Tennessee State Library and Archives WASHINGTON FAMILY PAPERS
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State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312 WASHINGTON FAMILY PAPERS, 1796-1962 Processed by Harry A. Stokes Accession numbers: 83-001; 84-001; 89-131 Microfilm accession number: Mf. 961 Dates completed: Jan. 24, 1983; Mar. 16, 1984 Locations: XVII-F-K-1; VI-C-1v; oversize flat storage - top of map cases The Washington Family Papers, 1796-1962, are centered around “Wessyngton,” the Washington family home built in 1818 by Joseph Washington, tobacco planter, near Cedar Hill in Robertson County, Tennessee. The papers contain records of the plantation as well as the correspondence of four generations: Joseph Washington (1770-1848), tobacco planter; George Augustine Washington (1815-1892), tobacco planter, railroad executive, and capitalist; Joseph Edwin Washington (1851-1915), Congressman and tobacco farmer; and George Augustine Washington (1879- 1964), attorney, tobacco farmer, and genealogist. The papers were gifts of Mrs. Mary Kinsolving, Baltimore, Md.; Hickman Price, Jr., Palm Beach, Fla.; and Mrs. Anne K. Talbott, Cookeville, Tenn. Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 64 Approximate number of items: ca. 11,200 Single photocopies of unpublished writings in the Washington Family Papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research. WASHINGTON FAMILY PAPERS , 1796-1962 7/if. 91/ Microf1lm Container List Reel No . : 1. Box 1, folder 1 to Box 2, folder 10 2. Box 2, folder 11 to Box 5 , folder 9 3. Box 5, folder 10 to Box 8 , folder 8 4. Box 8. folder 9 to Box 10, folder 16 5. Box 10, folder 17 to Box 13, folder 18 6. Box 14, folder 1 to Box 16, folder 8 7. Box 16, folder 9 to Box 20, folder 2 8 . Box 20, folder 3 to Box 23, folder 12 9. Box 23, folder 13 to Box 24, fol der 2 10. Box 24, folder J to Box 29 , folder 8 11. Box 29, .folder 9 to Box 32, folder 46 12 . Box 32, folder 47 to Box,·36, folder 4'• 13. Bex 37, folder l to Box 41, folder 33 14 . Box 41, folder 34 to Box 43, folder 4 15. Box 43, folder 5 to Box 46, folder 43 16 . Box 47, folder 1 to Box 51, folder 13 17 . Box 51, folder 14 to Box 56, folder 24 18. Box 56, folder 25 to Box 61, folder 8 19. Box 6~. folder 9 to Box 64, folder 22 20 . Box 65, folder 1 t o Box 70, folder 15 21. Box 70, folder 16 to Box 72, folder 9 22. Box 72, folder 10 to Box 75, folder 5 23 . Box 75, folder 6 to Box 78, folder 25 24 . Box 78, folder 26 to Box 82, folder 22 25. Box 82, folder 23 to Box 83 , folder 6 26. Box 83_, folder 7 to Box 85, folder 22 27. Box 86, folder 1 to Box 92, folder 21 28. Box 92, folder 22 to Box 97 , folder:.L 29. Box 97, folder 2 to Box 99, folder 22 30. Box 99, folder 23 to Box 101, folder 17 31. Box 102, folder 1 to Box 105, folder 5 32. Box 105, folder 6 to Box 107, folder 3 33 , l3ox 107, folder 4 to Box 109_, folder 5 34. Box 109, folder 6 to Box 112!, folder 9 · 35. Box 112, folder 10 to Box 118 , folder 8 36 . Box 118, folder 9 to Ilox 121 , folder 30 37. Box 121, folder 31 to Box 125, folder 19 38. Box 125, folder 20 to Box'l28, folder 7 39 . Box 129, folder 1 to Box 132, folder 17 40. Box 132, folder 18 to Box 134, folder 2 41. Box 134, folder 3 to . Box 135, folder 2 42. Box 135, folder 3 to Box 136, folder 3 43. Box 136, folder 4 to Box 137, folder 3 44. Box 137, folder 4 to Box 138, folder 4 45. Box 139, folder 1 to Box 140, folder 8 46. Box 140, folder 9 to Box 141, folder 15 47. Box 141, folder 16 to Box ll14, folder 3 48. Box 144, folder 4 to Box 146, folder 7 49. Box 146, folder 8 to Box 148, folder 27 50. Box 148, folder 28 to Map Drawer No . 1 - Newspapers - The neligious ~<" l_escope, (Dayton, Oh;f.o), Dec . 1864 WASHINGTON FAMILY PAPERS - list of negatives 1459 Black slave (oe ex-slave) family 1824 ? 2097-8 Jane Smith Washington 2099-2100 Joseph Edwin Washington 2101 Mary Cheatham Washington 2102-3 George A. Washington 2104 James E. and Mary Kemp Washington and children 2105 four Washington family servants 2106 coachmen and carriage 2107-9 Anne Washington & Augustus Blagden wedding reception, 1905 2110 Annex decorated for wedding 2111 wedding party 2112 double exposure dining room set for reception and reception on lawn 2113 Washington Hall 2114 Wessyngton 2115 land grant for Washington land 2116-8 Floral parade 1893 2119-20 George and Jane S. Washington 2121 George And Jane. S. Washington, Bessie Tompkins 2122-3 Washington family 2124 James Jackson 2125 Sarah Jackson 2126-7 Washington family cousins 2128 Wessyngton, c.1911 2129 Wessyngton 2130 William Lewis Washington 2131 Granville Washington 2132 Washington family graveyard 2133- 5 Jane Smith Washington -2- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Joseph Washington 1770 Born July 8. in Southhampton County, Virginia; son of Joseph and Zilla (Branch) Washington 1796 Came to Tennessee and settled near Cedar llill in Robertson County on Sulphur Fork; came with money and slaves and began to farm 1798 First purchase of land was 60 acres from Hugh Lewis for $360 1812 March 12, mnrried Mary Cheatham, daughter of .Archer Cheatham, of Robertson .County, Tennessee, and a distant Washington cousin ca. 1814 Began building "We ssyngton" on his land in Robertson County 1819 Completed his brick home "Wessyngton" 1848 Died November 28, and is buried in the family cemetery at "Wessyngton" - 3- George Augustine Washington 1815 May 24, born at 11Wessyngton, 11 son of Joseph and Mary (Cheatham) Washington 1832 May 14, matriculated during the Sununer Session of the Uni versity of Nashville 1842 September 15, married Margaret Adelaide Lewis (1823-1844) daughter of William Berkeley Lewis ( 1784-1866) of "Fairfield," Nashville, Tennessee 1844 November 3, William Lewis Washington was born 1844 November 22, Adelaide (Lewis) Washington died and is buried in the family cemetery at "Wessyinton" 1849 June 21, married Jane Smith (1830-1894), daughter of Joseph Lawrence Dawson Smith and Mary Jackson (Hanna) Smith, of Florence, Alabama 1850-60 Increased his father's estate enormously and became one of the South's largest and wealthiest tobacco planters 1865-80 Successfully speculated in gold, stocks and bonds in New York City and London 1871 Became President and Receiver of Edgefield and Kentucky Rail road 1872 Elected to Tennessee House of Representatives and served one term 1874 Elected director, Louisville and Nashville Railroad 1892 December 4, died and is buried in family cemetery at "Wessyngton" -4- Joseph Edwin Washington 1851 November 10, born at "Wessyngton," son of George and Jane (Smith) Washington; received early instruction at home 1873 June 26, graduated from Georgetown College, Washington , D.C. 1874 Studied law with the first class organized at Vanderbilt Uni versity,Nashville, Tennessee; admitted to the bar but never practiced 1877-79 Member, Tennessee House of Representatives 1879 January 15, married Mary Bolling Kemp (1861-1946), daughter of Peter and Seigniora Peyton (Bolling) Kemp 1880 Presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of Hancock and English 1887-97 Repres entative in the United States Congress 1896 Not a candidate for re-election; returned to agricultural pursui ts at "Wessyngton" Appointed Road Commissioner , Robertson County, Tennessee; ~ember Board of Trust, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Director, Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad and Nashville and Decatur Railroad 1915 August 28, died and is buried in family celt\etery at "Wessyngton" -s- George Augustine Washington 1879 October 27, born at 0 Wessyngton" 1887-97 Lived in Washington, D.C., when his father was in Congress and attended the public schools ca. 1900 Graduated from Yale University ca. 1902 Graduated from Harvard Law School ca. 1903-34 Practiced law in New York City ca. 1934 Returned to "Wessyngton" to keep the estate together 1964 February 26, died at "Wessyngton," and is buried in the family cemetery at 11Wessyngton" - 6- SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Washington Family Papers, contnining .:i.pproximately 11 • 200 items , cover the period 1796-1962. The collection is composed of accounts, (farm and household), bill s of sale, cards (busines~ and calling) , certificates, correspondence, court records, diaries, financinl records, genealogical datn, inventories, invitations, journals, land records, legal documents, military records, newspapers , notebooks, obituaries, passes, photographs, programs, promissory notes, publications, railroad papers, receipts, school records , speeches, tax lists and r eceipts, and several miscelleneous items. About 6,000 items of the collection consist of family and business correspondence. The bulk of the family correspondence is mnde up of letters written between George and Jane (Smith) Washington while the former was away on frequest business trips to New Orleans, New York, and other cities; the letters of William l3erkclcy Lewis to his daughter Margaret Adelaide (Lewis) Washington and to h:i..s son- in-law, George A Washington; and the letters between Jane (Smitl1) Washington and her son Joseph Edwin while the latter was attending school at Georgetown University. Besides the numerous incoming business letters to Joseph and George Washington from business firms in Nashville, New Orleans, Louisville, Cin cinnati, New York, and elsewhere, particularly in the antebellum period, there is the vast correspondence of Congressman Joseph Edwin Washington of the 6th and, later 7th District of Tennessee.