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Inventory of the George Smith Adams Papers, 1826-2010
Inventory of the George Smith Adams Papers, 1826-2010
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | Mainly George Smith Adams' genealogical research documenting his father George Alexander Adams (1887-1984), mother Theodora Elizabeth Smith Adams (1888-1983), grandfather Daniel Townsend Smith (1842-1929) with data on the Washington Artillery, and great grandfather Thomas Peter Smith (1814-1899). Also included are materials relating to his extended family and their surrounding areas, especially the Townsend family, Medway Plantation, Edisto Island, Charleston, South Carolina. |
| Title: | George Smith Adams papers |
| Creator: | Adams, George Smith, 1923- |
| Date(s): | 1826-2010 (bulk 1925-1999) |
| Extent: | 4.8 linear feet (12 document boxes, 1 oversize folder) |
| Repository: | Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 Phone: (843) 953-8016 Fax: (843) 953-6319 URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu |
| Call Number: | Mss 0174 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English |
Biographical Note
George Smith Adams, a descendant of Smith, Townsend and other South Carolina families, was born January 1, 1923, in Greenville, S.C. A veteran of World War II, and a professional engineer, he married Virginia Juanita Lester (1922-2003) May 10, 1951 in Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Adams later moved from Florida to Summerville, S.C. An avid researcher, he has collected information and primary materials on his ancestors and documented their lives before, during and after the Civil War, on Edisto Island, in Charleston and Greenville, S.C. and elsewhere.
Collection Overview
This collection consists mostly of George Smith Adams' family research, with the majority of materials documenting his father George Alexander Adams (1887-1984), mother Theodora Elizabeth Smith Adams (1888-1983), grandfather Daniel Townsend Smith (1842-1929), and great grandfather Thomas Peter Smith (1814-1899). Also included are materials relating to his extended family and their surrounding areas, especially the Landgrave Smiths, Medway Plantation, Bleak Hall, Edisto Island, Charleston, and a small number of items relating to Gone with the Wind.
Collection Arrangement
| 1. | George Smith Adams and immediate family, 1922-2010 (bulk 1935-1975) |
| 2. | Thomas Peter Smith, 1814-1903 |
| 3. | Daniel Townsend Smith, 1842-1929 |
| 4. | Smith family research |
| 5. | Edisto Island |
| 6. | Gone with the Wind materials |
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.Names
- Adams, George Smith, 1923-
- Adams, George Alexander, 1887-1984
- Adams, Theodora Elizabeth Smith, 1888-1983
- Smith, Daniel Townsend, 1842-1929
- Smith, Thomas Peter, 1814-1903
- Smith family
- Townsend family
- Confederate States of America. Army. Washington Artillery Battalion (New Orleans, La.)
Subjects
- Genealogy
Places
- Charleston (S.C.)
- Edisto Island (S.C.)
- Medway (S.C.)
Types of Material
- Black-and-white photographs
- Books
- Charts (graphic documents)
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Color photographs
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Pamphlets
- Photocopies
- Printouts
- Research notes
Related Resources
Separated Material
Bound pamphlets and books originally with the collection have been removed and catalogued separately.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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1. George Smith Adams and immediate family, 1922-2010 (bulk 1935-1975)
Materials include death certificates, photos, correspondence, wills, deeds, diplomas, census information, U.S. Army records, school notes, real estate materials, and newspaper clippings for George Smith Adams, his wife Virginia Juanita Lester Adams and his parents, especially his mother Theodora Elizabeth Smith Adams who married George Alexander Adams. Also includes notes relating to George Smith Adams' engineering career and his service in the United States Army.
Biographical and genealogical material, 1963-2009
Includes handwritten United Daughters of the Confederacy Convention notes and photocopy of a story about a former Smith residence titled"The Saga of Augusta Road."
Includes plat for "Ballentine lot" and materials from land in Greenville County, South Carolina, and DeKalb County, Georgia.
Research notes
Typed copy of George Smith Adam's "first Smith family genealogy book."
20th century materials relating to Greenville, Greenwood, Myrtle Beach, Camden, slavery reparations, and the song "Dixie."
Includes battle history of the United States 30th Infantry Division during World War I and the 44th Infantry Division during World War II.
Also includes small composition book, presumably of Virginia Juanita Lester Adams.
2. Thomas Peter Smith, 1826-2004 (bulk 1860-1903)
Materials include photocopies, handwritten notes and correspondence, and internet printouts. Biographical materials include documentation of his service in the Civil War, stock certificates, materials relating to Wando Mining and Manufacturing Company, and photographs of former homes and family tombstones. Correspondence is primarily between Thomas Peter Smith and various business partners, also includes some personal and genealogical letters. Also included is a presidential pardon for William Nayler and a slave deed of gift for Charles Lawton, both business partners of Thomas Peter Smith.
Materials are mostly photocopies; also includes photographs, emails, and George Smith Adams' handwritten notes.
Business correspondence from John French to Joseph Lawton about Thomas Peter Smith's account balances, and also between business partners including William Nayler, Joseph Lawton, and Thomas Peter Smith. Personal letters chiefly between Smith, Cuttino, Manly, and other related families. Also includes 1869 letter from Elizabeth Ann Poyas to Thomas Peter Smith regarding Smith family history.
Research for George Smith Adam's book, Thomas Peter Smith: Factor & Commission Merchant, Devout Baptist Deacon.
Bound typescript, close to final draft.
Includes clippings relating to horticultural and practical daily life such as gardening, pest control, and food preparation.
Formal pardon granting amnesty to William Nayler, business partner of Thomas Peter Smith.
Includes figures such as Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
3. Daniel Townsend Smith, 1842-1929
Biographical materials on Professor Daniel Townsend Smith document his service in the Civil War, with data on the Washington Artillery, and his later ancient languages professorship at Furman. Also includes diaries, correspondence, Civil War research, and some Confederate-era newspapers.
Also includes handwritten daily expenditure account lists for Professor Smith, 1870-1894.
Chiefly from Daniel Townsend Smith to his immediate family regarding his daily life, sent from various military camps.
Staged by Confederate troops in Adams Run, South Carolina.
Research notes
Includes photocopy, typed copy, and transcript excerpts by George Smith Adams. Details the Washington Artillery, daily life, and post-war Greenville.
Research includes causes of the Civil War and various battle and event summaries.
Newspapers, 1864-1981 (bulk 1864-1870)
General advertisements and news relating to the Confederate States of America.
Includes article, "General Sherman on the Burning of Columbia, S.C."
Mentions Wade Hampton's address at the commencement of Washington College, Lexington, Virginia.
Includes an address "To the People of Charleston" by Daniel Ravenel about recent "disturbance of public peace" in Charleston.
Includes article "Bad Signs in the South," which advises " Radicals and carpet-baggers" to "Talk kindly to the negroes-advise and consult with them for the common good."
Supplement to The Greenville News and Greenville Piedmont. Includes printed photographs relating to Greenville and surrounding areas.
4. Smith family research
This series includes research conducted by George Smith Adams. Materials include internet printouts, photographs, charts, maps, receipts, ancestral family crests, real estate materials, indentures, and instructions for genealogical research. Also includes information about the Landgrave Smiths, Medway Plantation, Yeaman's Hall Plantation, Daniel Townsend Smith, Hephzibah Jenkins Townsend, Thomas Peter Smith, Bleak Hall, and Edisto Island.
Both ancestors of the Smith family.
Also includes photocopies of book chapters about First Families.
Includes George Smith Adam's notes about Poyas and photocopies from The Olden Time of Carolina and Shadows of the Past.
Includes family record book which details births, deaths, marriages and related events for a number of the Smiths.
Townsend family
Includes internet printouts, photocopies, book excerpts, photographs, poetry, and correspondence. Genealogical research materials primarily relate to Bleak Hall Plantation, Hephzibah Jenkins Townsend, and Edisto Island.
Also includes photocopy of the 1904 Washington Artillery record, photocopies of land grants, indentures, and a small number of other topics.
Chiefly research by Theodora Elizabeth Adams, including correspondence, photographs, handwritten notes, and small number of other materials.
5. Edisto Island
This series includes notes, photographs, printouts, and correspondence relating to Edisto Island and the Smith family. Photographs include Smith family antiques, Hephzibah Jenkins Smith's grave, and an Edisto Island church. Also included is genealogical correspondence between George Smith Adams and members of an Edisto Island listserv discussing Jenkins, Smiths and other Edisto Island families.
Includes draft of "Edisto Island Antiques: Thomas Peter Smith & Theodora Elizabeth Townsend, Bleak Hall Edisto" by George Smith Adams.
Also includes correspondence between George Smith Adams and the Edisto Island Preservation Society regarding donations.
6. Gone with the Wind materials
Includes newspaper clippings from 1939 theatrical release of Gone with the Wind, a copy of Gone with the Wind, and a commemorative chocolates box.
Also includes Margaret Mitchell and Her Novel booklet.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], George Smith Adams papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Materials were donated in February 2011 by Joe McAdam, power of attorney for George Smith Adams.
Processing Information
Processed by Cara McHugh, March 2013.
Encoded by Cara McHugh, March 2013.
Updated with additions by Cara McHugh, July 2013.
Reviewed and uploaded by Martha McTear, April 2013, July 2013.
