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Collection Number: 04283

Collection Title: Henry Smith Richardson Papers, 1811-1999

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, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.

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Size 19.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 8000 items)
Abstract H. Smith Richardson (Henry Smith Richardson) was born in Greensboro, N.C. In 1907, he became sales manager for the Vick Company (later Richardson-Vicks, Inc.), which his father founded in 1905 to market Vicks Family Remedies. Richardson was also an early leader in management development, including the Vick School of Applied Merchandising, a college recruiting program in the 1930s, and special reports to shareholders on the importance of management development. He was also a pioneer in corporate governance, initiating practices in the 1940s that spread to other companies in later years. The collection includes personal and business correspondence, writings, newspaper clippings and other printed material, and business and association records documenting H. Smith Richardson's career; papers of Richardson's family, including his father Vick Chemical founder Lunsford Richardson and his brother Lunsford, Jr.; and papers relating to Smith and Richardson family history, including audio cassettes of interviews with 17 Richardson family members and printed and videotaped oral histories of the Richardson family. Richardson's correspondence addresses a broad range of issues, including his business interests in the Vick Chemical Company, Richardson- Merrell, Inc., Reinsurance Corporation of New York, and other companies. Letters also document his participation in the America First Committee, the Republican Party, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Boy Scouts of America, the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, and the Smith Richardson Foundation (formerly Richardson Foundation). They also document his interests in anticommunism, Senator Joe McCarthy's tactics, local politics in both North Carolina and Connecticut, and segregation both in the U.S. and South Africa. Writings include a series of articles about the causes of the Depression in North Carolina. Also included are diaries and correspondence of his father-in-law Jacob Henry Smith, Presbyterian minister in Greensboro during the second half of the 19th century, and his wife Mary Kelly Watson Smith, including materials relating to Greensboro during the Civil War and a letter from a slave. Pictures and other documents relate to Richardson's father's birthplace Parker Heights Plantation near Salem, N.C.
Creator Richardson, Henry Smith, 1885-1972.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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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 Henry Smith Richardson papers #4283, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from H. Smith Richardson, Jr., beginning after H. Smith Richardson's death in 1972 (also donor of Richardson-Vicks Corporation Records after the company's merger with Procter & Gamble in 1985); O. Norris Smith of Greensboro, N.C., in March 1998 (Acc. 98032); Herrick Jackson of Wilton, Conn., in July 1998 (Acc. 98166); and Piedmont Financial Corporation of Greensboro, N.C., and Claudia Egelhoff of Raleigh, N.C., in October 1999 (Acc. 98476).
Received from O. Norris Smith of Greensboro, N.C., in March 1998.
Received from Herrick Jackson of Wilton, Conn., in July 1998.
Received from Claudia Egelhoff of Raleigh, N.C., in October 1999 (Acc. 98476).
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.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Karen Kruse Thomas, November 1994 with additions

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

Updated by: Dawne Howard Lucas and Becca Stubbs, January 2022

Finding aid updated for digitization by Kathryn Michaelis, December 2010

This collection was processed with support, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.

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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.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Jacob Henry Smith Richardson was born on 19 July 1885 in Greensboro, N.C., the first son of Lunsford and Mary Lynn Smith Richardson. He attended public schools in Greensboro and, upon graduation, matriculated to Davidson College, from which his father and several of his maternal uncles had graduated. He remained but one school year (1902 1903) before entering the United States Naval Academy. Part of the wholesale expulsion of midshipmen that occurred in 1906, when fully one third of the student body was dismissed, H. Smith Richardson, as he was known for most of his life, then journeyed to New York. After some hardship, he established himself as a salesman. Soon thereafter, his father, a manufacturing chemist who had founded the Vick Chemical Company in Greensboro in 1905, asked his son to join him as a salesman in this enterprise.

During the early years of the business, Smith Richardson's marketing ability was a primary reason for the company's success in the United States and expansion abroad beginning in the 1920s. He traversed the countryside, a gruelling chore given the state of rural roads at that time, introducing his products to remote retailers. His imaginative advertising campaigns were revolutionary; Vick's effective newspaper advertising, roadside signs, point-of-sale displays, and aggressive utilization of free samples hastened its impressive sales expansion. Perhaps most importantly, Richardson recognized early the company's one truly unique product, Vick's Magic Croup Salve, an effective reliever of common cold symptoms developed by Lunsford Richardson, using menthol from Japan. He pressured his reluctant father to drop the company's assortment of other remedies in order to concentrate sales efforts on this, their most successful item, which they renamed Vick's VapoRub.

With the death of Lunsford Richardson in 1919, Smith Richardson was named president of the firm, a position he held until 1929 when he became chairman of the board. In addition to pioneering in advertising and international expansion, Richardson was far ahead of his time in both management development and corporate governance. From the earliest years, he attracted able young people who played an important part in the company's future success. In a 1926 memorandum, he wrote, "The future of the business is going to depend upon the human material we put into it, and the most important work facing the company is to build an organization that will live." In 1930, during the Great Depression, he set for the company the objective of being an "Enduring Enterprise." He realized that, to accomplish this goal, management development would have to be the company's #1 job. He discussed the reasons companies fail and the importance of management development in several reports to shareholders, starting in 1933.

By the mid-1930s, Vick was one of the largest United States college recruiters, using the novel approach of a post-graduate 15-month course in marketing, known as the Vicks School of Applied Merchandising. The program was so highly regarded that Vick could attract many top college graduates each year. On completion of each year's program, Vick kept the best students and helped the others secure good jobs.

In corporate governance, Vick initiated a number of practices that were adopted by other companies in later years. These include establishing a committee selected annually by shareholders to nominate directors; establishing an audit committee independent of management; forming an executive personnel committee from members of the board of directors that was concerned with management development; using an outside professional director; and, in order to strengthen the board in its role of independent review of operating management, having as chairman of the board someone other than the chief executive officer.

In addition to holding executive positions at Vick and in a number of financial, insurance, and real estate companies, Richardson was a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce and active in the National Association of Manufacturers, especially during the early years of World War II when the Association was particularly vocal. Richardson also participated in numerous civic and philanthropic activities benefitting both North and South Carolina and the nation, as did his brother Lunsford Richardson, Jr., who worked alongside Smith in the family business. Smith Richardson was an isolationist on the eve of World War II and actively supported the America First Committee, a strong voice against American entry into the war.

In 1935, Richardson established the Richardson Foundation (later Smith Richardson Foundation), which came to be the focus of his later life. One of the Foundation's first projects was to encourage judicial reform in North Carolina. After World War II, the Foundation concentrated on "Cold War education" and encouraged the work of anti-Communist organizations. Throughout his life, Richardson was strongly anti-Communist and was concerned about communism's possible negative influences on the country, especially its young people. The Foundation later turned to developing leadership and management skills among young North Carolinians with a Richardson (later North Carolina) Fellows program at leading colleges and universities. Through the Foundation, Richardson supported institutions of higher education, such as the University of North Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Presbyterian College, and Davidson College. In 1970, the Foundation established the Center for Creative Leadership to study and to teach creativity and leadership. The Center has since become an outstanding institution in its field with thousands of people participating in its programs in the United States and abroad.

Richardson was proud of his Scotch-Irish heritage and considered the South more "American" than other regions whose populations included more immigrants. He named North Carolina's racial heritage as one of its assets in an article about how the state could survive the Depression and improve its economy. His correspondence and writings contain numerous references to his racial attitudes, including a letter to the South African Information Service comparing apartheid to segregation in the American South.

Richardson actively guided his family's interests, both financial and otherwise. He guided the investment of the family's substantial resources and held executive positions in a number of family-owned financial, insurance, and real estate companies, notably the Reinsurance Corporation of New York. His personal holdings included real estate in Connecticut and North Carolina and Mount Holly Plantation outside Charleston, S.C. Another facet of Richardson's vision for his family's future was his insistence that all members remain informed of and active in family affairs. To promote family solidarity and to insure that members would not sell their interests in the Richardson holdings, he initiated biannual family meetings and trained younger generations to appreciate the family's history and what he saw as its duty to society. Such duties included responsible, community-oriented, patriotic philanthropy.

The family's reputation came under fire in the 1940s when officials of the First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro challenged the Richardson's father's will. Richardson hotly refuted the claims made in the lawsuit, and, when the suit was resolved, insured that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States adopt a resolution clearing the Richardson name.

An avid outdoorsman, Richardson was influential in the passage of legislation creating the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. He was also a life member of the National Council Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America (one of less than a dozen so honored) and was very active in this capacity until his death.

Richardson spent the last 40 years of his life at Green Farms, Fairfield County, Conn., and was active in area affairs, officially through the Foundation and privately as a member of various clubs and associations. Richardson was also a lifelong member and financial supporter of the Presbyterian Church.

Richardson died at Green Farms on 11 February 1972.

(Parts of this biographical note were supplied by H. Smith Richardson, Jr., in 1995.)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Papers include personal and business correspondence, business records, newspaper clippings and other published materials, printed by-laws and meeting minutes, Richardson's writings and annotations of the writings of others, materials relating to Richardson's recreational activities, and family history materials. Correspondence, speeches, and writings of Smith Richardson address a broad range of 20th-century issues.

Materials are filed, for the most part, as they were received from the Smith Richardson Foundation, which selected these as representative of Richardson's life and character from a larger collection in their possession. The bulk of the collection relates to Smith and Richardson family history.

The addition of October 1999 contains a printed oral history and a videotaped oral history of the Richardson family. Also included are audiocassettes of interviews with seventeen Richardson family members.

Smith family papers collected and transcribed by O. Norris Smith of Greensboro, N.C.:

"The Writings and Sermons of the Rev. J(acob) Henry Smith, D.D., Pastor, Greensboro, N.C., Presbyterian Church," collected and transcribed by a grandson, O. Norris Smith, Greensboro, N.C., 1990. Addresses, 1841-1846, given by J. Henry Smith when he was a student at Washington College and Union Theological Seminary; sermons, 1846-1849, given at Pittsylvania C.H. Presbyterian Church; sermon, 1852, at Samuel Davies Academy, Halifax C.H., Va.; sermons, 1855-1858, given at Charlottesville, Va., Presbyterian Church; and sermons, 1859-1986, given as pastor of the Greensboro, N.C., Presbyterian Church. Also included are transcriptions of poems, letters, diary excerpts, and other writings by Smith, as well as photocopies of pictures of Smith and houses he lived in.

"Letters and Writing of Mrs Mary Kelly (Watson) Smith, wife of Rev. Jacob Henry Smith, D.D., Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, N.C.," transcribed 1985 by O. Norris Smith. Transcripts of other family papers, chiefly genealogical information, newspaper stories about members of the Smith family, and Lunsford Richardson's account of the beginning of Vick Chemical Company, were added by O. Norris Smith in 1990.

"The Religion of Family," by Herrick Jackson. History of the Richardson and Jackson families, written by Herrick Jackson in the form of a conversation between his grandfathers, H. Smith Richardson and John Day Jackson. Appended are family trees and photocopies of many items related to the history of the two families.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1904-1972.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Personal and business correspondence of H. Smith Richardson, including letters about politics, financial interests, and organizations to which Richardson belonged. This collection covers a wide variety of topics, but none in great depth.

Correspondence is filed in chronological order, however some series of correspondence with one individual are grouped together and filed by the date of the most recent letter. In this description, when letters within such a series are cited, the date of the letter is cited, followed by "filed with [most recent date in series]."

Among the earliest letters is a booklet of photocopies H. Smith Richardson wrote as a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, 1902-1905.

For the most part, the correspondence is of a personal nature, although there are occasional business letters included that relate especially to reinsurance and realty companies. Among the personal topics discussed are hunting and fishing, historical and political interests, scouting, and family matters. Of particular interest are letters revealing Richardson's views on South Africa, his support for the isolationist movement during World War II, his opposition to communism, and his racial views.

By far the most common subject in Richardson's correspondence is politics. He corresponded with and financially supported numerous politicians, including senators Bailey (11 May 1933), Joseph McCarthy and William Benton (17 September 1952), Prescott Bush (series filed with 27 June 1962); Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (series filed with 28 July 1968), Florida Governor Farris Bryant (series filed with 10 June 1963), Congressman Abner Sibal (15 September 1964), and Ambassador to Nicaragua Capus Waynick (series filed with 22 January 1965). Papers filed with 23 September 1941 deal with Richardson's opposition to the United States's entry into World War II and his active support of the America First Committee. Richardson remained a lifelong opponent of communism and felt that even the Democratic Party had become too friendly to communism (26 March 1954). He decried the "pressure groups" who exerted influence on Congress (3 June 1953). He supported the McCarran-Walter bill restricting immigration because he believed many foreign immigrants brought communism with them (21 May 1952). In a letter of 20 January 1956, Richardson mentions his fear of the possibility of a communist invasion. Considering the northeast more vulnerable to attack, he kept a house in Greensboro as "insurance" in case the Cold War heated up.

Many letters mention the Smith Richardson Foundation, a philanthropic organization through which Richardson funded numerous anti-communist activities and organizations, including the Institute of American Strategy (2 June 1961, Wood series filed with 16 June 1966). Richardson corresponded with Governor Farris Bryant of Florida regarding the Foundation's support of the state's unique "Cold War Education" program (series filed with 10 June 1963). Letters of 15 September 1960 and 16 January 1961 discuss seminars funded by the Foundation and given by the U.S. Army on how to "educate the people to the danger of Communism" (series filed with 16 June 1966). In a letter dated 8 September 1961, Richardson's grandson Herrick Jackson suggested that the Smith Richardson Foundation should turn its attention from anti-communist activities and move toward philanthropy in science and research (series filed with 20 May 1964). A further explanation of Richardson's policies on funding projects through the Smith Richardson Foundation appears in his correspondence with T. Henry Patterson (series filed with 18 January 1966).

In addition to anti-communism, letters document Richardson's strong support of the two-party system, which moved him to pen a 4 January 1951 letter congratulating Democratic Senator William Benton on his election victory in 1951. Richardson, a Republican, admitted in the same letter that he had voted against Benton. Ironically, a 17 September 1952 letter reveals that during the next election, Richardson tried to engage Senator Joseph McCarthy to speak as part of the Connecticut Republicans' campaign against Benton. Richardson also wrote to Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, supporting the president's policies (1 July 1966). Toward the end of his life, Richardson sharply criticized the Republican platform for being too similar to that of the Democrats. He charged that both were "appealing to minorities" and "outdoing each other on give away appeals" (series filed with 19 April 1963). One of Richardson's final political writings was a position paper in which he supported George Wallace's presidential campaign and complained of the news media's unfair reporting on "underdog" candidates, but declared his intention to vote for Nixon (28 October 1968).

Richardson's interest in politics extended to foreign affairs. He compared U.S. foreign policy favorably to Europe's because of the U.S. government's accountability to its citizens through Congress, but stressed the need for citizens to be informed about foreign affairs (20 June 1957). He joined the United Nations Association, but criticized the U.N.'s National Council for Civic Responsibility for smearing the organizations it was supposed to be impartially investigating (series filed with 23 October 1963). Richardson detailed his world travels and commented on conditions in Asia in a letter of 15 April 1964. He also corresponded with Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield about the character of Russian leadership (series filed with 28 July 1968).

A few letters deal specifically with South Africa. In a letter of 7 June 1955, Richardson described his trip there, which combined bird watching with observing the country's political situation. Of the growing institution of apartheid, Richardson noted, "These people are thinking exactly as we did in the South when you and I were boys." Richardson's continued interest led him to correspond with officials in the Information Service of South Africa (series filed with 11 September 1964). Especially interesting are exchanges relating to how the South African government could present "the true picture of what South Africa has done and is doing, particularly in the racial field," as represented by a pamphlet entitled "Progress Through Separate Development-South Africa in Peaceful Transition" (pamphlet not included).

Many letters mention Richardson's attitudes on race. He discusses his pride in his Scotch-Irish background in correspondence with a Dublin bookseller (filed with 28 October 1953). Richardson believed that communism and unionism, both of which he opposed, were strongest in the North, where, he believed, "vast populations of a different breed have arisen" (16 June 1944). He also felt that there was more contact between members of different classes in the South than in the North (11 May 1933).

Some letters document Richardson's innovative business ideas. Richardson's business philosophy, however, is more clearly outlined in his speeches, newspaper articles, and other writings. He criticized insurance tax laws in North Carolina for discriminating against widows and orphans (4 July 1928, see also speech of 27 September 1928). Earlier in his career, he encouraged increased cooperation among persons engaged in business in North Carolina and between business and government. He also supported the New Deal's "governmentally planned industry and agriculture" (11 May 1933). By the 1960s, however, Richardson was warning of the threats posed by increasing government control and arguing for the preservation of free enterprise and the decentralization of industry in North Carolina (Waynick series filed with 22 January 1965). Other business topics include corporate management strategy (15 January 1943), plans to make the Reinsurance Corporation profitable after a series of losses (series filed with 17 January 1944), arrangements for the continued operation of Richardson's various companies after his death (1 October 1963), and tax-exempt trusts (Wood series, filed with 16 June 1966).

A few scattered items of social and cultural interest include letters relating to tuberculosis (20 December 1920), the domestic effects of World War II (24 April 1944), the role of women ("a man certainly should not leave to an inexperienced woman the very serious question of the investment of this life insurance fund," 4 July 1928), and the need to teach children about the Founding Fathers (3 June 1953).

Folder 1-2

Folder 1

Folder 2

1902-1905

Folder 3

1920-1949

Folder 4

1950-1956

Folder 5

1957-1962

Folder 6

1963-1964

Folder 7

1965-1966

Folder 8

1967-1972

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Speeches and Writings, 1928-1975.

36 items.

Arrangement: writings by subject; speeches chronologically.

Speeches and writings by H. Smith Richardson on business management, how to control government spending, the history of the Richardson-Vicks Company, industrialization and the Southern economy, social and economic improvements in North Carolina during the first half of the 20th century, Cold-War-era foreign policy, and rural life in North Carolina. Richardson's speeches include numerous anecdotes with local color and racial stories. They also contain religious references, Bible quotes, and comparisons of Christianity to good business practice.

In a series of articles on North Carolina in the 1930s, Richardson critiqued North Carolina's faltering economy, which he blamed mostly on a tax structure that discouraged industry. He analyzed the reasons for widespread bank failures and large public debt in North Carolina during the Depression and made suggestions for strengthening the state's economy. He included economic statistics, such as the amount of government debt at the county, city and state levels, as well as comparisons of North Carolina to Virginia. In the North Carolina bank and trust articles of 1933, Richardson warned of the dangers of government overspending and private financial irresponsibility.

Folder 9

"Early History and Management Philosophy of Richardson Merrell"

Folder 10-11

Folder 10

Folder 11

North Carolina articles: "What Has Happened to North Carolina?"

Folder 12

Vol. S-1. North Carolina bank and trust articles, 1933 (see SV-4283/1)

Oversize Volume SV-4283/1

North Carolina bank and trust articles, 1933

Folder 13

Speeches, 1928-1950

Folder 14

Speeches, 1951-1957

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Subject Files, 1900-1972.

About 2,450 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.1. General Subject Files, 1900-1972.

About 2,100 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Documents culled from H. Smith Richardson's personal files. Topics cover his civic, recreational, political, business, genealogical, and philanthropic interests.

The file on Senator Joseph McCarthy contains articles and correspondence concerning a report Richardson commissioned Carlisle Bergeron to write about whether or not McCarthy had "smeared innocent people" along with guilty ones. Bergeron concluded that McCarthy had not.

Several folders contain material related to Richardson's participation in the National Association of Manufacturers, 1939-1941. He resigned from the group in 1942. Richardson served as chairman of the Association's government finance committee in 1939 and 1940. These files contain materials reflecting his concern for the national debt (then around $40 billion) and his proposal to educate the public on this issue.

The file labeled "Papers of H. Smith Richardson" contains the Smith Richardson Foundation's correspondence with various historical archives to find a suitable repository for Richardson's papers.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 15-16

Folder 15

Folder 16

Amendment to North Carolina constitution for tax reform, 1927

Folder 17

Bridgeport Hospital

Folder 18-20

Folder 18

Folder 19

Folder 20

Boy Scouts of America

Folder 21

Buffalo Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, N.C.

Folder 22

Christmas cards

Folder 23-31

Folder 23

Folder 24

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Folder 28

Folder 29

Folder 30

Folder 31

Condolence letters on Richardson's death

Folder 32-35

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

Fairfield County Hunt Club

Folder 36

First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, N.C.

Folder 37

H. Smith Richardson: Ideas into Action , W. C. Burton

Folder 38

Hunting and dogs: certificates and registrations

Folder 39

McCarthy, Joseph

Folder 40

McNairy House, Greensboro, N.C.

Folder 41

Medical records

Folder 42

Memberships

Folder 43-45

Folder 43

Folder 44

Folder 45

Mid-Fairfield County Youth Museum

Folder 46

National Association of Manufacturers

Folder 47-52

Folder 47

Folder 48

Folder 49

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

Correspondence, 1938-1940

Folder 53-55

Folder 53

Folder 54

Folder 55

Economic Policy Committee

Folder 56-63

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Folder 59

Folder 60

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

Government Finance Committee

Folder 64

Printed Material

Folder 65-66

Folder 65

Folder 66

American Industry: Platforms

Folder 67-68

Folder 67

Folder 68

Papers of H. Smith Richardson

Folder 69-74

Folder 69

Folder 70

Folder 71

Folder 72

Folder 73

Folder 74

Pequot Library Association

Folder 75

Poems and jokes (Richardson often enclosed these items in letters)

Folder 76-81

Folder 76

Folder 77

Folder 78

Folder 79

Folder 80

Folder 81

Potatuck Club

Folder 82-83

Folder 82

Folder 83

Potatuck Land Company

Folder 84-85

Folder 84

Folder 85

Presbyterian College

Folder 86-89

Folder 86

Folder 87

Folder 88

Folder 89

Publicity regarding Richardson and his family: 1934-1972

Folder 90-91

Folder 90

Folder 91

Reminiscences of the early days at Vick's

Folder 92-95

Folder 92

Folder 93

Folder 94

Folder 95

Southport Area Association

Folder 96-97

Folder 96

Folder 97

Trips abroad with regard to Vick's exports

Folder 98

University of North Carolina: Smith Richardson Foundation Grants

Folder 99

University of South Carolina: Smith Richardson Foundation Grants

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.2. Davidson College, 1920-1970.

About 350 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Papers relating to the activities of both H. Smith Richardson and his brother Lunsford, Jr., in the affairs of the college. H. Smith Richardson's papers relate to the Davidson Alumni Association, fraternities, university officials, and philanthropic gifts to the college. Lunsford Richardson, Jr.'s papers relate to the Alumni Association, the Alumni Athletic Council, and other topics.

Folder 100-108

Folder 100

Folder 101

Folder 102

Folder 103

Folder 104

Folder 105

Folder 106

Folder 107

Folder 108

H. Smith Richardson

Folder 109-112

Folder 109

Folder 110

Folder 111

Folder 112

Lunsford Richardson, Jr.

Folder 113

Scholastic records of Richardson family alumni

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Family Conferences and Training, 1929-1991.

About 510 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.1. Family Conferences, 1929-1991.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Reports and other papers related to family conferences to which H. Smith Richardson invited the members of each generation, all of whom owned stock in Vick Chemical Company. The meetings were both stockholders' meetings and recreational retreats. Richardson's goal was to instill a strong sense of family loyalty, reconcile differences, and maintain the long-term profitability of Vick as a family-owned business. This tactic was successful for decades, as family members refused to sell their interest in the company in spite of repeated take-over attempts. (Richardson-Merrell was bought out by Procter and Gamble in 1985). In the conferences, Richardson also wished to encourage family members to develop good citizenship and a sense of responsibility to society.

See also materials relating to the "church case" in subseries 6.7.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 114

Family conferences and reports-index, 1929-1956

Folder 115

Richardson's report to family meeting, 10 June 1929

Folder 116

1939

Folder 117

August 1940

Folder 118

Yeaman's Hall, December 1941

Folder 119

Newsletter, Christmas 1941

Folder 120

Yama Farms, October 1942

Folder 121

1943

Folder 122-123

Folder 122

Folder 123

Special meeting, 1 November 1943

Folder 124

Follow-up to Vick Chemical Co. long-range policy, 1944-1950

Folder 125

Memoranda to lady stockholders, 10 February 1944

Folder 126

Mary Lynn Richardson fund meeting, 11 February 1944

Folder 127

Smith Richardson Foundation meeting, 23 May 1944

Folder 128

Newsletter, September 1944

Folder 129

Memoranda to lady stockholders, 27 October 1944

Folder 130

Memo to Vick board of directors, 31 October 1944; report to senior members, 17 November 1944

Folder 131

1944

Folder 132

Newsletter, Christmas 1944

Folder 133

1945

Folder 134

Newsletter, February 1945

Folder 135

Sea Island, Ga., 18 February-2 March 1946

Folder 136

Report to the family, 26 July 1946

Folder 137

Hot Springs, Va., 28 October-3 November 1946

Folder 138

Reports on church case progress, May-June 1947

Folder 139

Report, 1 July 1947

Folder 140

Newsletter, October 1947

Folder 141

Church case material, 22 December 1947

Folder 142

December 1947

Folder 143

Smith Richardson Foundation letter to Treasury Dept., 11 February 1948

Folder 144

Sea Island, Ga., April 1948

Folder 145

Continuation of discussions at Sea Island, 15 July 1948

Folder 146

Agenda for future conferences, 28 October 1948

Folder 147

Concerning the good name of our church, 16 December 1948

Folder 148

To members of the third generation, 10 February 1949

Folder 149

Letter to senior and junior family members, 3 August 1949

Folder 150

Smith Richardson Foundation purposes and plans, investment service, basic policy, 3 July 1950

Folder 151

1951

Folder 152

New York, November 1956

Folder 153-154

Folder 153

Folder 154

Roaring Gap, N.C., June 1959

Folder 155

Roaring Gap, N.C., June 1961

Folder 156

Roaring Gap, N.C., June 1963

Folder 157

June 1963; June 1964; minutes of lineal descendants of Grace Richardson

Folder 158

Family News, 1964-1972

Folder 159

Roaring Gap, N.C., June 1965

Folder 160

Skytop, Pa., June 1967

Folder 161

Sea Island, Ga., June 1969

Folder 162

Roaring Gap, N.C., June 1971

Folder 163

R. R. Richardson, 1975 meeting presentation

Folder 164

Norris W. Preyer, Richardson family history talk

Folder 165

Family meeting materials, 1977-1991

Folder 166-167

Folder 166

Folder 167

Mailings from Richardson to family members, 1953-1973

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.2. Family Solidarity-Stockholder Training, 1939-1967.

10 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Documents related to "Family Stockholder Training," which taught practical matters associated with Vick and other family holdings and instilled family pride.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 168

Plan for younger and future generations

Folder 169

35-year plan for owners

Folder 170

1954-1960

Folder 171

1961-1967

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Smith Family, 1811-1923.

About 150 items.

Nineteenth-century and early 20th-century writings of H. Smith Richardson's maternal ancestors, including diaries of Jacob Henry Smith, a Presbyterian minister in Virginia and North Carolina, and his wife Mary Kelly Watson Smith. Topics include family life, the Civil War, and religion.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.1. Diary of Jacob Henry Smith, 1846-1897.

40 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Diaries of Jacob Henry Smith, H. Smith Richardson's namesake and maternal grandfather. The 1846-1847 section covers Smith's first pastorate in Pittsylvania County, Va., near Lynchburg. When the diary resumes in 1860, Smith had just begun preaching at the First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. Typed copies of the diary, 1 January-3 February 1860, 1 June-15 July 1861, 1 January-13 February 1883, and 1- 31 January, 1890 are included. Diaries for 1848-1859 and 1872 are missing. (See subseries 5.3. for letters of Jacob Smith and edited version of the diary, 1860-1869, contained in The Civil War Decade in Greensboro, N.C. )

Folder 172

1846-1847

Folder 173

1860-1861

Folder 174

1862-1866

Folder 175

1867-1871

Folder 176

1873-1875

Folder 177

1878-1882

Folder 178

1883-1885

Folder 179

1886-1889

Folder 180

1890-1893

Folder 181

1894-1897

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.2. Diary of Mary Kelly Watson Smith, 1906-1923.

5 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Typed copies of diaries of Mary Kelly Watson Smith, H. Smith Richardson's maternal grandmother. Describes early 20th-century family and religious life. (See subseries 5.3. for letters of Mary Smith.)

Folder 182-184

Folder 182

Folder 183

Folder 184

Volume 1: 1906-1909

Folder 185-186

Folder 185

Folder 186

Volume 2: 1910-1911

Folder 187-189

Folder 187

Folder 188

Folder 189

Volume 3: 30 December 1911-3 March 1915

Folder 190-191

Folder 190

Folder 191

Volume 4: 4 March 1915-31 December 1917

Folder 192-193

Folder 192

Folder 193

Volume 5: 1 January 1918-21 November 1923

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.3. Smith Family Papers, 1811-1918.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by family member, then chronological.

Original and photocopies of family letters, biographical sketches, poems, sermon notes of Jacob Henry Smith, and other writings of members of the Smith family of Charlottesville, Va., and Greensboro, N.C. Subjects include family life, religion, and the Civil War.

Included are letters from Alphonso Smith to his mother, Mary K. W. Smith, while he traveled in Germany and studied in Berlin in 1901. The letters mention German reaction to American "Open Door" policy in China and an assassination attempt on the Kaiser, as well as various literary, religious, and social topics of the day.

Papers of Jacob Henry Smith include letters, poems, sermon notes, news clippings, and speeches. (See subseries 5.1. for Smith's diary.)

Letters of Mary Smith to her children and other family members, especially her sister "Hay" (Hortensia Hay Watson), contain descriptions of church and local affairs. (See subseries 5.2. for Mary Smith's diary.)

The Civil War Decade in Greensboro, N.C., compiled by O. Norris Smith in 1989, contains an edited transcript of Jacob Henry Smith's diary from 1860 to 1869; letters from Mary Kelly Watson Smith to family members in Charlottesville, Va.; records from the Greensboro Presbyterian Church; and an index.

Papers of Samuel C. Smith include biographical sketches of father, Samuel K. Smith, and childhood of brother Jacob Henry Smith. There are also two photocopies of letters written from the front during the Civil War.

Letters of Judge Egbert R. Watson, Mary Kelly Watson Smith's father, were written on the occasions of his infant son's death and his third honeymoon. Also included is a letter from Watson to Confederate General Ewell regarding the organization of "a guerilla corps" from Orange County, Va. A series of correspondence from H. Smith Richardson regarding the historical and monetary value of the letter to Ewell is included. There is also a letter to Judge Watson from one of his slaves. The subject of the letter is unclear; it either thanks Watson for saving the slave's life or asks him to help the slave get out of jail.

Folder 194

Letters of Mary Kelly

Folder 195

Letters from Alphonso Smith to Mary Kelly Watson Smith

Folder 196

Jacob Henry Smith papers, 1841-1897

Folder 197-198

Folder 197

Folder 198

Mary Kelly Watson Smith papers, 1858-1918

Folder 199a

The Civil War Decade in Greensboro, N.C.

Folder 199b

Greensboro, NC 1859-1897 as recorded in the diaries of Rev. J. Henry Smith, D.D., Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, and in the letters of his wife Mary Kelly (Watson) Smith

Folder 200

Papers of Samuel C. Smith, 1858-1865

Folder 201a

Letters of Judge E. R. Watson

Folder 201b

Letters of Judge E. R. Watson

Folder 202

Miscellaneous family papers

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4283/1b

Photostatic copies of Watson's letters and prayer book of Richard Price and Jane Price Watson

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 6. Richardson Family, 1882-1981.

About 2800 items.

Family history materials relating to the Richardson, Smith, and related families, including many items relating to Annals of an American Family ; transcriptions of family documents; correspondence about family history; files on individual family members, especially H. Smith Richardson; newspaper clippings; family newsletters; materials about cemeteries, monuments, museums, and genealogical organizations; some family correspondence; and a family Bible.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.1. Obituaries, 1882-1979.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by family member.

Obituaries of Smith and Richardson family members clipped from newspapers across North Carolina. Included with obituaries of Grace Richardson is a collection of her favorite jokes and stories, mostly racial humor.

Folder 203

Grace Richardson

Folder 204

H. Smith Richardson

Folder 205

Lunsford Richardson

Folder 206

Lunsford Richardson, Jr.

Folder 207

Mary Lynn Smith Richardson

Folder 208

Charles Alphonso Smith

Folder 209

Egbert W. Smith

Folder 210

Hay Watson Smith

Folder 211

Henry Louis Smith

Folder 212

Mary Kelly Watson Smith

Folder 213

Reed Smith

Folder 214

Margaret Smith Vaughn

Folder 215

Miscellaneous family members

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.2. Biographical Material, 1968-1978.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: by type.

Memos, news articles, and family reminiscences, mainly about H. Smith Richardson and his father Lunsford Richardson.

Folder 216-219

Folder 216

Folder 217

Folder 218

Folder 219

H. Smith Richardson

Folder 220

Family biography

Folder 221

Tributes to H. Smith Richardson

Folder 222

National Cyclopedia of American Biography

Folder 223

Lunsford Richardson, including Laurinda Richardson Carlson's recollections of him

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.3. Subject Files, 1911-1971.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

News articles, legal documents, reports, and newsletters regarding Richardson family members. Legal documents pertain to the establishment of trusteeship to administer insurance policies of Margaret B. Richardson and a partnership agreement for Vick Chemical Company between Lunsford Richardson and his sons. The Sapp guardianship file contains documents concerning H. Smith Richardson's guardianship of two children, Robert and Mary Sapp.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 224

Mary Keen Richardson Jackson, Grace Richardson Lambert (daughters of H. Smith Richardson)

Folder 225

Egbert W. Smith

Folder 226

Henry Louis Smith

Folder 227

Family clippings

Folder 228

Quotations and news clippings

Folder 229

Dedications and memorials

Folder 230

Legal documents

Folder 231

Lunsford Richardson ship launching publicity

Folder 232

Sapp guardianship

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.4. Family Correspondence, 1917-1981.

About 80 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Personal correspondence between members of the Smith and Richardson families.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 233

Family newsletters and correspondence, 1942-1947

Folder 234

W. Allen Perkins

Folder 235

Richardson family correspondence

Folder 236

H. Smith Richardson/Lunsford Richardson, Jr.

Folder 237

Smith family correspondence

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.5. Family History, 1934-1976.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Family history materials relating to the Richardson, Smith and related families; typed copies of family documents; correspondence about family history; files on individual family members, especially H. Smith Richardson; newspaper clippings; materials about museums, genealogical research, and organizations; and a family Bible (Vol. S-3). The materials are arranged by subject, in original order in which collection was received.

"Smith Family Tidbits" is a volume containing family history items collected and edited by O. Norris Smith in 1989.

"Footsteps of the Past," with a foreword by Mrs. Richardson and an introduction by Burke Davis, consists of research notes collected by Grace Jones Richardson on her genealogical background and a typed manuscript written by Elizabeth Hawes Ryland.

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 238

"Smith Family Tidbits" (see SV-4283/2)

Oversize Volume SV-4283/2

Smith Family Tidbits

Folder 239

Family Bible (see SV-4283/3)

Oversize Volume SV-4283/3

Family Bible

Folder 240

To Whom Sent ( Annals of An American Family )

Folder 241

Drafts of Richardson family annals

Folder 242-243

Folder 242

Folder 243

Mamie Richardson family history research

Folder 244

Facts and exhibits

Folder 245-255

Folder 245

Folder 246

Folder 247

Folder 248

Folder 249

Folder 250

Folder 251

Folder 252

Folder 253

Folder 254

Folder 255

"Footsteps of the Past"

Folder 256

H. Smith Richardson's Scottish McAlister clan cap (MU-4283/1)

Folder 257-259

Folder 257

Folder 258

Folder 259

Genealogy

Folder 260

Books, Reed Smith, royalty rights

Folder 261

Family history material, 1987-1993

Folder 262

Materials relating to gathering family historical material, 1986-1989

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.6. Annals of An American Family, 1920-1937.

About 2,000 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Research materials, drafts, and correspondence related to Annals of An American Family, a history of the Richardson family commissioned by H. Smith Richardson in the 1930s and revised in 1953. The files are arranged according to subject, in the original order in which they were received. Each folder includes an index of contents at front.

The Sylvia Holder file contains information about the last living ex-slave of the Richardson family. H. Smith Richardson maintained correspondence with and sent money to Sylvia Holder until she died in 1952. (See series 8, P-4283/111-132 for photographs of Holder).

Maps, blueprints, and other oversized items in this subseries include the following:

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Rolled Item R-4283/1

Drawing of Lunsford Richardson's estate (reproduction)

Oversize Paper OP-4283/14-15

OP-4283/14

OP-4283/15

Drawings of Parker Heights.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/16

"The Facts Concerning the Lunsford Richardson Estate" (poster)

Oversize Paper OP-4283/17-18

OP-4283/17

OP-4283/18

Poster of article in Greensboro Daily News , 26 June 1941: "Vick Co. Defendant in Suit for $1,600,000"

Oversize Paper OP-4283/19

Blueprint of subdivision of Richardson property in Greensboro, N.C., in 1916. Surveyed by W. B. Fluharty of Greensboro.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/20

1929 blueprint for exterior improvements to H. Smith Richardson's Greensboro home by Charles Barton Keen, Philadelphia architect, with attached letter estimating cost.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/21-41

OP-4283/21

OP-4283/22

OP-4283/23

OP-4283/24

OP-4283/25

OP-4283/26

OP-4283/27

OP-4283/28

OP-4283/29

OP-4283/30

OP-4283/31

OP-4283/32

OP-4283/33

OP-4283/34

OP-4283/35

OP-4283/36

OP-4283/37

OP-4283/38

OP-4283/39

OP-4283/40

OP-4283/41

Plans for The Moorings, H. Smith Richardson's estate in Green Farms, Conn., 1927-1928, by A. Raymond Ellis, of Hartford, Conn.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/42

Map of Greene Township in eastern Guilford County, N.C., drawn in 1958 by J. H. Thode, Jr.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/43

Map of Bald Mountain property, drawn in 1958 by J. H. Thode, Jr.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/44-45

OP-4283/44

OP-4283/45

Charts of the organization of the Presbyterian Church of the United States and its general assembly, 26 November 1945.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/46

Poster: "Why Corporations Go to Delaware," comparing taxes in Greensboro, N.C., Philadelphia, Pa., and Wilmington, Del.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/47

1938 Vick Chemical Co. poster

Folder 263

Index to family history files Mary

Folder 264-269

Folder 264

Folder 265

Folder 266

Folder 267

Folder 268

Folder 269

Mary Rawlings version, 1933

Folder 270-288

Folder 270

Folder 271

Folder 272

Folder 273

Folder 274

Folder 275

Folder 276

Folder 277

Folder 278

Folder 279

Folder 280

Folder 281

Folder 282

Folder 283

Folder 284

Folder 285

Folder 286

Folder 287

Folder 288

R. McBlair version, 1938

Folder 289

Correspondence Mrs. C. I. Carlson, 1929-1952

Folder 290

Correspondence James M. Richardson

Folder 291

Correspondence Mary Rawlings

Folder 292

Correspondence Atkinson

Folder 293

Correspondence James P. Richardson

Folder 294

Correspondence George D. Vick

Folder 295

Correspondence Miscellaneous

Folder 296

Genealogies, Media research

Folder 297

Source material from C. A. Smith

Folder 298

"Beginnings" (not used)

Folder 299

Richardsons, 1861

Folder 300

Appendices and genealogical tables

Folder 301

Richardsons in North Carolina

Folder 302

May quotations for reprint, "The Love that Never Failed"

Folder 303

Vinsons, Smiths, and Cobbs

Folder 304

Vinson family

Folder 305

Richardsons, Revolutionary War

Folder 306

Virginia material

Folder 307

Salling, Fuller, Price

Folder 308

Smiths, Fullers

Folder 309

Samuel Runckle and Smiths

Folder 310

James Watson I and II

Folder 311

Colonel Richard Price II

Folder 312

Norris, Opie, Metcalfe

Folder 313

Sarah Norris

Folder 314

Vinson, Smith, Cobb (not used)

Folder 315

Mary Rawlings outline

Folder 316

North Carolina original sources

Folder 317

Materials not used

Folder 318

Controversial points

Folder 319

Cobbs

Folder 320

C. A. Smith

Folder 321

Crittendon about Atkinson House

Folder 322

Greensboro, N.C., and Charlottesville, Va.

Folder 323

Robert McBlair

Folder 324

Mrs. Carlson, Mary Rawlings, Nancy Richardson

Folder 325

Extra material

Folder 326-328

Folder 326

Folder 327

Folder 328

Business correspondence

Folder 329

College studies for younger family members

Folder 330

Lists of family members

Folder 331

Lunsford Richardson's 1836 letter to Laurinda Vinson

Folder 332

Smiths of Guilford

Folder 333

N. Callahan's material for family letter

Folder 334

Smith-Richardson family correspondence

Folder 335-336

Folder 335

Folder 336

Richardson genealogy--Correspondence, 1926-1931

Folder 337

Richardson family history--Miscellaneous

Folder 338

Reports: Guiles Davenport, David Rockford

Folder 339

R. McBlair Research

Folder 340

R. McBlair Washington, D.C., and North Carolina

Folder 341

R. McBlair Richardson family in Civil War

Folder 342

Genealogy, Virginia and North Carolina

Folder 343

Carlson-Delamar correspondence about corrections

Folder 344-345

Folder 344

Folder 345

Carlson correspondence, 1939-1965

Folder 346

Norris-Opie ancestors

Folder 347

Family history correspondence

Folder 348

United Daughters of the Confederacy/Daughters of the American Revolution

Folder 349

Holder, Sylvia

Folder 350

Grace Jones Richardson

Folder 351

Greensboro Historical Museum, Blueprints of designs for display cabinets (see also OP-4283/1-7)

Oversize Paper OP-4283/1-7

OP-4283/1

OP-4283/2

OP-4283/3

OP-4283/4

OP-4283/5

OP-4283/6

OP-4283/7

Greensboro Historical Museum, Blueprints of designs for display cabinets

Folder 352

Greensboro Civic Center

Folder 353

O. Henry-Richardson Memorial, Greensboro Civic Center

Folder 354

Family annals, 1951

Folder 355

Annals appendix--transcribed family documents

Folder 356

Neusiok Girl Scout Council project, Blueprints for plans for Mary Atkinson Girl Scout Camp by Thomas Morse, 15 September 1960 (see also OP-4283/8-10)

Oversize Paper OP-4283/8-10

OP-4283/8

OP-4283/9

OP-4283/10

Blueprints for plans for Mary Atkinson Girl Scout Camp by Thomas Morse, 15 September 1960

Folder 357

Parker Heights project

Folder 358

Family graveyards: Parker Heights, N.C.; Forest Hill, Va.

Folder 359

Parker Heights cemetery

Folder 360-361

Folder 360

Folder 361

Parker Heights monument

Folder 362

Vinson family documents

Folder 363

"An Economic History of the First Seven Generations" by Norris W. Preyer (1967)

Folder 364

Books written by family members, including "Some Meagre Recollections of Mammy" by Mary Watson [Mrs. Henry] Smith, 1927

Oversize Paper OP-4283/11

Map of Lunsford Richardson property with attached letter dividing property, including tenants, among heirs (William Richardson, Thomas H. Atkinson and wife Martha Richardson, Rosetta Richardson and Lunsford Richardson, Jr.), sworn before justices of the court of Johnston County, N.C., in January 1860.

Oversize Paper OP-4283/12-13

OP-4283/12

OP-4283/13

Drawings of Parker Heights.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.7. First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro Lawsuit, 1922-1975.

About 120 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Legal documents, correspondence, minutes, and pamphlets relating to the lawsuit brought against the heirs of Lunsford Richardson in 1941 by the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, N.C. The trustees believed that Lunsford Richardson's will granted them ownership of Vick stock that his wife had sold to the church before her death. To defend his family's reputation, H. Smith Richarson published a booklet, "Strange Record of a Gift," which gives a detailed account of the case. He mailed it to friends, family members, and the session of every church in the Presbyterian Church in the United States (P.C.-U.S.) denomination. Also included are the minutes of the denomination's general assembly meetings in 1946 and 1947, with passages exonerating the Richardson family marked.

Documents are arranged according to subject, in original order in which the collection was received. (See also materials relating to this lawsuit in subseries 4.1.)

Note that, in most cases, original file folder labels have been retained.

Folder 366

Basic study of Smith-Richardson family used by defense in First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro case

Folder 367

Chronology of litigation

Folder 368

Church case--old documents

Folder 369

"Strange Record of a Gift" mailing

Folder 370

H. Smith Richardson's response to court case

Folder 371

Minutes of the 86th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church

Folder 372

Minutes of the 87th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 7. Family Investments and Philanthropy, 1926-1994.

About 500 items.

Information relating to the Vick Chemical Company and to other Richardson family financial interests. In 1925, one-fourth of the Vick stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and sold to the public. In 1930, several drug companies, including the Vick Chemical Company, Bristol Meyers, Life Savers, and the United Drug Company (later Rexall and the Dart Industries) merged in the largest drug merger of the day to form Drug, Inc. United Drug suffered so greatly in the 1929 crash that it was a serious drag on the combined operation. Drug, Inc. was, therefore, demerged in such a way that each of the companies continued separately under its own management, but every shareholder owned stock in all of the companies. Richardson played a key role in the merger and led the campaign to split up Drug, Inc. Over the years, the Richardson family sold off the other drug companies and reinvested the funds.

The family diversified their holdings into real estate, stock investments, a realty company, and an insurance company. Family members also held stock in other business concerns, including the Reinsurance Corporation of New York (RECO, originally Vick Financial). In addition to their financial interests, the Richardson family, with H. Smith Richardson taking the initiative, established the Richardson Foundation, later the Smith Richardson Foundation, to oversee philanthropic gifts.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.1. Vick Chemical Co. Public Relations Materials, 1926-1980.

43 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Included are financial reports from 1926 and 1927, weekly newsletters detailing the achievements of the Vick sales force ("Post Scripts," 1938-1939), the "Vick Family Newsletter" (a few copies from the years 1940 to 1945, relating news of the entire Vick workforce, including those serving in World War II), and a booklet commemorating the 75th anniversary of Richardson-Merrell, Inc., in 1980.

Folder 373

Public relations materials

Folder 374-376

Folder 374

Folder 375

Folder 376

Vick "Post Scripts" newsletter

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.2. Vick Financial/Reinsurance Corp. of New York, 1926-1994.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Reports and correspondence concerning the Vick Financial Corporation, which was reorganized in 1936 as the Reinsurance Corporation of New York and National Insurance, then became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Piedmont Managment Company, Inc., in 1968.

Folder 377

1920s

Folder 378-379

Folder 378

Folder 379

1930s

Folder 380-381

Folder 380

Folder 381

1940s

Folder 382

1950s

Folder 383-388

Folder 383

Folder 384

Folder 385

Folder 386

Folder 387

Folder 388

1960s

Folder 389-390

Folder 389

Folder 390

1970s

Folder 391-393

Folder 391

Folder 392

Folder 393

1980s

Folder 394-396

Folder 394

Folder 395

Folder 396

1990s

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.3. Smith Richardson Foundation, 1948-1967.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Memos, correspondence, news clippings, and reports relating to the Smith Richardson Foundation (formerly Richardson Foundation), the philanthropic organization of the Richardson family, founded by H. Smith Richardson in 1935. The Foundation supported numerous causes in North Carolina, including historic preservation, legal reform, curriculum reform, the establishment of small businesses, and the encouragement of leadership potential in youth. The subseries includes 1948 plans detailing a $14.3 million gift from Richardson to the Foundation. The Foundation's objectives in the 1960s focused on developing creative leadership and corporate management strategies.

Folder 397

1948 Foundation plans (OP-4283/48)

Folder 398

Foundation news clippings

Folder 399-401

Folder 399

Folder 400

Folder 401

Foundation objectives, 1964-1967

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.4. General, 1951-1989.

About 60 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Included is information concerning the 1985 buyout of Richardson-Vicks by Procter and Gamble; a 1989 appraisal of Mary's Island plantation in South Carolina, owned by the Richardson family; investment advice from William Preyer; and histories of Richardson companies.

Folder 402

Family, W. Y. Preyer, 1951

Folder 403

History of Richardson family companies

Folder 404

Richardson-Vicks merger with Procter and Gamble

Folder 405

Mary's Island Plantation appraisal

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970.

211 items.

Included are black-and-white photographs and a few slides, color photographs and sketches, mostly of Richardson family members. Note that some of the pictures listed below are grouped together as received.

Image Folder PF-4283/1

P-4283/1-20: Portraits of H. Smith Richardson, circa 1900-1959

Oversize Image OP-P-4283/7

Oversize portrait of H. Smith Richardson, circa 1900-1959

Oversize Image OP-P-4283/10-11

OP-P-4283/10

OP-P-4283/11

Oversize portraits of H. Smith Richardson, circa 1900-1959

Image Folder PF-4283/2

P-4283/21-23: "Uncle" Albert [1860s?]

Image Folder PF-4283/3

Ten photographs

P-4283/24: Photograph of paining of Judge John Henry Dillard, North Carolina Supreme Court justice, 1879-1881, undated #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/26: Mary Anne Perkins (Mrs. Chiswell Dabrey) Langhorne, 1870s[?] #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/27: Buck Newsom (Vick salesman) at 17, 1934 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/30: Clement Richardson, 21 years, 1867 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/31-32: Clement Richardson, 57, 12 October 1903 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/33: Photo of portrait of Grace Jones Richardson #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/34: Lunsford Richardson #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/35a: Lunsford Richardson, engraving with signature #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
P-4283/35b: Mary Lynn Smith Richardson #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/3
Oversize Image OP-P-4283/25

Photograph of painting of Captain John Keen, 1787-1872, undated

Oversize Image OP-P-4283/28

"Aunt Lizzie" Perkins, one of the Watson twins

Oversize Image OP-P-4283/29

"Aunt Helen" Rawlings, one of the Watson twins

Image Folder PF-4283/4

Nine photographs

P-4283/36a: Photograph of newspaper photograph of Lunsford Richardson, Jr. #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
P-4283/36b: Lunsford Richardson, Jr., in Navy uniform #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
P-4283/37: Mrs. William Richardson, Jr. #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
P-4283/38a: J. Marion Sims #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
P-4283/38b-c: Charles Alphonso Smith #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
P-4283/39-41: Egbert Smith #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/4
Image Folder PF-4283/5

Twelve photographs

P-4283/42-48: Henry Louis Smith #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/5
P-4283/49-50: Jacob Henry Smith, 23 January 1896 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/5
P-4283/51: Engraving of Jacob Henry Smith with signature #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/5
P-4283/52-53: Norris Kelly Smith, son of Jacob Henry and Mary Kelly Smith, age 6, 1881 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/5
Image Folder PF-4283/6

Eleven photographs

P-4283/54: Samuel M. Smith, 29 April 1867 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/55: Samuel M. Smith #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/56: George Vick (as boy) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/57: George Vick (as young man) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/58: Photograph of portrait of Judge Egbert R. Watson (1810-1887) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/61: Printer's layout with pictures of Lunsford Richardson, Jacob Henry Smith, Egbert Smith, and Mary Lynn Smith Richardson playing backgammon #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/62: Group photo of Jacob Henry Smith family, circa 1900 (all members identified on photo) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/63-64: Lunsford Richardson, Jr., family, circa 1910 (all members identified on photo) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/65a: Grace Richardson with daughters Grace and Mary, circa 1910 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
P-4283/65b: Lunsford Richardson, Jr., and H. Smith Richardson, circa 1895 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/6
Oversize Image OP-P-4283/59-60

OP-P-4283/59

OP-P-4283/60

Photographs of portrait of relative of Egbert R. Watson, possibly daughter Mary Kelly Watson who later married Jacob Henry Smith

Image Folder PF-4283/7

Eleven photographs

P-4283/66: Helen Watson Rawlings and Lizzie Watson Perkins #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/67: H. Smith Richardson and Vick staff, 1941 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/68-69: H. Smith Richardson and unidentified man with portrait of Lunsford Richardson, Jr., late 1930s #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/70: H. Smith Richardson and Vick staff, 6 February 1952 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/71: H. Smith Richardson with two Vick employees, 16 November 1956 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/72: H. Smith Richardson and family, Klick Ranch, 1962 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/73: H. Smith Richardson and Bill Horne at Merrell's cocktail party, August 1970 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
P-4283/74-76: First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/7
Oversize Image OP-P-4283/77-84

OP-P-4283/77

OP-P-4283/78

OP-P-4283/79

OP-P-4283/80

OP-P-4283/81

OP-P-4283/82

OP-P-4283/83

OP-P-4283/84

Interior and exterior of the Moorings, H. Smith Richardson's home in Green Farms, Conn., 1930s

Image Folder PF-4283/8

Ten photographs

P-4283/85: Lunsford Richardson's home in Selma, N.C. #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/8
P-4283/86: Ruins of Rosewell Plantation #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/8
P-4283/87-88: Jacob Henry Smith's home in Greensboro, N.C. #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/8
P-4283/89: Drug store rules, W. C. Porter Drug Store, Greensboro, 1854 #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/8
P-4283/90-94: Unidentified members of Smith and Richardson families, late 19th century to mid-20th century #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/8
Image Folder PF-4283/9

Eleven photographs

P-4283/95-105: Unidentified members of Smith and Richardson families, late 19th century to mid-20th century #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/9
Image Folder PF-4283/10

Nine photographs

P-4283/106-109: Unidentified members of Smith and Richardson families, late 19th century to mid-20th century #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/10
P-4283/110: Unidentified house #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/10
P-4283/111-114: "Aunt" Sylvia Holder, last living ex-slave of Richardson family, on Parker's Height Plantation #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/10
Image Folder PF-4283/11

Fourteen photographs

P-4283/115-128: "Aunt" Sylvia Holder, last living ex-slave of Richardson family, on Parker's Height Plantation #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/11
Image Folder PF-4283/12

Ten photographs

P-4283/129-132: "Aunt" Sylvia Holder, last living ex-slave of Richardson family, on Parker's Height Plantation #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/12
P-4283/133-138: Parker's Height Plantation, subjects identified on photos #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/12
Image Folder PF-4283/13

Thirteen photographs

P-4283/139-151: Parker's Height Plantation, subjects identified on photos #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/13
Image Folder PF-4283/14

Eleven photographs

P-4283/152-159: Parker's Height Plantation, subjects identified on photos #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/14
P-4283/160-162: "The Oaks" cemetery at Parker's Height #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/14
Image Folder PF-4283/15

Photographs and drawings

P-4283/163-168: First Lunsford Richardson mill (later Pharaoh's) #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/15
P-4283/169: Old school house near Parker's Height #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/15
P-4283/170-174: Sketches of Parker's Height by Cora Richardson Michaels #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/15
Image Folder PF-4283/16

Slides

P-4283/175-207: Slides of Smith and Richardson family members from Annals of An American Family, and were used at a June 1975 family meeting. Attached list identifies slides. #04283, Series 8. Pictures, circa 1860-1970., Imagefolder PF-4283/16
Image Folder PF-4283/17

Lunsford Richardson

Image Folder PF-4283/18

Dr. Henry Jacob Smith

Image Folder PF-4283/19

Unknown family members

Image Folder PF-4283/20-21

PF-4283/20

PF-4283/21

Parker Heights Plantation

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 9. Film, Audio, and Video, 1962-1981.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Additions

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of March 1998 (Acc. 98032)

Folder 406-409

Folder 406

Folder 407

Folder 408

Folder 409

Addition of March 1998

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of July 1998 (Acc. 98166)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of October 1999 (Acc. 98476)

About 50 items.

A printed oral history of the Richardson family, a videotaped oral history of the Richardson family, audiocassette recordings of 20 interviews by Claudia Egelhoff with 17 Richardson family members, and Egelhoff's detailed, typed notes on each interview and an interview guide. The printed oral history, 61 pages long, titled The Richardson Family: An Oral History , and dated 1999, contains quotes from interviews with Richardson family members and is illustrated with family photographs. It also contains a family tree that depicts the relationships among the descendants of Lunsford Richardson. The videotaped Richardson Family Oral History, written and directed by Claudia Egelhoff, contains some of the same photographs that are printed in the book, but also contains moving pictures of family activities and outings. Narration is supplied from the interviews.

Egelhoff's notes for each interview identify the interviewee, the date and place of the interview, give a summary of the content, and give a detailed index of the tapes.

The interviews focus primarily on memories of childhood, parents, grandparents, family gatherings, family business, and family legacies.

Folder 411

The Richardson Family: An Oral History , 1999

Videotape VT-4283/2

Richardson Family Oral History, 1999. VHS.

Folder 412

Interview guide

Folder 413

Interviews, tapes C-4283/1-10

Audiocassette C-4283/1

Stetson, Grace Richardson. 22 June 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/2-4

C-4283/2

C-4283/3

C-4283/4

Richardson, H. Smith. 8 April 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/5

Richardson, R. Randolph. 4 November 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/6-8

C-4283/6

C-4283/7

C-4283/8

Carlson, Carl Ivan. 20 February 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/9-10

C-4283/9

C-4283/10

Calhoun, Beda Carlson. 20 June 1998.

Folder 414

Interviews, tapes C-4283/11-20

Audiocassette C-4283/11-12

C-4283/11

C-4283/12

Schenck, Laurinda V. Carlson. 17 August 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/13-16

C-4283/13

C-4283/14

C-4283/15

C-4283/16

Preyer, William Yost. 24 February 1998, 14 May 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/17-18

C-4283/17

C-4283/18

Preyer, Lunsford Richardson (Rich). 7 May 1998, 14 May 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/19-20

C-4283/19

C-4283/20

Preyer, Robert Otto. 29 April 1998.

Folder 415

Interviews, tapes C-4283/21-36

Audiocassette C-4283/21-22

C-4283/21

C-4283/22

Preyer, Norris Watson. 30 April 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/23-24

C-4283/23

C-4283/24

Preyer, Frederick Lynn. 11 June 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/25-26

C-4283/25

C-4283/26

Richardson, Lunsford, Jr. 11 April 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/27-28

C-4283/27

C-4283/28

Smith, Molly Richardson. 26 March 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/29-30

C-4283/29

C-4283/30

White, Margaret (Beebee) Ball Richardson. 26 March 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/31-32

C-4283/31

C-4283/32

Richardson, Eudora (Dora) L. 27 March 1998.

Audiocassette C-4283/33-34

C-4283/33

C-4283/34

Gunzenhauser, Lynn Chapin. 30 April 1999.

Audiocassette C-4283/35-36

C-4283/35

C-4283/36

Boney, Sion. 20 October 1998.

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