1.65 cubic feet; Collection (1830-1926) including correspondence, ephemera, photographic prints, manuscript volumes & oversized materials, relating to the McDaniel, Harvey, and related families of Kinston and Trenton in Jones & Lenoir Counties, North Carolina, including materials related to the family's real estate holdings, business and social life, church activities, and children's educations.
The Harvey, McDaniel, and related families were from the North Carolina counties of Lenoir and Jones. Matt Harvey married Elizabeth Chapman and had five children; Mary in 1862, Joseph in 1863, Julia Catherine in 1865, John Richard in 1870 and Bessie in 1879. Julia Catherine married Elbridge G. McDaniel, and they had two daughters, Julia ("Miss Kate") in 1891 and Mildred in 1893. Both sisters attended Hollins Institute, a women's college, in Hollins, Virginia. Their father, Matt Harvey died circa 1897. Mildred married O. Samuel Fowle Linton and they had four children. The couple later divorced. For more details, see the container list.
The bulk of the collection documents Julia McDaniel and her immediate family. Among the correspondence is discussion regarding the education of Julia McDaniel's two daughters in primary school, Hollins Institute and through music lessons. Much of this is from the time period when Mildred and Kate were attending the Hollins Institute. Also present is correspondence between Julia and her brother. This mainly concerns Julia's money matters, real estate and banking business done on her behalf by her brother. Also mentioned is local happenings and the price of cotton. Apparently, Julia had moved to Virginia at some point. Most likely, this was after her husband passed away. Also present are letters to Julia from her mother "Lizzie" (in Vanceboro), aunt Minnie (also in Vanceboro) and her sister Bessie who speaks of visiting her by train. Much of the conversations revolve around gardening, other local chores and the weather. Other letters received are from the Bank of Kinston (money owed, land to sell, etc.), Mrs. Helen Rountree Kennedy (music teacher), J. A. Smith in Trenton, North Carolina (rented a store from Julia, Thomas D. Warren in New Bern (Julia's attorney, handling estate, tax, and property matters for her. He was also a member of the State House of Representatives) and Dr. Joseph H. Foy, then Principal at Patrick Henry Public School in St. Louis. Dr. Foy taught Julia as a child, and also makes the following remark regarding the differences in climates in one of his letters.
This climate is far superior to that of Eastern N.C. I have not seen a dozen 'chills' since I reached this state. No member of my family has had one. I lost three children in N.C., came near losing two, and would, in all probability, have lost them had I not luckily decided to go west.
Also present are an assortment of financial records related to the family's general merchandise company, J. R. Harvey & Company. The company was located in Grifton, North Carolina, and was overseen by Julia's brother, John Harvey. Other financial records are from the Bank of Kinston and Citizens Savings Bank (also in Kinston, Hollins Institute (educational expenses). Also included in the collection are property records, bonds, mortgages, liens, tax receipts, uncollectible debt accounts, legal records and store ledgers. A small amount of these relate to Morgan County, Georgia and the North Carolina counties of Jones and Lenoir. Also included the will of Elbridge G. McDaniel, Julia's husband, sent from an attorney in 1897. Ephemeral items include programs and invitations for weddings and graduations. For more details, please see the container list below.
Gift of Lt. Col. John H. Linton
Encoded by Lindsay Flood, April 3, 2008
Processed by
Dr. Jonathan Dembo, May 2007
Virginia Dodd May 2010
Dale Sauter August 2010
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.