Scope and Content
The
White familypapers contain 1,190 items (4
Hollinger boxes, ca. 1.5 linear feet), 1794-1921, chiefly the
correspondence, business and legal papers of the
Whiteand
Robertsonfamilies of
Abingdon, Virginia. These closely related
families were two of the leading participants in the business
and political life of Southwest
Virginiaduring the nineteenth century.
The business papers of Col.
James White(1770-1838), other papers
concerning the settlement of his estate, and the business and
correspondence of the
White family, chiefly of
William Young Conn White(1812-1882), all
contain material relating to the development of business and
industry in Southwest
Virginiaand its economic ties to
Tennesseeand
Alabamabefore and after the Civil
War.
The first two series of the
White familypapers contain Col.
James White's own business papers,
1807-1838, and papers relating to the settlement of his vast
estate, 1838-1878. Col. White was involved in a number of
mercantile interests (up to some forty-five at one time) in
addition to the saltworks at
Saltville, Washington County. This
included business interests in the states of
Virginia,
Tennessee,
Alabama, and
Georgia, and investments in lead mines in
Wythe County, iron furnaces, cotton
plantations, and slaves. His property was worth at least
$750,000 at the time of his death. Unfortunately, Col. White's
business papers do not furnish a complete picture of any of
these interests.
Col. White moved to
Abingdon, Virginiaabout 1795. Prior to
his arrival there, White had worked for
Talbot, Jones & Company, a
Baltimoremerchandising house, who
supplied him with enough goods to set up his own business. He
married Miss
Eliza Wilsonin 1798 and began expanding
his business by becoming a partner of such men as Mr.
Henderson in
Abingdonand
William Lynnin
Alabama.
One of his most important business enterprises was the
leasing of the saltworks at
Saltville, Virginia, from the executors
of the
William Kingestate. Because the chain of
ownership and control of the saltworks is somewhat confusing,
the following short history of ownership will clarify White's
own involvement in the property.
General
Francis Prestonand his family had owned
the salt lick when
William King(1769-1808) purchased the
land west of their claim in 1795. By 1799, King had erected
furnaces and began the manufacture of salt. He also rented the
Preston Salinesuntil his death in 1808.
According to his will, the salt works were carried on by his
brother,
James King,
William Trigg, and
William King's wife,
Mary Trigg King, and their executors
until 1819, when it was leased to
John Sanders. Sanders sold his lease
rights to
James Whitewho leased the operations
until 1833. Other individuals leased this property until the
formation of the
Holston Salt & Plaster Companyin
1864. The
King Saltworksproduced from 90,000 to
100,000 bushels of salt per year. During the Civil War, it was
the largest supplier of salt to the Confederacy.
The business papers of Col. White contain several items
related to his salt interests including: papers concerning the
estate of
William Kingand the saltworks (October
27, 1820; May 14, 1821; April 3, June 7, & October 4,
1823; and September 1834); extracts from
John Hardies' disposition concerning salt
prices, 1824-1829 (April 7, 1829); and other legal papers
regarding the saltworks (May 26, 1830; September 8, 1831;
April 1833; November 7, 1834; March 12 & September 27,
1836; May 26, 1837; and August 15, 1838); a valuation of
buildings at
Saltville(undated) and a memorandum
regarding the account books at
Saltville(undated).
His business papers also include the balances on the
Saltvillebooks (1820-1835). Papers
concerning cotton shipments (1837-1838) and his other
mercantile interests (August 25, 1821 and April 16, 1835) are
present but do not adequately represent the extent of his
involvement.
The settlement of the estate of Col.
James Whitewas not completed until 1878
and the records in the second series show the extent of
White's assets at his death, especially the slave and land
inventories (ca. 1838), a notebook regarding the estate of
James White, 1843-1863, and a commonplace
book record of the division of his property (ca. 1851).
An inventory entitled "Inventory and appraisement of the
personal property belonging to the estate of Col. James White
deceased" is an especially useful summation of Col. White's
economic status at the time of his death. It contains entries
for: merchandise (pp. 1-18); small notes (pp. 19-37); salt due
bills (p. 38); appraisements of property in
Clay County, Kentucky, and the
Limestoneand
BellefontePlantations in
Alabama(pp. 39-44); sales of personal
property (pp. 45-46); dividends, cash received and notes (p.
47); various agreements (pp. 60-121); and settlement of the
estate (pp. 126-129). The volume also has notes regarding the
periodic examination of the accounts by the commissioner which
were recorded by the court, 1839-1871.
The correspondence of the
White familyincludes many letters
concerning business matters; of special note are the letters
of
Thomas Wilson White(1817-? ) to his
brother
William Young Conn White(1812-1882), both
sons of Col.
James White.
Thomas Whitewas the manager of the
family's plantation "
Bellefonte, " near
Huntsville, Alabama, and his letters give
a detailed account of its affairs (Feb., Nov., and Dec. 1843;
Jan. 1844; Sep., Nov., and Dec. 1845; Feb., Apr., and Dec.
1846; Jun. 1847; Jul. 1848; Mar. and May 1849; Mar. and Jul.
1851; Feb.-Apr. 1852; Apr. 1854; Oct. 1857; Jan., Apr., &
Jun. 1858; Jul., & Sep.-Oct. 1859; Nov. 1862; Jul. 1874;
Mar., Apr., and Dec. 1876; Feb. and Jun. 1877; and Mar.
1878).
Other topics of interest in the
White familycorrespondence include: slavery
(January 1, 1840; August 26, 1841; April 25 & November 29,
1846; January 23, 1858 and July 16, 1859); the salt
merchandising business (November 28, 1842), banking and
financial difficulties (February 9, 1843; June 1, 1847; and
October 13, & 16, 1857); and cotton prices (January 21,
1844; November 23, 1845; February 28, 1846; and April 29,
1854).
The fourth group of papers include the legal,
miscellaneous, and business papers of the
White family. Of note in the legal papers
are the following: an inventory and appraisement of the
estates of
Eliza Whiteand
Eleanor W. White(1851-1880); an indenture
regarding the saltworks between
James Whiteand
William King(August 4, 1823); and land
grants signed by various governors of
Virginia, including
James Pleasants,
James Wood, and
John Tyler, Sr.
Miscellaneous papers include a copy of a talk concerning
Judge
Peter Johnson(1763-1831) who grew up at "
Longwood" near
Farmville, Virginia(undated) and a copy
of The Daily Express of
Petersburg, Virginia(April 18, 1864).
The business papers of the
White familyshow their widespread business
interests, especially those of the
Saltvillesaltworks and their lead mines
in
Wythe County, Virginia. The account of
Dr.
Alexander Prestonwith
Eliza White(December 1839), containing
fees for medicines and doctor visits, sheds light on the types
of treatment occurring on a large plantation with many slaves.
A list of articles bought at a sale (August 22- 26, 1842)
includes livestock and slave prices.
Several of these papers deal with the
White family's continued interest in the
King Saltworks, which later became the
Holston Salt and Plaster Company(Dec.,
1855; Sep., 1862; Jan., 1866; Apr., 1872; Sep., 1874; Jun.,
and Oct., 1875; Feb., and May 1876; and Apr., 1877). There is
also other material concerning the
Holston Salt and Plaster Companyin the
years, 1872-1881.
A large amount of material in the business papers concerns
the lead mines in
Wythe Countyunder the company names of
Austinville Lead Mining Company,
Union Lead Mines Company, and
Wythe Lead and Zinc Mine Company(Feb. and
May 1856; Nov. 1857; Nov. 1864; Nov. 1865; Jul. and Dec. 1866;
Mar., May, Jul.-Dec. 1874; Jan. 1875; Dec. 1876; and Jan.-Apr.
1877). The bulk of the material on the lead mines is located
within the years 1874-1880.
The collection also contains a small group of papers
concerning the
Campell family, 1853-1882. One letter,
August 23, 1862, describes some of the economic difficulties
resulting from the Civil War.
The next series consists of the
Robertson familypapers.
James Lowry White(1842-1914), son of
William Young Conn White, married
Catherine Markham Robertson, daughter of
Governor
Wyndham Robertson(1803-1883), who resided
at the "
Meadows, " near
Abingdon, Virginia.
The papers of
Powhatan Robertson, a brother of
Wyndham Robertson, include: reports on
his college work (1815-1816) and essays written by him at
William and Mary(undated); three small
travel diaries describing his European Tour through
France,
Italy, and
Switzerland(October 12-November 25, 1818,
November 26-December 22, 1818, and January 3-May 2, 1819); and
letters describing the government and people of
Switzerlandand predicting that the growth
of Russian power and influence would continue into the next
century (June 9, 1819), and a speech by
John Randolphduring the Missouri
Compromise debate (February 22, 1820).
The correspondence of the
Robertson familycontains several Civil War
letters of interest:
Frank Robertson's description of Major
John Pelham(1838-1863) who fell at
Kelly's Ford(March 19, 1863); bands of
men pillaging the country (April 1865); and reconstruction
politics and settlement (June 6, 1865).
The letters to
Kate (Robertson) Whitecontain several
Civil War letters from her brother Frank, who served as a
captain under
J. E. B. Stuart, about his life as an
officer and skirmishes ( [ca. 1860 ?]; August 25, 1861; May 7,
July 26, and August 3, 1862; April 5 & 18, 1863; and an
attempt by Federal forces to capture the saltworks at
Abingdon(October 17, [1864]). There are
also many letters from
Wyndham Robertsonand
Mary Frances Trigg Robertsonto their
children, especially Kate.