| Abstract |
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence. Antebellum letters discuss family affairs, camp meetings in Wilkes County, a grippe epidemic, and Christmas festivities. Letters written during the 19th century are primarily concerned with the political affairs of J. G. Hackett, including his appointment to the Board of Directors of the State Prison, his chairmanship of that group, and his activities in connection with the State Prison. Of particular interest is a discussion of the use of convict labor to build and repair railroad lines in the state. Other letters concern James Gordon Hackett's proposed air line from Elkin to Boone, N.C., his appointment to the Board of Agriculture, and the possibility of George Gordon Battle running for President of the United States. Other correspondence concerns the history of the Masonic Lodge in Wilkes County; Army life at Camp Wheeler, Ga., and Fort Myers, Fla.; and the possibility of a rehabilitation hospital in the Bushy Mountains of North Carolina. Other items include receipts of payments to witnesses in Wilkes County law cases, notes of settlement, a list of notes belonging to J. B. Wodson, and genealogical materials. Financial papers consist mainly of orders for supplies from a Philadelphia firm, a list of doctor's fees with a description of treatment rendered, and promissory notes belonging to James Bryan Gordon and his estate. |
| Access restriction | Joyner- No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Hackett Family Papers (#176), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Joyner- Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mr. B. Grimes Williams. |
| Biographical note | The Hackett family is from Wilkes County, N.C. Intermarried in the family are members of other North Carolina families, especially the Bryan, Gray, Williams, Gordon and Grimes families. Papers included in the collection belong to David Gray and R. F. Hackett, two mid-nineteenth century physicians, and James B. Gordon, a store and farm owner. The bulk of the collection consists of the papers of R. F. Hackett's sons, Richard Nathaniel Hackett and James Gordon Hackett. Richard N. Hackett was a lawyer, an active member of the North Carolina Democratic Party, the mayor of Wilkesboro (1894-1896), and a member of the 60th Congress. James Gordon Hackett was a businessman and industrialist who owned a cotton mill and the Wilkesboro Manufacturing Company. He was active in the North Carolina Democratic Party; served as mayor of Wilkesboro (1889-1892, 1893-1895); and was a member of the Board of Directors of the State Prison, the Board of Agriculture, and the Highway Commission. |
