). He was the son of Alfred W. and Adelaide Sims of Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in civil engineering. After finishing college, Alfred Varley Sims worked for various railroad companies including the Atlantic and Danville Railroad Company; the Virginia and Kentucky Railroad Company; the Utah, Nevada, and California Company; and the Utah and Los Angeles Air Line Railway Company. From 1895 to 1904, he taught engineering at the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), in Iowa City, Iowa. From 1905 to 1908, he was employed by the Knickerbocker Trust Company of New York as general manager and chief engineer of the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company and lived in Guantanamo, Cuba. He also worked with the numerous subsidiary companies of the Knickerbocker Trust Company including the Cuba Hardwood Company, the Cuba Exploration Company, the Northeastern Cuba Railroad Company, the Guantanamo City Land and Development Company, the La Maya Valley Land and Improvement Company, the Confluente Sugar Company, and the Havana Post Publishing Company. He left this position in 1908 because of his alleged mismanagement of the company and returned to Berry Hill Farm to assume more direct management of it than possible before. From late 1908 to 1917, Alfred Varley Sims remained in Virginia, except in 1914 when he lived in England. He assisted Henry J. Boekelman of New York in a Cuba business venture while in England. From 1917, Sims worked in New York City as an independent civil engineer.

The biographical and genealogical information is from the following sources: Maud Carter Clement, The History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia (Lynchburg, Virginia: J. P. Bell Company, 1929) and Elizabeth Seawell Hairston, The Hairstons and Penns and Their Relations (Roanoke, Virginia: Walters Printing and Manufacturing Company, 1939) in addition to the Wilson and Hairston Papers.

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Collection Overview

The papers include business correspondence, legal papers and scattered personal correspondence of six generations of the Wilson family and Hairston family. Among the activities represented are the sale of tobacco through Virginia commission merchants; the service of Peter Hairston (1752-1832) as a deputy sheriff in Henry County, Va., mainly 1751-1788; the manumission of six Hairston slaves in 1832 through the American Colonization Society; purchase of supplies for plantation and household use; and activities of the Sandy Creek, Mayo, County Line, and Staunton River Baptist associations, 1833-1868. Civil War materials are few and consist of scattered family letters and some receipts for foodstuffs sold to the Confederate Army. Throughout the collection there is material concerning the management of the various family plantations. Approximately one-fourth of the collection consists of the personal and professional correspondence of Alfred Varley Sims as a professor at the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), 1895-1904, and as a civil engineer, and includes materials related to his time in Cuba, 1905-1908, and to his connections with various southern railroads, Cuban railroads, and other businesses in Cuba and elsewhere.

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Arrangement of Collection

1. Family Papers
2. Volumes
Unprocessed Materials
Addition of 1979
Withdrawn Materials (photocopies)

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Family Papers, 1751-1928 and undated.

About 15,300 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Processing Note: See also addition of 1979.
Most of the papers from the period 1751 to 1788 are those of Peter Hairston (1752-1832) and consist mainly of legal papers relating to his role as a deputy sheriff of Henry County, Va. These papers include letters to Hairston from other county officials; warrants from justices of the peace to him; memoranda and receipts of several Henry County sheriffs, including himself and his father, Robert Hairston (d. 1783), listing monies collected for taxes and carried to Richmond, Va.; and bonds between various people. His own legal papers also include receipts, bonds, warranty deeds, and bills of sale, all for the purchases of land and slaves.
Most of the papers from 1789 to 1813 are business correspondence of Peter Hairston (1752-1832) and Peter Wilson (1770-1813), the latter being the son-in-law of the former. There are letters to both of them from numerous Petersburg, Va., merchants about the arrival of new merchandise in their stores, the condition of the Petersburg market, Hairston and Wilson's accounts with these merchants, and the latest political news. There are also many financial papers for this period consisting of accounts for goods bought by Peter Wilson and Peter Hairston, some for large quantities of merchandise for their stores and others for smaller quantities of merchandise bought for plantation or personal use. Together they show patterns of buying and selling between both Wilson and Hairston and various general and commission merchants in Lynchburg, Richmond, and Petersburg, Va. Included among the financial papers are bills of sale for slave purchases by Peter Wilson and Peter Hairston.
The papers from 1814 to 1832 are principally those of Peter Hairston (1752-1832) and his nephews, Robert Hairston (1783-1852) and Samuel Hairston (1788-1875), the sons of George and Elizabeth (Perkins) Letcher Hairston. The papers are almost entirely business correspondence and financial and legal papers of the three men. Among the business correspondence are letters to Peter Hairston from his daughter Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson about the management of her plantation following Peter Wilson's death in 1813 until her marriage to Robert Hairston around 1816. There are also letters to Samuel, Robert, and Peter Hairston from Lynchburg, Petersburg, and Richmond, Va., and Fayetteville, N.C., merchants. All three men produced large quantities of tobacco and sold it through commission merchants in Lynchburg while Peter Hairston sold his flour and cotton in the Fayetteville market. Also included are five letters in 1832 from R. H. Toler, William M. Rives, R. R. Gurley, and John McPhail to Robert Hairston about the American Colonization Society and the manumission of six of Hairston's slaves who were sent to Liberia. The majority of the legal papers are related to the case of Robert Hairston v. Joel, Elisha, and William Estes, a suit concerning the sale of Robert Hairston's tobacco through the Estes commission business, which appears to have lasted from 1818 to 1829. Additional legal papers consist of bills of sale for slave purchases, deeds for land purchases, property tax payments, and jailers' bills for keeping runaway slaves. The financial papers for this period are chiefly Samuel, Robert, and Peter Hairston's accounts with Lynchburg, Petersburg, Richmond, and Fayetteville merchants for their crop sales and for general merchandise. There are also receipts for tobacco hauled to these markets, doctors' bills for attending to slaves, and bills for construction in 1823 of the Oak Hill home of Samuel Hairston. Miscellaneous material includes minutes of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association, 1825-1829.
The papers from 1833 to 1880 are principally those of Samuel Hairston (1788-1875), Robert Hairston (1783-1852), Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson Hairston (1783-1869), and Peter Wilson Hairston (1819-1886). Most of the papers from 1833 to 1860 are business correspondence and financial papers. These papers include letters, bills, and receipts from numerous Danville, Lynchburg, Petersburg, and Richmond, Va., merchants about the sale of tobacco, cotton, wheat, and flour crops; merchandise the Hairstons ordered; and occasional political news. Much of the personal correspondence from 1833 to 1860 is that of Peter Wilson Hairston, with earlier correspondence pertaining to student life at the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia and later correspondence concerning plantation management. From 1860 to 1865, there are few items, mostly letters from Peter Wilson Hairston to Samuel Hairston concerning the management of Cooleemee Plantation and scattered letters to Samuel Hairston from Confederate soldiers and officers concerning, respectively, gifts of money for their families and the purchasing of crops for the troops. From 1866 to 1880, there are primarily financial papers consisting of bills and receipts for general merchandise bought by Samuel Hairston and Ruth Stoval (Hairston) Wilson Hairston from Danville, Va., merchants and from Herbert Hairston, Peter Wilson Hairston's business partner in Baltimore, Md., and accounts of tenants at Royal Oak and Brierfield farms. Miscellaneous material includes minutes, 1833-1868, of the Mayo Baptist Association, the County Line Baptist Association, and the Staunton River Baptist Association.
The papers from 1881 to 1928, comprising about one-fourth of the Wilson and Hairston Papers, consist primarily of the professional and personal correspondence of Alfred Varley Sims (1864-1944), husband of Ruth (Hairston) Sims (1863-1936). During Sims's early life, 1881-1894, the papers are mainly the professional correspondence between himself and the employees of the following railroads: the Atlantic and Danville Railway Company; the Virginia and Kentucky Railroad Company; the Utah, Nevada and California Company; and the Utah and Los Angeles Air Line Railway Company. Related to this business correspondence are estimates and accounts for work and materials used in railroad construction.
From 1895 to 1904, Alfred Varley Sims taught engineering at the State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, only occasionally returning to Virginia during the summers to manage Berry Hill. Approximately three-fourths of the correspondence for this period is letters from his overseers about management of Berry Hill. Personal correspondence from 1895 to 1904 includes letters, telegrams, and eulogies written by and to numerous people about the death of Charles Schaeffer, president of the University. Schaeffer was a close associate of Alfred Varley Sims, who may have headed a memorial committee for Schaeffer.
In 1904, after Sims's resignation from the State University of Iowa, there are letters between William Sowden Sims (1858-1936), brother of Alfred Varley Sims; Charles Page Perin, a New York consulting engineer; and Alfred Varley Sims about his chances for an engineering position with the Knickerbocker Trust Company of New York. William Sims served as a naval aide to President Theodore Roosevelt (1908-1909), served on the staff and was president of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. (1911-1913, 1916, 1919-1922), and commanded the United States Fleet in European waters (1917-1918).
From 1905 to 1908, Alfred Varley Sims lived in Guantanamo, Cuba, while serving as chief engineer and general manager of the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company. While working for the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company, Sims also assisted the other numerous subsidiary companies of the Knickerbocker Trust Company: the Cuba Hardwood Company, the Cuba Exploration Company, the Northeastern Cuba Railroad Company, the Guantanamo City Land and Development Company, the La Maya Valley Land and Improvement Company, the Confluente Sugar Company, and the Havana Post Publishing Company. There is detailed correspondence between Alfred Varley Sims and officers of these companies. In 1907, several of the subsidiary companies were consolidated under the Fidelity Commercial and Trading Company, and there is much correspondence between Sims and officers of this holding company. Some of the Cuba correspondence is in Spanish, but most of the items have accompanying translations. In the fall of 1908, Sims left the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company because he was angered over mismanagement charges against him. At the end of 1908, there is an important cover letter referring to Sims's defense of himself. Personal correspondence, from 1905 to 1908, includes letters between J. D. Sutliffe and Sims detailing farm management; letters to Sims and his wife from Danville, Va., real estate agents about maintenance of her property; and numerous letters from Sims to American automobile, furniture, and bobbin companies. In 1908, Sims was looking for additional income and wrote these companies to interest them in purchasing Cuban wood.
From 1909 to 1916, Alfred Varley Sims lived in Virginia and personally managed Berry Hill farm. Most of the correspondence is from Sims to numerous manufacturers about new farm products he ordered; from Sims to J. D. Setliffe and later R. H. Ross, another manager of Berry Hill, about farm management; from Sims to prospective tenants; to Sims from wheat and corn mills in Danville, Va.; and from Sims to the Superintendent of the Danville and Western Railroad about the building of a depot near Berry Hill. Although Sims was not employed with the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company after 1908, he continued to be embroiled in its sister companies' problems. F. C. Walcott and R. D. Evans wrote Sims about the legal cases concerning the Cuban companies and his testimony. Writing to a New York tailor on 12 December 1909, Sims told the tailor he was unable to pay his bill and was considering declaring bankruptcy. From 1908 Sims had been receiving warning notices about the thousands of dollars he and his wife owed on stocks. There is also correspondence between Sims and Henry J. Boekelman of the Concrete Construction and Realty Company of New York, later called the Boekelman Construction Company. This correspondence begins in 1910 and continues until 1914. Boekelman possibly served as a broker for some of the Cuban companies Sims worked with from 1905 to 1908. Boekelman solicited Sims's help in the selling of the Cuba Eastern Railroad Company and possibly other sister companies. For much of 1914, Sims lived in London, England, attempting to interest English concerns with the purchase. Sims also maintained correspondence with his brother, William Sims, about topics such as United States naval power, William Sims's command of the U.S.S. Minnesota, and his year as a naval aide to President Roosevelt.
From 1917 to 1928, there are scattered correspondence and receipts. Sims, in 1917, moved to New York City, N.Y., to work as an independent civil engineer, and his correspondence primarily consists of letters between himself and C. L. Finney about Berry Hill farm management; between himself and various Virginia merchants about his tenants' accounts and crops; and letters from his brother, William Sims, particularly about his service as special naval representative and observer to Great Britain and his travels in Ireland, England, and France.
Undated papers are arranged roughly by type in the following order: correspondence, slave lists, financial papers, legal papers, genealogical papers, writings, and miscellaneous papers. Under correspondence,letters written by individual Wilsons and Hairstons are filed first, then there is undated correspondence according to century, including the papers of Alfred Varley Sims.
Folder 1a
1978 finding aid
Folder 1b-8
1751-1789
Folder 9-18
1790-1794
Folder 19-28
1795-1798
Folder 29-35
1799-1800
Folder 36-44
1801-1803
Folder 45-57
1804-1807
Folder 58-69
1808-1811
Folder 70-75
1812-1813
Folder 76-84
1814-1817
Folder 85-92
1818-1820
Folder 93-100
1821-1823
Folder 101-110
1824-1826
Folder 111-121
1827-1829
Folder 122-129
1830-1833
Folder 130-136
1834-1837

Digital version: Letter from Peter W. Hairston to Ruth S. Hairston, 3 February 1835

Digital version: Letter from Alpheus Jones to Peter W. Hairston, 23 October 1837
Folder 137-145
1838-1840

Digital version: Letter from Alpheus Jones to Peter W. Hairston, 9 May 1838
Folder 146-153
1841-1844
Folder 154-162
1845-1849
Folder 163-174
1850-1853
Folder 175-186
1854-1857
Folder 187-197
1858-1864
Folder 198-218
1865-1885
Folder 219-230
1886-1894
Folder 231-240
1895-1900
Folder 241-250
1901-1904
Folder 251-263
1905-1907
Folder 264-272
January 1908-June 1908
Folder 273-282
July 1908-March 1909
Folder 283-293
April 1909-December 1909
Folder 294-301
January 1910-August 1910
Folder 302-311
September 1910-April 1911
Folder 312-325
May 1911-1912
Folder 326-341
1913-1916
Folder 342-366
1917-1928 and undated
Folder 367-385
Undated
Folder 386
Genealogical notes, February 1909
Folder 387-388
Genealogical notes, undated
Folder 389
Miscellaneous writings, undated
Folder 390-393
Miscellaneous papers, undated
Primarily consists of crop lists, property lists, memoranda, recipes, and cures.
Folder 394-395
Miscellaneous engineering papers of Alfred Varley Sims, undated

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2. Volumes, 1773-1919 and undated.

215 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Processing Note: See also addition of 1979.
Volumes 1-26, covering the years 1780-1828, are accounts of general merchandise such as groceries, rum, hardware, dry goods, writing supplies, and china mainly purchased on credit. The name of Peter Hairston appears in most of the volumes. Joseph Winston was a business partner of Peter Hairston, February 1785-December 1785, and Winston's name appears in the volumes for 1785. Hairston operated a general merchandise store and a blacksmithing ship at Sauratown, his plantation in Surry County, later Stokes County, N.C. In addition to the general merchandise accounts, the store books list slaves, livestock, crops, and land, all bought and sold by Peter Hairston. The volumes are of three principal types: the daybook, an informal chronological record of transactions that later may have been transferred to journals and ledgers, listing articles purchased, person making purchases, and amount owed; the ledger, a formal record of transactions arranged by name of purchaser, listing purchases or only amount charged for a day or month; and the shop book, a daybook listing blacksmithing work performed, person requesting the service, and amount owed. Enclosures for the store books include lists of livestock or crop sales, lists of names, and correspondence about the plantation, accounts, and crops.
Volumes 27-53, covering the years 1790-1817, are accounts of general merchandise such as groceries, rum, hardware, dry goods, writing supplies, and china. Peter Wilson's name and Rockingham County appears on most of these volumes. Wilson, in partnership with his father John of Pittsylvania County, Va., ran a general merchandise store in Rockingham County, N.C. Enclosures for these volumes include a tobacco account, a clothing account for Mead and William Wilson, orphans of Peter Wilson, deceased (not the Peter Wilson of Volumes 27-53), list of money owed and paid to persons listed, and correspondence requesting merchandise or authorizing transfer of merchandise.
Volumes 54-112, covering the years 1773-1857, are memo books. The format of these books is informal, most entries are not dated, or, if dated, are not in chronological order, and most of the books belonged to Peter Hairston or Peter Wilson. In his memo book, Peter Hairston made brief notes of Sauratown store accounts that he later transferred to ordered account books. His memo books also list crops, livestock, travel expenses, money borrowed and lent by him, and tax payments. Hairston owned several plantations in Stokes and Pittsylvania counties, such as Royal Oak, Bostick Lower Place, Upper Place, Muddy Creek, Terrell's Place, Bradley's Place, Town Place, and Smith's Place, and the memo books contain information about them. In his memo book, Peter Wilson noted some store accounts from his general merchandise business that he later transferred to ordered account books. He listed general merchandise to purchase in Petersburg, Va., for his stock and for specific people, travel expenses, cash payments for his store goods, cash lent by and paid to Wilson, and legal settlements of store accounts. In addition, Wilson listed various persons' tobacco crops possibly transported to market and marketed by him or received as payment for store accounts. Peter Wilson also owned several plantations such as Berry Hill, Brierfield, and Goose Pond. Certain memo books list crops, livestock, and tools from his plantations. Enclosures for the memo books include correspondence about plantation matters, lists of livestock and tools on various plantations, tobacco accounts, lists of tobacco crops, and a copy of a receipt for purchase of a slave girl (Volume 98).
Volumes 113-134, covering the years 1780-1891, are of various types as indicated.
Volumes 135-156, covering the years 1884-1919, are correspondence and memo books of Alfred Varley Sims, professor, civil engineer, and husband of Ruth Hairston Sims. Also included are farm accounts and labor records for Berry Hill, Brierfield, and Royal Oak farms; such volumes were kept by or for Alfred Varley Sims by farm managers or tenants. Harden Hairston's name appears in some of these volumes. He was the agent for the estate of Agnes J. P. Hairston and probably assisted his sister, Mrs. Alfred Varley Sims, in managing her portion of the inheritance. Enclosures include bills for general merchandise, lists of crops, and agreements, and correspondence about farm matters from the engineering career of Alfred Varley Sims.
Volumes 157-163, covering the years 1859-1909, are of various types as indicated. These volumes were an addition to the Wilson and Hairston Papers as of 17 April 1978.
Railroad Engineering Volumes 1-44, covering the years 1889-1903, consist of level books, field books, transit books, and notebooks from Alfred Varley Sims's civil engineering work for railroad companies.
Folder 396
Volume 1, 1780-1788
Ledger/daybook, Surry County, N.C. The first half of the volume is a ledger with detailed entries of general merchandise and the second half of the volume is a daybook.
Folder 397
Volume 2, 1785-1787
Ledger, Surry County, N.C., with alphabetical index. 186 p.
Folder 398
Volume 3, 22 February 1785-1 March 1785
Daybook, Surry County, N.C.,(portion of a daybook whose entries have been transferred to Volume 4).
Folder 399
Volume 4, 22 February 1785-13 July 1785
Daybook, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 400
Volume 5, 24 May 1785-28 July 1785
Daybook possibly of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 401
Volume 6, 20 September 1785-28 October 1785
Daybook possibly of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 402
Volume 7, 13 December 1785-30 June 1786
Daybook of Surry County, N.C., including a copy of a bond on the first page.
Folder 403
Volume 8, 1786-1790
Ledger possibly of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., with an alphabetical index on front inside cover.
Folder 404
Volume 9, 2 April 1786-9 October 1786
Daybook, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 405
Volume 10, 28 June 1786-28 October 1786
Daybook, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 406
Volume 11, 25 December 1786-10 February 1787, 1788
Daybook of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C., and ciphering book/daybook of Nicholas Perkins.
Folder 407
Volume 12, 1787-1793
Ledger, Stokes County, N.C., including undated enclosures. 111 p.
Folder 408
Volume 13, 12 February 1787-12 June 1787
Daybook, Surry County, N.C. 43 p.
Folder 409
Volume 14, March 1787-March 1792
Shop book of Peter Hairston and James Rea, Surry County, N.C.
Folder 410
Volume 15, 12 June 1787-25 August 1787
Daybook, Surry County, N.C. 78 p.
Folder 411
Volume 16, 5 November 1788-30 October 1792
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C. 501 p.
Folder 412
Volume 17, 4 December 1789-8 October 1791
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C.
Folder 413
Volume 18, 26 October 1791-3 November 1792
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C.
Folder 414
Volume 19, 5 November 1792-2 March 1793
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C.
Folder 415
Volume 20, 13 March 1793-5 October 1793
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C.
Folder 416
Volume 21, 16 November 1793-2 November 1795
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C., which also includes enclosures dated 6 May 1795 and undated. 327 p.
Folder 417
Volume 22, 24 October 1795-1 December 1795
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C., possibly kept for Ruth Hairston.
Folder 418
Volume 23, 25 November 1795-December 1797
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C. 132 p.
Folder 419
Volume 24, 16 January 1798-8 June 1805
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C., 334 p. of daybook entries, 13 p. of memoranda at end of volume, and one enclosure dated 5 March 1802.
Folder 420
Volume 25, 31 August 1805-22 July 1814
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C., which also includes enclosures dated 1803, 1814-1827, and undated.
Folder 421
Volume 26, 22 July 1814-3 January 1828
Daybook, Stokes County, N.C., which also includes enclosures dated 1803, 1814-1827, and undated.
Folder 422
Volume 27, 21 November 1790-September 1798
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 547 p.
Folder 423
Volume 28, 22 May 1792-12 December 1793
Invoice, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 424
Volume 29, 8 June 1792-11 June 1793
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 340 p.
Folder 425
Volume 30, 8 June 1792-24 April 1795
Journal A, Rockingham County, N.C. 553 p.
Folder 426
Volume 31, 9 June 1792-24 November 1795
Cashbook of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 427
Volume 32, 14 December 1792-11 September 1795
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 428
Volume 33, 11 June 1793-24 May 1794
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 373 p.
Folder 429
Volume 34, 28 October 1793-?
"Peter Wilson's Index to Shop Book," Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 430
Volume 35, 29 May 1794-5 July 1795
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 354 p.
Folder 431
Volume 36, September 1794
List of Debts (owed to the store), Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 432
Volume 37, April 1795-August 1798
Ledger B possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., which contains an alphabetical index. 275 p.
Folder 433
Volume 38, 2 April 1795-25 August 1795
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 434
Volume 39, 25 April 1795-31 August 1798
Journal B, Rockingham County, N.C., which also contains an enclosure dated 29 November 1802. 561 p.
Folder 435
Volume 40, 6 July 1795-November 1796
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 480 p.
Folder 436
Volume 41, 19 August 1795-5 October 1795
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 437
Volume 42, 10 December 1795-10 June 1797
Cashbook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 438
Volume 43, 23 January 1796-21 February 1797
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 439
Volume 44, 16 June 1796-14 August 1800
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 440
Volume 45, 12 June 1797-16 August 1799
Cashbook of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 441
Volume 46, September 1798-October 1801
Ledger C possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., which contains an alphabetical index. 227 p.
Folder 442
Volume 47, 1 September 1798-31 August 1799
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 390 p.
Folder 443
Volume 48, 1 September 1798-7 December 1801
Journal C, Rockingham County, N.C. 420 p.
Folder 444
Volume 49, 1 September 1799-30 August 1800
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C. 440 p.
Folder 445
Volume 50, 1 September 1800-18 February 1805
Daybook, Rockingham County, N.C., with one page of entries labelled Pittsylvania County, 12 July 1809, and an undated enclosure.
Folder 446
Volume 51, May 1801-May 1802, February 1803-15 September 1817
Invoice, May 1801-May 1802, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise bought from various Petersburg, Va. merchants.
Ledger, February 1803-October 1815, Rockingham County, N.C., listing customers who paid store accounts by performing specialized services. Entries after December 1813 were made by Peter Hairston, administrator of Peter Wilson's estate.
Daybook of Peter Wilson, deceased, 12 March 1814-15 September 1817, Rockingham and Pittsylvania counties. Contains settled accounts for the estate of Wilson and amounts paid for the various matters for Ruth Stoval Wilson and enclosures dated 1808-1815. Wilson's permanent address was in Pittsylvania County, Va., where his wife resided.
Folder 447
Volume 52, 1802
List of Debts, Rockingham County, N.C., and an undated enclosure.
Folder 448
Volume 53, 1802
List of Debts, Rockingham County, N.C.
Folder 449
Volume 54, 1773, 1778-1779
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing money owed and lent, corn crop, and taxes.
Folder 450
Volume 55, 1776-1777
Memo book of Peter Hairston, kept for military matters by Lieutenant Hairston. There are lists of guns, blankets, dry goods, and groceries purchased by or for enlisted personnel.
Folder 451
Volume 56, 1777
Memo book of Peter Hairston, kept for military matters by Captain Hairston, similar to Volume 55.
Folder 452
Volume 57, 1780
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing cattle purchases.
Folder 453
Volume 58, 1781-1782
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., similar to Volume 57.
Folder 454
Volume 59, 1782-1785, 1791
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing travel expenses, cattle, crops, and legal accounts for writs, executions, and summons.
Folder 455
Volume 60, 1783
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C., listing store accounts.
Folder 456
Volume 61, 1784
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing cattle sold, travel expenses and transactions in Petersburg, Va., money lent, and transactions done for George Hairston by Peter Hairston.
Folder 457
Volume 62, 1784-1785
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C., listing payments on Sauratown accounts, payment of the 1783 tax (Henry County, Va.), weights of inspected tobacco, and tobacco sent to Petersburg, Va.
Folder 458
Volume 63, 1784-1789, 1791, 1793
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock sold in Petersburg, Va., store goods bought in Petersburg, Va., slave purchases, tenants' crops, and 1783 tax payments.
Folder 459
Volume 64, 1785
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Surry County, N.C., listing different people's tobacco crops; cash and beef transactions of Winston and Hairston, partners
Folder 460
Volume 65, 1785, 1795-1798, 1801-1806
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing tobacco, general merchandise, debts owed by certain estates, and a plot to kill his cattle.
Folder 461
Volume 66, 1788-1818
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing his tenants' crops, livestock, tools, and court costs for judgments; a ledger for his accounts with Petersburg, Va., merchants; and enclosures dated 1800, 1805, and undated.
Folder 462
Volume 67, 1789
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing cattle.
Folder 463
Volume 68, 1790-1803
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing tenants' crops; also, enclosures, dating 1784-1804, includes tobacco lists and legal papers.
Folder 464
Volume 69, 1790-1805
List of names possibly created by Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., is not identified as to its purpose; possibly it is a list of persons on credit with him or an index to a formal volume.
Folder 465
Volume 70, 1791
Memo book possibly of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing an account owed and certification of Rober Williams as acting clerk of court.
Folder 466
Volume 71, September 1793
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing travel expenses, livestock and tobacco crops of various people, and cash lent.
Folder 467
Volume 72, 1794-1795
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing judgments and executions that John Fields, Alexander Joyce, and John Oliver must collect.
Folder 468
Volume 73, 1795
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing travel expenses, debts owed and paid by Wilson, cash accounts, and tobacco crops.
Folder 469
Volume 74, 1795-1796
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise to be purchased for store stock, payments for bonds and judgments, and accounts owed to the store.
Folder 470
Volume 75, 1796-1797
Memo book of John Wilson, Pittsylvania County, N.C., listing cash lent and general merchandise accounts.
Folder 471
Volume 76, 1797
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise possibly to be purchased for store stock, tobacco crops, and payment to Buchanan and Dunlop of Petersburg for general merchandise.
Folder 472
Volume 77, Fall 1797
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., similar to Volume 76.
Folder 473
Volume 78, Fall 1798
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise, cash accounts, and transport of tobacco to Petersburg, Va. Also, an enclosure dated 5 November 1798.
Folder 474
Volume 79, 1798, 1801-1802, 1804-1805
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise, legal notes, bonds, judgments, and cash and corn lent by Wilson. Also, enclosures date 8 November 1802 and undated.
Folder 475
Volume 80, Spring 1799
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise, cash lent and paid to him, and tobacco crops.
Folder 476
Volume 81, Fall 1799
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing goods needed by various people, general merchandise, and tobacco crops.
Folder 477
Volume 82, 1799-1800
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing money received from executions, tobacco crops, and tasks needed to be performed by various people.
Folder 478
Volume 83, 1800
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing money lent and tobacco crops. This book may have been kept by Josephus Conn.
Folder 479
Volume 84, Spring 1800
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing tobacco crops transported by him, goods to be purchased in Petersburg, Va., and mention of three runaway slaves.
Folder 480
Volume 85, 1800-1801
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing persons having paid him at certain court terms and distance from Sauratown to other locations.
Folder 481
Volume 86, 1801-1802
Memo book of Thomas Bouldin and Company, Henry County, Va., listing general merchandise; possibly Peter Wilson bought goods from Bouldin, had a partnership with this company, or used it as an accounting firm.
Folder 482
Volume 87, 1801-1803
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing individuals and amounts owed on bonds, notes, and store accounts. Thomas Bouldin and Company kept this book.
Folder 483
Volume 88, 1801, 1810-1819
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing flax and cotton grown by his tenants.
Folder 484
Volume 89, 23 October 1801
Memo book of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing tobacco sent to Petersburg, Va., goods to be purchases (or purchased for various family members), and a home remedy.
Folder 485
Volume 90, Spring 1803
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing cattle and hogs.
Folder 486
Volume 91, 1806-1809
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock and tools from Bostick Place, Quentinoke, and Old Town plantations.
Folder 487
Volume 92, 1806-1807, 1809-1811, 1814-1816
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing money owed and paid by him, tobacco crops of two tenants, and money borrowed by Peter Wilson.
Folder 488
Volume 93, 1807
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing goods purchased for family members and goods purchased by various people; also includes an undated enclosure.
Folder 489
Volume 94, 1810, 1813-1815, 1817
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing livestock, crops, and tools at Berry Hill, Brierfield, and Goose Pond plantations.
Folder 490
Volume 95, 1812-1814, 1817-1818
Memo book possibly of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing cattle and pork purchases, sale of Sauratown lots, and financial transactions among Peter Hairston, Samuel Hairston, George Hairston, and Robert Hairston.
Folder 491
Volume 96, 1812, 1815-1818, 1820
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock, tools, and clothes given out to slaves on his plantations; also includes enclosures dated 1812, 1816-1818.
Folder 492
Volume 97, 1816-1821
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock on various plantations; also includes one enclosure dated 7 January 1817.
Folder 493
Volume 98, 1817-1830
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock, tools, crops, and slaves at various plantations; also includes enclosures dated 1826, 1830, and undated. This book probably was kept by Joseph Terry, a tenant.
Folder 494
Volume 99, 1817-1853
Memo book possibly of Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing legal transactions at court, crops made on various plantations, lists of slave births, and money owed and paid to Robert Hairston by Samuel and George Hairston; also includes enclosures dated 16 November 1819 and undated; one enclosure is a copy of Thomas Ruffin's opinion in a legal matter between Joel Estes et al. and W. S. Hairston.
Folder 495
Volume 100, 1820-1832
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing livestock, hides, and wool reported by various tenants; also includes enclosures dated 1820-1821, 1830, and 1832.
Folder 496
Volume 101, 1821-1825
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing cotton and flax crops of his tenants and dry goods given out to slaves; also includes enclosures, dated 1820-1823, 1825, and letters from relatives and tenants.
Folder 497
Volume 102, 1822-1827
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing cattle at various plantations.
Folder 498
Volume 103, 1823
Memo book possibly of Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing travel expenses, purchases in Petersburg, Va., and hogs sold.
Folder 499
Volume 104, 1825
Memo book of Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing weights and numbers of hogs sold and money owed to him.
Folder 500
Volume 105, 1827-1837
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing tobacco and cotton crops from various plantations and large amounts of clothing possibly for slaves.
Folder 501
Volume 106, 1828-1832
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing cattle and sheep at his plantation; also includes one enclosure dated 11 November 1830.
Folder 502
Volume 107, 1831-1832, 1834
Memo book of Robert and Ruth Hairston listing iron purchased by Robert Hairston; clothing and slaves in Stokes County, N.C., recorded by Ruth Hairston in 1832.
Folder 503
Volume 108, 1831-1837
Memo book of Peter Hairston, Stokes County, N.C., listing wool to be spun, various tenants' cotton crops, and clothing for slaves. After his death in 1832 this book was kept by administrators of his estate.
Folder 504
Volume 109, 1840-1842
Memo book of Peter Wilson Hairston listing his travels on business to Sauratown, travel expenses, tobacco made at Sauratown in 1841, and distances from Oak Hill plantation to places in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Folder 505
Volume 110, 1857
Memo book possibly of Ruth Wilson Hairston, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing tobacco (possibly from Brierfield) sold to W. B. Millener and a purchase by Robert Hairston in December 1839.
Folder 506
Volume 111, undated
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing iron bought for making axes and nails; and store accounts for general merchandise.
Folder 507
Volume 112, undated
Memo book possibly of Peter Wilson, Rockingham County, N.C., listing general merchandise, instructions on how to kill grubs, and an appointment for John Fields to show land to two persons.
Folder 508
Volume 113, August 1780-November 1780
Legal account book of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing accounts owed for legal writs and summons served by Hairston (possibly acting as deputy sheriff).
Folder 509
Volume 114, 1781-22 April 1783
1781 tax list of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., one entry dated 1782, and note dated 22 April 1783 to Hairston concerning the 1781 tax list.
Folder 510
Volume 115, 1782
Tax ledger of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing name of person owing 1782 taxes (e.g., tobacco and corn taxes) and amount owed and paid; also includes an undated enclosure containing a list of names, unidentified as to purpose.
Folder 511
Volume 116, 1782
Tax list of sheriff, Henry County, Va., only listing persons owing "the Specific Tax" and amount owed.
Folder 512
Volume 117, 1782
Tax list of Peter or Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., primarily listing only names and amount owed; other entries indicate land tax owed.
Folder 513
Volume 118, 1783
Execution book of Peter Hairston (deputy sheriff) or Robert Hairston (sheriff), Henry County, Va., listing name of person owing 1783 taxes and tax (e.g., land tax, property tax, parish levy) owed and paid; also includes undated enclosures including a memo of money owed by various people.
Folder 514
Volume 119, 21 September 1784-29 January 1785
Tax list of Peter or Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., listing date, name of person, amount owed and paid. There is no indication of why amounts are owed.
Folder 515
Volume 120, 25 May 1795-October 1801
Account book of John Wilson and Son (Peter Wilson), Rockingham County, N.C., listing a general merchandise account of Thomas Henderson. This account may be the settling of Henderson's account with John Wilson and Son, because John Wilson and Peter Wilson dissolved their partnership as of 15 May 1801.
Folder 516
Volume 121, June 1795-July 1795
Ciphering book of Ruth Stoval Hairston, used to learn dry measures, liquid measures, multiplication, subtraction, and other mathematical problems related to the sale of merchandise.
Folder 517
Volume 122, August 1798-November 1798
Ciphering book of Augustin Hewlett, probably used in the same function as Volume 121; also includes copies of legal documents concerning Hewlett dated 1798 and 1805.
Folder 518
Volume 123, 12 March 1802-15 June 1815
Account book of Peter Hairston, administrator, regarding the estate of Peter Wilson. This volume contains a listing of general merchandise and its price owed to John Wilson.
Folder 519
Volume 124, December 1811-14 November 1817
Daybook of Peter Hairston, administrator, regarding the estate of Peter Wilson. This volume lists accounts owed and paid by Hairston to various people for general merchandise, school tuition, tobacco crops, taxes, and rent.
Folder 520
Volume 125, December 1811-11 June 1821
Daybook of Peter Hairston, administrator, regarding the estate of Peter Wilson. This volume is similar in content to Volume 124.
Folder 521
Volume 126, December 1813
Funeral sermon for Peter Wilson, deceased 21 December 1813; also includes notice of Alcey Hairston, mother-in-law of Peter Wilson, deceased 23 December 1813.
Folder 522
Volume 127, 1817-1839
Law notebook of Peter Wilson Hairston, a law student at the University of Virginia during this time.
Folder 523
Volume 128, 30 December 1841-29 November 1850
Account book of Samuel Hairston, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing the account of Robert Hairston, Henry County, Va., paid by Samuel Hairston listing general merchandise, midwife fees, purchase of slaves, and taxes.
Folder 524
Volume 129, 1884-1886, 1889, 1891
Charter and Minute Book for the Virginia Real Estate Investment Company of Harden Hairston, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing shareholders with the number and value of shares owned; also includes enclosures, 1889-1891, listing stockholders in this company and minutes of the meetings of stockholders and directors.
Folder 525
Volume 130, 21 October 1890, 23 May 1891
Stock Certificates of the Virginia and Kentucky Railroad Company of Harden Hairston, Pittsylvania County, Va. Enclosures include a list of stockholders with the number of shares owned (undated) and a House Bill of the Virginia Legislature incorporating this railroad, 3 March 1884.
Folder 526
Volume 131, undated
Invoice of Thomas Bouldin and Company, Henry County, Va. In 1801, Thomas Bouldin and Company went into business with Peter Wilson and this invoice indicates general merchandise stocked at a store jointly owned in Henry County.
Folder 527
Volume 132, undated
Sermon or speech denouncing lawyers, especially as political representatives.
Folder 528
Volume 133, undated
Tax list of Peter Hairston, Henry County, Va., for corn taxes, county parish levies, tobacco levies, and possibly other amounts owed; listing name, amount owed, and whether paid.
Folder 529
Volume 134, undated
Tax list of Colonel Archibald Hughes (sheriff), Henry County, Va., listing name and three unlabelled payments.
Folder 530
Volume 135, 1884-1891
Ledger, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing farm accounts for Berry Hill and Royal Oak, including accounts with various tenants (for work performed; borrowed funds; taxes; and corn, wheat, and oats purchased from Alfred Varley Sims's managers) and lists of crops for 1884-1885, 1888; also includes enclosures dated 1884-1893. 96 p.
Folder 531
Volume 136, 1889
Memo book, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing expenses of a New York City trip, addresses, names of books, and mileage between different places.
Folder 532
Volume 137, 1890-1900
Letterpress book, Pittsylvania County, Va., containing Alfred Varley Sims's correspondence as General Manager of the Danville and Southwest Construction Company about engineering consulting services, farm matters, and professorial duties at the State University of Iowa. There is no material concerning Cuban railroads. 478 p.
Folder 533
Volume 138, 1890-1901
Letterpress book, Pittsylvania County, Va., similar to Volume 137. 487 p.; also includes an undated enclosure.
Folder 534
Volume 139, 1892-1898, 1915-1917
Ledger, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing farm accounts for Berry Hill, Brierfield, and Royal Oak, including accounts of various tenants (for work performed; borrowed funds; and fertilizer and food supplies purchased from the managers), accounts of the managers of the farms, and lists of wheat, corn, and tobacco crops; alphabetical index. 358 p.; also includes enclosures dated 1900-1916.
Folder 535
Volume 140, 1901-1903
Letterpress book, Iowa City, Iowa, containing correspondence of Alfred Varley Sims as a professor at the State University of Iowa. Index. 490 p.; also includes enclosures, 1 September 1899, 20 April 1904, and undated.
Folder 536
Volume 141, 1902-1903
Engineering paper of Rufus C. Choate, Iowa City, Iowa, possibly done under the supervision of Professor Alfred V. Sims at the State University of Iowa.
Folder 537
Volume 142, 9 April 1908
"Comments and Corrections of Report of Messrs. Van Etten and McAdoo Dated April 9, 1908 on the Cuba Eastern, Northeastern Cuba, Cuba Eastern Terminal Co. and Eastern Railway of Cuba Made by Alfred Varley Sims to Mr. F. C. Walcott and attorneys R. S. Huse and C. B. Crane," Guantanamo, Cuba.
Folder 538
Volume 143, 13 January 1910-31 October 1910
Account book, Pittsylvania County, Va., listing cash owed and received by R. H. Ross and J. D. Setliffe, managers at different of Berry Hill farm and possibly other farms.
Folder 539
Volume 144, 1 November 1910-2 December 1910
Labor records of Berry Hill farm, Pittsylvania County, Va., kept by R. H. Ross, listing hours worked and tasks performed of the following tenants: Tom Bufford, George Lawrence, Willie Lawrence, Will Lloyd, Will Moore, Lee Roberson, and R. H. Ross.
Folder 540a-540b
Volume 145, 24 November 1910-18 January 1919
Labor records of Berry Hill farm, Pittsylvania County, Va., kept by R. H. Ross, listing hours worked and tasks performed of 30 tenants/laborers.
Folder 541
Volume 146, 3 January 1911-31 December 1912
Account book of Berry Hill farm, Pittsylvania County, Va., kept by R. H. Ross, listing cash owed and received for crops, livestock, lumber, labor, and groceries.
Folder