Manuscripts Department Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION #972 JAMES JONES PHILIPS PAPERS Inventory Abstract: James Jones Philips (1798-1874), physician and scientific farmer of Edgecombe County, N.C., and his cousin Ethelred Philips (1801-1870), physician and farmer of Marianna, Fla. Chiefly letters from Ethelred Philips to James J. Philips. Many of them contain instructions to James in his capacity as the manager of Ethelred's business affairs in North Carolina. Letters often contain information on crop yields, prices, and other aspects of the agricultural economy. Ethelred Philips commented on a variety of subjects, including the political issues of the day--secession and his sympathy with the Union cause, the Confederate government, censorship, the problems with democracy, and reconstruction; religion and philosophy, and the need for church reform and modernization; health care--reports of various epidemics, his own ill health, and the medicinal benefits of brandy, which he apparently frequently used himself; and relationships with slaves and freedmen. There are also a few letters to and from James J. Philips, Jr. (d. 1865), and other family members. Also included are three volumes containing medical records and accounts of James J. Philips: a physician's record book, 1832-1835; an account book with estate records, 1849-1858, accounts with Ethelred Philips, 1856-1869, and accounts with slaves and freedmen, 1859-1860 and 1867-1870; and an 1871 book of accounts with laborers. There are also a few miscellaneous receipts. Online Catalog Terms: Agriculture--Florida--History--19th century. Agriculture--North Carolina--History--19th century. Brandy--History--19th century. Confederate States of America--Social conditions. Edgecombe County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--19th century. Florida--Social life and customs--19th century. Freedmen--Florida. Freedmen--North Carolina. Marianna (Fla.)--Social life and customs--19th century. Medicine--Practice--Accounting--History--19th century. North Carolina--Social life and customs--19th century. Philips, Ethelred, 1801-1870. Philips, James Jones, 1798-1874. Physicians--Alcohol use--History--19th century. Physicians--Florida--History--19th century. Physicians--North Carolina--History--19th century. Slavery--Florida. Slavery--North Carolina. Size: About 65 items (0.5 linear feet). Provenance: Gift of Ella and Hattie Battle of Battleboro, N.C., in May 1945. Access: No restrictions. Processing Note: This collection was rehoused under the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1992. Related Collections: Ivan Proctor Battle Papers (#50-z); Archibald Hunter Arrington Papers (#3240). Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. INTRODUCTION Papers of James Jones Philips (1798-1874), physician and scientific farmer, of Edgecombe County, N.C., and his cousin Ethelred Philips (1801-1870), physician and farmer of Marianna, Fla. The bulk of the materials are letters from Ethelred Philips to James J. Philips. Many of them contain instructions to James in his capacity as the manager of Ethelred's business affairs in North Carolina. Letters often contain information on crop yields, prices, and other aspects of the agricultural economy. Their primary value, however, lies in their portrayal of the views and opinions of an articulate, pro-Union Southerner. Ethelred Philips commented on a variety of subjects, including the political issues of the day--secession, the Confederate government, censorship, problems with democracy, and reconstruction; religion and philosophy, and the need for church reform and modernization; health care--reports of various epidemics, his own ill health, and the medicinal benefits of brandy, which he apparently frequently used himself; and relationships with slaves and freedmen. There are also a few letters to and from James J. Philips, Jr. (d. 1865), and other family members. An 1892 biographical sketch of Dr. James J. Phillips(sic) and an undated "fishing tale" are filed in Series 1. Also included are three volumes containing medical records and accounts of James J. Philips. Volume 1 is a physician's record book (1832-1835). Volume 2 is an account book of James J. Philips with several estate records, 1849-1858, records with Ethelred Philips, 1856-1869, and accounts with slaves and freedmen, 1859-1860 and 1867-1870. Volume 3 is an 1871 book of accounts with laborers. There are also a few miscellaneous receipts. The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence and Other Items Series 2. Medical Records Series 3. Account Books and Receipts SERIES DESCRIPTIONS Series 1. Correspondence and Other Items About 55 items. 1854-1892. The bulk of the letters in this collection are from Ethelred Philips to his cousin James J. Philips. Many of them contain instructions to James in his capacity as the manager of Ethelred's business affairs in North Carolina. Letters often contain information on crop yields, prices, and other aspects of the agricultural economy. Their primary value, however, lies in their portrayal of the views and opinions of an articulate, pro-Union Southerner. Ethelred Philips commented frequently on political issues of the day; including secession, the Confederate government, censorship, problems with democracy, and reconstruction; religion and philosophy, and the need for church reform and modernization; health care, including reports of various epidemics, his own ill health, and the medicinal uses of brandy and whiskey; and relationships with slaves and freedmen. There are also a few letters to and from James J. Philips, Jr. (d. 1865), and other family members. An 1892 biographical sketch of Dr. James J. Phillips(sic) and an undated "fishing tale" are filed in folder 3. Folder 1 1854-1860 2 1861-June 1865 3 July 1865-1881, 1892, and undated Series 2. Medical Records 2 items. 1831-1835 and undated. A book of accounts (volume 1) with many of the leading families of Edgecombe and surrounding counties for physician's services and drugs. Some of the patients included may have been slaves. There is also an undated cure for what is termed "the eating cancer." Folder 4 Volume 1 Series 3. Account Books and Receipts 9 items. 1814, 1849-1877. Two account books (volumes 2 and 3) and receipts of James J. Philips. Volume 2 includes Philips's accounts as an administrator of the estate of Bennett Bunn, 1849-1851, and several other estates, 1851-1858; provisions supplied to slaves, 1859-1860; accounts with Ethelred Philips, 1856-1869; miscellaneous accounts, 1863-1865; and accounts with freedmen, 1867-1870. Volume 3 includes Philips's accounts with hired laborers and records of days lost and provisions advanced to them. The miscellaneous receipts include an 1814 court receipt for Hope Adams (apparently a distant relation), a Confederate bond, two Confederate tax-in-kind forms, and an 1881 railroad receipt. Folder 5 Volume 2, 1849-1870 6 Volume 3, 1871-1877 7 1814, 1864-1865, 1881 SHELF LIST Box 1 (only) Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth Street Greenville, NC 27858 Pridgen Discussion Group To Subscribe: [email protected] Home Page for Pridgen Family: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 Pridgen Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl