This letter has been entirely crumpled up, then flattened; it has stains, is very worn, and many parts are nearly illegible. She’s flirting with men who aren’t W.C. Bailey, which implies this is before their relationship develops; and she references deserters being rounded up, indicating the war has been going for a little while.
This letter from Victoria Cunningham to her sister, Margaret Sullivan. It references “Mike” — Michael M. Cunningham, their younger brother, who would be killed in battle one year later. He entered as a second lieutenant and ended a first lieutenant. He was Captain of Company D, 6th Regiment, 13th Infantry. Received a gunshot wound to the thigh on June 30, 1862 in a Seven Days Battle before Richmond. Admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 4, Richmond, Virginia on July 1, and he died July 5, 1862 from gangrene. The letter also mentions Chevis Crawford Montgomery, an uncle who was in the company, or his son.
Victoria Cunningham, age 18 or 19, is writing her sister Margaret, who is seven years older. Margaret had married at age 16, but her husband died a year or two before this letter was written; she remarried just after this letter.
This letter is very unusual in several respects. It is not fully dated, as most of Victoria's letters are. It begins with “Dear Margaret,” a striking departure from the normal “My dear Sister.” The grammar and spelling are less developed; and the “sound” of her writing feels younger and less mature than her other letters. It doesn’t mention their brother Mike at war, which implies it was written before he left. The postscript is also very unusual, and seems to indicate an early discomfort with letter-writing (many other American womens’ letters from this period have requests to burn or destroy or hide or protect the letter, but Vic does this no other time — even for letters discussing rather private matters). For these reasons, I tend to think this is August, 1860. She does mention Ben Morgan being elected Lieutenant, but the Confederate military had not yet begun muster at that point; that could indicate an August 1861 date. However, all the other factors point to an earlier date, and it’s entirely possible Ben is in the state militia — which was in massive growth and development in August 1860. The letter makes no mention of Washington Sullivan; Margaret married him in December of 1860.
The report is a summary of previous research of the South Carolina Piedmont area, including Greenville, Anderson, Laurens, and Oconee counties. The summary includes research covering prehistoric activities through the eighteenth century. It also contains technical descriptions of historical vocations and the tools utilized.
This report is a summary of archaeological survey work done in the stated area. The report includes descriptions of the research processes and findings of three archaeological sites, although it asserts that the sites had been sufficiently searched and therefore require no additional attention.
Dr. Lewis M. Davis, 1919-1997, served as a medical doctor in Greer and was instrumental in the founding of Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital; he was Chief of Staff for the hospital for many years.
Founded in 1896 by David D. Davenport, the Greer Cottonseed Oil and Fertilizer Company sold products acquired through the processing of cottonseed: oil, meal, and hulls, as well as linters used in the actual processing. The company survived the destruction of offices and warehouses by a fire, and after Davenport's death, company stock was sold to the Greer Oil Mill and Feed Company, Inc., which continued ginning operations until 1959.
Mill tokens were given out to mill employees as an advance on their pay. The catch was they could only be used in the mill general store. Since minting coins was expensive, many mills shared coinage with surrounding mills and differentiated them by punching the first letter of the mill name in them. Victor Mill coins came in 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and even one dollar variants.
Mill tokens were given out to mill employees as an advance on their pay. The catch was they could only be used in the mill general store. Since minting coins was expensive, many mills shared coinage with surrounding mills and differentiated them by punching the first letter of the mill name in them. Victor Mill coins came in the 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and even one dollar variants.
Victoria Bailey was the wife of W.C. Bailey, the first intendant (mayor) of Greer. After his death she became a savvy businesswoman and real estate investor. Victoria Street in Greer is named for her.
Color map of Greenville County, South Carolina from 1869. Includes names of property owners, roads, townships, and major landmarks. The future location of Greer shows the crossing of the State Road and the Chick Springs/Spartanburg Road, showing the Blakely place situated at the crossroads.
Tinned steel box, lacquered black; double red striping top and bottom. This box, likely from the mid- to late-1800s, was kept for generations in a drawer of a hallway secretary. It held numerous letters and photographs. They center around the families of William Clark and Victoria Cunningham Bailey, their daughter Etta, and her husband William Wesley Burgiss.
W. W. Burgiss was the first president of Victor Mill. He became a major real estate investor in Greer, in Greenville County, and in the West Palm Beach area of Florida. He became Greenville County's first major philanthropist, entirely funding the Greenville Shriner's Children's Hospital and the W.W. Burgiss Charities, which remains in operation to this day.
W. C. Bailey was the first station agent at the Greer's Depot in 1873; the founder and first Worshipful Master of the Bailey Masonic Lodge; and he was the first intendent (Mayor) of Greers.
