Clarkson family papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0023

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Material and family papers collected by Judge Francis Osborne Clarkson. Includes typescript copy of an autobiography by Jane Campbell Harris Woodruff (1788-1834) describing life in Charleston, S.C., and on a Florida plantation, reminiscences of life in Charlotte in the 1880s and 1890s by Margaret Bland, and a history of the First Presbyterian Church property. Also includes 94 pamphlets collected by Clarkson and his father, Judge Heriot Clarkson, reflecting their interests in the history and politics of Charlotte and North Carolina, patriotic societies, and alcoholism and prohibition. Included in the bound pamphlets are many regarding the Society of the Cincinnati as Heriot Clarkson was an honorary member of the North Carolina Chapter. Much of the collection is made up of photocopies.

Dates

Creation: 1779, 1829, 1875-1966
Creation: 1875 - 1966

Creator

Clarkson family (Family)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical Note

The Clarkson family of Charlotte originated in South Carolina [see Francis O. Clarkson, Thomas Boston Clarkson of South Carolina (Charlotte, N.C., 1973)]. Family members include Heriot Clarkson (1863-1942), Mecklenburg County lawyer, legislator, and North Carolina Supreme Court Justice (1923-42); and his son Francis Osborne Clarkson (b. 1895), Mecklenburg County lawyer, North Carolina State Senator (1931 32), and North Carolina Superior Court Judge (1953-59).

Extent

1.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains family papers and material about Charlotte, as well as pamphlets about the history and politics of Charlotte and North Carolina, patriotic societies, and alcoholism and prohibition. The North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati is well represented in the pamphlet collection as Heriot Clarkson was made an honorary member in 1902.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in four series:

I. Pamphlet collection, 1875-1966
II. Manuscripts, 1780-1941
III. Printed ephemera, 1906-1960
IV. Land records, 1779

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts of Francis O. Clarkson, 1969 and 1980.

Related Materials

Francis Osborne Clarkson Papers, UNC-Chapel Hill, SHC #3275; Heriot Clarkson Papers, North Carolina State Archives; Heriot Clarkson Papers, UNC Chapel Hill, SHC #1313; Dr. Tucker Harris Collection, South Carolina Historical Society.