Thornburg Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0549

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Thornburg Family Papers consist primarily of correspondence between family members and friends. In addition to letters, there are locks of hair as well as a family bible of William Thornburg and his wife, Janette Taylor Evans. The subject of the letters varies. One letter from Janette to her future husband William expresses her growing affection for him. Other correspondence highlights the challenges faced during the Civil War including assisting soldiers with supplies and medical injuries. There is one letter, not written by any family members, that describes a situation that occurred after the Battle of Asheville in April 1865. Lastly, several pieces of correspondence are shared between Dr. W. Ward Verdin and William Thornburg, which captures their long-time friendship. All of the correspondence is written in cursive English.

Dates

1857 - 1880
Majority of material found within 1857 - 1869

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement .

Biographical or Historical Information

William Lindsay Thornburg was born September 19, 1837, in Randolph County, North Carolina. On June 22, 1858, he married Janette Taylor Evans (1840-1898) who was from Chatham County, North Carolina. In November 1861, William joined the Confederate cause in the Civil War and enlisted into the 38th North Carolina Infantry (Company “H”). He was promoted to Captain five months later. During the war, William was wounded several times, including being shot in the right arm in July 1862 and in the face during the July 3rd engagement at Gettysburg in 1863. He retired from service and was paroled at Charlotte, NC in May 1865. He died on September 27, 1879.

Extent

1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Abstract

The Thornburg Family Papers consist primarily of correspondence between family members and friends. This includes letters to and from William Lindsay Thornburg (1837-1879) who was a native of Randolph County, North Carolina. He served as a Confederate soldier in the 38th North Carolina Infantry (Company H) during the Civil War. In addition to letters, there are locks of hair as well as a family bible of William Thornburg and his wife, Janette Taylor Evans.

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged into two series. Within each series, materials are arranged in chorological order.

Series 1- Correspondence

Series 2- Other materials

The first series comprises of correspondence between family members and other friends. Additionally, there is a letter related to the Battle of Asheville and a doctors note. The second series includes unidentified locks of hair from the family and a family bible.

Method of Acquisition

This material was donated to the archives from a donor.

Condition Description

Correspondence is in stable condition. Exterior hinges of Bible are split and spine is loose.

Offensive Language Statement

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Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.