The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Southern Kaolin Mining Co. 

Title:               Papers

Dates:             1901-1906, (bulk 1902)

Call No.:         Col. 610

Acc. No.:        01x28

Quantity:        24 pages (1 folder)

Location:        34 J 4

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

According to the letterhead on its stationery, the Southern Kaolin Mining Co. mined kaolin, flint, and feldspar, and manufactured water floated white china clay under the trade name Bryson City Brand.  Headquarters were in Detroit, Michigan, and the mines were in Bryson City, North Carolina.  Officers were chairman Harry C. Bulkley, vice-chairman David A. Wales, secretary Henry N. Brown, and treasurer Charles A. Rathbone.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Papers of the Southern Kaolin Mining Co., 1901-1906, is comprised mostly of letters from Charles Rathbone in Bryson City (although the stationery says Detroit) to Harry [perhaps Henry N. Brown] in Detroit, and discusses the mining operations in North Carolina.  One letter (January 12, 1902) gives details of a nearby mine, to which Rathbone compared their own outfit.  In other letters, Rathbone writes of the work they are doing at the mine and about financial difficulties.  A letter dated July 6, 1902, from David Wales shows how little he thinks of Southern Kaolin Mining Co., because it is underfunded.  By 1906, operations seem to have ceased as the company is trying to sell its machinery.  As well, there is an undated list of potteries and pottery manufacturers in East Liverpool, Ohio, and their Bradstreet rating.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

Arranged in chronological order.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Purchased from Thomas Cullen, Rockland Bookman.

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

            People:

                        Bulkley, Harry C.

                        Wales, David A.

                        Rathbone, Charles A.

 

Topics:

Kaolin industry.

Clay industries - North Carolina - Bryson City.

Business records - North Carolina - Bryson City.

Business records - Michigan - Detroit.

Correspondence.

Letterheads.   

 

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 34 J 4

 

 

 

All accession numbers begin with 01x28.

Charles Rathbone’s handwriting is not easy to read.

 

 

Folder 1 of 1:

 

.1         list: “Potteries and Pottery Mfrs, East Liverpool, O.”

                        In addition to the names of the companies, the Bradstreet rating for each is given.  Two companies were located in Chester, West Virginia.

                        [this probably goes along with .16-.17, see below]

 

.2         letter, C.H. Freeman, Charleston, W.Va., April 17, [no year], to H. F.[?] Buckley, Detroit: Pittsburgh people have no title to the land in question; it is owned by Gov. Curtin, Mr. Pardee, and the B&O Railroad.

                        On letterhead stationery of the Hotel Ruffner, owned by the Charleston Hotel Co., Geo. O. Taylor, manager; with illustration of the Hotel Ruffner

 

.3         letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, N.C., Dec. 24, 1901, to Dave [David A. Wales, Detroit]: finished something on Thursday; great snowfall on Monday but was able to start grading; takes 20 wheelbarrow loads to make one car load; smallpox scare;

           

.4         letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Dec. 29, 1901, to Harry [Harry C. Bulkley, Detroit]: about charge for flowers on his Detroit Club bill, and wonders if Harry had ordered flowers for a funeral; rain has washed out bridges and trains won’t run for another day or two

 

.5-6      two page letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Jan. 5, 1902, to Harry, [Detroit]: having a hard time for last couple of years; something about his brother not letting someone handle a contract; has been working as hard in Bryson City as he thinks Dave would do, but weather has caused delays; lumber not yet arrived; has had picks sharpened and has ordered shovel handles; had to fix road after a storm; something about an auction and selling stock; New Year’s greetings to all

 

.7         letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Jan. 12, 1902, to Harry [Detroit]: reports on visit made by Charles and John to works of Harris Meice, who has good deposit of kaolin and much more money invested in his works than does Southern Kaolin in its, but Charles and John are satisfied with their plant; [more about Meice’s works, which is the largest in N.C.

 

.8         letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Jan. 13, 1902, to Harry [Detroit]: about stock shares in Witchell; John McCraken wants a pair of hunting boots for his father’s birthday; Dave needs the money by Saturday

 

.9         letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Jan. 22, 1902, to Harry [Detroit]: Dave is angry because money has not yet come and wanted to telegraph about it, but Charles stopped him because everyone in a small town would know about it and that would hurt the company’s credit; Dave will stop work if money doesn’t come today; suggestions for how to handle money; getting the finest clay yet

 

.10-.11             two page letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Jan. 27, 1902, to Harry [Detroit]: need to give letters more time to reach them as there are no Sunday trains; something about testing the clay and disappointing results; don’t want clay to be stained by red dirt; much rain and therefore mud; dug out and built a room for the rolling machine; hope to soon be able to turn out fine white clay; more about stock shares

 

.12       short letter, Henry N. Brown, Detroit, Jan. 27, 1902, to Harry C. Bulkley: please paste the enclosed stub in the stock book

 

.13       letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Feb. 2, 1902, to Harry [Detroit]: doesn’t understand Harry’s reaction to his request; not having ready access to money is hindering the work

 

.14       typed letter, Harry C. Bulkley, Detroit, Feb. 15, 1902, to Henry N. Brown, Detroit: statement of moneys received from the sale of treasury stock of the company, and a list of disbursements;

                        With note from Brown that the statement is correct

 

.15       letter, Charles A. Rathbone, Bryson City, Feb. 16, 1902, to Harry, [Detroit]: about stock and a payment due in the spring; am ill

 

.16a-b  “Mail or Express Samples to following,” April 26, 1902: two page list of companies to which clay samples were to be sent, one in Chester, W.Va., the others in East Liverpool, Ohio; with a note, initialed J.M.B., identifying these as the most prominent concerns using clay;

                        Although the top part of the both pages has been cut off, this list was written on stationery of The Hollenden, Cleveland, Ohio [see .17];

                        This was sent with the letter in .17 below; the list in .1 is probably related to .16-.17

 

.17a-c  two page letter, J. M. Bulkley, Cleveland, Ohio, April 27, 1902, to Southern Kaolin Mining Co., Bryson City, N.C.: have called upon pottery concerns in East Liverpool and Chester and all are in the market for kaolin; these companies are willing to test the company’s clay to see if it suits their needs, and if so, how much they will pay;

                        Also: newspaper clipping [photocopy only retained] about forming a pottery combination;

                        [see also .1 and .16]

                        On stationery of The Hollenden, illustrated with a view of the hotel

 

.18-.19             two page letter, D.A. Wales, Bryson City, N.C., July 6, 1902, to Mr. Rathbone [probably in Detroit]: advises Rathbone and Waterman to not invest in Green’s proposal; hopes to start his own kaolin processing plant;

                        [this is typed copy of the letter that is found as .20]

 

.20       letter, D.A. Wales, Bryson City, N.C., July 6, 1902, to Mr. Rathbone [probably in Detroit]: this is the original hand-written letter that was typed as .18-.19 above

 

.21       letter, Henry N. Brown, Detroit, Nov. 12, 1902, to H.C. Bulkley, The SKM Co. Ltd., Bryson City, N.C.: details about money transactions; “glad to hear things are ok.  Kind regards to Mr. Wales.”

 

.22       letter, [signature unclear], Office of N. P. Walker, Clerk, Superior Court, State of North Carolina, County of Haywood, Waynesville, July 17, 1906, to Messrs Russell, Campbell & Buckley, Detroit[?], Mich.: encloses a reply to his inquiry as to state of your [illegible] in Swain Co. [Bryson City is located in Swain County, N.C.]; will be in court next week;

                        [handwriting is poor]

 

.23       letter, Edward[?] [?] Frost[?], Caroline Clay Company, Asheville, N.C., Sept. 29, 1906, to Harry C. Bulkley, [no place, perhaps Detroit]: cannot pay his price for the mineral rights on his property; Mr. Wells agrees that property worth little because of mortgage and it is without a mill

 

.24       letter, Edward I. Frost, Bryson City, N.C., Sept. 12, 1906, to H. C. Bulkley,[ no place, perhaps Detroit]: has no need of more machinery but might be interested in leasing his property on royalty;

                        On stationery of Hotel En-Tel-La, headquarters for travelling men & lumbermen, railroad easting house, Bryson City, N.C.