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Collection Number: 04435

Collection Title: Sours Family Papers, 1796-1988.

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 Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Size 10.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 7400 items)
Abstract Correspondence, financial and legal items, diaries, photographs, and other materials of six generations of the Sours and related families. Much material relates to the Rev. John Dickson Sours (1815-1912), Methodist circuit rider, minister, and teacher of Adams County, Pa., and to the descendents of iron-worker and Civil War soldier Jacob Sours (1823-1888) of Virginia and Ohio. Included are materials that document the lives and careers of Mary Bowling (d. 1956), Alabama teacher, World War II soldier, and long-time music student; genealogist Noland Hubbard Bowling (b. 1886); librarian Sarah Bowling Holland (b. 1910), who was graduated from the University of North Carolina Library School and worked in several southern states; Adam Sours (1836-1888), who went to California to mine gold; Margaret Emma Sours (1859-1926), who taught school in rural Pennsylvania; and other members of the Sours family and the related Bowling, Holland, Hubbard, and other families.
Creator Sours (Family : Sours, John Dickson, 1815-1912)
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 Sours Family Papers #4435, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from William Winn of Laurinburg, N.C., in January 1985; Sarah B. Holland of Satellite Beach, Fla., in February 1988; William E. Winn of Laurinburg, N.C., in June 1988; and Sarah B. Holland of Haines City, Fla., in September, 1988.
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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Processed by: Anne von Storch, August 1986; Robert Foster, April 1988; Roslyn Holdzkom, July 1988; Chuck Israel, January 1989

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

Revised by: Dawne Howard Lucas, January 2022

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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

The Sours, or Sowers, family members are descendants of Adam Siers, an iron worker born in Germany (circa 1720) who settled in Mary Ann Furnace, Pennsylvania, about 1770. His son Paul (circa 1755-1840) worked as a blacksmith in Adams County, Pennsylvania, married Magdalena Thron, or Trone, and had ten children. Paul's second son, Adam Sowers II (1782-1851) became a hatter, married Mary Dickson (1783-1864), and took over part of the Dickson farm in Cumberland County near Idaville, Pennsylvania. Nine children, four of whom appear as correspondents in this collection, were born to this marriage. The third son, John Dickson Sours (1815-1912), is the primary author and recipient of most of these papers.

John Dickson Sours was born on the family farm. As a young man, he followed his older brother Paul (1812-1874) to Findlay, Ohio, where he learned carpentering. While there, he became a Methodist. He returned to Idaville in 1841 to make his headquarters with his parents while he served as a Methodist circuit rider and rural school teacher. In 1856, he married Anna Mary Mears (1828-1917) and brought her to live at the family home. In 1869, he moved to Mechanicsburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania. He supplemented his meager church and school income by selling books and wagon spokes, by shoemaking, and by various other short-lived enterprises. His avocation was writing religious verse. He was interested in genealogy and compiled a history of the Sours family. Of his six children, two sons and a daughter died in childhood. Two daughters, Margaret Emma (1859-1926) and Laura Myrtle (1863-1923), and a son, Benjamin Franklin Mears (1863-1956), never married, but lived together in the parental home.

M. Emma, as she was known, became a teacher serving in rural schools in southern Pennsylvania. L. Myrtle apparently never worked outside the home. Frank worked for thirty years in a wheel factory in Mechanicsburg, then for eighteen years as a clerk with the Elliot-Fisher Company, an office supply firm that went out of business in 1931. Thereafter, he was supported by Pennsylvania Family Assistance and spent his last fourteen years in the Methodist Home for the Aged in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Myrtle and Frank shared their father's penchant for writing verse. Frank is said to have produced 11,214 poems, some of which were published in religious periodicals, mostly gratis. He, too, was an amateur genealogist and completed the family history that his father had begun. Most of this generation's social life centered around church meetings, camp meetings, and church conferences.

Little is known about Anna Mary Mears Sours, John Dickson's wife, except that she came from a family of "old-time Methodists" and that her father seems to have been a fairly prosperous farmer.

Three siblings of John Dickson Sours, son of Adam and Mary Dickson Sours, are well represented in these papers. Margaret (1808-1894), oldest child of Adam and Mary Dickson Sours, married Henry Whitezel, a blacksmith from York Springs, and settled in Centerville, Pennsylvania. They had one son, Adam (1836-1888). In 1851, Adam went to California with family friends, prospected on the Yuba River, prospered, married, was widowed, and died in 1888 of smallpox. In 1860, Henry paid a brief visit to his son in California. Later, in 1867, blacksmithing being slow in Pennsylvania, he returned to California to seek work, settled in Oregon, and died there in 1876. Margaret, meanwhile, remained in the family home in Centerville. After hearing of her son's death, she moved to nearby California, Pennsylvania, for the remaining six years of her life.

Lena (Magdalena) Sours (1813-1900) kept house for her parents until she married John D. McKinney, a widower with three children. Her only child died of scarlet fever in infancy. She lived as a farm wife in Wenksville, Pennsylvania. She was very devout and practiced her faith by taking several "unfortunate" young women into her home.

William Sours (1818-1903), the fifth son of Adam and Mary, kept up a correspondence with John Dickson and his family, much of which is included in these papers. He was a blacksmith and moulder who worked at various furnaces in Pennsylvania before moving to Virginia in 1844. He worked at foundries in New Market and Mt. Jackson, Virginia, then set up business with his younger brother Jacob in 1851 at Rocky Mount. In 1849, he received a patent for the design of a cooking range and, the same year, married Mary Ann McAllister of Virginia. When the Rocky Mount foundry was destroyed by a flood, William moved to Big Lick (now Roanoke), where he bought a foundry. In 1860, he bought land at Whitmell, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, on which he raised tobacco and where his family lived while he worked in various foundries. During the Civil War, he worked in railroad shops in western Virginia and North Carolina. After the war, he rented a foundry in Leatherwood, Virginia, with his son Charles Dickson Sours (1857-1939). William died at Whitmell in 1903.

Charles Dickson Sours (1857-1939) worked with his father at the Leatherwood foundry until its owners moved it to Martinsville, Virginia, in 1883. He moved with the foundry and worked there until 1891, when he returned to Leatherwood, bought the old foundry, and went into business for himself. He held the post of justice of the peace in the district for many years. He married twice and had thirteen children, ten of whom reached maturity. One of his younger daughters, Belva Cornelia Sours Uppercue (b. 1909) is the author of two unpublished poetry manuscripts and family reminiscences that are included in the collection (volumes 51 and 52). Charles's grandson, the Reverend William Edwin Winn (b. 1927), a Presbyterian clergyman of Laurinburg, North Carolina, is the donor of these papers.

Jacob Sours (1823-1888), brother of John Dickson Sours, moved to Virginia in 1848 and followed the family trade of iron working. He was drafted into the Confederate Army, but was assigned to work as foreman of the foundry at the Ordnance Works at Salisbury, North Carolina. After the Civil War, he settled in Chatham, Virginia, where he had a farm and also a share in a foundry and machine shop. His oldest daughter, Mary Elizabeth (1852-1928), married John Mitchell Hubbard and was the mother of Noland Hubbard Bowling (b. 1886) who wrote Meet Your Ancestors: Siers, Sours, Sowers and Allied Families, privately published in 1981 (volume 53).

Sarah Bowling, daughter of Noland Hubbard Bowling, was a librarian. She began her training at Howard University in 1930, and, after a brief period of teaching in Alabama, went to library school at the University of North Carolina. After graduation, she worked at the Women's College in Greensboro. Returning to Alabama, she met and married the Reverend Wylie Malcolm Holland, a widower with a nine-year-old-son named James. Sarah continued to work as a librarian, first at Tulane, then in Pell City, Alabama, and finally at the University of Tennessee. She also was interested in genealogical research.

Mary Bowling, daughter of Noland Hubbard, pursued many careers during her lifetime, beginning as a teacher in Alabama. She then joined the army where she trained as a radio operator and saw active duty in World War II. After the war, she studied piano for a year at the Julliard School in New York. Mary then moved back to Alabama for health reasons. There she met and married Robert Pellerin in 1952. She died in 1956.

Jacob's great-grandson, William Merchant Sours (b. 1933), a surveyor of Hampton, Virginia, son of Charles Gray Sours, Jr., and grandson of Jacob's eldest son, Charles Gray Sours, continued the family genealogical studies and published The History of the Sours Family in Germany, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia in 1977 (volume 52).

GENEALOGICAL CHART: Siers-Sours Family

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

These papers consist chiefly of correspondence among Sours family members. The letters have been grouped into series by recipient and arranged as follows:

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

1. John Dickson Sours (1815-1912), 1841-1912 and undated.
1.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1902-1912.
1.2. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard Correspondence, 1871-1911.
1.3. Magdalena Sours McKinney Correspondence, 1858-1910.
1.4. Adam Sours Correspondence, 1848-1901.
1.5. Margaret Emma Sours Correspondence, 1869-1907.
1.6. Samuel Sours Correspondence, 1849-1892.
1.7. Paul Sours Correspondence, 1832-1873.
1.8. William Sours Correspondence, 1844-1901.
1.9. Margaret Sours Whitezel Correspondence, 1841-1894 and undated.
1.10. Mary Sours Winders Correspondence, 1854-1912 and undated.
1.10a. Eugenia Sours Correspondence, 1871-1911.
1.10b. Mary Garnettes Sours Correspondence, 1903-1910.
1.11. Other Family and General Correspondence, 1841-1912 and undated.
1.12. Other Papers, 1839-1912 and undated.
1.13. Volumes, 1839-1897 and undated.
2. Anna Mary Mears Sours, 1890-1913 and undated.
3. Benjamin Franklin Mears Sours, 1880-1939 and undated.
3.1. Noland H. Bowling Correspondence, 1925-1937.
4. Laura Myrtle Sours, 1878-1923 and undated.
4.1. Mary Sours Winders Correspondence, 1906-1923.
4.2. General Correspondence, 1878-1925 and undated.
4.3. Other Papers, 1890.
5. Margaret Emma Sours, 1870-1925 and undated.
5.1. Catherine E. Mumun Correspondence, 1892-1895.
5.2. John Dickerson Sours Correspondence, 1872-1908.
5.3. Laura Myrtle Sours Correspondence, 1880-1922.
5.4. Other Family and General Correspondence, 1870-1925 and undated.
5.5. Other Papers, 1891-1926 and undated.
6. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard, 1890-1916.
7. Noland Hubbard Bowling, 1935-1988.
7.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1935-1956.
7.2. Robert Bowling, Jr., Correspondence, 1949-1956.
7.3. Malcolm Holland Correspondence, 1945-1955.
7.4. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1930-1988.
7.5. Carson Hubbard Correspondence, 1932-1963.
7.6. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard Correspondence, 1912-1920.
7.7. Sallie Hubbard Correspondence, 1959-1968.
7.8. Paul Sours Correspondence, 1928.
7.8a. Charles Collins Sours Correspondence, 1917-1976.
7.8b. Belva Sours Uppercue Correspondence, 1949-1977.
7.8c. Dorcas Sours Higgins Correspondence, 1929-1976.
7.9. Other Family Correspondence, 1913-1975.
7.10. General Correspondence, 1912-1979.
8. Mary Bowling, 1930-1956.
8.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1949.
8.2. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1930-1948.
8.3. Other Family Correspondence, 1940-1952.
8.4. General Correspondence, 1936-1945.
8.5. Other Papers, 1947.
9. Robert Bowling, Jr.
9.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1936-1944.
9.2. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1949.
9.3. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1934-1980.
9.4. Other Family Correspondence, 1952-1964.
10. Sarah Bowling Holland, 1936-1988.
10.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1933-1956.
10.2. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1936-1988 and undated.
10.3. Robert Bowling, Jr., Correspondence, 1954-1966.
10.4. Malcolm Holland Correspondence, 1946.
10.5. Other Family Correspondence, 1936-1982.
10.6. General Correspondence, 1938-1976.
10.7. Other Papers, 1940-1980.
11. Susan Holland Noah.
11.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1965-1975.
11.2. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1953-1957.
11.3. Other Family Correspondence, 1956-1974.
12. Other Correspondence, 1794-1984 and undated.
13. Family History, 1796-1983 and undated.
14. Volumes.
15. Pictures.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. John Dickson Sours (1815-1912), 1841-1912 and undated.

About 1650 items

John Dickson Sours made his living as a Methodist minister and school teacher, supplementing his income in various ways, but chiefly by selling books. His avocations were writing verse, letters, and, in his later years, genealogy.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1902-1912.

60 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's grand-niece Noland. The correspondence tells of her trials as a student and expresses her thoughts on religion and concern over her uncle's health problems.

Folder 1

1902-1903

Folder 1a

1904-1907

Folder 1b

1908-1912

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard Correspondence, 1871-1911.

155 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's niece Mary Elizabeth (Mollie).

Folder 2

1871-1888

Folder 3

1889-1898

Folder 4

1899-1902

Folder 5

1903-1904

Folder 6

1905-1907

Folder 7

1908-1911

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. Magdalena Sours McKinney Correspondence, 1858-1910.

About 165 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from Magdalena (Lena) Sours McKinney, discussing family news and going into great detail about her daily life in Wenksville, Pennsylvania. Lena was deeply religious, and the church was her chief social outlet. She also wrote particularly vivid descriptions of family illnesses and home remedies.

Folder 8

1858-1868

Folder 9

1870-1879

Folder 10

1880-1884

Folder 11

1885-1889

Folder 12

1890-1894

Folder 13

1895-1896

Folder 14

1897-1898

Folder 15

1899-1900

Folder 15a

1905-1910

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.4. Adam Sours Correspondence, 1848-1901.

About 25 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's brother Adam, including brief notes about family health. In a letter, dated 1850, he discussed early surgical techniques. Other letters tell of his attempts to become a tailor and of land acquisitions. A 1857 letter tells of his inability to loan John money in his times of need.

Folder 16

1848-1901

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.5. Margaret Emma Sours Correspondence, 1869-1907.

About 30 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's daughter Emma. After 1880, the correspondence deals with events that took place after Emma left home. Beginning in 1881, letters detail her teaching career in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which included such duties as tending the fire, finding sleigh rides home in poor weather, and preparing lectures. In addition to daily activities, there are accounts of religious sermons.

Folder 17

1863-1907

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.6. Samuel Sours Correspondence, 1849-1892.

26 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's brother Samuel. A tailor, he wrote mostly of religious revivals, family news, and weather conditions. Samuel moved from Ohio to Virginia after the Civil War, but later moved to St. Joseph, Missouri. Samuel switched from independent tailoring to a large company in 1884.

Folder 18

1849-1892

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.7. Paul Sours Correspondence, 1832-1873.

About 75 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's brother Paul. Early letters describe the efforts to encourage family members to settle in Ohio. Letters describe conditions in Findley, Ohio, ranging from health considerations to the quality of church services, the cost of living, and the availability of social services. Many letters discuss the Civil War and its impact on trade. Also included are letters written by Paul Sours's daughter, Eugenia Margaret Sours (1845-1914).

Folder 19

Paul Sours 1832-1849

Folder 19a

Paul Sours 1850-1859

Folder 19b

Paul Sours 1860-1873

Folder 19c

Eugenia Sours, 1860-1912

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.8. William Sours Correspondence, 1844-1901.

57 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

William Sours's correspondence reflects his problems as an itinerant, and later master, foundryman. In these letters, he discussed economic conditions in Virginia and frequently commented on political developments. Following a letter dated 12 December 1861 about Virginia's secession from the Union, there are only a few communications until the end of the Civil War. William kept the Pennsylvania family apprised of the activities of his two younger brothers, Jacob and Samuel, who had also moved to Virginia.

Folder 20

1844-1852

Folder 21

1854-1891

Folder 22

1893-1901

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.9. Margaret Sours Whitezel Correspondence, 1841-1894 and undated.

166 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Margaret Sours Whitezel's letters to John Dickson Sours relate her daily life, church meetings, and news about other family members. She frequently quoted portions of letters she had received, especially from her son Adam, who migrated at the age of fifteen to California in 1851. Her husband's letters also provided her with material to pass along in 1860 and again after his departure for the West in 1867. Thus, her correspondence provides glimpses of life in post-gold-rush California and in Oregon, where her husband settled in the 1870s. Her letters from the 1860s reflect the effects of the Civil War on her town, Centerville, Pennsylvania.

Folder 23

1841-1858

Folder 24

1860-1866

Folder 25

1867-1875

Folder 26

1876-1882

Folder 27

1883-1887

Folder 28

1888-1894

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.10. Mary Sours Winders Correspondence, 1854-1912 and undated.

235 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Mary Winders, daughter of Adam Sours, chiefly discussed the day to day activities of her family in Ohio.

Folder 29

1854-1863

Folder 30

1864-1893

Folder 31

1894-1898

Folder 32

1899-1900

Folder 33

1901-1903

Folder 34

1904-1906

Folder 35

1907-1909

Folder 36

1910-1912, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.10a. Eugenia Sours Correspondence, 1871-1911.

About 25 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters from JDS's niece, concerning family illnesses and other family and school news.

Folder 36a

1871-1911

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.10b. Mary Garnettes Sours Correspondence, 1903-1910.

About 25 items

Letters from JDS's niece Mary telling him about her school work and family activities.

Folder 36b

1903-1910

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.11. Other Family and General Correspondence, 1841-1912 and undated.

About 525 items

Arrangement: chronological.

Materials from 1841 through the 1850s are communications from church associates concerning JDS's circuit-riding and the activities of the local Methodist teacher in "subscription" schools. There are also letters from book dealers and from suppliers and customers relating to his other business ventures. After his marriage in 1856, there are fewer items relating to circuit-riding, but church and conference matters remain important subjects. After 1875, most letters are from Reverend Sours's children and from members of his extended family. Late in life, his interest in genealogy deepened, and his circle of correspondents consequently widened to include distant relations scattered throughout the United States.

Folder 37

1841-1848

Folder 38

1849-1851

Folder 39

1852-1853

Folder 40

1854-1855

Folder 41

1856-1858

Folder 42

1859-1865

Folder 43

1866-1874

Folder 44

1875-1880

Folder 45

1881-1886

Folder 46

1887-1893

Folder 47

1894-1898

Folder 48

1899-1900

Folder 49

1901-1902

Folder 50

1903-1904

Folder 51

1905-1906

Folder 52

1907

Folder 53

1908

Folder 54

1909

Folder 55

1910

Folder 56

1911-1912

Folder 57

Undated

Folder 58-59

Folder 58

Folder 59

Typed copies of letters

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.12. Other Papers, 1839-1912 and undated.

246 items

Arrangement: by type.

Folders 60 through 64 contain financial and legal Papers, chiefly bills, receipts, and promissory notes, as well as teacher's certificates and contracts (the latter through the 1870s). In addition, there are printed materials, flyers, advertisements, newspaper clippings (folder 65), a variety of drafts of poems and sermons, sketches, penmanship exercises, notes, formal announcements of weddings and commencements, invitations, and greeting cards (folders 66-67).

Folder 60

Financial and Legal 1838-1849

Folder 61

Financial and Legal 1850-1857

Folder 62

Financial and Legal 1858-1861

Folder 63

Financial and Legal 1862-1876

Folder 64

Financial and Legal 1878-1909

Folder 65

Printed Material 1853-1912

Folder 66

Miscellaneous 1846-1906

Folder 67

Miscellaneous 1907-1912

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.13. Volumes, 1839-1897 and undated.

50 items

JDS's teaching experience and other activities are documented in his diary (folder 68). Many entries are undated and the years covered by this volume are unclear. Other volumes relate primarily to financial transactions, but also reflect Sours's tendancy to jot down ideas as they occurred to him. His account and cash books frequently contain Biblical references, notes for sermons, and poems, aides-memoires, and so forth. Notebooks (from 10 to 50 pages) in folders 69 through 73 are predominantly account books. Folder 74 contains account books consisting primarily of religious and pedagogical scribbles. Folder 75 contains a Sunday School class-book. Folder 76 contains two day-books, two address books, and two miscellaneous notebooks.

Folder 68

Volume 1a: Diary

Folder 69

Volumes 1-5a: 1839-1849

Folder 70

Volumes 6-13: 1849-1154

Folder 71

Volumes 14-19: 1855-1863

Folder 72

Volumes 20-25: 1864-1866

Folder 73

Volumes 26-36: 1868-1897, undated

Folder 74

Volumes 37-40: 1844-1853

Folder 75

Volumes 41-43a: 1854-1879

Folder 76

Volumes 44-49a: 1884-1898, undated

Folder 76a

Volumes 54-57: 1906-1910

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Anna Mary Mears Sours, 1890-1913 and undated.

About 20 items

There are only a few letters addressed to Anna Mary Sours (Mrs. John Dickson Sours); the majority are addressed to her husband and begin, "Dear Brother and Sister," or "Dear Father and Mother." Her correspondence is almost exclusively from family members.

Folder 77

1890-1913, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Benjamin Franklin Mears Sours, 1880-1939 and undated.

360 items.

B.F.M., or Frank Sours, John D. Sours's only son to live to maturity, apparently led a quiet life. His correspondence consists chiefly of greeting cards and social announcements. He wrote many poems, primarily of a religious nature, which he reportedly gave to Brown University. After the deaths of his sisters, his chief interest was genealogy. Distant relatives supplied him with family data. In 1930, he sent out a form letter offering copies of the family history (begun by his father), which he had just completed. Much of this correspondence consists of responses to that offer. Other correspondence relates to his efforts to sell his verses, and, after 1932, to apply for financial relief from Pennsylvania State Assistance. Other papers include greeting cards, invitations, advertisements, religious printed material, and other miscellaneous items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.1. Noland H. Bowling Correspondence, 1925-1937.

About 50 items

Letters from B. F. Sours cousin, Noland. Most of the letters discuss family matters and deaths. One letter, dated 28 February 1929 discusses Noland's genealogical book, which was published in 1981.

Folder 92a

1925-1929

Folder 92b

1930-1937

Folder 78

Correspondence 1880-1910

Folder 79

Correspondence 1911-1923

Folder 80

Correspondence 1924-1925

Folder 81

Correspondence 1926

Folder 82

Correspondence 1927-1928

Folder 83

Correspondence 1929

Folder 84

Correspondence January-May 1930

Folder 85

Correspondence June-December 1930

Folder 86

Correspondence 1931

Folder 87

Correspondence 1932

Folder 88

Correspondence 1933-1934

Folder 89

Correspondence 1935-1939 and undated

Folder 90

Other Papers 1896-1926

Folder 91

Other Papers 1927-1935

Folder 92

Other Papers 1936-1939 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Laura Myrtle Sours, 1878-1923 and undated.

280 items

Laura Myrtle Sours's Papers, like those of her brother, consist primarily of correspondence from her parents, siblings, and a few cousins and aunts. During her mature years, 1911-1923, her correspondents included Sunday School pupils, church associates, and more distant relatives. Other papers include bills, receipts, magazine subscriptions, and a temperance pledge.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.1. Mary Sours Winders Correspondence, 1906-1923.

48 items

Letters relate to daily events, including health, school, weather, elections, prices, and also relay information about other family members.

Folder 93

1906-1915

Folder 94

1916-1923

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.2. General Correspondence, 1878-1925 and undated.

210 items

Letters from other family members.

Folder 95

1878-1894

Folder 96

1895-1910

Folder 97

1911-1915

Folder 98

1916

Folder 99

1917-1919

Folder 100

1920-1922

Folder 101

1923-1925 and undated

Folder 102

Announcements and Greeting Cards

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.3. Other Papers, 1890.

14 items

Items include bills, receipts, magazine subscriptions, and a temperance pledge.

Folder 103

Other Papers, 1890

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Margaret Emma Sours, 1870-1925 and undated.

380 items.

Margaret Emma Sours spent several years as a teacher in rural schools in southern Pennsylvania, boarding in her school districts. She also attended camp meetings and church institutes. After her parents' deaths, she lived with her brother and sister in the family home. Her papers consist of correspondence and other papers. The latter comprise a few bills, a report of the Royal Temperance Society, and greeting cards and announcements.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.1. Catherine E. Mumun Correspondence, 1892-1895.

44 items

Letters from Margaret's aunt Catherine discuss her health, her religious devotion, daily events, and other news.

Folder 104

1892-1893

Folder 105

1894-1895

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.2. John Dickerson Sours Correspondence, 1872-1908.

27 items

Letters from Margaret's father J.D. Sours.

Folder 106

1872-1908

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.3. Laura Myrtle Sours Correspondence, 1880-1922.

51 items

Letters from Margaret's sister Myrtle. Letters detail daily events, including news about church associates and distant relatives.

Folder 107

1880-1895

Folder 108

1896-1922

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.4. Other Family and General Correspondence, 1870-1925 and undated.

240 items

Letters from other family members.

Folder 109

1870-1891

Folder 110

1892

Folder 111

January-June 1893

Folder 112

July-December 1893

Folder 113

1894

Folder 114

1895-1899

Folder 115

1900-1909

Folder 116

1911-1923

Folder 117

1924-1925 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.5. Other Papers, 1891-1926 and undated.

18 items

Reports from the temperance legion, a diploma, and financial records.

Folder 118

1891-1926 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 6. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard, 1890-1916.

65 items

Letters to Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Hubbard, daughter of Jacob Sours, who married James Mitchell Hubbard and had four children: Travis, Noland, Carson, and Sallie. The letters discuss daily family activities. Also included are Sunday school records kept by Mollie.

Folder 119

Correspondence 1890-1911

Folder 120

Correspondence 1912-1916

Folder 121

Postcards 1907-1909

Folder 122

Other Papers

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 7. Noland Hubbard Bowling, 1935-1988.

2500 items

Noland Hubbard, wife of Robert Bowling, kept up an extensive correspondence with various family members. Her husband Robert Bowling, who died in 1959, was a professor at Judson College. Noland moved in with her son Robert in 1970, and began working on the family genealogy. A prolific writer, she continued her correspondence past her 100th birthday.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1935-1956.

950 items

Letters from Noland's daughter Mary relating to her various career goals and health problems.

Folder 123

1935

Folder 124

1936

Folder 125

1937

Folder 126

1938

Folder 127

1940

Folder 128

1941

Folder 129

1942

Folder 130

1943

Folder 130a

January-May 1943

Folder 130b

June-December 1943

Folder 131

1944

Folder 131a

1944

Folder 132

1944

Folder 132a

1944

Folder 132b

1944

Folder 133

1945

Folder 134

1946

Folder 134a

1947

Folder 135

1948

Folder 136

1949

Folder 137

1950

Folder 138

1951

Folder 139

1952

Folder 139a

1952

Folder 140

1953

Folder 140a

1953

Folder 140b

1953

Folder 141

1954

Folder 141a

1954

Folder 142

1955

Folder 142a

1955

Folder 143

1956

Folder 144

Typed copies of letters

Folder 145

Notes about letters

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.2. Robert Bowling, Jr., Correspondence, 1949-1956.

28 items

Letters from Noland's son Robert and his wife Lois.

Folder 146

1949-1956.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.3. Malcolm Holland Correspondence, 1945-1955.

14 items.

Letters to Noland and Robert from their son-in-law Malcolm. Early letters reflect the relationship between Malcolm and the Bowlings before his marriage to Sarah.

Folder 147

1945-1955

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.4. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1930-1988.

circa 1775 items

Letters to Noland from her daughter Sarah. Sarah wrote frequently to her parents after she left home in 1930. These letters tell of her experience as a librarian and her attempts to raise a family, including problems with her step-son James. In her later years she exchanged genealogical information with her mother. This extensive correspondence documents Sarah's life and her relationship with her mother over a fifty-eight year period.

Folder 148

1930-1931

Folder 149

1932-1933

Folder 150

1934

Folder 151

1935

Folder 152

1936

Folder 153

1937

Folder 154

1938

Folder 155

1939

Folder 156

1940

Folder 157

1941-1942

Folder 158

January-April 1943

Folder 159

May-December 1943

Folder 160

1944

Folder 161

1945

Folder 162

January-June 1946

Folder 163

July-December 1946

Folder 164

January-June 1947

Folder 165

July-December 1947

Folder 166

1948

Folder 167

1949

Folder 168

1950

Folder 169

1951

Folder 170

1952

Folder 171

1953

Folder 172

1954

Folder 173

1955

Folder 174

1956

Folder 175

1957

Folder 176

1958

Folder 177

1959

Folder 178

1960

Folder 179

1961

Folder 180

1962

Folder 181

1963

Folder 182

1964

Folder 183

1965

Folder 184

1966

Folder 185

1967

Folder 186

1968

Folder 187

1969

Folder 188

1970

Folder 189

1972

Folder 190

1973

Folder 191

1974

Folder 192

January-June 1975

Folder 193

August-December 1975

Folder 194

1976

Folder 195

1977

Folder 196

1978

Folder 197

January-July 1979

Folder 198

August-December 1979

Folder 199

1980

Folder 200

1982

Folder 201

1984

Folder 202

Undated

Folder 203

Notes on letters

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.5. Carson Hubbard Correspondence, 1932-1963.

20 items

Carson Hubbard, Noland's brother, left business school and moved to Canada, where he adopted the nickname "Hit." Letters describe the conditions in Canada, chiefly the cold conditions and Carson's prospecting activities.

Folder 204

1932-1963

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.6. Mary Elizabeth Hubbard Correspondence, 1912-1920.

12 items

Letters from Noland's mother Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) relate to daily events. One letter, dated October 1914, discusses race relations.

Folder 205

1912-1920

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.7. Sallie Hubbard Correspondence, 1959-1968.

8 items.

Letters from Noland's sister Sallie.

Folder 206

1959-1968

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.8. Paul Sours Correspondence, 1928.

1 item

Letter from Noland's uncle Paul Sours giving a detailed account of the descendants of Adam and Mary Sours.

Folder 207

1928

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.8a. Charles Collins Sours Correspondence, 1917-1976.

About 85 items

Letters from Charles, Noland's cousin about family matters and some genealogy.

Folder 207a

1917-1961

Folder 207b

1962-1967

Folder 207c

1968-1976

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.8b. Belva Sours Uppercue Correspondence, 1949-1977.

About 80 items

Letters from Noland's cousin Belva. Most of her letters are concerned with domestic matters and genealogical material. But she also discusses race relations in a 1965 letter.

Folder 207d

1949-1963

Folder 207e

1964-1966

Folder 207f

1967-1968

Folder 207g

1969-1977

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.8c. Dorcas Sours Higgins Correspondence, 1929-1976.

25 items

Letters from Noland's cousin chiefly concerning family and church matters.

Folder 207h

1929-1976

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.9. Other Family Correspondence, 1913-1975.

45 items

Letters to Noland and Robert from other family members

Folder 208

1913-1929

Folder 209

1946-1975 (from grandchildren)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 7.10. General Correspondence, 1912-1979.

57 items

Included are letters from non-family members and miscellaneous letters written by Noland to individuals not otherwise mentioned in this collection.

Folder 210

1912-1979 (letters to Noland)

Folder 211

1945-1964 (letter from Noland)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 8. Mary Bowling, 1930-1956.

65 items

Mary Bowling received a Master's Degree in French from the University of Alabama, after which she taught at Camp Hill, Alabama. During World War II, she enlisted in the army, which sent her back and forth across the country before settling her in England. After the war, Mary studied piano at the Julliard School in New York. She halted her studies when she became obsessed with earning enough money to buy a Steinway. Failing in that quest, she returned to Alabama, where she met and married Robert Pellerin.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 8.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1949.

1 item

Letter from Mary's mother Noland gives a detailed portrait of events occuring in 1949.

Folder 212

1949

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 8.2. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1930-1948.

24 items

Letters from Mary's sister Sarah discuss daily events of college life and Sarah's first years as a librarian.

Folder 213

1930-1948

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 8.3. Other Family Correspondence, 1940-1952.

8 items

Letters from other family members.

Folder 214

1940-1952

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 8.4. General Correspondence, 1936-1945.

42 items

Correspondence between Mary and non-family members pertaining to a wide variety of interests and plans.

Folder 215

1941-1946 (Letters to Mary)

Folder 216

1936-1945 (Letters from Mary)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 8.5. Other Papers, 1947.

12 items

Chiefly bank statements.

Folder 217

Other Papers, 1947

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 9. Robert Bowling, Jr.

Robert Bowling, a farmer, married Lois Worley and had two children, Blair and Linda. Robert was wounded while serving in World War II. After 1970, Robert's mother Noland moved in with the family; letters after that date were obviously meant to be read to her.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 9.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1936-1944.

7 items.

Mary, Robert's sister, wrote letters telling of her adventures as a teacher.

Folder 218

1936-1944

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 9.2. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1949.

1 item

This letter was also sent to Robert's sisters and is an account of family activities.

Folder 219

1949

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 9.3. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1934-1980.

48 items

Letters to Robert and Lois from Robert's sister Sarah. After 1974, the letters become more formal, since they were to be read to their mother Noland.

Folder 220

1934-1968

Folder 221

1974-1980

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 9.4. Other Family Correspondence, 1952-1964.

2 items

Two letters, one announcing the marriage of Robert's sister Mary and the other from Robert's niece acknowledging receipt of "some green stuff."

Folder 222

1952-1964

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 10. Sarah Bowling Holland, 1936-1988.

850 items

Sarah Bowling worked primarily as a librarian in several states including Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee. In 1945, she married Reverend Wylie Malcolm Holland, who had a nine-year old son, James, from a previous marriage.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.1. Mary Bowling Correspondence, 1933-1956.

260 items

Letters from Sarah's sister Mary describing her adventures as a teacher, soldier, and pianist. She tells of her efforts to find her brother in England and to buy a Steinway in New York.

Folder 223

1936-1937

Folder 223a

1938-June 1943

Folder 224

July 1943-1944

Folder 224a

1945

Folder 225

1947-1948

Folder 226

1952

Folder 227

1953

Folder 228

1954

Folder 229

1955

Folder 230

1956

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.2. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1936-1988 and undated.

610 items

Letters from Sarah's mother Noland and some from her father Robert Bowling recounting events in their lives and relaying information from other family members and friends.

Folder 231

1936-1944

Folder 232

1949-1952

Folder 233

1953

Folder 234

1954

Folder 235

1955

Folder 236

1956-1958

Folder 237

1961-1963

Folder 238

1964

Folder 239

1965

Folder 240

1966

Folder 241

January-July 1967

Folder 242

August-December 1967

Folder 243

1968

Folder 244

1969

Folder 245

1970-1972

Folder 246

1973

Folder 247

1974

Folder 248

1975

Folder 249

1976

Folder 250

1977

Folder 251

1978

Folder 252

January-June 1979

Folder 253

July-December 1979

Folder 254

1980

Folder 255

1982

Folder 256

1984

Folder 257

1985

Folder 258

1986

Folder 259

1987

Folder 260

1988

Folder 261

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.3. Robert Bowling, Jr., Correspondence, 1954-1966.

8 items

Letters from Sarah's brother Robert.

Folder 262

1954-1966

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.4. Malcolm Holland Correspondence, 1946.

8 items

Letters to Sarah from her husband after they were married, and a letter from Malcolm's father to Sarah.

Folder 263

1946

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.5. Other Family Correspondence, 1936-1982.

18 items

Letters from other family members.

Folder 264

1936-1982

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.6. General Correspondence, 1938-1976.

28 items

Letters to and from Sarah to non-family members.

Folder 265

1938-1979 (letters to Sarah)

Folder 266

1966 (letters from Sarah)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 10.7. Other Papers, 1940-1980.

6 items

Itinerary, school work assignments, and information relating to the Bowling Memorial Library.

Folder 267

1940-1980

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 11. Susan Holland Noah.

Susan Holland married Ronald Noah with whom she had two children: Rebeckah (b. 1967) and Elizabeth Christine (b. 1978). Most of these letters date from her teenage years.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 11.1. Noland Hubbard Bowling Correspondence, 1965-1975.

4 items

Letters to Susan from her grandmother about daily activities and events.

Folder 268

1965-1975

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 11.2. Sarah Bowling Holland Correspondence, 1953-1957.

13 items

Letters to Susan from her mother Sarah. Many of these letters were sent to Susan during a childhood visit to Noland.

Folder 269

1953-1957

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 11.3. Other Family Correspondence, 1956-1974.

4 items

Letters from other family members.

Folder 270

Other Family Correspondence, 1956-1974

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 12. Other Correspondence, 1794-1984 and undated.

About 95 items

Letters, 1842-1984 and undated, from miscellaneous family members and other persons. The majority of the correspondence provides details of daily family life and social activities, which were usually church-related. The Creightons, who were related to the Sours, are represented by letters, 1794-1852, pertaining to William Creighton of Kentucky, and to his son, William Creighton, Jr.

Folder 271

Other Family and General Correspondence

Folder 271a

Other Family and General Correspondence

Folder 272-273

Folder 272

Folder 273

Creighton Family

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 13. Family History, 1796-1983 and undated.

About 65 items

This series contains genealogical correspondence between members of recent generations, genealogical notes, deeds, and photocopies of documents concerning family history. Correspondence is chiefly between Noland Hubbard Bowling and other family members. An item worthy of note is an unsigned draft of a letter urging the release of Samuel Sours from a federal prison camp, apparently in 1864. The miscellaneous material includes a bond relating to Adam Sours, 1845; photocopies from the National Archives of a patent issued to William Sours for the design of an iron stove, 1849, and of the Civil War records of a William Sours; notes; and some vital statistics information about family members.

Folder 274-276

Folder 274

Folder 275

Folder 276

Correspondence 1864, 1929-1983

Folder 276a

Other Papers 1796, 1851 (deeds)

Folder 277

Other Papers undated, (legal documents)

Folder 278

Other Papers 1945, undated (miscellaneous)

Folder 279

Other Papers 1949, 1965 (miscellaneous)

Folder 280

Other Papers undated (miscellaneous)

Folder 280a

Other Papers undated (miscellaneous)

Folder 280b

Other Papers undated (miscellaneous)

Folder 281

Clippings

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 14. Volumes.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 15. Pictures.

8 items
Image P-4435/1-3

P-4435/1

P-4435/2

P-4435/3

Sarah Bowling (Holland), 14 December 1935

Image P-4435/4-5

P-4435/4

P-4435/5

Sarah Bowling (Holland), 22 October 1943

Image P-4435/6-7

P-4435/6

P-4435/7

Susan Holland, 1 June 1947

Image P-4435/8

Paul Sours's house, 1964

Image P-4435/9

Unidentified child in snow. From a letter from Mary Bowling Pellerin to Noland H. Bowling, 18 August 1953.

Image P-4435/10-13

P-4435/10

P-4435/11

P-4435/12

P-4435/13

Cactoctin furnace near Thurmond, Md., November 1963

Image P-4435/14-22

P-4435/14

P-4435/15

P-4435/16

P-4435/17

P-4435/18

P-4435/19

P-4435/20

P-4435/21

P-4435/22

Various sights in Israel, circa 1965.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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