Fort-Whitaker Family Papers

1743-1881, 2009, undated
Manuscript Collection #1142
Portions of this collection are digitized (1 item)
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Creator(s)
Turner, Elizabeth Coghill
Physical description
0.85 Cubic Feet, 703 items
Preferred Citation
Fort-Whitaker Family Papers (#1142), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
No restrictions.

This collection contains financial records (including also bills of sale for enslaved persons) and deeds (1743-1872), and correspondence (1821-1891) related especially to Elias Fort and Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker of Halifax County, N.C. The correspondence also concerns other members of the Whitaker family and related families.

Biographical/historical information

Elias Fort (1750-1811) was born in Halifax County to Elias Fort and Sarah Sugg. He married Ann Ricks and had thirteen children, including at least three sons.

Matthew Cary Whitaker (1762-1814) was born in Halifax County, NC. He was an only child. Whitaker left school to join the Patriot Army and was wounded during the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781. In 1787, he married Elizabeth Coffield and bought land in the wilderness near Enfield, NC where he built a house. He served in the House of Commons from 1800-106 and in the Senate from 1807-10 and again in 1812. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had 10 ten children, three sons and seven daughters. Two of his daughters died in infancy. Whitaker died in June of 1814 in Halifax County, NC.

Scope and arrangement

This collection includes material related to Elias Fort and Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker of Halifax County, NC, and their families. The majority of the collection consists of financial documents (1743-1881, 2009, undated) such as bills (including bills of sale for enslaved persons), receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. Also included are correspondence and transcripts (1828-1881) of members of the Fort and Whitaker families, as well as ten compact discs (2009) created by the donor with reproductions of the physical documents in the collection.

Administrative information
Custodial History

March 24, 2009, (unprocessed) 697 items, 0.75 cubic feet; Papers (1743-1881, 2009, undated) including bills, receipts, IOUs, and other financial records of Elias Fort and Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker of Halifax County, N.C.; also correspondence and; transcripts of members of the Whitaker and; related families; digitized reproductions of the documents on compact discs. See preliminary inventory attached. 2 boxes. 697 items. 780 p. (ca. 0.75 cubic feet) Recd. 1/23/2009. Note: 10 compact dics containing digital reproductions of collection made by the donor removed (7/21/2023). Access to digital reproductions available via Digital Collections. Some items fragile and; need conservation Donor: Mrs. Elizabeth Coghill Turner

September 20, 2022, (unprocessed addition 1), 0.10 cubic feet; This addition includes six letters (1812-1826) to members of the Fort family of Halifax County, North Carolina, from other family members. Gift of Katie Williams Jewell

Source of acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Coghill Turner

Gift of Katie Williams Jewell

Processing information

Encoded by Jonathan Dembo, March 25, 2009

Copyright notice

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

Metadata Rights Declaration
Key terms
Personal Names
Fort, Elias
Whitaker, Matthew C.
Family Names
Fort family
Whitaker family
Corporate Names
St. Mary's Hall/Doane Academy (Burlington, N.J.)
Topical
Agriculture--North Carolina--Halifax County
Collecting of accounts--North Carolina
Girls' schools--New Jersey--Burlington
Private schools--New Jersey--Burlington
Slave bills of sale--North Carolina--Halifax County
Slavery--North Carolina--Halifax County
Places
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Confederate
Container list
Box 1 Folder a Envelopes & Miscellaneous Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1743) 6 items. 6 p. Note: needs conservation
Box 1 Folder b Unknown Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (ca. 1700s, undated) 37 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder c Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1787) 2 items. 2 p
Box 1 Folder d Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1804) 1 item. 1 p
Box 1 Folder e Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1806) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder f Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1808) 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder g Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1809) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder h Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1810-1811) 5 items. 5 p
Box 1 Folder i Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1814) 2 items. 2 p
Box 1 Folder j Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1815) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder k Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1816 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder l Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1817) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder m Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1818) 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder n Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1819) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder o Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1820) 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder p Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1821) 5 items. 5 p
Box 1 Folder q Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1822) 19 items. 19 p
Box 1 Folder r Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1823) 18 items. 18 p
Box 1 Folder s Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1824) 31 items. 31 p
Box 1 Folder t Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1825) 29 items. 29 p
Box 1 Folder u Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1826) 50 items. 63 p
Box 1 Folder v Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1827) 46 items. 47 p
Box 1 Folder w Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1828) 33 items. 34 p
Box 1 Folder x Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1829) 18 items. 18 p
Box 1 Folder y Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1830) 37 items. 38 p
Box 1 Folder z Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1830-1831) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder za Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1831) 41 items. 41 p
Box 1 Folder zb Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1832) 35 items. 35 p
Box 1 Folder zc Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1833) 10 items. 11 p
Box 1 Folder zd Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1834) 20 items. 21 p
Box 1 Folder ze Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1835) 23 items. 23 p
Box 1 Folder zf Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1836) 13 items. 13 p
Box 1 Folder zg Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1837) 11 items. 11 p
Box 1 Folder zh Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1838) 6 items. 6 p
Box 1 Folder zi Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1839) 9 items. 9 p
Box 1 Folder zj Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1840) 22 items. 22 p
Box 1 Folder zk Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1842-1843) 2 items. 2 p
Box 1 Folder zl Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1845) 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder zm Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1847-1848) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder zn Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1852) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder zo Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1853) 3 items. 3 p
Box 1 Folder zp Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1805) 7 items. 7 p
Box 1 Folder zq Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1855) 9 items. 11 p
Box 1 Folder zr Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1856) 13 items. 16 p
Box 1 Folder zs Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1857) 8 items. 8 p
Box 1 Folder zt Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1858) 6 items. 6 p
Box 1 Folder zu Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1859) 11 items. 11 p
Box 1 Folder zv Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1860) 5 items. 5 p
Box 1 Folder zw Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1861-1862) 4 items. 4 p
Box 1 Folder zx Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1863) 6 items. 6 p
Box 1 Folder zy Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1864) 6 items. 7 p
Box 1 Folder zz Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1866) 1 item. 1 p
Box 1 Folder zza Financial documents, including bills, receipts, deeds, IOUs, etc. (1872) 3 items. 3 p
Box 2 Folder a Fort - Whitaker family correspondence & transcriptions (1828-1881) 21 items. 58 p. Note: Birmingham, AL; Leadville, CO; Chapel Hill, NC; Readysville, TN; Camp Shiloh, Columbus, GA; Enfield, NC; Granton, VA; Halifax, NC; Milledgeville, GA
Box 2 Folder b Fort - Whitaker family correspondence & transcriptions (1828-1880) 10 items. 31 p. Note: Raleigh, NC; Halifax, NC; Davenport, IA; Leadville, CO
Box 2 Folder d Correspondence, 1812-1826. 6 items.