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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.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 180 items) |
| Abstract | Love letters, 1858-1859, other correspondence, financial and business items, a bank account book, and other miscellaneous items of Fatima Massey Williams and her husband, William T. A. Williams (1840-circa 1912), a wheelwright of Rolesville, Wake County, N.C. The correspondence includes eleven letters to the Williamses from Fatima's brothers, Thrush and Alpheus Massey, Confederate soldiers with the 31st North Carolina Regiment near Petersburg, Va., in 1863 and 1864, concerning their health, troop movements, and army life. |
| Creator | Williams, Fatima Massey, circa 1840-1926. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
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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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Biographical Information
Fatima Massey Williams, daughter of Craton Massey and Harriet Horton Massey of Wake County, North Carolina, was born around 1840. She had one sister, Irene Massey, who never married, and two brothers, Thrush and Alpheus Massey, Confederate soldiers of the 31st North Carolina Regiment.
Fatima married William T. A. Williams, a wheelwright, in October 1859 and thereafter resided in Rolesville, North Carolina. The Williamses apparently had at least one son, Robert "Bob" S. Williams, who became the mayor of Rolesville in the 1940s. There are also references in the papers to J. H. Williams and J. L. Williams, who were perhaps brothers of William or sons of William and Fatima.
Little else is known concerning the Williamses. The poor spelling of the letters indicates that neither the Masseys nor the Williamses received much formal education.
William T. A. Williams died around 1912. Fatima Massey Williams apparently died in December 1926.
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Scope and Content
Love letters, 1858-1859, other correspondence, financial and business items, a bank account book, and other miscellaneous items of Fatima Massey Williams and her husband, William T. A. Williams (1840-circa 1912), a wheelwright of Rolesville, Wake County, N.C. The correspondence includes eleven letters to the Williamses from Fatima's brothers, Thrush and Alpheus Massey, Confederate soldiers with the 31st North Carolina Regiment near Petersburg, Va., in 1863 and 1864, concerning their health, troop movements, and army life.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1858-1874.
Arrangement: chronological.
The earliest correspondence (1858-1859) consists of love letters between Fatima Massey and William T. A. Williams, both of Rolesville, North Carolina, written prior to their marriage. There is also a letter written to Fatima Massey in December 1859 concerning family matters from Manervia Ann Massey, her cousin in Kemper County, Mississippi.
The correspondence dated 1863-1864 consists of letters to Fatima Massey and William T. A. Williams from Fatima's brothers, Thrush and Alpheus Massey, Confederate soldiers of the 31st North Carolina Regiment stationed near Petersburg, Virginia. The letters chiefly concern their health, troop movements, and army life.
The remaining correspondence (1866-1874) consists of a few letters to William T. A. Williams from friends and a few concerning his financial affairs and employment.
Note: Much of the original correspondence is interfiled with transcriptions handwritten by Ann Arthur, great-granddaughter of the Williamses.
| Folder 1 |
1858-1863 |
| Folder 2 |
January - March 1864 |
| Folder 3 |
April - December 1864 |
| Folder 4 |
1865-1874 |
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Series 2. Other Papers, 1857-1929.
Arrangement: by document type.
Varied items, chiefly concerning the financial affairs of Fatima Massey and William T. A. Williams, including receipts and a bank account book. This series also contains poems and other miscellaneous items.