Quattlebaum Family Papers
Mss.0076

Series 1: General Paul Quattlebaum 1870-1890   0.15 cubic feet

Series Description

This series consists of fragmentary correspondence and documents from family members. Most of the correspondence is between General Paul Quattlebaum (1812-1890) and his son Cephas during the decades after the Civil War. There are a few letters between Quattlebaum and various Confederate government officials and military officers concerning attempts to secure promotions for two of his sons in the Confederate Army, Theodore Adolphus Quattlebaum (1842-1865) and Edwin Ruffin Quattlebaum (1844-1906). Notable correspondents include James Henry Hammond, Governor M. L. Bonham of South Carolina, and General James Conner. There is a folder documenting the settlement of the estate of John Quattlebaum, Paul’s father, during the 1850s; two criminal incitements against slaves, 1853 and 1857; a letter from the political operative, Armistead Burk, 1848; and a financial note from John Taylor to Robert F. Withers, 1817.

Biographical Note

General Paul Quattlebaum was born July 8, 1812, in Lexington District, South Carolina, the son of Captain John and Metee Burkett Quattlebaum. Educated in local schools, at the age of eighteen he married Sarah Caroline Jones Prothro of Edgefield District. He served as an officer in the Seminole War of 1835-36, and upon returning home was commissioned colonel and later brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia. An active planter and industrialist, Quattlebaum's ventures included lumber and flour mills and a rifle factory. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1840-44), the State Senate (1848-52), and was a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. General Paul Quattlebaum died October 18, 1890.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Series 2: Cephas Perry Quattlebaum 1859-1928   3.5 cubic feet

Series Description

This series has correspondence about Cephas Perry Quattlebaum's years as a practicing attorney in Conway, South Carolina, first in partnership with W.D. and J. Monroe Johnson and later on his own. This correspondence includes letters from farmers, lumbermen, and others suffering from the effects of the late nineteenth century agricultural depression in the South Carolina Low Country. It documents real estate activity and Quattlebaum's role in collecting judgments for overdue bills in the Conway area. They also document Quattlebaum's service as local attorney for the Atlantic Coast Line and his unsuccessful run for the office of Horry County Solicitor in 1908.

Quattlebaum was active in local politics, serving as Conway’s first mayor in 1898. He was a conservative Democrat and opposed the Tillman wing of the party. There are campaign flyers, voting tallies, and other material related to the elections of 1892 and 1894. He corresponded occasionally with South Carolina Governor Cole Blease and Congressman J. Edwin Ellerbe. There are also some correspondence with family members, particularly his wife Janette, local fraternal lodge officials, and other Low Country lawyers and businessmen. Of particular note is the personal correspondence from the Reconstruction period including information related to the creation of militia companies after the disputed 1876 Hampton-Chamberlain gubernatorial election.

Series 3: Cephas Perry Quattlebaum, Miscellaneous Business Records 1860-1919   7.0 cubic feet (33 volumes)

Series Description

This series contains business records of C.P. Quattlebaum’s law practice and a variety of other records acquired or produced during his career as a lawyer in Horry County. Quattlebaum formed a number of partnerships with W.D and J.M. Johnson, 1874-1903 (with J.W. Johnson joining the firm at some point), with J.M. Johnson, 1901-1913, with C.E. St. Amaud, 1907-1908, and in sole proprietorship, 1915-1919. The ledgers list expenses incurred by the partners as well as fees charged to clients. There is also a letterpress book, 1883-1892, containing copies of correspondence and legal documents prepared by Quattlebaum.

Quattlebaum acquired a variety of records documenting the operations of several general merchandise stores in Horry County: Todd and Causey, E.L. Lewis, Joseph Todd Company, J. Causey and Company, and M.L. Beaty He served as the executor of the estate of E.L. Lewis, 1882-1892.

The inventory and appraisal ledger for the estate of E.L. Lewis, 1887-1890, lists the goods in his stores, the accounts receivable and payable, and the amounts obtained from the sale of his real estate. The Administrator’s Ledger, 1882-1892, lists the accounts receivable to the estate and its final disposition. There is also an estate administrator’s ledger for the estate of Isaac T. Lewis, 1860-1893, which Quattlebaum also settled as part of the E.T. Lewis estate. The accounts receivable journals for the Lewisville and Union stores list amounts debited and credited along with items purchased and commodities credited. There is a ledger, 1882-1887, listing the number of bales of cotton, barrels of turpentine and rosin, and other goods shipped by steamer. It includes the steamer’s name, date of shipment, and person whose account was credited.

There are four volumes from a store managed by Mrs. M.B. Beaty: a daybook, 1881-1888, lists the store’s daily transactions; two ledgers list purchases and amounts of goods received and credited to accounts, 1892-1901; and a cash dispursements ledger, 1899-1902.

Another series of records document transactions at the Todd and Causey, Joseph Todd, and Causey and Company stores which may be related. Records consist of one accounts receivable ledger, 1871-1872, and a volume, 1871-1872, listing disbursements for turpentine, and an inventory of the store's stock of goods at the time of the dissolution of the firm. Four volumes document the operations of the Joseph Todd Store in Toddsville, Horry County, South Carolina, 1877-1883. The three daybooks list the store's transactions on a day-by-day basis. The accounts receivable ledger provides information on individual accounts listing what was purchased. Quattlebaum served as bankruptcy trustee for J.(ohn) Causey and Co. in 1902 and may have obtained the earlier volumes at that time. There is an accounts receivable ledger, 1899-1902 and a cashbook, 1899-1902 for the J. Causey store.

The series also contains three unrelated volumes which came in to Quattlebaum’s possession. There is a volume,1900-1902, of the Horry County Commission of the South Carolina Interstate West Indian Exposition of which Quattlebaum was a commissioner. It lists items provided by Horry County citizens for the Exposition and expenses incurred. There is a volume, 1912-1915, listing the names of members and dues paid by the local chapter of the fraternal order, the Knights of Honor, of which Quattlebaum was a member. There is a county court docket, 1893-1903, with criminal and civil proceedings which may have been created by a Justice Singleton. It lists date, offense/cause of action, witnesses, attorneys, jurors, verdict and disposition of the case. There is also a docket of C.P. Quattlebaum, 1891-1918. Finally there is a ship’s log for the J.R. Floyde, 1876.

Series 4: Paul Quattlebaum, Clemson College 1903-1907   0.15 cubic feet

Series Description

This series consists of scattered items related to Paul Quattlebaum's career as a cadet at Clemson, 1903-1907. It contains correspondence with his parents and sister and material primarily related to the Calhoun Literary Society and the Clemson College YMCA. The family correspondence details life at Clemson as well as family activities. The Calhoun Literary Society material includes its constitution and by-laws, correspondence related to the organization's activities, and speeches which Quattlebaum prepared for debate. The YMCA material includes correspondence to Quattlebaum in his capacity as a member of this organization and printed programs, announcements, and other items. There is also a notebook used by Quattlebaum for a civil engineering course in surveying.

Series 5: Paul Quattlebaum, Quattlebaum Light and Ice Company   1.0 cubic feet

Series Description

The Quattlebaum Light and Ice Company series provides a picture of the operations of a locally-owned, family operated utility business in early twentieth-century South Carolina and documents early efforts to provide commercial and residential electric service in South Carolina. This correspondence documents Paul Quattlebaum's executive traits of tenacity, diplomacy, and shrewd business judgment.

Established in Conway, South Carolina in 1915, the Quattlebaum Light and Ice Company evolved from two earlier family enterprises, the Conway Light and Power Company (1907) and the Quattlebaum Ice Company (1912). The company remained under control of the Quattlebaum family until it was sold to the General Water Works and Electric Corporation of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1929. This series provides evidence of day-to-day transactions with customers and suppliers, including the sale of light and power service, domestic coal sales, ice sales, and house wiring service. Financial records such as audit reports and tax statements are also included in this series. There is also some correspondence during the 1920's concerning the development of the Santee-Cooper power project.

Arrangement

The files are arranged alphabetically by customer or supplier; the internal organization of each folder is chronological.

Series 6: Paul Quattlebaum, Personal 1907-1963   4.5 cubic feet

Series Description

The Personal Series holds correspondence which details Paul Quattlebaum's business, family, civic, church, and avocational interests. The series contains private letters from Quattlebaum's senatorial years (1935-1944) and documents fully his life from 1945 to 1964. Included in this material are Quattlebaum's activities as civic club officer, trustee of Queen's College, Charlotte, N. C., and Ruling Elder of Kingston Presbyterian Church in Conway, S. C. Although he retired from public life in 1945, Quattlebaum retained an avid interest in state and national politics, and kept up a lively correspondence with his former colleagues. He also communicated regularly with various government officials, genealogists, family members, and myriad acquaintances. Prominent correspondents include Leonardo Andrea, Edgar A. Brown, James F. Byrnes, James H. Hammond, William P. Jacobs, Olin D. Johnston, J. C. Littlejohn, Kenneth Lynch, John C. McMillan, Burnet R. Maybank, Robert F. Poole, Frank A. Thompson, J. Strom Thurmond, and E. Craig Wall. Letters from Littlejohn and Poole are located in the Clemson College folders, and the Lynch correspondence is filed under Medical College of South Carolina.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged alphabetically by subject or correspondent. Within each folder the organization is chronological.

Series 7: Paul Quattlebaum, Senate 1936-1945   6.0 cubic feet

Series Description

This series contains correspondence, memoranda, and reports pertaining to Paul Quattlebaum's nine year tenure in the South Carolina Senate. Paul Quattlebaum entered the Senate in the summer of 1935 to fill out the unexpired term of deceased Horry Senator H. Kemper Cooke. Quattlebaum successfully stood for re-election for a full four-year term in 1936 and was subsequently returned to the Senate in 1940. He worked untiringly to enhance the Horry County highway network and took an active interest in agricultural affairs, the Medical College of South Carolina, the Santee-Cooper hydroelectric project, and the State Historical Commission. Conway attorney Frank A. Thompson defeated Quattlebaum in his third bid for re-election in the summer of 1944.

This series consists primarily of correspondence from constituents, Horry County public officials, state government personnel, and other senators. The correspondence documents the inner workings of state politics and also illuminates the internal operations of local government in Horry County. The various Horry County files, along with folders titled "Magistrates," "Sheriff," and "Delegation," help provide a glimpse of county government in the pre-Home Rule years of South Carolina. Notable correspondents include Solomon Blatt, Edgar A. Brown, James F. Byrnes, J. Emile Harley, Richard M. Jeffries, Olin D. Johnston, John L. McMillan, Burnet R. Maybank, Cotesworth P. Means, Ellison D. Smith, J. Strom Thurmond, George Bell Timmerman and Ransome J. Williams.

Arrangement

The files are organized alphabetically by subject and/or correspondent. The internal arrangement of each folder is chronological. Documents relating to state agencies are located alphabetically under "South Carolina"; e.g., material on the State Public Service Commission is found in a folder titled "S. C. State Public Service Commission."

Series 8: Paul Quattlebaum, Horry County Civil Defense 1941-1945   1.5 cubic feet

Series Description

This series is composed of correspondence, memoranda, and reports of the Horry County Council of Defense. State Senator Paul Quattlebaum chaired this group during World War II. Organized in January, 1941, the Horry County Council of Defense helped coordinate the civilian war effort in that county. This series documents civil defense activities such as rationing, blackouts and shore lighting, disaster and evacuation plans, and the provision of emergency medical services. The series also contains a folder dealing with espionage surveillance, entitled "W. H. Schreck." Most of the memoranda are routine. G. Heyward Mahon, Director of the South Carolina Council of Defense, is Paul Quattlebaum's primary correspondent.

Arrangement

The files are organized alphabetically by subject; the internal arrangement of each folder is chronological.

Series 9: Paul Quattlebaum, Eisenhower For President Campaign 1951-1956   0.15 cubic feet

Series Description

The Eisenhower for President Campaign Series consists of correspondence, brochures, and clippings concerning the 1952 presidential campaign in South Carolina. The 1952 election between Stevenson and Eisenhower instigated political discord in the South Carolina Democratic Party. Although a lifelong Democrat, Paul Quattlebaum participated enthusiastically in Eisenhower's campaign. This series documents changing political attitudes and allegiances in South Carolina politics and provides background material on the twentieth-century resurgence of the Republican Party in South Carolina.

The correspondence deals mainly with political organizing and electioneering. It charts the evolution of the "South Carolinians for Eisenhower" movement from antecedent organizations such as the Charleston County Citizens League and the Citizens Grass Roots Crusade. Numerous letters pertain to Quattlebaum's role as an independent presidential elector. Notable correspondents include Edgar A. Brown, James F. Byrnes, William A. Kimbel, Douglas McKay, and Stanley Morse.

Arrangement

The correspondence files are organized alphabetically, and each alphabetical category is arranged chronologically. Clippings, pamphlets, petitions, and form letters are in separate folders following the correspondence.

Series 10: Paul Quattlebaum, A Palatine Family in South Carolina and Related Materials 1887-1963, undated   4.0 cubic feet

Series Description

This series consists of genealogical research files, family correspondence, research notes, and manuscript drafts pertaining to the publication of the Quattlebaum family genealogy. Paul Quattlebaum was an avid history and genealogy buff. He began investigating his family history in 1933, and his efforts resulted in the publication of Quattlebaum: A Palatine Family in South Carolina in the  South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine (vols. 48 and 49) in a serialized format over a two-year period. This article traces the family's first appearance in North America in 1736 and documents the migrations of subsequent generations to South Carolina and other southern states. Quattlebaum's methodical research produced a steady flow of inquiries and correspondence with relatives throughout the United States. An outgrowth of Quattlebaum's research was the formation of the Quattlebaum Clan, Inc., which organized family reunions.

The genealogical files consist of form-letter inquiries, correspondence, and clippings dealing with specific members of the family tree. The correspondence files cover more general family matters and also contain photocopies of research materials such as maps and deeds. Important correspondents include South Carolina historians J. Harold Easterby, Anne King Gregorie, and A. S. Salley. Additional Quattlebaum family information can be found in M. M. Quattlebaum's Quattlebaum Family History (1950), located in Clemson University Library's Special Collections.

Arrangement

The research files are organized by Quattlebaum family branches as follows: Johannes/John line; Johannes/George line; Peter line; and Matthias line. Each folder corresponds to an individual with an assigned reference number. In some instances information on descendants of a particular person may be included in the folder which bears that person's name. This arrangement follows exactly the published genealogy of the Quattlebaum family which appeared in the South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine in 1947 and 1948. A photocopy of the published article and a classified index of this genealogy are located in folder #1 and serve as finding aids. The family correspondence files are arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject, and each folder is organized chronologically. Miscellaneous research notes and two drafts of the manuscript are found at the end of the series.

Series 11: Paul Quattlebaum, The Land Called Chicora and Related Materials 

Series Description

The Land Called Chicora and Related Materials series is composed of research notes, correspondence, and manuscript drafts relating to Paul Quattlebaum's book,  The Land Called Chicora. This series also contains material dealing with general South Carolina history as well as genealogically-related correspondence.

The publication of The Land Called Chicora: The Carolinas Under Spanish Rule with French Intrusions, 1520-1670 by the University of Florida Press in 1956 was the culmination of over twenty years research by Paul Quattlebaum. The book details early European exploration and abortive attempts at settlement along the South Carolina coast prior to the coming of the English in 1670. In writing this book Quattlebaum compiled research from libraries and archives in North America and Europe. He maintained extensive correspondence with various historians, curators, archivists, and antiquarians. As his reputation as a local historian grew, Quattlebaum received numerous genealogical inquiries pertaining to South Carolina and Horry County. In some instances this genealogical correspondence relates to individuals in the Horry County Families series in the Quattlebaum Papers. Well known correspondents in the Chicora series include A. M. Huntington, Bernard Baruch, and South Carolina historians Robert Meriwether, Chapman J. Milling, and A. S. Salley.

Arrangement

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject or correspondent and each folder is organized chronologically. Early manuscript drafts of several chapters are located at the end of the series.

Series 12: Paul Quattlebaum, Horry County Families 1948-1964   1.0 cubic feet

Series Description

The Horry County Families Series primarily consists of obituary notices and genealogical information on families from Horry County, South Carolina. Quattlebaum recognized the importance of preserving genealogical information for future research. The material accumulated in this series was copied chiefly from the "Death Notices" page of the Charleston News and Courier. Also included in this series are manuscripts on several Horry County families compiled by professional genealogist Leonardo Andrea of Columbia, South Carolina. The original version of Quattlebaum's 1,925 page typescript is located in the Horry County Memorial Library in Conway.

Arrangment

The papers are arranged alphabetically by family name.

Series 13: Paul Quattlebaum, Senatorial Research Committee 1956-1963   0.5 cubic feet

Series Description

This series documents Paul Quattlebaum's research on the biographies of state senators from Horry County, South Carolina. This material was ultimately incorporated in Emily Bellinger Reynolds and Joan Reynolds Faunt, eds., Biographical Directory of the Senate of the State of South Carolina, 1776-1964 (Columbia: South Carolina Archives Department, 1964), compiled under the direction of the Senatorial Research Committee. The series consists of genealogical form-letter inquiries and correspondence, including numerous letters between Quattlebaum and the mother-daughter editorial team of Reynolds and Faunt.

Arrangement

The Senatorial Research Committee Series is arranged alphabetically by surname of each senator.

Series 14: Paul Quattlebaum, Richard Champion   1.0 volume(s)

Series Description

The Richard Champion Series consists of a bound, seventy-two page typescript compiled by Paul Quattlebaum in 1956. The volume is a scrapbook of material copied from various authors. It chronicles the career of Richard Champion (1743-1791) as a merchant, a manufacturer of porcelain, and a political activist. Champion, an English Quaker, created porcelain which compared favorably with that of Josiah Wedgewood. A staunch Whig, Champion emigrated to Camden, South Carolina in 1784 and later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1790. Paul Quattlebaum compiled this manuscript at the behest of his cousin, Rev. W. Dan Quattlebaum of Pasadena, California, himself an ardent porcelain collector.

Series 15: Paul Quattlebaum Jr., German Immigration 1972-1982 

Series Description

Paul Quattlebaum, Jr. gathered a variety of research materials related to the settlement in South Carolina by German speaking immigrants as well as their accomplishments, community and religious establishments. It is uncertain whether any publication resulted from this research. Some material from his father’s research on A Palatine Family in South Carolina is also included.

The papers consist of eight folders of primarily of photocopies and transcripts of documents, journal articles, portions of books, and research notes dating from 1729 – 1982. All the material prior to the mid twentieth century is either photocopied or transcribed. This series was accessioned as 95-93.

Series 16: Paul Quattlebaum Jr., Northeast Corner of South Carolina 

Series Description

Paul Quattlebaum conducted research and created manuscript drafts titled “The Northeast Corner of South Carolina or Old Georgetown District” primarily during 1959. The project was discontinued after four chapters and apparently was never published.

The series consists of three folders: correspondence related to the natural history of Georgetown and Horry County, Native Americans, and early colonial settlements; a typed manuscript; and research notes. This series was accessioned as part of 04-94.

Series 17: Paul Quattlebaum Jr. 

Biographical Note

Paul Quattlebaum, Jr. was born September 14, 1912 in Conway, South Carolina, the son of Paul and Sue Martin Quattlebaum. He attended public schools in Horry County graduating from Burroughs High School. He attended Clemson College and graduated in 1933 with a degree in electrical engineering. Moving to Charleston after graduation, Paul managed a retail appliance store until called to military service in 1942. He served in the US Army during World War II working with military ordinance at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He continued to be in the Army Reserves retiring in 1961 with the rank of Captain. Paul Quattlebaum Jr. married Margaret Lillian Hass of Charleston in 1937 with whom he raised three daughters: Patricia Sue Quattlebaum, Margaret Quattlebaum Hahn, and the Rev. Laura Quattlebaum. After the death of Margaret Quattlebaum in 1975 Paul married Verbia Elane Arnold in 1976.

In 1947 Paul was a member of the South Carolina Education Survey Committee that prepared a landmark report on the condition and challenges of the public schools in the state. During the post war years, he was active in numerous fraternal, civic and business organizations including the Arion Socety, the German Friendly Society, the St. Andrews Society, the Lions Club, the Harbor Club of Charleston and the Chamber of Commerce where he was chair of the military affairs committee during a period of rapid expansion of military bases in the Charleston area. In 1960 he sold his appliance business and became director of the South Carolina Field Office of the United States Department of Commerce for almost twenty years. He was a member of economic study and advisory committees created by Governors West and McNair.

That same year, he was elected by the General Assembly to become a member of the Board of Trustees of Clemson where he served on the Public Relations, Educational Policy, Student Affairs, Development, and Executive Committees. Upon the completion of his fifth term as an elected trustee on January 1, 1980, he was awarded the title Trustee Emeritus. Paul Quattlebaum continued to loyally serve Clemson University for over the next twenty years, attending Board meetings and University events for years until near his death on May 15, 2003.

Series Description

This series, 1933-2003, consists almost exclusively of material about Clemson University, primarily related to Paul Quattlebaum Jr.’s service on the Board of Trustees with the exception of a folder of newspaper clippings and one about his military service. Although he served on the Board from 1960-1980, there are few items from this period. The bulk of the Trustee papers are from the 1995-2001 when, as a Trustee Emeritus, he continued to participate in Board activities. Included is documentation of the Board’s Educational Policy Committee and some Board meetings. As a member of the Board, Paul displayed a keen interest in the University Libraries, as well as research programs in the College of Engineering.