Finding Aid of the Elizabeth Rigsbee Letters, 1914-1923, and undated , PC.1982

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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

Hannah Elizabeth Rigsbee, known as Elizabeth and sometimes as Lizzie, was born in Durham County, N.C. on October 5, 1893. Her father was John Vernon Rigsbee (1848-1912), a farmer born in Orange County, N.C., and her mother was Mary Whitworth Leigh Rigsbee (1854-1908), probably also born in Orange County, N.C. Elizabeth had a brother, Clarence Dixon Rigsbee, born in 1879, married and the parent of several children born while Elizabeth was an adolescent. Elizabeth also had a sister, Mary Jessie Rigsbee (1891-1963), known as Jessie. As her immediate family's youngest child, Elizabeth was only fifteen when her mother died and around nineteen when her father died in 1912.By 1914, Elizabeth was caring for children, possibly in the position of matron at the Baptist Orphanage in Thomasville, N.C.(later the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina). Her position probably was a combination of child care and social work. Several years later, there is one reference to her study at the Conservatory (Music Conservatory of Durham?], but the extent of her education is not clear from this collection. According to the 1920 census, Elizabeth was living with her brother and his family in Durham in 1920. Census and death certificate records show that her sister Jessie, who died in 1963, had been an organist at the First Baptist church and was the wife of Willis Thomas Carpenter, an assistant postmaster. Elizabeth was married by 1930 to Thomas Benton Roberts (1889-1965), born in Orange County, N.C., son of Frances Whitfield and Joseph Calvin Roberts. At retirement he was a district supervisor of buyers for the American Tobacco Company. Elizabeth died on March 30, 1967. The death certificate listed her occupation as post office clerk.

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.

Sister [Mary Jessie Rigsbee] to Elizabeth Rigsbee,October 14, 1914
Box Folder PC.1982 1
Jessie [sister, Mary Jessie Rigsbee] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 2
From L. Macon Epps to Elizabeth Rigsbee,December 7, 1914
Folder 3
From L. Macon Epps to Elizabeth Rigsbee,December 13, 1914
Folder 4
From L. Macon Epps to Elizabeth Rigsbee,July 5, 1915
Folder 5
From L. Macon Epps to Elizabeth Rigsbee, , no year,September 29
Folder 6
From Annual [?] Wheeler to Elizabeth Rigsbee,November 1, 1916
Folder 7
From Arthur [unkown] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, or possibly <unitdate type="inclusive" calendar="gregorian" era="ce">1913</unitdate>, ca. November 22, 1919 1913
Folder 8
From Sycho [Pickett?] to Lizzie [Elizabeth Rigsbee], undated, but between, 1916-1920
Folder 9
From Sycho [Pickett?] to My Darling Angel [Elizabeth Rigsbee], undated
Folder 10
From Sycho [Pickett?] to Darling My Very Own [Elizabeth Rigsbee], undated
Folder 11
From G. G. [Atkins?] to Dearest Sweetheart [Elizabeth Rigsbee], undated
Folder 12
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee,ca. April, 1923
Folder 13
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee,April 20, 1923
Folder 14
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee,April 24, 1923
Folder 15
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 16
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 17
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 18
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 19
From Tommy [Roberts] to Elizabeth Rigsbee, undated
Folder 20

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.

Wedding Announcement of Marriage of Anna Thomas Newton and Dr. David Thomas Long,October 6, 1918
Folder 21

Subject Headings

  • Rigby family.
  • Rigsbee family.
  • Epps, L. Macon.
  • Rigby family.
  • Rigsbee, Elizabeth, 1893-1967.
  • Rigsbee, Mary Jessie, 1891-1963.
  • Roberts, Thomas Benton, 1889-1965.
  • Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, Inc.
  • Courtship
  • Family--North Carolina--History--20th century.
  • Tobacco industry
  • Tobacco workers.
  • Women--North Carolina--Social life and customs--20th century.
  • Women social workers.
  • Courtship--North Carolina.
  • Family--North Carolina--History--20th century.
  • Tobacco industry--North Carolina.
  • Tobacco workers
  • Women--North Carolina--Social life and customs--20th century.
  • Women social workers.
  • Durham (N.C.)
  • Kinston (N.C.)
  • Mount Airy (N.C.)
  • Thomasville (N.C.)
  • Acquisitions Information

    Received as a gift from Stephen E. Massengill, Cary, N.C., 2005.

    Processing Information

  • Processed by Fran Tracy-Walls with assistance from contract archivist, Jennifer Davis, 2009, and volunteer, Nicole Burns, 2016, who worked with the addition to the collection.
  • Encoded by Fran Tracy-Walls, April, 2009, and revised and updated, August 2019, for publication in Discover Online Catalog (DOC).