]
]
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.
Expand/collapse
Collection Overview
| Size | 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 200 items) |
| Abstract | Members of the Bonner and Havens families, mainly of Washington, N.C., included Mary E. Bonner Havens (fl. 1837-1857); her husband B. F. (Benjamin F.) Havens (fl. 1839-1857); Mary's mother Elisabeth Bonner (fl. 1845-1875), father Richard Bonner (fl. 1827), sister Deborah (Debby) Bonner (fl. 1845-1875), brothers George Bonner (1822-1868) and Macon Bonner (fl. 1851-1857), and cousin Mary Shaw (fl. 1837-1839); and B. F. Havens's sisters Fanny M. (F. M.) Havens Bryan (fl. 1838-1851) and Sallie Havens (fl. 1846-1848). The bulk of the collection is correspondence, mostly written to or by Mary Bonner Havens. Topics include health concerns; 1843 rumors of an upcoming duel; social encounters; romantic entanglements; political sympathies; travel experiences; daily life in Washington, N.C., and Portsmouth, N.C., where Mary Havens and her children often stayed for health reasons; and George Bonner's studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Writings consist of essays apparently written by Mary Bonner Havens on topics such as female education and the dangers of gambling. Other materials include an 1839 account of expenses from a trip to Massachusetts; newspaper clippings; a photocopy of a Macon, Ga., slave auction notice; and what appears to be a draft of a marriage proposal. |
| Creator | Havens family.
Bonner family. |
| Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
| Language | English. |
Expand/collapse
Information For Users
Expand/collapse
Processing Information
Processed by: Jessica Tyree, July 2004
Encoded by: Jessica Tyree, July 2004
Updated by: Kathryn Michaelis, November 2009
Back to Top
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.
Expand/collapse
Biographical Information
Mary E. Bonner (fl. 1837-1857) and B. F. (Benjamin F.) Havens (fl. 1839-1857) of Washington, N.C., married on 19 December 1839. Mary Bonner and B. F. Havens's sisters Fanny M. (F. M.) Havens Bryan (fl. 1838-1851) and Sallie Havens (fl. 1846-1848) were childhood friends whose relationship continued through adulthood. Mary and B. F. Havens had at least three children: Richard, Sarah, and Leroy. The couple lived in Washington, although letters show that Mary and the children often made months-long visits to Portsmouth, N.C., for health reasons. Their extended family included B. F.'s mother Sally Havens; Mary's parents, Richard Bonner (fl. 1827) and Elisabeth Bonner (fl. 1845-1875) and siblings George Bonner (1822-1868), a lawyer trained at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Elizabeth Bonner, also referred to as "Betty" and "Lizzy" (fl. 1842-1847), Deborah (Debby) Bonner (fl. 1845-1875), and Macon Bonner (b. 1836); and cousin Mary Shaw (fl. 1837-1839).
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Scope and Content
The collection is chiefly correspondence, mostly written to or by Mary Bonner Havens. Topics include health concerns; 1843 rumors of an upcoming duel; social encounters; romantic entanglements; political sympathies; travel experiences; daily life in Washington, N.C., and Portsmouth, N.C., where Mary Havens and her children often stayed for health reasons; and George Bonner's studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Writings consist of essays apparently written by Mary Bonner Havens on topics such as female education and the dangers of gambling. Other materials include an 1839 account of expenses from a trip to Massachusetts; newspaper clippings; a photocopy of a Macon, Ga., slave auction notice; and what appears to be a draft of a marriage proposal.
Back to Top
Expand/collapse
Papers, 1829-1890.
Letters before the 1839 marriage of Mary E. Bonner and B. F. (Benjamin F.) Havens show the early interaction of the two Washington, N.C., families, particularly the friendship of Mary Bonner, her cousin Mary Shaw, and two sisters Fanny M. (F. M.) Havens Bryan and Sallie Havens. Other frequent correspondents include Sarah Fowle, who wrote of her experiences in a New York boarding school, Fanny (F. L. A.) Clark, and Mary Bonner's brother, George Bonner.
Many of the letters show that health issues were a persistent concern for the Bonner and Havens families. A substantial correspondence between Mary and B. F. Havens reveals that they were often apart for months at a time, typically during the summer and early fall, with Mary taking the children to Portsmouth, N.C., to either avoid or recover from various illnesses. The couple's letters generally focus on their daily routines and circle of friends and family, some of whom also sought refuge in Portsmouth. B. F. Havens wrote of political matters and Washington, N.C., gossip, including an upcoming duel and the presumed plan of an African American man to burn the town in 1843. George Bonner, living in Hillsborough, N.C., and later Chapel Hill, N.C., also appears, at times fretting over his studies at the University of North Carolina and his father's high expectations of him.
Other materials include a photocopy of a Macon, Ga., slave auction notice; an account of expenses incurred during a trip, 1839, to Massachusetts; instructions for coloring velvet; undated newspaper clippings; and what appears to be a draft of a marriage proposal, scrawled in pencil across an old invitation. Writings consist of rough drafts of essays apparently written by Mary Bonner on topics ranging from female education to the dangers of gambling.
| Folder 1 |
1829, 1836-1837 |
| Folder 2 |
1838 |
| Folder 3 |
January-September 1839 |
| Folder 4 |
October-December 1839 |
| Folder 5 |
1842 |
| Folder 6 |
1843-1844 |
| Folder 7 |
July-August 1845 |
| Folder 8 |
September-October 1845 |
| Folder 9 |
1846-1847 |
| Folder 10 |
1848-1890 |
Folder 11-15
Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15 |
Undated |
| Folder 16 |
Invitations |
| Folder 17 |
Name cards |
| Folder 18 |
Other materials |
Folder 19-20
Folder 19Folder 20 |
Writings |