Timeline extended for launch of Wilson Library facilities work.

Collection Number: 02292-z

Collection Title: William Oliver Fleming Papers, 1860-1930.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was processed with support from the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1993.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Size About 150 items
Abstract William O. Fleming was born in Liberty County, Ga., the son of William Bennett Flemming and his wife, Eliza Ann (Maxwell) Fleming. He married Georgia W. Williams in 1860 and became a planter near Bainbridge, Decatur County, Ga. At the start of the Civil War he was a lieutenant in Captain John W. Evans' company, the Bainbridge Independents, 1st Georgia Regiment; and in 1862-1865 he became an officer in the 50th Georgia Regiment, rising from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel. After the war he returned to his family at Bainbridge, was appointed solicitor general of the Albany circuit in 1876, and in early 1881 was elected a judge by the state legislature. The collection consists almost entirely of family letters, written by William Bennett Fleming and Eliza Ann (Maxwell) Fleming of Walthourville, Ga., to their son, William O. Fleming, and daughter-in-law, Georgia (Williams) Fleming; by William O. Fleming to his wife and other relatives; by sisters of W. O. Fleming, especially Kate F. Williams; with a few letters in later years written by Georgia Fleming and by younger members of the family. Most of the letters were from Walthourville, with others from Bainbridge and a number from Savannah. The largest concentration of letters is for the Civil War period and relates to W. O. Fleming's army career, with letters by him written from near Pensacola, Fla., and western Virginia, in 1861; from western Virginia in 1862 and 1863 and from near Fredericksburg, Va., in 1863; and from western Georgia late in 1863 and in 1864. Civilian letters during the Civil War were chiefly from Liberty County, Ga., and describe life on the home front and family affairs, with comments on military and political news and rumors. Letters and papers for the period after the Civil War are few and scattered in date, not revealing a full picture of family life or of affairs in Liberty and Decatur counties.
Creator Fleming, William Oliver, 1835-1881.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the William Oliver Fleming Papers, #2292-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
Microfilm copy available.
Acquisitions Information
Gift 1940
Additional Descriptive Resources
A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Kathryn Michaelis, February 2011

This collection was processed with support from the sponsorship of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation, Washington, D.C., 1990-1993.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

William O. Fleming was born in Liberty County, Ga., the son of William Bennett Flemming and his wife, Eliza Ann (Maxwell) Fleming. He married Georgia W. Williams in 1860 and became a planter near Bainbridge, Decatur County, Ga. At the start of the Civil War he was a lieutenant in Captain John W. Evans' company, the Bainbridge Independents, 1st Georgia Regiment; and in 1862-1865 he became an officer in the 50th Georgia Regiment, rising from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel. After the war he returned to his family at Bainbridge, was appointed solicitor general of the Albany circuit in 1876, and in early 1881 was elected a judge by the state legislature.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection consists almost entirely of family letters, written by William Bennett Fleming and Eliza Ann (Maxwell) Fleming of Walthourville, Ga., to their son, William O. Fleming, and daughter-in-law, Georgia (Williams) Fleming; by William O. Fleming to his wife and other relatives; by sisters of W. O. Fleming, especially Kate F. Williams; with a few letters in later years written by Georgia Fleming and by younger members of the family. Most of the letters were from Walthourville, with others from Bainbridge and a number from Savannah.

The largest concentration of letters is for the Civil War period and relates to W. O. Fleming's army career, with letters by him written from near Pensacola, Fla., and western Virginia, in 1861; from western Virginia in 1862 and 1863 and from near Fredericksburg, Va., in 1863; and from western Georgia late in 1863 and in 1864. Civilian letters during the Civil War were chiefly from Liberty County, Ga., and describe life on the home front and family affairs, with comments on military and political news and rumors. Letters and papers for the period after the Civil War are few and scattered in date, not revealing a full picture of family life or of affairs in Liberty and Decatur counties.

Back to Top

Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse William Oliver Fleming Papers, 1860-1930.

About 150 items.
Folder 1

1860-1861

Folder 2

1862-1867

Folder 3

1871-1890

Folder 4

1909; 1923; 1928-1930

Folder 5

Undated

Back to Top