Finding Aid of the Elizabeth Rigsbee Letters, 1914-1923, and undated , PC.1982
Abstract
Hannah Elizabeth Rigsbee (1893-1965) was born in Durham County, N.C., to ohn Vernon
Rigsbee (1848-1912), and Mary Whitworth Leigh Rigsbee (1854-1908). The family's youngest
child, Elizabeth was only fifteen when her mother died and around nineteen when her
father died. By 1914 or earlier, Elizabeth was working with children at the Baptist
Orphanage in Thomasville, N.C. (later the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina).
The collection includes twenty letters written to Elizabeth, including two by her
sister, Jessie Rigsbee, one by a boy, Annual Wheeler, from the Kennedy Home, a branch
of the Baptist Orphanage in Kinston, N.C., and apparently known to Elizabeth through
her work at the Baptist home in Thomasville, N.C., and seventeen letters from several
young adult males who were interested in a courtship with Elizabeth. In 2015 additional
letters and materials were purchased. The letters date to 1942, with a few written
in the 1950s. Includes a pamphlet from Crossnore's Little Boys, 1936. In their entirety
the letters include scattered references to activities and entertainments such as
ball games, card games, plays, picture shows, church activities, casual gatherings,
and going for rides. As a whole, the letters provide a small window into the practice
of courtship or dating between a young employed woman and middle class men (at least
two employed in the tobacco industry) in small town and rural North Carolina during
the early twentieth century.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Elizabeth Rigsbee Letters
- Call Number
- PC.1982
- Creator
- Rigsbee, Elizabeth.
- Date
- 1914 - 1923; undated
- Extent
- 1.00 boxes, 1.00 cubic feet
- Language
- English
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Open for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.1982, Elizabeth Rigsbee Letters, 1914-1923 and undated, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C., USA.
Collection Overview
The collection includes twenty letters written to Elizabeth, including two by her sister, Jessie Rigsbee, one by a boy, Annual Wheeler, from the Kennedy Home, a branch of the Baptist Orphanage in Kinston, N.C., and apparently known to Elizabeth through her work at the Baptist home in Thomasville, N.C., and seventeen letters from several young adult males who were interested in a courtship with Elizabeth. There is one wedding announcement of Anna Thomas Newton and Dr. David Thomas Long, October 6, 1918, Durham, N.C. As a young working woman in Thomasville for at least two years, Elizabeth's connection to family, particularly her sister, and friends in Durham remained firm, for she had returned to Durham by 1920 if not before. The correspondence spans the years 1914-1923, and includes fourteen undated or partially dated letters. Correspondents include L.[Luther] Macon Epps; Arthur [?], Sycho [Pickett?], and Tommy, or TBR, mostly likely Thomas Benton Roberts, who eventually became her husband.
The entire collection of letters is written to Miss Rigsbee and as such provide only limited glimpses of this young woman's thoughts, feelings, and her work at the Baptist Orphanage in Thomasville, N.C. (later the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina). Most of the correspondents express concern for Elizabeth's well being and a clear desire to be in her company. Not filled with detailed descriptions, the letters are generally chatty. In their entirety the letters include references to activities and entertainments such as celebration of Halloween and gift-giving at Christmas; ball games; parlor games, including the card games of rook and setback; Carolina Playmaker performances; picture shows; the Epworth League (Methodist youth organization); Baptist church services; exchanges of pictures; casual gatherings; and going for rides. The courtship letters from the various young men are generally light-hearted, affectionate, and at times romantic. More than one of the suitors attempts to bring the casual nature of the relationship to a more serious level, most likely to marriage. As a whole, the letters provide a small window into the practice of courtship among young middle-class working adults in early twentieth century small-town and rural North Carolina. The courtship letters also offer a sense of the effort expended in making plans to meet when separated by distance, especially without the benefit of telephones, and often without easy access to transportation accept for that afforded by trains.
Arrangement Note
Folders arranged by material type. Series 1: letters and Series; 2: miscellaneous. The letters are arranged individually in folders by correspondent and chronologically by dates when available.
Biographical Note
Contents of the Collection
1. Letters to Elizabeth Rigsbee, , and undated, 1914-1923
scopecontent:
This series includes twenty letters written to Elizabeth Rigsbee, with seventeen written to her in the course of courtship by male friends, from 1914 to 1923 with the majority undated or partially dated. Two of the letters are from the sister of Elizabeth, Mary Jessie Rigsbee, known as Jessie, and one from a boy, Annual Wheeler, a resident of the Kennedy Home, a branch of the Baptist Orphanage in Kinston, N.C. Nineteen of the letters are handwritten, while one is typescript.
2. Miscellaneous Materials,October 6, 1918
scopecontent:
Consists of one wedding announcement of a Durham, North Carolina couple, with the marriage taking place October 6, 1918. Probably the bride was a friend and not related to Elizabeth Rigsbee. The announcement apparently was delivered by hand.
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Received as a gift from Stephen E. Massengill, Cary, N.C., 2005.