Collection Title: Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932
Size 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 600 items)
Abstract The Blackwood family of Orange County, N.C., included Robert P. Blackwood, an engineer for the Southern Railway Company who married Alice M. Craig around 1896. The couple's children included Mattie E. (1889- 1977), Annie, Florence, Vernon, Samuel, and Carl. While the family home appears to have been in Chapel Hill, family members made frequent visits to friends and relatives in Hillsborough and Reidsville, including the Rev. D. Irvin Craig, who was clerk of the Synod of the North Carolina and Orange Presbytery. Chiefly letters of Blackwood family members, related Craig family members, and other relatives and friends. Most letters detail routine family activities. Early letters largely relate to Craig family members. In the late 1890s, there are many letters from the newly married Alice Blackwood, in Chapel Hill or other locations in Orange County, to her husband, Robert, traveling as an engineer with the Southern Railway Company. These letters chiefly discuss family matters; there is little mention of Robert's work. In the early 1900s, there are childhood letters to Robert and Alice's daughters Mattie and Annie, at school in Chapel Hill, from relatives and friends. Few letters mention school activities. In 1911, there are several letters relating to Mattie's desire to attend the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro); these letters are largely about finding money to fund her studies and making sure of her commitment to the teaching profession. From 1913 to 1917, Mattie attended college, and, from 1918-1929, she taught school in Seaboard, N.C., but letters rarely mention her school or teaching activities. In 1929, Mattie returned to Chapel Hill to teach. Letters end in 1932, with a few from brother Carl, who was in the United States Army.
Creator Blackwood family.
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[Identification of item], in the Blackwood Family Papers #4789, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Received from the estate of Mattie E. Blackwood in July 1978 (Acc. 95155).
Blackwood family.
Blackwood, Mattie E., 1889-1977.
Chapel Hill (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
Craig family.
Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College--Students--History--20th century.
Orange County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
Railroad engineers--North Carolina--History.
Seaboard (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
Soldiers--United States--Correspondence.
Teachers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro--History.
The Blackwood family of Orange County, N.C., included Robert P. Blackwood, an engineer for the Southern Railway Company who married Alice M. Craig around 1896. The couple's children included Mattie E. (1889- 1977), Annie, Florence, Vernon, Samuel, and Carl. While the family home appears to have been in Chapel Hill, family members made frequent visits to friends and relatives in Hillsborough and Reidsville, including the Rev. D. Irvin Craig, who was clerk of the Synod of the North Carolina and Orange Presbytery.
Early letters largely relate to Craig family activities; there is no mention of the Civil War. In 1872, there is a subscription list in support of D. Irvin Craig's education at the D. Hughes Academy.
Around 1896, Alice M. Craig married Robert P. Blackwood. In the late 1890s, there are many letters from Alice, in Chapel Hill or other locations in Orange County, to Robert, traveling as an engineer with the Southern Railway Company. Also included during this period are a few letters from Robert to Alice or their children. These letters chiefly discuss family matters; there is little mention of Robert's work.
In the early 1900s, letters are chiefly to Robert and Alice's daughters Mattie and Alice, at school in Chapel Hill, from relatives and friends. Few letters mention school activities. Letters are occasionally addressed to Mattie, visiting her Craig relatives in Reidsville.
In 1911, there are several letters relating to Mattie's desire to attend the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), including several about financing her education and offering advise about entering the teaching profession. From 1913 to 1917, Mattie received letters at Bear Creek, where she lived while attending college, but none of these letters discuss her studies or student activities.
During World War I, there are a few non-substantive letters from brother Vernon, serving with the United States Navy. After the war, Mattie apparently began teaching in Seaboard, N.C., where she remained until 1929. Most letters to Mattie discuss family matters; some are from her sister Florence, who was employed by the Jefferson Standard Insurance Company in Greensboro. Several letters discuss brother Carl, who, according to his siblings, was having difficulty finding his niche in life. In 1929, letters show that Mattie returned to Chapel Hill, where she secured a teaching job at the Murphy School and gave music lessons. The last few letters, dated 1932, are from Carl, who had found a home in the United States Army.
Expand/collapse Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932.
1859-1891 #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." Folder 1
1896 #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." Folder 2
Folder 10
1923 #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." Folder 10
1927-1928 #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." Folder 14
Folder 16-18
Undated and fragments #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." Folder 16-18
Image P-4789/1
Mattie E. Blackwood #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." P-4789/1
Unidentified child #04789, Series: "Blackwood Family Papers, 1859-1932." P-4789/2
P-4789/1-2
Processed by: Roslyn Holdzkom, with assistance from Melanie Bissette January 1996
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008