Turner May Papers, 1822-1924
(Manuscript Collection #525)
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | Turner May Papers |
| Creator: | May, Turner, 1801-1872 |
| Repository: | ECU Manuscript Collection |
| Languages: | English |
| Abstract: | Papers (1822-1924) including correspondence, land records, legal papers, financial accounts, receipts and a photograph. |
| Extent: | 0.11 Cubic feet, 210 items , consisting of correspondence, land records, legal papers, financial accounts, receipts, and a photograph. |
Administrative Information
Accessions Information
March 10, 1987, 210 items; Papers (1822-1924) of family of Pitt and Craven counties, N.C., including correspondence, legal papers, financial accounts, and receipts. Gift of Mr. Robert Edward May, Greensboro, N.C.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Preferred Citation
Turner May Papers (#525), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Acquisition Information
- Gift of Mr. Robert Edward May
Processing Information
-
Processed by M. Boccaccio, January 1988
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Encoded by Apex Data Services
Biographical / Historical Note
Turner May (1801-1872) was the grandson of Benjamin May and lived near Farmville. A farmer who also had a sawmill, he married Elizabeth Dixon in 1827. Sometime in the mid 1850s he moved his family to a farm near New Bern.
Description
Correspondence includes a letter from J. E. May to his mother (1863) written from near Lynchburg about the Chancellorsville Campaign. May comments on the death of Frank Deall and the number of killed and wounded in his company, Company F, 2nd Regiment, N.C. Troops. The remainder of the correspondence concerns general family activities.
Legal and land records cover the years 1822-1856 and include court cases about a family land dispute.
The major portion of the collection consists of receipts and financial accounts, mainly for Turner May (1822-1866) but also for J. E. May (1878-1894). Earlier receipts document purchases made for foodstuffs, coal, nails, tools, farm equipment, and sewing materials. A Confederate receipt for 1864 is included. Tuition bills for his daughters Emily and Penelope (1853-1855) and for his son William (1851) reflect their enrollment in drawing, arithmetic, geography, and grammar classes. Medical bills (1840-1844) reflect doctor's visits, diagnosis, medicine given, and costs. Tax receipts cover the years 1848-1860.
A miscellaneous file includes a photograph of the Turner May house in Craven County and a 1924 notebook which includes J. E. May's Civil War record.
Subject Headings
Personal/Family names
Geographic name
Online access to this finding aid is supported with funds created through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). These funds come through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which is administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. This grant is part of the North Carolina ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, Digitization Grant Program.
