Timeline extended for launch of Wilson Library facilities work.

Collection Number: 00755

Collection Title: Thomas E. Watson Papers, 1745-1996

This collection has use restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

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 27.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 12,300 items)
Abstract Thomas E. Watson of Thomson, Ga., was a lawyer; politician and Populist Party candidate for United States vice-president in 1896 and for president in 1904 and 1908; senator, 1921-1922; author; and newspaper and journal publisher. The collection chiefly includes business and professional papers of Thomas E. Watson, including correspondence, largely about politics and writings; drafts of his books, articles, speeches and other writings by Watson, as well as writings by others, most of whom were associated with Watson's publications; publications, including pamphlets, Watson's Magazine, The Jeffersonian, The Watsonian, and other related materials; political materials such as bills, endorsements, petitions, resolutions, People's Party materials, newspaper clippings on political subjects, information about voters, political propaganda publications, and other papers; personal legal and financial papers as well as papers relating to his law practice; biographical information on Watson and materials relating to the Watson family and its history; diaries, commonplace books, scrapbooks and clippings about Watson and subjects of interest to him; photographs and photograph albums relating to Watson and other members of the Watson family, notably his granddaughters Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown; and miscellaneous other materials. There is good coverage of the Populist Party and of Georgia politics in general; scrapbooks, clippings, and speeches provide documentation for Watson's national political campaigns. Correspondence with Watson's book publishers and employees, along with book and article manuscripts, provide extensive coverage of his work as writer and editor. Watson was most influential through his publications, which included the People's Party Paper (1891-1898). His editorials espoused such Populist causes as antitrust legislation, railroad regulation, and monetary policies favorable to agrarian interests, including the coinage of silver. Materials also relate to Watson's initial support of the inclusion of African Americans in the agrarian movement, and his later shift to race baiting, support of black disfranchisement, and virulent anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic sentiment. Draft copies of Watson's books include a history of France (1899); biographies of Napoleon (1902), Jefferson (1903), and Andrew Jackson (1912); and a novel (1904), all of which were written from the Populist perspective. Correspondents include William Jennings Bryan, Marion Butler, William Randolph Hearst, James Ryder Randall, Theodore Roosevelt, and Upton Sinclair. Watson's private life is documented in a few personal letters, photographs, and some diary entries. Also included are two interviews with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven about Thomas E. Watson; the Watson family; and life in Thomson, Ga. The Addition of August 2012 consists of digital images of Watson and Hickory Hill from the Chicago Tribune archive. The Addition of March 2014 consists of a scrapbook of clippings and some handwritten materials compiled by Walter J. Brown.
Creator Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856-1922.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Access Restrictions
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
Permission for extensive quotes from material by Thomas E. Watson must be obtained from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc.
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 Thomas E. Watson Papers #755, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
This collection has been fully digitized, and can be viewed using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection.
Microfilm copy available for most materials on deposit before 1989.
  • M-755/1-35
Acquisitions Information
Received from Walter J. Brown, Spartanburg, S.C., in 1931; Tom Watson Brown, Atlanta, Ga., 1970-1997; Georgia Watson Craven, Valparaiso, Ind., in September 1990 (Acc. 90121), February 1992 (Acc. 92026), and June 1993 (Acc. 93072); F. Norman Vickers, Pensacola, Fla., in 1994 (Acc. 94129); Yale University Libraries, New Haven, Conn., in 2002 (Acc. 99363); Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., in 2003 (Acc. 99678); Tad Brown, Thomson, Ga., in 2004 (Acc. 99689, 99714 and 99717) and 2014 (Acc. 102022); the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., in June 2005 (Acc. 100100), March 2007 (Acc. 100673), August 2007 (Acc. 100738), April 2008 (Acc. 100894), July 2008 (Acc. 100959), November 2008 (Acc.101026), December 2008 (Acc. 101037), February 2009 (Acc. 101062 and Acc. 101063); the estate of Tom Watson Brown in December 2007 (Acc. 100819); from Hickory Hill, the Historic Home of Thomas E. Watson in August 2012 (Acc. 101637), and in January 2018 (Acc. 103304).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Southern Historical Collection Staff, 1990; Amanda Loeb, July 2015; Technical Services staff, November 2018

Encoded by: Joseph Nicholson, August 2006

This collection was originally arranged and described in the late 1930s. The arrangement imposed then consisted only of a chronological run, a large mass of undated material, and volumes. The collection was completely reprocessed in 1987-1988, at which time series were established.

The collection was reprocessed again in October-November 2007, to prepare the materials for digitization.

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, February 2021; Dawne Howard Lucas, May 2021; May 2022

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

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

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

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Related Collections

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Thomas E. Watson was born 5 September 1856 to John Smith and Ann Eliza Watson in Thomson, Georgia. He attended Mercer College in 1872 and 1873. He married Georgia Durham in 1878. The Watsons moved to Hickory Hill in Thomson, where they raised three children, none of whom survived their parents: John Durham (1880-1918); Agnes Pearce (1882-1917), and Louise (1885-1889).

Watson was a colorful and successful criminal lawyer, a leading populist politician, a popular author, and an influential publisher. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1882, the United States House of Representatives, 1890-92, and the United States Senate, 1921-22. As a major figure in the Populist Party, he ran unsuccessfully for vice-president as William Jennings Bryan's running mate in 1896 and for president in 1904 and 1908. His history of France (1899); biographies of Napoleon (1902), Jefferson (1903), and Jackson (1912); and his novel, Bethany (1904), were praised for their populist spirit.

Watson was most influential through his various publications, including the People's Party Paper (1891-98), The Jeffersonian (1907-1917), and Watson's Magazine (1905-06, 1912-17). In muckraking editorials, he espoused populist causes, such as antitrust legislation, railroad regulation, and monetary policies favorable to agrarian interests, including coinage of silver. He fought to maintain the broad-based reformist and independent goals of the Populist Party against those who favored fusion with the major parties and a narrow focus on the silver issue. Initially a supporter of the inclusion of blacks in the agrarian movement, he later turned to race baiting, advocating black disfranchisement, and to virulent anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic diatribes. His lurid crusade against Catholicism led to his trial on charges of sending obscene material through the mail.

While unsuccessful in his national political campaigns, from 1906 to 1922 Watson was a dominant power in Georgia politics, making and unmaking governors. When his bitter opposition to America's entry into World War I and to such wartime legislation as the Espionage and Conscription Acts led to the revocation of his mailing privileges for his publications in 1917, Watson became a "crusader for personal liberties--at least for personal liberties for Anglo-Saxon Protestants." With this, coupled with continuing attacks on blacks, Jews, and Catholics as his platform, he mounted his final, and, this time, successful, campaign for the Senate in 1920. Thomas E. Watson died 26 September 1922.

For additional information, see C. Vann Woodward, Tom Watson: Agrarian Rebel (New York 1938) and the biographical material in Subseries 6.1.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection chiefly includes business and professional papers of Thomas E. Watson, including correspondence, largely about politics and writings; drafts of his books, articles, speeches and other writings by Watson, as well as writings by others, most of whom were associated with Watson's publications; publications, including pamphlets, Watson's Magazine, The Jeffersonian, The Watsonian, and other related materials; political materials such as bills, endorsements, petitions, resolutions, People's Party materials, newspaper clippings on political subjects, information about voters, political propaganda publications, and other papers; personal legal and financial papers as well as papers relating to his law practice; biographical information on Watson and materials relating to the Watson family and its history; diaries, commonplace books, scrapbooks and clippings about Watson and subjects of interest to him; photographs and photograph albums relating to Watson and other members of the Watson family, notably his granddaughters Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown; and miscellaneous other materials. There is good coverage of the Populist Party and of Georgia politics in general; scrapbooks, clippings, and speeches provide documentation for Watson's national political campaigns. Correspondence with Watson's book publishers and employees, along with book and article manuscripts, provide extensive coverage of his work as writer and editor. Watson was most influential through his publications, which included the People's Party Paper (1891-1898). His editorials espoused such Populist causes as antitrust legislation, railroad regulation, and monetary policies favorable to agrarian interests, including the coinage of silver. Materials also relate to Watson's initial support of the inclusion of African Americans in the agrarian movement, and his later shift to race baiting, support of black disfranchisement, and virulent anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic sentiment. Draft copies of Watson's books include a history of France (1899); biographies of Napoleon (1902), Jefferson (1903), and Andrew Jackson (1912); and a novel (1904), all of which were written from the Populist perspective. Correspondents include William Jennings Bryan, Marion Butler, William Randolph Hearst, James Ryder Randall, Theodore Roosevelt, and Upton Sinclair. Watson's private life is documented in personal letters scattered throughout the correspondence series, and includes correspondents such as his wife, Georgia Durham Watson; his son, John Durham Watson; his daughter, Agnes Pearce Watson Lee; his nephew, Alva Drane Watson; and his granddaughters, Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown; as well as other family members. Additionally, several of the diaries include entries of a personal nature. Also included are two interviews with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven about Thomas E. Watson; the Watson family; and life in Thomson, Ga. The Addition of August 2012 consists of digital images of Watson and Hickory Hill from the Chicago Tribune archive. The Addition of March 2014 consists of a scrapbook of clippings and some handwritten materials compiled by Walter J. Brown.

Back to Top

Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

1. Correspondence, 1873-1986 and undated.
1.1. 1873-1892.
1.2. 1893-1903.
1.3. 1904-1908.
1.4. 1909-1920.
1.5. 1921-23 September 1922.
1.6. 26 September 1922-1986.
1.7. Undated Correspondence.
2. Writings, 1872-1921 and undated.
2.1. Writings by Thomas E. Watson, 1872-1921 and undated.
2.1.1. Book Manuscripts and Related Materials, 1898-1908 and undated.
2.1.2. Speeches and Related Materials, 1872-1921 and undated.
2.1.3. Essays and Other Writings, 1872-1921 and undated.
2.2. Writings by Others, 1903-1921 and undated.
3. Publications and Related Materials, 1891-1927 and undated.
3.1. People's Party Paper, Issues and Business Records, 1891-1898 and undated.
3.2. Watson's Magazine, Issues and Related Materials.
3.3. The Jeffersonian, Issues and Related Materials.
3.4. Watsonian, Issues and Related Materials.
3.5. Pamphlets and Other Publications, 1892-1928 and undated.
3.6. Other Related Materials, and undated.
4. Political Materials, 1876-1987 and undated.
4.1. Political Materials, 1882-1922 and undated.
4.2. Newspapers and Clippings on Microfilm, 1876-1987 and undated.
5. Legal and Financial Materials, 1769-1981 and undated.
5.1. Personal Legal and Financial Materials, 1769-1981 and undated.
5.2. Law Firm Materials, 1877-1916 and undated.
6. Watson Family Materials, 1745-1990 and undated.
6.1. Thomas E. Watson Materials, 1870-1986 and undated.
6.2. Family Materials, 1745-1990 and undated.
7. Scrapbooks, 1860s-1883 and undated.
8. Pictures, circa 1875-1987.
Microfilm.
Addition of August 2012 (Acc. 101637): Thomas Watson and Hickory Hill House Images, circa 1920-1937 and undated.
Walter J. Brown Scrapbook, 1890-1928 (bulk 1927-1928) Addition of March 2014.
The Religious Vampire, undated (Addition of January 2018).
Jefferson's Creed, 1893 (Addition of November 2018).

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1873-1986 and undated.

8469 items.

Arrangement: chronological, then undated items arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Personal, political, and business correspondence of Thomas E. Watson, from his school days at Mercer College in 1873 through his death in 1922, documenting his career as a publisher, prolific author, lawyer, and, most prominently, politician. Also included is correspondence of Watson's secretary, Alice Lytle, his granddaughter, Georgia Watson Lee Brown, and her husband, Walter Brown, in connection with The Watsonian, the magazine they published to carry on Watson's work after his death, and a few miscellaneous items.

Correspondents of particular interest include: Reuben R. Arnold, defense attorney in the Leo Frank murder trial; Augustus O. Bacon, a senator from Georgia; H. L. Bentley, People's Party Club president; Coleman L. Blease, governor of South Carolina 1911-1915; David Blodgett, an Iowa congressional candidate jailed for publishing Watson's anti-conscription speeches, circa 1917; Arthur Brisbane, editor of the New York Evening Journal; J. J. Brown, Georgia's commissioner of agriculture and father-in-law to Watson's granddaughter, Georgia Watson Lee Brown; Joseph M. Brown, governor of Georgia, 1908-1910; J. Pope Brown, Watson's candidate for governor of Georgia, 1905; Charles W. Bryan, brother of William Jennings Bryan; William Jennings Bryan; Marion Butler; Walter Clark, chief justice of North Carolina; Alexander Stephens Clay, permanent chair, Georgia Democratic state convention; John S. Cohen, managing editor of the Atlanta Journal; Clarence Darrow; James H. Ferriss, People's Party National Committee chair; Rebecca Latimer Felton, the first woman to serve as a United States senator; Hamlin Garland, author; William N. Harben, author; Warren G. Harding; Thomas W. Hardwick, Georgia congressman and governor; Joel Chandler Harris; William Randolph Hearst; James K. Hines, Georgia Railroad Commission attorney, 1907; Clark Howell, editor of the Atlanta Constitution ; Elbert Hubbard, writer and editor; James Ryder Randall, poet; Theodore Roosevelt; Upton Sinclair; Hoke Smith, governor of Georgia; Kate Stephens, author; Thomas H. Tibbles, Populist Party candidate for vice-president; and James K. Vardaman, governor of Mississippi.

In some cases copies of Watson's replies have been retained, and many of the letters demonstrate Watson's habit of drafting his reply directly onto the original letter. These annotations are often in shorthand.

Additional materials (Digital Folders DF-755/1-5) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. 1873-1892.

40 items.

Mostly letters from relatives, with a few items from young women friends. Several letters are from Watson's son, John Durham Watson. There is also a copy of the telegram from Charles E. McGregor announcing that he had killed a man; this was the beginning of one of Watson's major court cases.

Additional materials from 1891 (Digital Folder DF-755/1) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 1

1870-1889

Folder 2

1890-1891

Folder 3

1892

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. 1893-1903.

160 items

Letters relating to personal business, and a few letters relating to the 1896 presidential campaign. Also includes correspondence concerning the publication of Watson's books: The Story of France (1899); biographies of Napoleon (1902), Thomas Jefferson, (1903), and Andrew Jackson (1912); and his autobiographical novel Bethany (1904). Watson's law practice is the focus of several letters. There are relatively few letters from the period 1899-1903. Notable correspondents during this period include Marion Butler (folder 7) and Charles E. McGregor, Watson's colleague and close friend.

Additional materials from 1893-1989 (Digital Folder DF-755/2) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 4

1893

Folder 5

1894

Folder 6

1895

Folder 7

1896

Folder 8

1897

Folder 9

1898

Folder 10

1899

Folder 11

Undated 1890s

Folder 12

1900-1901

Folder 13

1902

Folder 14

1903

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. 1904-1908.

4290 items

For 1904, there is extensive correspondence about the pre- and post-election state of local Populist Party organizations throughout the South and Midwest. Also covered are Watson's attacks on President Cleveland for having denied dining with Booker T. Washington, including a letter from Booker T. Washington to Arthur Brisbane (folder 16); the 1904 election, in which Watson was the Populist Party candidate for president; and, after the election, negotiations for starting Tom Watson's Magazine.

Much of the material in 1905 concerns the magazine, especially the conflicts with its financial supporters that led to Watson's abandoning the project to start Watson's Jeffersonian in early 1906. Local Georgia politics, especially the Smith/Howell gubernatorial race, are covered. Of particular interest are letters pro and con on Watson's editorials on race, which reflected his shift from his earlier policy of racial inclusion in the Farmer's Alliance and Populist Party to support for disfranchisement.

This topical mix of politics and publications continues through 1906, 1907, and 1908. In addition to these topics, there is material in 1907 on efforts to keep the Populist Party alive and on immigration, currency reform, and prohibition. Letters from Representative Thomas Hardwick and Governor Hoke Smith discuss disfranchisement and railroad regulation.

Early in 1908, there is correspondence with Hardwick and Smith about the Glover case, and letters from Arthur Price Glover and his wife. According to C. Vann Woodward's biography of Watson, Smith's refusal to pardon Glover, a convicted murderer and Watson supporter, led to Watson's turning against Smith and swinging his support to Joseph Brown, a long time opponent of many Populist measures. Many letters, especially in May 1908, reflect the disillusionment with Watson felt by "old time Pops," as Populist Party loyalists called themselves.

Folder 15

January-April 1904

Folder 16

May-June 1904

Folder 17-18

Folder 17

Folder 18

July 1904

Folder 19-20

Folder 19

Folder 20

August 1904

Folder 21

September 1904

Folder 22

October 1904

Folder 23-24

Folder 23

Folder 24

November 1904

Folder 25-26

Folder 25

Folder 26

December 1904

Folder 27

Undated 1904

Folder 28

January 1905

Folder 29

February 1905

Folder 30

March 1905

Folder 31

April-May 1905

Folder 32-33

Folder 32

Folder 33

June 1905

Folder 34

July-August 1905

Folder 35

September-October 1905

Folder 36

November 1905

Folder 37

December 1905

Folder 38-39

Folder 38

Folder 39

January 1906

Folder 40

February-May 1906

Folder 41

June 1906

Folder 42-43

Folder 42

Folder 43

July 1906

Folder 44-45

Folder 44

Folder 45

August 1906

Folder 46-47

Folder 46

Folder 47

September 1906

Folder 48

October 1906

Folder 49-52

Folder 49

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

November 1906

Folder 53-54

Folder 53

Folder 54

December 1906

Folder 55

Undated 1906

Folder 56-58

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

January 1907

Folder 59

February-April 1907

Folder 60-62

Folder 60

Folder 61

Folder 62

May 1907

Folder 63-65

Folder 63

Folder 64

Folder 65

June 1907

Folder 66-68

Folder 66

Folder 67

Folder 68

July 1907

Folder 69-70

Folder 69

Folder 70

August 1907

Folder 71-73

Folder 71

Folder 72

Folder 73

September 1907

Folder 74-75

Folder 74

Folder 75

October 1907

Folder 76-78

Folder 76

Folder 77

Folder 78

November 1907

Folder 79-81

Folder 79

Folder 80

Folder 81

December 1907

Folder 82

Undated 1907

Folder 83-86

Folder 83

Folder 84

Folder 85

Folder 86

January 1908

Folder 87-91

Folder 87

Folder 88

Folder 89

Folder 90

Folder 91

February 1908

Folder 92

March 1908

Folder 93

April 1908

Folder 94-99

Folder 94

Folder 95

Folder 96

Folder 97

Folder 98

Folder 99

May 1908

Folder 100-104

Folder 100

Folder 101

Folder 102

Folder 103

Folder 104

June 1908

Folder 105

July 1908

Folder 106

August-December 1908

Folder 107

Undated 1908

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.4. 1909-1920.

664 items.

The relatively small amount of correspondence for this period documents Watson's growing alienation from former supporters and his increasing financial and legal problems. Letters from Thomas Hardwick and to Clark Howell discuss Watson's split with Hardwick. Of particular interest is a series of reports from a private investigator and from a Watson supporter, both of whom were assisting Watson in his attempts to find incriminating evidence against Hardwick and Smith. In 1913-1915, there are a few items concerning Watson's obscenity trial. In 1920, there is correspondence with David Blodgett about his imprisonment for printing Watson's anti-war speeches and Watson's attempts to get him pardoned.

Additional materials from 1909-1918 (Digital Folder DF-755/3) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 108

1909

Folder 109

Undated 1900s

Folder 110-111

Folder 110

Folder 111

1910

Folder 112

1911

Folder 113

1912

Folder 114-116

Folder 114

Folder 115

Folder 116

1913

Folder 117

1914

Folder 118

1915

Folder 119

1916

Folder 120-121

Folder 120

Folder 121

1917

Folder 122

1918

Folder 123

1919

Folder 124

Undated 1910s

Folder 125

1920

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.5. 1921-23 September 1922.

2633 items.

Chiefly constituent correspondence from Watson's senate term, mostly concerning constituent service and minor patronage matters, especially post office appointments, veterans' benefits, and military academy appointments. Worth noting in 1921 are letters discussing Watson's arrest in Buford, Georgia, during the senatorial campaign (see also folder 330 in Series 2.1.3. for Watson's account of this event), and letters from branches of the Ku Klux Klan praising Watson. In 1921 and 1922, there are numerous responses to Watson's investigation into the alleged mistreatment of common soldiers by their officers during World War I (see also Series 4.).

Note that, in this section of the correspondence series, there are some exceptions to strict chronological order. These exceptions are sets of items related to one subject that were clipped together by the original processors of this collection and filed chronologically by the date of the most recent item. This order probably reflects Watson's practice and has been maintained. Related items are filed behind the final item in reverse chronological order and numbered sequentially in order to clarify where one set ends and another begins and to distinguish single items in standard chronological order from those in sets.

Folder 126

January-February 1921

Folder 127

March 1921

Folder 128

April 1921

Folder 129-131

Folder 129

Folder 130

Folder 131

May 1921

Folder 132-134

Folder 132

Folder 133

Folder 134

June 1921

Folder 135-136

Folder 135

Folder 136

July 1921

Folder 137-140

Folder 137

Folder 138

Folder 139

Folder 140

August 1921

Folder 141-143

Folder 141

Folder 142

Folder 143

September 1921

Folder 144-145

Folder 144

Folder 145

October 1921

Folder 146-148

Folder 146

Folder 147

Folder 148

November 1921

Folder 149-151

Folder 149

Folder 150

Folder 151

December 1921

Folder 152

Undated 1921

Folder 153-155

Folder 153

Folder 154

Folder 155

January 1922

Folder 156-157

Folder 156

Folder 157

February 1922

Folder 158-160

Folder 158

Folder 159

Folder 160

March 1922

Folder 161-162

Folder 161

Folder 162

April 1922

Folder 163-165

Folder 163

Folder 164

Folder 165

May 1922

Folder 166-168

Folder 166

Folder 167

Folder 168

June 1922

Folder 169

July 1922

Folder 170

August 1922

Folder 171-172

Folder 171

Folder 172

1 September-23 September 1922

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.6. 26 September 1922-1986.

409 items.

In September 1922, there are letters of condolence to Georgia Durham Watson on her husband's death (predominantly in folders 173-175), many of which are from prominent politicians of the time. For 1923 and 1924, most items are letters to and from Alice Louise Lytle, Watson's assistant at the Jeffersonian Publishing Company, concerning her attempts to secure a new position after his death and her conflicts with his family over her share of the inheritance. The material from 1925 through 1937 chiefly concerns The Watsonian, a magazine published by Watson's granddaughter, Georgia Watson Lee Brown, and her husband, Walter J. Brown, after Watson's death. One letter, dated 1983, reports on foreign sales of Watson's books.

Additional materials from 1929-1930 (Digital Folder DF-755/4) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 173-176

Folder 173

Folder 174

Folder 175

Folder 176

26 September-31 December 1922

Folder 177

1923-1924

Folder 178

1925-1928

Folder 179

Undated 1920s

Folder 180

1933-1941

Folder 181

1975, 1983, 1986

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.7. Undated Correspondence.

273 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent.

Undated correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the writer. Much of the correspondence in this subseries is from Watson's family, namely his wife, Georgia Durham Watson (folder 193); his daughter, Agnes Pearce Watson Lee (folder 187); his granddaughter, Georgia Watson Lee Brown (folder 188); and other members of the Watson family (folder 194). Folder 193 contains drafts of letters by Watson; folder 185 contains letters from Thomas Hardwick; and folder 195 contains letters for which neither author nor date is known, as well as fragments of drafts of letters by Watson and others.

Additional undated materials (Digital Folder DF-755/5) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 182

A-C

Folder 183

D-F

Folder 184

G-H

Folder 185

Hardwick, Thomas W.

Folder 186

J-L

Folder 187

Lee, Agnes Watson

Folder 188

Lee, Georgia Watson

Folder 189

M-P

Folder 189a

Nye, N. Gordon

Folder 190

R-T

Folder 191

V-W

Folder 192

Watson, Georgia Durham

Folder 193

Watson, Thomas E.

Folder 194

Watson Family, miscellaneous

Folder 195

Unidentified Correspondents

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Writings, 1872-1921 and undated.

About 275 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Writings by Thomas E. Watson, 1872-1921 and undated.

About 175 items.

Arrangement: by type of material.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1.1. Book Manuscripts and Related Materials, 1898-1908 and undated.

About 50 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title.

Handwritten and typescript drafts of books by Watson. Folders 278-279 contain materials related to the publishing of his books, such as copyright registrations, contracts with publishing companies, and royalty and sales statements.

Folder 196-209

Folder 196

Folder 197

Folder 198

Folder 199

Folder 200

Folder 201

Folder 202

Folder 203

Folder 204

Folder 205

Folder 206

Folder 207

Folder 208

Folder 209

"Bethany: A Story of the Old South"

Folder 210

"Bethany," galley (one page)

Folder 211

"Bethany: A Study and a Story of the Old South"

Folder 212-213

Folder 212

Folder 213

"The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson," miscellaneous handwritten pages

Folder 214-220

Folder 214

Folder 215

Folder 216

Folder 217

Folder 218

Folder 219

Folder 220

"The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson," typescript draft

Folder 221-242

Folder 221

Folder 222

Folder 223

Folder 224

Folder 225

Folder 226

Folder 227

Folder 228

Folder 229

Folder 230

Folder 231

Folder 232

Folder 233

Folder 234

Folder 235

Folder 236

Folder 237

Folder 238

Folder 239

Folder 240

Folder 241

Folder 242

"The Life and Times of Thomas Jefferson," handwritten draft

Folder 243

"The Life and Times of Thomas Jefferson," handwritten fragments

Folder 244

Napoleon: A Sketch of His Life, Character, Struggles, and Achievements (1902): Outline Sketch of Napoleon's Career

Folder 245

Napoleon (1902): "A Study of Napoleon"

Folder 246

Napoleon (1902): "Some Impressions of Napoleon"

Folder 247

Napoleon (1902): "By Way of Introduction"

Folder 248-272

Folder 248

Folder 249

Folder 250

Folder 251

Folder 252

Folder 253

Folder 254

Folder 255

Folder 256

Folder 257

Folder 258

Folder 259

Folder 260

Folder 261

Folder 262

Folder 263

Folder 264

Folder 265

Folder 266

Folder 267

Folder 268

Folder 269

Folder 270

Folder 271

Folder 272

"Napoleon," handwritten draft

Folder 273-275

Folder 273

Folder 274

Folder 275

"Napoleon," miscellaneous handwritten pages

Folder 276-277

Folder 276

Folder 277

"Waterloo," or "The Last Campaign of Napoleon," typescript draft

Folder 278

Copyright registrations and contracts with publishing companies

Folder 279

Royalty and sales statements

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1.2. Speeches and Related Materials, 1872-1921 and undated.

About 50 items.

Arrangement: chronological, then undated items alphabetical by title or topic.

Chiefly handwritten notes and drafts of speeches by Watson, a popular speaker and lecturer who drew large and enthusiastic crowds throughout his career. Topics include railroad regulation, monetary reform, race relations, regional pride, and the French Revolution. Most speeches are marked with Watson's notation of when and where they were given, and folder labels reflect this information. In some cases where this is not so, however, a speech's content permits approximate dating. These items have been filed at the end of the appropriate year. Except where noted, all locations are in Georgia.

Folder 280

Two untitled speeches, 1872 and 1877

Folder 281

30 October 1888, Savannah

Folder 282

25 July 1893, Athens

Folder 283

25 August 1893, Dalton

Two other undated speeches, headed "Kennesaw" and "Rockmart," on same notepad.

Folder 284

20 September 1893, Bethlehem

Folder 285

4 October 1893, Dublin

Folder 286

20 October 1893, Thomson

Folder 287

9 September-23 October 1896

Folder 288

7 October 1896, McIntyre

Folder 289

Undated, three speeches, Gracewood, 1896

Folder 290

25 April 1902, Thomson

Folder 291

10 August 1904, Lincoln, Nebraska

Folder 292-293

Folder 292

Folder 293

18 August 1904, New York, New York

Folder 294

6 September 1904, St. Louis World's Fair

Folder 295

24 October 1904, New York, New York

Folder 296

19 November 1904, Thomson

Folder 297

Undated, 1904, Atlanta

Folder 298-299

Folder 298

Folder 299

Undated, 1904, Augusta

Folder 300

"Banquet Speech," 1904

Folder 301-302

Folder 301

Folder 302

Miscellaneous campaign speeches, 1904

Folder 303

Undated, 1905, New York, New York

Folder 304

"Public Ownership of Public Utilities," 1905

Folder 305

6 August 1908, Augusta

Folder 306

2 September 1910, Atlanta

Folder 307

18 October 1912, Thomson

Folder 308

12 February 1916, Thomson

Folder 309

Congressional Campaign, 1918

Folder 310

"Treaty with Columbia," 15 April 1921

Folder 311

"Banquet Speech"

Folder 312

"Chicago Speech," 1918

Folder 313-319

Folder 313

Folder 314

Folder 315

Folder 316

Folder 317

Folder 318

Folder 319

"The French Revolution," 1918

Folder 320

"Mem. for Speech," 1918

Folder 321

New Orleans Speech notes

Folder 322

"Silver Speech," 1918

Folder 323

Small notebook

45 pp. Notes for speech on Memorial Day, 1902.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1.3. Essays and Other Writings, 1872-1921 and undated.

About 75 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title or topic.

Articles, editorials, reviews, and other items, primarily intended for publication in Watson's newspapers and magazines for which he supplied most of the copy.

Folder 324-325

Folder 324

Folder 325

American Revolution

Folder 326

Anti-Catholic Writings

Folder 327

"An Appeal to the President"

Folder 328

Autobiographical Notes

Folder 329

"Book Reviews"

Folder 330

"Buford Incident," August 1920

Folder 331

Convict Labor Question

Folder 332

Currency

Folder 333

"The Disciples of Proudhom"

Folder 334-335

Folder 334

Folder 335

"Enduring the War"

Folder 336

"The Farmers Union"

Folder 337

"French Revolution"

Folder 338

"The Future of Democracy"

Folder 339-340

Folder 339

Folder 340

"Glimpses Behind the Curtain"

Folder 341

"Hair from the Tail of Balaam's Ass"

Folder 342

"Here is Our Man for the Commissioner of Agriculture" (photocopy)

Folder 343-344

Folder 343

Folder 344

History of England

Folder 346-349

Folder 346

Folder 347

Folder 348

Folder 349

"Imperialism and Democracy"

Folder 350

"The Inauguration of President Harding"

Folder 351

"Is the Black Man Superior to the White?"

Folder 352

"Is the South Glad It Lost?"

Folder 353

"Let the Government Create the Money"

Folder 354

"Mission of Democracy"

Folder 355

Missouri Compromise

Folder 356

"Mr. Watson's Statements to the Public,"  17 September 1918

Folder 357

Napoleon, circa 1872-1874

Folder 358

"Notes from the Senate," November (?) 1921

Folder 359

"Notes from Washington," 1921

Folder 361

"The Peril of Perils"

Folder 362

"The Plot to Kill Watson"

Folder 364

Politics

Folder 366

"Reason's for Wilson's Re-election"

Folder 605

"The Religious Vampire"

Acc. 103304.

Folder 367

"Robert Toombs' Defense of his Body Servant"

Folder 370

"The South"

Folder 371-372

Folder 371

Folder 372

"The South: Historical Injustice..."

Folder 373

"The South"; "Child Labor Bill"; "Speech," 1902-1903 (tablet)

Folder 374

"A Story of the South"

Folder 375

"Survey of the World"

Folder 376

"Two Wrongs Make a Right"; a piece on the origins of Tom Watson's Magazine

Folder 377

"The Vulture"

Folder 378

"Washington Notes"

Folder 379

"What We Owe to the Roman Catholic Church"

Folder 380

"Where the Duel was Fought"

Folder 381

"The Work of Congress," 1920

Folder 382

World War I

Folder 383-393

Folder 383

Folder 384

Folder 385

Folder 386

Folder 387

Folder 388

Folder 389

Folder 390

Folder 391

Folder 392

Folder 393

Miscellaneous notes and fragments

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Writings by Others, 1903-1921 and undated.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title or topic.

Writings by individuals other than Watson. Many items may have been written for Watson's publications, or for The Watsonian, which was published after his death.

Folder 394

Anti-Catholic writings

Folder 395

"The Czar of Tabernacledom Unmasked" by "One of His Deacons"

Folder 396

"How Phronie Helped in the War," by Alice Louise Lytle

Folder 397

"The Lady Has Got It Down Right"

Folder 398

Moraltheologie des Heiligen Dr. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Folder 399-403

Folder 399

Folder 400

Folder 401

Folder 402

Folder 403

Liguori Pamphlet

This appears to be a translation of the pamphlet in folder 392.

Folder 404

"The World's Laughter"

Folder 405

"Why the Jew is Not Wanted in Russia"

Folder 406-409

Folder 406

Folder 407

Folder 408

Folder 409

Other writings

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Publications and Related Materials, 1891-1927 and undated.

About 700 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.1. People's Party Paper, Issues and Business Records, 1891-1898 and undated.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Watson published and wrote much of the People's Party Paper from October 1891 through 1898. This subseries consists chiefly of issues of the paper from 1891-1898 and business records from the secretary. The records deal almost exclusively with the business side of the publication and include weekly statements and related bills.

Note that items from the weekly reports are filed in the following order: letter (if any), statement, and bills arranged in the order they appear in the statement.

Folder 410

People's Party Paper, 1891

Not digitized.

Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-755/1-2

XOPF-755/1

XOPF-755/2

People's Party Paper, 1892-July 1893

Not digitized.

Folder 411

People's Party Paper, August 1893

Not digitized.

Folder 412

People's Party Paper, 1894

Not digitized.

Folder 413

People's Party Paper, 1895

Not digitized.

Folder 414-415

Folder 414

Folder 415

People's Party Paper, 1896

Not digitized.

Folder 416

People's Party Paper, 1897

Not digitized.

Folder 417

People's Party Paper, 1898

Not digitized.

Folder 418

Business Records, circa 1891-1895

Folder 419-421

Folder 419

Folder 420

Folder 421

Business Records, 1893

Folder 422-428

Folder 422

Folder 423

Folder 424

Folder 425

Folder 426

Folder 427

Folder 428

Business Records, 1894

Folder 429-434

Folder 429

Folder 430

Folder 431

Folder 432

Folder 433

Folder 434

Business Records, 1895

Folder 435-439

Folder 435

Folder 436

Folder 437

Folder 438

Folder 439

Business Records, 1896

Folder 440-445

Folder 440

Folder 441

Folder 442

Folder 443

Folder 444

Folder 445

Business Records, 1897

Folder 446-448

Folder 446

Folder 447

Folder 448

Business Records, January-August 1898

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.2. Watson's Magazine, Issues and Related Materials.

About 155 items

Excerpts from Watson's Magazine, published by Thomas E. Watson from 1905 to 1917. Throughout the years the magazine's name changed from Tom Watson's Magazine, to Watson's Magazine, to Watson's Jeffersonian Magazine, and finally back to Watson's Magazine.

In addition to the materials in Folder 452, issues of the magazine (Digital Items DI-755/485-634) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection and the Internet Archive. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga. Digitized issues include: Tom Watson's Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (March 1905)-Volume 6, Issue 2 (December 1906); Watson's Jeffersonian Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (January 1907)-Volume 14, Issue 2 (December 1911); and Watson's Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 3 (January 1912)-Volume 25, Issue 5 (September 1917).

Folder 452

Watson's Magazine

Not digitized.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.3. The Jeffersonian, Issues and Related Materials.

About 455 items.

Excerpts from The Jeffersonian, a weekly newspaper published by Thomas E. Watson from 1907 to 1917. Throughout the years the magazine's name changed from The Weekly Jeffersonian, to Watson's Weekly Jeffersonian, to The Jeffersonian .

In addition to the materials in Folder 450, issues of the magazine (Digital Items DI-755/24-484) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga. Digitized issues include: The Weekly Jeffersonian, Volume 1, Issue 11 (January 1907)-Volume 2, Issue 10 (March 1907); Watson's Weekly Jeffersonian, Volume 2, Issue 11 (April 1907)-Volume 2, Issue 44 (November 1907); and The Jeffersonian, Volume 2, Issue 45 (December 1907)-Volume 14, Issue 33 (August 1917). Please note that issues from July-December 1910, July-December 1912, and July-December 1913 are missing, as are issues from 8 April-13 May 1915 (Volume 12, Numbers 14-19), 28 January 1915 (Volume 12, number 4), and 29 June 1916 (Volume 13, number 27).

Folder 450

The Jeffersonian

Not digitized.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.4. Watsonian, Issues and Related Materials.

Copy and other materials relating to the The Watsonian, a magazine published after Watson's death by his granddaughter, Georgia Watson Lee Brown, and her husband, Walter Brown.

In addition to the materials in folders 453-455, issues of the magazine (Digital Items DI-755/635-656) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection and the Internet Archive. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga. Digitized issues include: Volume 1, Issue 1 (February 1927)-Volume 2, Issue 10 (November 1928).

Folder 453-455

Folder 453

Folder 454

Folder 455

Copy and other materials

Not digitized.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.5. Pamphlets and Other Publications, 1892-1928 and undated.

About 40 items.

Arrangement: chronological by publication.

Pamphlets and other published materials produced by Thomas E. Watson's Jeffersonian Publishing Company, including financial, legal and other papers relating to these publications and the publishing company, as well as the Thomson Guard, of which Watson's secretary, Alice Louise Lytle, was the editor; the Daily Press; and the Columbia Sentinel .

Additional pamphlets (Digital items DI-755/1-6 and DI-755/657-669) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 451

Columbia Sentinel

Not digitized.

Folder 449

Daily Press

Not digitized.

Folder 345

House of Hapsburg, 1915

Folder 360

The People's Party Campaign Book, 1892

Folder 363

Political and Economic Handbook, 1916

Folder 365

Prose Miscellanies, 1927

Folder 368

Short Talks to Young Men, undated

Photocopy of original.

Folder 369

Socialists and Socialism, 1910

Folder 456

Other publications

Not digitized.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 3.6. Other Related Materials, and undated.

About 450 items.

Financial, legal, and other papers relating to Thomas E. Watson's publications, including share certificates for Watson's Jeffersonian Magazine and The Jeffersonian. Folders 464-467 contain mailing lists for complimentary copies and subscriptions to the publications.

Folder 457-462

Folder 457

Folder 458

Folder 459

Folder 460

Folder 461

Folder 462

Financial and legal papers

Folder 463

Other papers

Folder 464-467

Folder 464

Folder 465

Folder 466

Folder 467

Mailing lists

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Political Materials, 1876-1987 and undated.

About 750 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.1. Political Materials, 1882-1922 and undated.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title, author or topic.

RESTRICTED: Some items available on microfilm or in digital format only.

Political writings and other papers such as bills, endorsements, petitions, and resolutions; copies of speeches by others; People's Party materials; scrapbooks of newspaper clippings on political subjects; information about voters; political propaganda publications; and other papers. Also included are a few issues of Congressional Record, and materials relating to Watson's investigation of the treatment of soldiers during World War I.

An original campaign button (Digital Item DI-755/7) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. This item is owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Folder 468-478

Folder 468

Folder 469

Folder 470

Folder 471

Folder 472

Folder 473

Folder 474

Folder 475

Folder 476

Folder 477

Folder 478

Anti-Catholic newspaper clippings and other printed materials

Not digitized.

Folder 479

"Atkinson's Secret Circular to the Colored Voters of Georgia," 1896

Folder 480

Article from the Atlanta Constitution, hand-copied, 1 July 1883

Folder 481-482

Folder 481

Folder 482

Bills, endorsements, petitions, and resolutions

Folder 483

"Canvas book," belonging to Thomas E. Watson, 1882

Includes a list of names.

Folder 484

McClendon, S. G.: Announcement of candidacy for senate

Folder 485

Norwood, Judge Thomas M.: Speech

Folder 486

People's Party materials

Folder 487-496

Folder 487

Folder 488

Folder 489

Folder 490

Folder 491

Folder 492

Folder 493

Folder 494

Folder 495

Folder 496

Political newspaper clippings

Not digitized.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-755/1

Poster, titled A List of Reforms, Advocated First by Thomas E. Watson, 1946

Reel M-755/33

Scrapbook, 1888-1891

Mostly about Watson. Pasted into an 1881 Mercantile Register. Available only on microfilm.

Oversize Volume SV-755/1

Scrapbook, 1888-1894

100 pp. Chiefly political, with several government pamphlets included. Not microfilmed.

Folder 496a

Enclosures from S-755/1

Not digitized.

Oversize Volume SV-755/2

Scrapbook, 1890-1891

Mostly political. Not microfilmed.

Folder 496b

Enclosures from S-755/2

Folder 496c

Enclosures from S-755/2

Not digitized.

Oversize Volume SV-755/3

Scrapbook, 1890-1896

Mostly political. Also contains a few issues of the Congressional Record and drafts of speeches. Selected pages microfilmed.

Reel M-755/33

Scrapbook, 1892-1894

100 pp. Index. Mostly political. Index and selected pages microfilmed; pages not microfilmed not directly relating to Watson. Available only on microfilm.

Folder 497

Scrapbook, 1892-1894

66 pp. Mostly political, with several pamphlets. Index and selected pages microfilmed.

Reel M-755/33

Scrapbook, 1893-1895

90 pp. Index. Mostly political. Available only on microfilm.

Folder 498

Scrapbook, 1895-1914

Political, including material on William Jennings Bryan. Index and selected pages microfilmed. Microfilmed pages not available in original.

Not digitized.

Reel M-755/34

Scrapbook, 1896

10 pp. Index. Mostly political. Available only on microfilm.

Scrapbook, 1896

22 pp. Mostly about Watson. Available only on microfilm.

Folder 499

Small notebook, 1889

Folder 500

Small notebook, 1890

Folder 501

Treatment of soldiers during World War I

Folder 502

Voter information

Folder 503-511

Folder 503

Folder 504

Folder 505

Folder 506

Folder 507

Folder 508

Folder 509

Folder 510

Folder 511

Other papers

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 4.2. Newspapers and Clippings on Microfilm, 1876-1987 and undated.

About 250 items.

RESTRICTED: Available on microfilm only. Clippings and newspapers were severely embrittled, and therefore were discarded after filming.

Chiefly newspaper clippings from Watson's personal files, dating from 1876 to 1922, with subsequent additions by others of items pertaining to Watson, his descendants, local history, and national affairs. The bulk of these clippings covers Watson's career in politics, his campaigns and tenure as a Georgia legislator, his Populist Party activities, his national Populist candidacies, and his election and career as United States senator. Materials cover Watson himself, his speeches and public statements, and issues and personalities of related interest. There are numerous items from the populist press of the 1890s. Items from clipping services are included for Watson's two national campaigns and provide a great deal of national coverage of his death and funeral (20 September-October 1922). The clippings are arranged in chronological order.

Also included are copies of the following complete issues of newspapers:

  • The Columbia Sentinel (Harlem, Georgia)
  • Vol. 38, No. 47, 30 August 1920
  • The Cotton Plant (Orangeburg, South Carolina)
  • Vol. 9, No. 18, 31 October 1891
  • People's Guide (Irwinton, Georgia)
  • 4 October 1895
  • The Revolution (Augusta, Georgia)
  • Vol. 1, No. 6, 4 October 1892
  • The Wool Hat (Gracewood, Georgia)
  • Vol. 1, No. 16, 17 September 1892
  • Vol. 2, No. 17, 23 September 1893
  • Vol. 2, No. 46, 14 April 1894
  • Vol. 3, No. 39, 2 March 1895

Reel M-755/29-30

M-755/29

M-755/30

Newspapers and clippings

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Legal and Financial Materials, 1769-1981 and undated.

About 420 items.

Legal and financial materials relating to Thomas E. Watson's personal and professional business, including deeds, indentures, bills, receipts, and account books.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.1. Personal Legal and Financial Materials, 1769-1981 and undated.

About 400 items.

Arrangement: by type.

Bills, receipts, checks, contracts, deeds, account books, and other miscellaneous items relating to Watson's legal and financial affairs. Of particular interest are papers relating to Georgia Durham Watson's will, 24 June 1907, and Thomas E. Watson's will, 17 December 1920.

Deeds, indentures, plats, and other financial papers, 1818-1923 (Digital Folder DF-755/6) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga. Materials include the March 1865 will of Thomas Miles Watson, Thomas E. Watson's paternal grandfather.

Folder 512

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1769-1879

Folder 513

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1880-1889

Folder 514

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1890-1899

Folder 515

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1900-1909

Folder 516

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1911-1914

Folder 517

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1915-1919

Folder 518

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1920-1929

Folder 519

Deeds, indentures and other financial papers, 1930-1947, 1981

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-755/2-3

OPF-755/2

OPF-755/3

Deeds and indentures, 1787-1883

Folder 520-521

Folder 520

Folder 521

Bills, receipts, and cancelled checks

Folder 522

Check stubs

Folder 523

Eli Snyder financial materials

Folder 524

Georgia Doremus Watson financial materials

Folder 525-526

Folder 525

Folder 526

Georgia Durham Watson financial materials

Folder 527

Annie V. Whitehead financial materials

Folder 528

Lumpkin Street house and lots financial materials

Folder 529-531

Folder 529

Folder 530

Folder 531

Other financial papers

Folder 532

Small personal account book, 1874

Folder 533

Account book, 1883

Folder 534

Small personal account book, 1888-1890

Folder 535

Account book, 1888-1896

Includes assets and liabilities

Folder 536

"Daybook of payments," 1889-1896

Folder 537

Small account book, 1890

Folder 538

Small personal account book, 1891-1894

Folder 539

Small account book for saw mill, farm, and newspaper, 1891-1897

Folder 540

Small farm account book, 1897-1901

Folder 541

Account book, 1897-1918

Includes income from law practice, investments, and inventory of Watson's estate.

Folder 542

Bank book, 1919

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 5.2. Law Firm Materials, 1877-1916 and undated.

About 20 items.

Arrangement: by type.

Materials relating to Watson's career as a lawyer and to his law firm, including a lawyer's record book for the Gross and Watson firm as well as two typed transcripts of court cases in which Watson was involved.

Folder 543

Small notebook, 1885-1887

Notes for speeches on legal cases.

Folder 544

Law firm materials, 1877-1916

Folder 545

Lawyer's record book, Gross and Watson, 1875-1904

189 pp. Includes entries for J. Durham Watson and clippings about cases.

Folder 546

Typed transcript of W. J. McNaughton case, 1910

Folder 547-551

Folder 547

Folder 548

Folder 549

Folder 550

Folder 551

Type transcript of the United States vs. Thomas E. Watson, 1916

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 6. Watson Family Materials, 1745-1990 and undated.

About 215 items.

Biographical materials and other collected papers of Thomas E. Watson, and materials relating to the Watson family, including scrapbooks and other volumes, family history materials, and two oral history interviews with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.1. Thomas E. Watson Materials, 1870-1986 and undated.

About 90 items.

Arrangement: chiefly alphabetical by author.

Consists chiefly of biographical writings about Thomas E. Watson. Folders 569-570 contain memorials and newspaper clippings regarding Watson's death. Folders 571-573 contain miscellaneous collected papers of Thomas E. Watson that were inappropriate for the other series.

Folder 552

Brewton, William W. The True Tom Watson,  1922 (photocopy)

Folder 553

Bridges, S. Russell. Thomas E. Watson, undated

Folder 554

Cliatt, Julia Watson. "Watson," 1933

Folder 555

Foster, Lewis N. Thomas E. Watson: The Man and the Politician, undated

Folder 556

Hutchings, James Key. The Sage of Hickory Hill, undated

Folder 557

Lanier, E. C. "Sketch of the Public and Private Life of Thomas E. Watson," 26 September 1922

Folder 558-563

Folder 558

Folder 559

Folder 560

Folder 561

Folder 562

Folder 563

Lee (Brown), Georgia Watson. "The Life of Thomas E. Watson," undated

Folder 564

Lewis, Alfred Henry. "Watson of Georgia," undated

Folder 565

Neal, Basil Llewellin. A Son of the American Revolution, chapter X, 1914 (photocopy)

Folder 566

Sellers, Alvin V. Classics of the Bar,  1942 (photocopy)

Folder 567

Wade, Rocky. "Thomas Edward Watson: Dissenting Mercer Orator Superb," 1971 (photocopy)

Folder 568

Woodward, C. Vann. Tom Watson: Agrarian Rebel,  1938 or later (photocopy)

Annotated, probably by William W. Brewton

Folder 569

Memorials

Folder 570

Memorial newspaper clippings

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-755/4

Memorial newspaper clippings

Folder 571-573

Folder 571

Folder 572

Folder 573

Other papers

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 6.2. Family Materials, 1745-1990 and undated.

About 125 items.

Arrangement: by type of material.

Materials relating to other members of the Watson family and Watson family history, including photocopies of family record pages; a photocopy of a family tree, showing descendants of Thomas E. Watson (1740-1801); pages taken from a scrapbook by Agnes Pearce Watson Lee; The History of Pine Top Farm and the Thomas Watson Family McDuffie County, Georgia prepared by John I. Bruno; a biography of Dr. Lindsay Durham; and other papers. The subseries also includes a two-part tape-recorded interview (6 audiocassettes) with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven conducted by David Moltke-Hansen, 27-28 August 1990, a transcript of that interview (folder 586), and a transcript of another interview with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven conducted by her grandson, Tom Watson Brown.

Additional materials (Digital Items DI-755/8-13) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga. Materials include postcard albums, a baby book, a memorial book, and a scrapbook belonging to Watson's daughter Agnes Pearce Watson Lee and granddaughters, Georgia Watson Lee Brown and Georgia Doremus Watson Craven.

Folder 576 does not exist.

Folder 574

Bell Family letters, 1745-1766

Folder 575

Family Record pages (photostat copies)

Folder 576

Folder number not used

Folder 577

"Life's Dream," handwritten short story

Folder 578

Agnes Watson notes

Removed from the account book of 1883 in folder 594

Folder 579

Watson Family history materials

Folder 580

Hickory Hill - National Register of Historic Places nomination

Folder 581

Dr. Lindsay Durham: A Brief Biography, by Charles H. Calhoun, 1965

Folder 582-583

Folder 582

Folder 583

Other papers

Folder 584

Newspaper clippings

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-755/5

Newspaper clippings

Folder 585

Transcript of interview with Georgia Watson Craven by Tom Watson Brown, 2 July 1996

Tom Watson Brown (Thomas E. Watson’s great-grandson) interviews Georgia Doremus Watson Craven (Brown's first cousin once removed and Thomas E. Watson’s granddaughter) about the details of the Watson homestead -- Hickory Hill -- during her childhood, when she spent much time there with Thomas E. Watson and Georgia Durham Watson. She describes each room, including decorations and furniture; the gardens and grounds; when particular parts of the house were constructed and how each room was used; visitors who frequented the house; and her childhood memories of life at Hickory Hill. Interspersed throughout are detailed stories about family members, as well as descriptions of their physical appearances, health, and habits. Georgia also discusses lifestyle during her childhood, including refrigeration and lighting, and Thomas E. Watson’s printing plant. Near the end of the interview, Tom Watson Brown briefly discusses his perceptions of racial prejudice as a Southerner living in the North.

Folder 586

Transcript of interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen, 27-28 August 1990

Audiocassette C-755/1

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 1

Georgia Watson Craven discusses childhood memories of her grandfather Thomas E. Watson's home in Thomson, Ga.; the physical terrain and flora and fauna of the Old South homestead Hickory Hill; Grandmother Watson (Georgia Durham Watson); how the household was run; her grandfather's dining habits and dinner guests; social exchange and subjects of conversation at mealtime; the history of the old barn and its importance to her grandfather; his love of riding and his eating habits; learning to dance from her grandfather; his love of music and fascination with trees; discussion of the original layout of Hickory Hill and the additional rooms that were added, as well as how each room was used.

Audiocassette C-755/2

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 2

Continuation of the description of the rooms in Hickory Hill, including Thomas E. Watson's study, the bedrooms, the attic, and the wrap-around porch; how life was conducted at table: formalities, how meals were served and by whom, behavior required of children, guests and conversation topics; memories of the Old South including relative isolation and seasonal availability of foods; mention of great-grandfather Durham; meat and dairy at Hickory Hill; how all the pets were named after politicians of the day; her grandfather's love of birds; his attitude towards drinking; her grandfather's attitude towards different Christian denominations; Georgia Watson Craven's thoughts on the personal versus political of her grandfather's campaign against Roman Catholicism.

Audiocassette C-755/3

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 3

The role books played in Georgia Watson Craven's life at Hickory Hill including the impact of the book "Grandmother's Stories From the Land of Used to Be" with historical stories from the South; books that her grandfather read or gave her; nineteenth century Romanticism and her perception of its presence in her grandfather's writings, in particular Bethany; the effect his account of Joan of Arc had on her; her grandfather's deep identification with the Old South; dinner and supper at her grandfather's house; his view of education; the public school in Thomson and her grandfather's decision to school the children privately at first.

Audiocassette C-755/4

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 4

Continuation of the discussion on education: Thomas E. Watson decision to send Georgia Watson Craven to the National Cathedral high school in Washington, D.C.; his support of her intention to go to college; life in Washington, D.C.: her grandfather's interactions with people in Washington, impressions of the Capitol; attending the burial of the Unknown Soldier; the George Washington Inn; Woodrow Wilson's burial at the Bethlehem Chapel in the National Cathedral; her opinion on the mis-perception of her grandfather as a "good old boy"; the quality of isolationism in her grandfather; origins of her grandfather's feelings for the common man.

Audiocassette C-755/5

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 5

Discussion of the funeral for Thomas E. Watson in Thomson, Ga.; people's reaction to her grandfather's death; people's later attitudes towards her as a Watson; the social world of the Watson's and of her grandfather: "Watson people" including the Gibson family; visitors and house guests in her grandfather's home.

Audiocassette C-755/6

Interview with Georgia Watson Craven by David Moltke-Hansen (transcript in folder 586), tape 6

Discussion of her grandmother's cousin, Dr. John Durham; the coming and goings of state governmental officials to Thomas E. Watson's home; vague memories of her grandfather's attitude towards various other populist leaders; his attitudes towards various national figures such as Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, and Calvin Coolidge; mention of the Versailles Treaty; attitudes towards Georgia figures such as Tom Hardwick and Governor Matt Harris; description of the switch from horses to automobiles for transportation: driving culture and her grandfather's first car; a description of his carriages; Uncle Gus who drove the carriages; her grandfather's chauffeur Cliff; trips to Augusta, Ga., by car and by carriage; taking the train to New York once a year; trips to Atlanta with her father and staying at the old Kimball house.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 7. Scrapbooks, 1860s-1883 and undated.

16 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Scrapbooks, diaries, and commonplace books compiled by Thomas E. Watson. Volumes chiefly contain poetry, some by Watson; pictures; and miscellaneous material. Folder 590 and SV-755/4 document Watson's school days and early career as a school teacher, his romances, early law cases, and the deaths of his children. The subject matter of these volumes includes Watson's interests outside the political arena.

An additional scrapbook from 1870 (Digital Item DI-755/14) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. The scrapbook has 121 pages and contains clippings depicting furniture pasted over an 1870 ledger.

Folder 587

Scrapbook, 1860s

66 pp. Partial index. Miscellaneous clippings, mostly poetry, pasted over twenty-six pages of an 1839-1841 physician's record book.

Folder 588

Diary and commonplace book, 1871-1872

130 pp.

Oversize Volume SV-755/4

Diary, commonplace book, and scrapbook, 1872-1918 and undated

580 pp. Index. Apparently begun at Mercer College. In addition to diary entries, there are copies of speeches, sketches of persons and incidents, poetry, miscellaneous notes, anecdotes and quotations, and accounts of and comments on law cases, especially the McGregor trial (beginning on page 448). Also included are accounts of the deaths of Watson's children: Louise (pages 425, 441-446, 476-479); John Durham (page 447); and Agnes (page 447).

Folder 589

Enclosures from SV-755/4

Folder 590

Small commonplace book, 1873-1890

280 pp. Begun at Mercer College.

Folder 591

Small scrapbook, 1874

Miscellaneous clippings, especially poetry, pasted over pages of an account book. Twenty-six pages at the back, without clippings, contain accounts for the estate of T. M. Watson (probably Thomas Miles Watson, Watson's grandfather) dated 1853-1865, and a "memo for letter to T," by Watson, on his feelings about leaving home.

Folder 592

Scrapbook, 1874-1883

120 pp. Miscellaneous clippings, including several poems by Watson pasted over 35 pages of an 1872 ledger.

Folder 593

Small diary, 1878

Short daily entries.

Oversize Volume SV-755/5

Scrapbook, circa 1879-1890

325 pp. Index. Miscellaneous clippings pasted over an 1873 account book.

Folder 594

Enclosures from SV-755/5

Folder 595

Enclosures from SV-755/5

Not digitized.

Oversize Volume SV-755/6

Scrapbook, 1881-1894

Miscellaneous clippings.

Folder 596

Enclosures from SV-755/6

Folder 597

Small notebook, 1883

Notes on jokes and humorous stories.

Folder 598

Scrapbook, 1883

200 pp. Miscellaneous clippings, mostly poetry, but also some about politics, pasted in 120 pages of an 1828-1829 ledger.

Oversize Volume SV-755/7

Scrapbook, 1886-1890

Miscellaneous clippings pasted over 210 pages of an account book. Index only microfilmed.

Folder 599

Enclosures from SV-755/7

Folder 600

Enclosures from SV-755/7

Not digitized.

Oversize Volume SV-755/8a-8b

Scrapbook, 1889-1916

Miscellaneous, with Bill Nye columns and other humorous material. Not microfilmed.

Folder 601

Enclosures from SV-755/8a-b

Folder 602

Scrapbook, undated

Pictures and poetry. Not microfilmed.

Folder 603

Commonplace book, undated

Notes, quotations, and original material. Marked "For future use."

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 8. Pictures, circa 1875-1987.

About 500 items.

Mostly black-and-white pictures of Thomas E. Watson; his family, including numerous images of his wife, Georgia Durham Watson, his son, John Durham Watson, his daughter, Agnes Pearce Watson Lee, and his granddaughters, Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown; his funeral; Thomson, Georgia; Hobe Sound and Las Olas, Florida; and unidentified people and places. Some items are identified on the back as having been used in publications as illustrations. Pictures are undated unless date is indicated.

Additional photographs and photograph albums (Digital Items DI-755/15-23 and Digital Folders DF-755/7-37) can be viewed in digital format only using the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. Where possible, original folder labels have been retained.

Image P-755/1

Thomas E. Watson, circa 1875

Verso: "About 1875, Tom Watson in the days when he taught school in Screven County. Chapter XI No 2 (13th Installment)."

Image P-755/2

Thomas E. Watson, circa 1890s?

Verso: "Chapter XXIII."

Image P-755/3

Thomas E. Watson, circa 1890s

Image P-755/4

Photograph of campaign button, 1896, "Bryan and Watson"

Verso: "button 1896 owned by Tom Watson Brown."

Image P-755/5

Thomas E. Watson, circa 1904

Image P-755/6

Thomas E. Watson, 1904

Verso: "1904 Thos. E. Watson No (1) Chapter XXXIV."

Image P-755/7

Thomas E. Watson, circa 1919

Image P-755/8

Thomas E. Watson seated, circa 1919?

Verso: "In Library. Chapter XXXVII." "The sage of Hickory Hill."

Image P-755/9

Thomas E. Watson, John D. Cunningham, James K. Hines

Verso: "Art for chapter XXX. Left to right, C. A. [sic] Cunningham, secretary; James K. Hines, permanent chairman; and Thomas Watson, temporary chairman, Populist State Convention of 1896, taken in anteroom to Hall of the House, State Capitol, summer 1896.(Note--this is exceptionally rare and valuable photo. Advise a big display on it. Be sure to preserve it)."

Image P-755/10

Thomas E. Watson and unidentified male on rear platform of a train

Image P-755/11

Thomas E. Watson

Verso: "Thomas E. Watson and wife at Hickory Hill in 1906. The sculptured marble mantel shown in photograph was originally in Kensington Hotel, New York City. Art Chapter XXXVI (No. 1)."

Image P-755/12

John Smith Watson

Verso: "Photograph of a colored drawing of Thos. E. Watson's father, John Smith Watson. (Said to be an excellent likeness which Mrs. Watson kept hanging over the family mantel long after her husband's death). Gift of Tom Watson Brown, March 27, 1973."

Image P-755/13

Ann Eliza Maddox Watson

Verso: "Photograph of a daguerreotype of Thos. E. Watson's mother, Mrs. Ann Eliza Maddox Watson, wife of John Smith Watson. Gift of Tom Watson Brown, March 27, 1973."

Image P-755/14

Martha Hendon Durham (Mrs. George Durham), foster mother of Georgia Durham Watson

Image P-755/15

Georgia Durham Watson and Martha Hendon Durham, circa 1860s

Verso: "Mrs. George W. Durham and Georgia her adopted daughter, Art for Chapt XIII 17th Installment."

Image P-755/16

Agnes Pearce Watson Lee

Inscription: "For Mama and Papa a World of Love."

Image P-755/17

Agnes Pearce Watson Lee

Image P-755/18

Georgia Durham Watson

Verso: "Georgia Durham, No. 2 Chapt XXVI, Mrs. Watson."

Image P-755/19

Louise, John Durham, and Agnes Pearce Watson, circa 1887

Verso of duplicate (discarded): "Left to right, Louise, Durham and Agnes, the only children of Thomas E. Watson. Art for Chapter XXII."

Image P-755/20

Agnes Pearce Watson Lee (on left)

Image P-755/21

Georgia Durham Watson and her granddaughters, Georgia Watson Lee Brown and Georgia Doremus Watson Craven, circa 1910-1915

Image P-755/22

Georgia Durham Watson with unidentified infant

Image P-755/23

Unidentified woman and infant.

Image P-755/24

Thomas E. Watson with Georgia Watson Lee Brown and Georgia Doremus Watson Craven

"Jan. 1908."

Image P-755/25

Unidentified infant

"In dove house."

Image P-755/26

Georgia Durham Watson holding Georgia Watson Lee Brown

Unidentified woman on right.

Image P-755/27

Unidentified man with infant, probably Georgia Watson Lee Brown.

Image P-755/27a

Georgia Watson Lee Brown

Image P-755/28

Georgia Watson Lee Brown with dolls

Image P-755/29

Georgia Watson Lee Brown, with nurse

Image P-755/30

Georgia Watson Lee Brown

Image P-755/31

Georgia Watson Lee Brown and Georgia Doremus Watson Craven

Verso: "Granddaughters of Thomas E. Watson. Georgia Doremus Watson Craven (Mrs. Avery O. Craven), Georgia Watson Lee Brown (Mrs. Walter J. Brown)."

Image P-755/32

"The two Georgia's of whom Mr. Watson is so proud. Left, Georgia Lee and Georgia Watson (No. 3 Art for Chapt. XVIII.)"

Image P-755/33

William Miles Watson

"William Watson, uncle of T.E.W. Uncle Ralph of Bethany died S.E. of Thomson 2 1/2 miles at Augusta Road Watson home. Art for Chapter III. William Watson, uncle of Thos. E. Watson, the Uncle Ralph and hero of Tom Watson's novel, Bethany No. 6."

Image P-755/34

"Wm. A. Watson and son, Dec. 19, 1916"

Image P-755/35

Stanley Lee

Image P-755/36

Oscar Lee

Image P-755/37

Ira Farmer, friend of Oscar Lee

Image P-755/38

Thomas E. Watson's grave with floral tributes, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/39

Crowd at unloading of Thomas E. Watson's casket from train at Thomson, Ga., 29 September 1922

Image P-755/40

Crowd at loading of Thomas E. Watson's casket onto hearse at Thomson, Ga., 29 September 1922

Image P-755/41

Crowd at entrance of Thomas E. Watson's home, Hickory Hill, at his funeral, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/42

Crowd at Thomas E. Watson's home, Hickory Hill, at his funeral, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/43

Crowd at side entrance of Thomas E. Watson's home, Hickory Hill, at his funeral, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/44

Pallbearers lowering Thomas E. Watson's casket into burial vault, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/45

Floral displays on grave of Thomas E. Watson, 29 September 1922

Image P-755/46

"Hickory Hill, near Thomson, Ga."

"Home of Thomas E. Watson, to be preserved as a memorial to the father of the R.F.D.," from the Atlanta Constitution , Sunday, 11 July 1937.

Image P-755/47

"Proposed Shrine for R.F.D.," from Atlanta Journal, Sunday, 5 September 1937

Image P-755/48

African American man and woman

Verso: "T.E.W.'s mammy, galley 22 Bethany."

Image P-755/49

Robert E. Lee

Verso: "Robert E. Lee whose life Watson planned to write, an original photograph made after the war. (No. 3)."

Image P-755/50

Carl Browne

Inscription: "We want no more marching men looking for work! No more Cleveland Calamity! No more soup houses! Compliments of Carl Browne, the man who got on Grover's grass, and wants none of Parker's sass--(Gold Telegram)."

Image P-755/51

"Capt. Jack Crawford"

Image P-755/52

Jack Crawford

Inscription: "Hello Pard--So they've quit? Ha. Ha. Bully. Jack."

Image P-755/53

"Hon. S.G. McLendon of Atlanta, Georgia"

Image P-755/54

"Sam in Arizona, F.B. Pearse 1901"

Verso: "Un Vaquero Mexicano, Furman B. Pearce, Estade de Sanora, Republica de Mexico. A mi quiridissima amiquita, La Senorita Agnes Pearce Watson qui vive in mi corazon."

Image P-755/55

"Home of Thos. E. Watson in Lumpkin St., Thomson, Ga. prior to move at Hickory Hill"

Image P-755/56

Three men standing together at set of outdoor stairs

"Frank, Mr. M., Me."

Image P-755/57

Man standing at post in the snow

"Me also."

Image P-755/58

View of Native American [?] dwelling

Verso: "Towahajo Chege, Hkte."

Image P-755/59

View of Native American [?] man and dwelling

"Towahajo, Tom Johnson."

Image P-755/60

Unidentified man, woman, and young girl in early automobile, circa 1905

Image P-755/61

Georgia Doremus Watson Craven as an infant, outdoors on ground

Image P-755/62

Georgia Doremus Watson Craven as an infant, in goat cart

Image P-755/63

Unidentified group of African American women doing laundry outside

Image P-755/64

Unidentified woman on front porch

Image P-755/65

Portrait of unidentified man

Image P-755/66

Unidentified scene of dock and small boats

Image P-755/67

"Main Street, Thomson, Ga.," circa 1909

Color reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/68

"Main Street, Looking South, Thomson, Ga.," circa 1909

Color reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/69

"U.S. Post Office and Old Fellows Hall, Thomson, Ga."

Color reproduction of postcard

Image P-755/70

"First Methodist Church, Thomson, Ga.," circa 1910

Color reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/71

"Knox Hotel, Thomson, Ga.," circa 1914

Color reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/72

"Bank of Thomson, Ga."

Color reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/73

"Rapid Transit, Washington, Ga."

Mule-drawn street car, circa 1911. Reproduction of postcard.

Image P-755/74

Copy of photograph of Tom Watson in library

Image P-755/75-76

P-755/75

P-755/76

Notepaper with historical paintings, McDuffie County, Ga., by Lavonia Ricketson

Reproduced from the Bank of Thomson's Historic Gallery and sold to benefit the building fund of McDuffie County Library by Friends of the Library. One depicts the "Victorian Watson House," built circa 1875, home of Senator Thomas Watson before he moved to Hickory Hill. The other shows "Hickory Hill," built around 1864 by James R. Wilson, and home of Thomas Watson after 1905.

Image P-755/77

Copy of photograph of Thomas E. Watson with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown

According to Walter J. Brown, "The picture was apparently taken at Hickory Hill during Tom Watson's 1920 Senatorial campaign. As you look at him, Cuzzie is on his right and my mother is on his left. Cuzzie remembers this occasion. She says a New York Times photographer came to Hickory Hill and took a host of photographs on the grounds, some of which were published in the rotogravure section of the Times, as Cuzzie recalls. She does remember that she and my mother were let out of school to go to Hickory Hill for these photographs, hence their respective dress. She remembers Mr. Watson being told to tilt his hat backwards so as to get a fuller picture of his face."

Image P-755/78-84

P-755/78

P-755/79

P-755/80

P-755/81

P-755/82

P-755/83

P-755/84

Photographs, taken July 1987, of Thomas E. Watson's house in Washington D. C.

Image Folder PF-755/1

"Cuzzie's Collection"

Cards and pictures belonging to Georgia Doremus Watson

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Microfilm.

35 reels.

Microfilm copy available for most materials on deposit before 1989.

Reel M-755/1-35

M-755/1

M-755/2

M-755/3

M-755/4

M-755/5

M-755/6

M-755/7

M-755/8

M-755/9

M-755/10

M-755/11

M-755/12

M-755/13

M-755/14

M-755/15

M-755/16

M-755/17

M-755/18

M-755/19

M-755/20

M-755/21

M-755/22

M-755/23

M-755/24

M-755/25

M-755/26

M-755/27

M-755/28

M-755/29

M-755/30

M-755/31

M-755/32

M-755/33

M-755/34

M-755/35

Microfilm

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of August 2012 (Acc. 101637): Thomas Watson and Hickory Hill House Images, circa 1920-1937 and undated.

12 images.

Scans of black-and-white photographs of Thomas Watson from the Chicago Tribune archive. Includes an image of Watson with his granddaughters; an image from Watson's funeral; images of Hickory Hill Memorial House before restoration; and copies of newspaper photographs. Some images also include the verso with captions.

Digital Folder DF-755/38

Images, circa 1920-1937 and undated

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Walter J. Brown Scrapbook, 1890-1928 (bulk 1927-1928) Addition of March 2014.

About 20 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 102022

The Addition of March 2014 consists of a scrapbook of clippings and some handwritten materials compiled by Walter J. Brown, 1890-1928 (bulk 1927-1928); and enclosures.

Oversize Volume SV-755/9

Walter J. Brown scrapbook, 1890-1928

Topics covered include: Thomas Watson's presidential campaign; Watson's articles and editorials; Governor Al Smith's 1928 presidential campaign; Catholics in American politics; farming and agricultural issues; Ku Klux Klan activities; the "Solid South," southern election politics, and social and economic issues in Georgia; the Farmer's Union, the Grange, and the American Federation of Labor; prohibition; and Herbert Hoover's presidential campaign. There are also some campaign fliers and handouts, book reviews for The Story of France, biographical articles on Watson, drafts of letters to newspapers, scattered clippings from the Congressional Record, and a few political cartoons.

Folder 604

Scrapbook enclosures

Enclosures consist of loose newspaper and magazine clippings.

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse The Religious Vampire, undated (Addition of January 2018).

1 item.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 103304

Folder 605

"The Religious Vampire," undated

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Jefferson's Creed, 1893 (Addition of November 2018).

Acquisitions Information: Accession 103416

Digital Folder DF-00755/39

Jefferson's Creed, 1893

Back to Top

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

Pictures (P-755/1-78)

Oversize paper folders (OPF-755/1-5)

Extra-oversize paper folders (XOPF-755/1-2)

Oversize Volumes (SV-755/1-9)

Audiocassettes (C-755/1-6)

Digital items (DI-755/1-669): Available via the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Digital folders (DF-755/1-37): Available via the Thomas E. Watson Papers Digital Collection. These items are owned by and housed at the Watson-Brown Foundation of Thomson, Ga.

Digital folders (DF-755/38-39)

Back to Top