Proctor-Kittrell Family Papers

1917-2007
Manuscript Collection #839
Creator(s)
Proctor Family
Physical description
0.83 Cubic Feet, 3 archival boxes and 1 oversize folder
Preferred Citation
Proctor-Kittrell Family Papers (#839), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
Access to audiovisual and digital media is restricted. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Collection contains Greenville and Pitt County, North Carolina, related photographs and ephemera (1917-2007) concerning the Pickwick Book Club, Girl Scouts, Greenville High School, and the Greenville Rotary Club, as well as documents commending the 7th Division American Expeditionary Force for their service in World War I. A large portion of the collection relates to the genealogy of the Goree, Kittrell, Hardee/Hardy, Tull, Proctor, and Hinton families, especially in Eastern North Carolina.


Biographical/historical information

James Knott Proctor (1927-2013) and Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor (1926-2013) were two long time members of the Greenville community. Married for over fifty years, the couple played a role in a variety of activities in Greenville throughout their lives. One of the major sources of family history in this collection is Just Who Do You Think You Are?, by John H. Proctor. Proctor (1931-2013) was a distinguished member of several organizations; along with an impressive military career, developing manuals for evasion and escape for the Vietnam War, among numerous other publications and achievements.

Sources:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/reflector/obituary.aspx?pid=166342123

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/reflector/obituary.aspx?pid=168129030

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=John-Proctor&lc=5088&pid=168236157&mid=5756064


Scope and arrangement

This collection contains a variety of family documents relating to the history and activities of several families rooted in the Pitt county area: the Kittrell, Proctor, Hinton, and Goree families, and related families. Additionally, ephemera and photographs related to Greenville scenes in the first half of the 20th century, high school reunions, book club meetings, and other clubs in the Pitt county area are found in this collection. This collection provides a variety of information on different points in Greenville and Pitt county history. Even with the heavy focus on particular family histories, this collection has a strong degree of information about Greenville as a whole.

The first series in this collection contains a create deal of genealogical research, typescripts, clippings, and correspondence for several families. Family lineages discussed relate to the Hardee, Goree, Hinton (especially Pasquotank Co.), Tull, Kittrell, and Proctor families; these generally date back into the 18th century with a few considerations on pre-colonial ancestors. Much of what was considered for establishing links between families present in this collection relates to notes James B. Kittrell had from a Bible belonging to the Hinton family. Furthermore, while much of the effort in the correspondence and typescripts was focused on developing family lineages, they also provide a reasonable amount of information regarding local histories of their particular family. For instance, documents related to the Hardee family describe the role of Colonel J. Hardee's place in the development of boundaries lines for Pitt County.

In conjunction with the genealogy efforts in this collection, is a book on the Proctor family's history, written by John Howard Proctor, entitled Just Who Do You Think You Are? This book organizes the knowledge found in the Proctor genealogy documents in this collection into a single, well-organized history of the Proctor family and their place in Pitt County. John Proctor lays out the role his family has had in various facets of Pitt County over the years since the 19th century; notably the vast extent to which previous generations held influence on agriculture in the region. Some further interesting points in Proctor's book are a variety of pictures relating to businesses during the mid-1900s and a map of downtown Greenville circa 1935-1950 (p. 39). Much of the remainder of the book relates to John Proctor's own life, and of interest are his views on life in Greenville during the 1940s-1960s.

The next series contains personal items related to the Kittrell and Proctor families of Greenville, North Carolina. A 1919 memorandum congratulates the efforts of the 7th Division infantry in the Battle of Voƫvre Valley (1918). The memorandum is accompanied by a roster listing the men who served in the division at the time. A 1925 memorandum contains a summary of the conflict and commendations towards the 7th Division on their efforts. There are a number of photos in the collection including several of the Kittrell family. Also included are a signed portrait of former NC congressman Herbert C. Bonner; a group photo of the North Carolina delegates at the 1930 Democratic Party National convention in New Orleans; the groundbreaking photo for the creation of Rose High School (later became Eppes Middle School) in Greenville; the 1941 visit of Eleanor Roosevelt to the Girl Scouts in Greenville; and numerous shots of buildings throughout the town during the early 1900s such as the Tar River Bridge, the Frank Wilson Store (clothier), and the J. B. Kittrell Home at 801 E. Fifth St. which was sold in 1962 to Delta Zeta Sorority. Also included are a few photos of East Carolina University while it was still East Carolina Teachers College--Old Austin Building, the campus in the snow. There are also a few awards to James K. Proctor, for his work in the military and in the Post Office.

Lastly, the third series of this collection contains an assortment of ephemera and personal documents not relating to the genealogical research of the aforementioned families. Material related to Greenville local history includes a set of pamphlets outlining the Pickwick Book Club of Greenville, NC (1987-1998), items related to the 50th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in Greenville (1920-1970), and printed ephemera related to Greenville High School including graduation programs and commencements, reunion memos (especially for the 1943/44 class), and outlines for club and general activities. There is a substantial amount of material related to the Greenville Rotary Club between 1919-1989, including an official banner, a pamphlet outlining its history in Greenville, several printed items describing the goals and practices of the club, an assortment of clippings related to club activities, and a copy of a painting of the club's founder. Not related to Greenville's history are commencement items pertaining to the graduating 1946 and 1948 classes of the Women's College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

One oversized item in this collection is an issue of the The Potanezen Duckboard, a U.S. Expeditionary Force army newspaper for Camp Potanezen in Brest, France. From June 11, 1919, it covers a variety of events and topics for soldiers stationed at the camp. Other oversized items are a Rotary Club banner; a placemat showcasing old class photographs for the Greenville High School 50th anniversary reunion (June 19, 1993) for 1943/1944 class; and a 1969 certified copy of a 1943 certificate produced in lieu of a lost or destroyed discharge certificate for James K. Proctor who fought in WWI with Battery B, 113th Field Artillery of the U.S. Army.


Administrative information
Custodial History

September 12, 2001, 1 container, 35 items, 0.035 cubic feet; Pickwick Book Club pamphlets, 1987-98 (13 items); 7th Division American Expeditionary Force documents, 1919, 1925 (3 items); and Proctor-Kittrell family photographs, ca. 1920s-60s (19 items) (35 items). Donor: James Knott Proctor & Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor.

October 15, 2008, (addition 1), 147 items, 0.50 cubic feet; Collection (1919-2007) of genealogical files related to the Proctor-Kittrell family and the related Hinton and Goree families of Greenville, North Carolina, including manuscripts, notes and printed materials. See preliminary inventory attached. Donor: James Knott Proctor and Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor.

July 25, 2018, (unprocessed addition 2), 0.08 cubic feet; This donation consists of a certificate appointing James K. Proctor as Postmaster at Greenville, N.C., on May 11, 1944, and a plaque that used to be on the Greenville High School (later the Greenville Junior High School) that stood at the corner of Reade and Fifth Streets until it burned in 1968. The plaque mentions that the school was built by the Civil Works Administration (1933-1934) and the Emergency Relief Administration of North Carolina (1933-1935). Donor: James K. Proctor III.

Source of acquisition

Gift of James Knott Proctor

Gift of Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor

Gift of James K. Proctor III

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Processed by Robert Hines, June 2016, and Martha Elmore, October 3, 2016

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Key terms
Personal Names
Elizabeth Kittrell
Proctor, James Knott
Proctor, John H.
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
Family Names
Hardy family
Hinton family
Kittrell family
Proctor family
Tull family
Corporate Names
Girl Scouts--North Carolina--Greenville
Greenville High School (Greenville, N.C.)
J.H. Rose High School
Rotary Club (Greenville, N.C.)--History
Topical
Architecture--North Carolina--Greenville
Book clubs (Discussion groups)--North Carolina--Greenville
World War, 1914-1918--France--Newspapers
Places
Greenville (N.C.)--History
Pitt County (N.C.)--Genealogy
Titles
Potanezen Duckboard

Container list
Box 1 Folder a Goree Family. "A Family Mosaic: Fragmentary sketches of our Forebears in America," by Edwin Sue Goree, December 1930. Also articles written about the Kittrell and Goree family connections and their lives in Alabama and Texas
Box 1 Folder b Hardee/Hardy, Kittrell, and Tull Families Histories. (1929-1961). Contains typescripts, correspondence, and family trees
Box 1 Folder c Hinton Bible records and family history information regarding Pasquotank Co. and surrounding counties in North Carolina. Photocopies and typescripts
Box 1 Folder d Hinton Family History. Contains birth and death records and genealogical notes
Box 1 Folder e Hinton Family history. Contains genealogical correspondence (1922-1966)
Box 1 Folder f Hinton Family History. Genealogical correspondence (undated), typescript of 1826 will, and notes
Box 1 Folder g Just Who do you Think you Are? The Proctor Family of Pitt County, North Carolina, by John H Proctor, Ph.D.(© 1992 John H. Proctor, Vienna, VA) Hard Cover. 1 vol. 110 p
Box 1 Folder h Just Who do you Think you Are? The Proctor Family of Pitt County, North Carolina, by John H Proctor, Ph.D.(© 1992 John H. Proctor, Vienna, VA) Only the cover, signed by author
Box 1 Folder i James Kittrell genealogical correspondence, 1928-1929
Box 1 Folder j WW1 commendation for 7th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, and roster. 1918,1925
Box 1 Folder l James B. Kittrell business correspondence, 1931-1936
Box 1 Folder m James B. Kittrell Family File: Various newspaper clippings (1952-1979, undated), 1943 program for Tar Heel Girls' State sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary, and a 1944 East Carolina Teachers College commencement program
Box 1 Folder n James K. Proctor Honorary Recognition certificates from the U.S. Postal Service (1965), and from U.S. President Gerald Ford (undated)
Box 2 Folder a Pickwick Book Club of Greenville, NC, programs, 1987-1998. 13 items
Box 2 Folder b 50th Anniversary of Girls Scouts in Greenville, NC, 1970 program and history notes
Box 2 Folder c Greenville High School; Greenville, NC, commencement programs, reunion memos and programs (especially class of 1943/44) from 1940-2007
Box 2 Folder d Rotary Club, Greenville, NC, 1918-1989. Includes manuscripts, clippings, prints, club banner, and additional materials
Box 2 Folder e Women's College of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC. Commencements materials for 1946,1948
Folder os1 The Potanezen Duckboard, Camp Potanezen, Brest France (June 11,1919) Vol. 1, No.3, newspaper for U.S. Expeditionary Force; Rotary Club banner; placemat showcasing old class photographs for Greenville High School 50th anniversary reunion (June 19, 1993) of 1943/1944 class; a 1969 certified copy of a 1943 certificate produced in lieu of a lost or destroyed discharge certificate for James K. Proctor who fought in WWI with Battery B, 113th Field Artillery of the U.S. Army; and a certificate (May 11, 1944) appointing James K. Proctor as Postmaster at Greenville, NC.