State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives A. P. Welch Business Records, 1900-1983 COLLECTION SUMMARY Creator: Welch, A. P. (Abraham Poteet), 1881-1956 Inclusive Dates: 1900-1983, bulk 1918-1930 Scope & Content: Consists of correspondence, receipts, maps, ledgers, and political ephemera. The bulk of the collection is correspondence to and from A. P. Welch in his capacity as proprietor of A. P. Welch and Company. The letters mostly relate accounting and pricing information in the timber and lumber industry. A delightful collection of letterheads depict storefronts and manufactories across the Eastern United States, including Tennessee. Other letterheads artfully display business logos and trademarks. The correspondence contains a particularly fine collection of illustrated letterheads depicting wagons, buggies, and early automobiles. Also among the correspondence is a 1922 letter from a gentleman asking Welch to assist in the construction of a Nazarene church in Columbia, Tennessee. Attached to a letter from A. Frank and Co., Nashville, from March 1921 is a wallpaper sample. A copy of a workmen’s compensation accident report from A. P. Welch and Company, dated September 1923, was attached to correspondence with Integrity Mutual Casualty Company and sent in October 1923. A number of telegrams to A. P. Welch further discuss his timber business. The collection also includes a sample ballot from the 1940 Putnam County local election and a campaign flyer for Jared Maddux promoting his candidacy for state senate. A publication from the Monterey Church of the Nazarene celebrating its 75th anniversary has an image of Rev. A. P. and Daisy Welch on the cover. A damaged Victory Garden leaflet published by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service was found between the pages of one of the ledgers. A pamphlet advertises the course offerings at Trevecca College (later Trevecca Nazarene University). Sixty maps and plats depict Welch’s land around the Upper Cumberland Plateau including a number of Monterey, one of Tennessee and Kentucky, and one of the world. These are all stored in map drawer M-12-18, except the largest, which are on top of M-8 and M-9 in an oversize folder. An oversized photograph depicts a group of A. P. Welch’s employees enjoying an employee thanksgiving. They are seen wearing celebratory ribbons, a number of which are in the collection. One photograph shows Arthur Jackson Nickens in a World War I era U. S. Navy uniform, although he never served. Eighteen ledgers detail A. P. Welch’s accounts and finances. In addition to his business and personal accounts, Welch kept early accounts of the Monterey Church of the Nazarene, including contributions. Some ledgers from local banks, perhaps kept by his brother, complete the collection. Physical Description/Extent: 13.75 cubic feet Accession/Record Group Number: 2010-083 Language: English Permanent Location: ASRS; M-18-12, Top of M-8 and M-9 map cabinets Repository: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way North, Nashville, Tennessee, 37219 Administrative/Biographical History Abraham Poteet Welch was born on May 28, 1881, in Putnam County to John Wesley Welch and Julia Ann Ford. His World War I draft registration describes him as a short and slender man with black eyes and graying hair. On August 3, 1900, he and Daisy Andrews married in Putnam County. At the time of this marriage, A. P. lived at home and worked as a grain dealer. Before he launched A. P. Welch and Company he worked as a minister, farmer, and for Cookeville Veneer Company. His business, A. P. Welch and Company, bought and sold lumber, coal, real estate, and feed. Under this styling, Welch served as the purchasing agent for Carthage Spoke and Cooperage Company and Cookeville Veneer Company. He served as a director of The Welch Stave and Heading Company with his relatives George Nathaniel Welch, John W. Welch, J. P. Welch, and J. N. Welch. A. P. helped found Monterey Nazarene Church in 1903 and continued preaching full-time until 1930. A. P. and Daisy Welch had three daughters, Lucile, Margaret Josephine, and Ruth. He died on January 9, 1956, and is buried in Welch Memorial Cemetery in Putnam County. Organization/Arrangement of Materials The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type, then chronologically. Conditions of Access and Use Restrictions on Access: No restrictions Restrictions on Use and Reproduction: While the Tennessee State Library and Archives houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such instances and for obtaining any other permissions and paying associated fees that may be necessary for the intended use Index Terms Corporate Names: Monterey Church of the Nazarene (Tenn.) Trevecca Nazarene College Personal Names: Maddux, John Jared Welch, A. P. (Abraham Poteet), 1881-1956 Subjects: Agriculture -- Tennessee Coal trade -- Tennessee Lumber trade -- Tennessee Nazarenes (Church of the Nazarene) Railroads -- Freight -- United States Small business -- Tennessee Timber -- Tennessee Geographic Names: Cookeville (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Cumberland County (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Cumberland Mountains -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Monterey (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Putnam County (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Sarasota (Fla.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Sparta (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Tennessee -- Politics and government -- 20th century White County (Tenn.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Document Types: Account books Bills of lading Correspondence Ledgers (account books) Legal documents Maps (documents) Photographs Receipts (financial records) Registrations (licenses) Ribbon (material) Telegrams Acquisition and Appraisal Provenance and Acquisition: This collection was donated to the Tennessee State Library and Archives by Deborah Nixon Peercy. Processing and Administrative Information Preferred Citation: A. P. Welch Business Records, 1900-1978, Tennessee State Library and Archives Processing Information: Processing completed by Zachary Keith in June 2018. Updated by Kimberly Mills Wires in July 2021. DETAILED COLLECTION DESCRIPTION CONTAINER LIST Contents/Item Title Date Box Folder/Volume Automobile registrations 1923 1 1 Contracts 1924 1 2 Correspondence 1917 1 3 Correspondence 1918 1 4 Correspondence January 1918 1 5 Correspondence February 1918 1 6 Correspondence March 1918 1 7 Correspondence April 1918 1 8 Correspondence May 1918 1 9 Correspondence June 1918 2 1 Correspondence July 1918 2 2 Correspondence August 1918 2 3 Correspondence September 2 4 1918 Correspondence October 1918 2 5 Correspondence November 2 6 1918 Correspondence December 2 7 1918 Correspondence January 1920 3 1 Correspondence February 1920 3 2 Correspondence March 1920 3 3 Correspondence April 1920 3 4 Correspondence May 1920 3 5 Correspondence June 1920 3 6 Correspondence July 1920 3 7 Correspondence August 1920 3 8 Correspondence September 3 9 1920 Correspondence October 1920 3 10 Correspondence November 3 11 1920 Correspondence December 3 12 1920 Correspondence January 1921 4 1 Correspondence January 1921 4 2 Correspondence February 1921 4 3 Correspondence February 1921 4 4 Correspondence February 1921 4 5 Correspondence March 1921 5 1 Correspondence March 1921 5 2 Correspondence March 1921 5 3 Correspondence March 1921 5 4 Correspondence April 1921 6 1 Correspondence April 1921 6 2 Correspondence May 1921 6 3 Correspondence June 1921 6 4 Correspondence July 1921 6 5 Correspondence August 1921 6 6 Correspondence September 6 7 1921 Correspondence September 7 1 1921 Correspondence October 1921 7 2 Correspondence November 7 3 1921 Correspondence December 7 4 1921 Correspondence undated 1922 7 5 Correspondence January 1922 7 6 Correspondence February 1922 7 7 Correspondence March 1922 7 8 Correspondence April 1922 7 9 Correspondence May 1922 7 10 Correspondence June 1922 7 11 Correspondence July 1922 7 12 Correspondence August 1922 7 13 Correspondence September 7 14 1922 Correspondence October 1922 7 15 Correspondence November 8 1 1922 Correspondence November 8 2 1922 Correspondence December 8 3 1922 Correspondence undated 1923 8 4 Correspondence January 1923 8 5 Correspondence February 1923 8 6 Correspondence March 1923 9 1 Correspondence March 1923 9 2 Correspondence April 1923 9 3 Correspondence May 1923 9 4 Correspondence June 1923 9 5 Correspondence July 1923 9 6 Correspondence August 1923 9 7 Correspondence September 9 8 1923 Correspondence October 1923 10 1 Correspondence October 1923 10 2 Correspondence November 10 3 1923 Correspondence November 10 4 1923 Correspondence December 10 5 1923 Correspondence December 11 1 1923 Correspondence undated 1924 11 2 Correspondence January 1924 11 3 Correspondence February 1924 11 4 Correspondence February 1924 11 5 Correspondence March 1924 12 1 Correspondence March 1924 12 2 Correspondence April 1924 12 3 Correspondence April 1924 12 4 Correspondence April 1924 13 1 Correspondence May 1924 13 2 Correspondence May 1924 13 3 Correspondence June 1924 13 4 Correspondence July 1924 13 5 Correspondence August 1924 14 1 Correspondence September 14 2 1924 Correspondence September 14 3 1924 Correspondence October 1924 14 4 Correspondence October 1924 14 5 Correspondence November 15 1 1924 Correspondence November