Manuscripts

Maps and deed

Description: This series contains a plat of land deeded to Dickinson & Shrewsbury from William Tompkins, 1838 October, and related deed (draft, incomplete). There is another map which includes the Kanawha River, Lens Creek, and Fields Creek, West Virginia, undated.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1838, undated
Call number: mssDS
Creator: Dickinson & Shrewsbury(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased by William Reese Company on behalf of The Huntington from Swann Galleries Sale 2517, Lot 204, September 2019.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights

Correspondence

Manuscripts

The Correspondence series contains business and personal letters between the founders of Dickinson & Shrewsbury, William Dickinson and Joel Shrewsbury as well as other businessmen and women in the West Virginia area from 1799 to 1880. Most of the correspondence is about the business dealings of the Kanawha salt mines, and in the later years, the lawsuits surrounding the dissolution of the company. The enslaved people who worked at the mines are often subjects in the letters. Some of the letters are accompanied by legal documents or other documents (those are noted in the contents list). Other prominent correspondents include Pleasant Dickinson, William Dickinson Jr., Henry French Smith, and Richard Olive.

mssDS

Image not available

Joel Shrewsbury letters to William Dickinson

Manuscripts

With a copy of an agreement between Dickinson & Shrewsbury and Josiah W. Dickinson.

mssDS

Image not available

Dickinson & Shrewsbury letter to Thomas H. Ellis

Manuscripts

With letter by Joel Shrewsbury to William Dickinson, 1855 February 1.

mssDS

Image not available

Bond statement of John McConahay

Manuscripts

With letter by Dickinson & Shrewsbury to John McConahay, 1840 December 24.

mssDS

Image not available

Dickinson & Shrewsbury records

Manuscripts

The Dickinson & Shrewsbury records contain personal and business correspondence related to Dickinson & Shrewsbury salt mine company, their business and legal records, and files related to the enslaved labor that the company used in their salt mines including the family of Booker T. Washington, who were enslaved by the Ruffner family. The correspondence series, 1799 to 1880, is mostly between prominent company members and family members. The business files series, 1801 to 1857, are made up of financial accounts for the company. The enslaved labor files, 1806 to 1863, contain a variety of documents related to the enslaved people the company "hired out" from other enslavers to work at the salt mines. Many of the documents of the collection are the result of the dissolution of the company and the many lawsuits that were brought about near the end of the company. The topic of the enslaved people the company used is present in each series. The records also relate to several other companies in the same region such as Joel Shrewsbury & Company, and Dickinsons & Shrewsbury. There are also two maps, 1838 and undated.

mssDS

Image not available

Business files

Manuscripts

The Business files series is made up of various financial and business records of Dickinson & Shrewsbury from 1801 to 1892. There are also legal documents, memoranda books, property records, land surveys, related correspondence, and miscellaneous ephemera. There are several files by name of person, fellow businessmen of Dickinson & Shrewsbury, including Alexander W. Quarrier, Joel Ruffner, and Lewis Ruffner.

mssDS

Maps and deed

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Correspondence

Joel Shrewsbury letters to William Dickinson

Dickinson & Shrewsbury letter to Thomas H. Ellis

Bond statement of John McConahay

Dickinson & Shrewsbury records

Business files