Spurr family papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Spurr family papers
- Date
- 1839-1916
- Extent
- 0.03 Cubic feet
- Subjects
- Businessmen--Correspondence.
- Education
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 2012MS721: [identification of item], Spurr family papers, 1839-1916, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Richard W. Spurr was born March 21, 1809. He was married to Martha Spurr (1813-1902), maiden name Pruitt (sometimes spelled Prewitt), in 1830 and he died in 1851. Their children included: Richard Alexander Spurr (1836-1898); Lydia Spurr (1838-1840); Levi Spurr (1840-1928); Jennie Spurr (1841-1897); Marcus A. Spurr (1822-1922); and Henry C. Spurr (1846-1851).
- Levi graduated from Bethany University in 1859 and died in 1928.
- Marcus A. Spurr served in the Civil War as a major. He later received a presidential pardon for fighting for the Confederacy. He lived the rest of his life in Tennessee.
- Richard Alexander Spurr was born in Fayette County on March 18, 1836. He served as a Lieutenant in the Civil War, notably fighting with John Hunt Morgan on the latter's raid of Indiana and Ohio in 1863. After the war, Spurr was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, serving from 1875-1878, and was later elected to the State Senate, serving from 1881-1885. He died on March 5, 1898. He married Ruth Wiermann Sheffer (1843-1928) and their children included: Julia Patton Hughes Spurr (1867-1957); Alexander Spurr (1871); Laura Spurr (1877-unknown); and Robert Jacob Hughes Spurr, who also went by Hughes Spurr (1881-1936).
- Julia Hughes Spurr was a personal friend of James Patterson--the University of Kentucky's first president--and the two wrote on occasion. She attended Edgeworth School in Baltimore by 1886.
- Scope and Content
- The Spurr family papers (1839-1916; 0.03 cubic feet; 15 items) comprise letters, receipts, invitations, and memos kept by the Spurr family of Fayette County, Ky. The collection includes personal correspondence, general invitations to social events, and receipts of sale and tuition. The collection contains items from locations within Kentucky as well as from other states, such as Maryland and Texas. Topics include an account of a fire at Bethany College, a large fire that destroyed most of Danville, Ky., State University of Kentucky (later known as University of Kentucky) President James Patterson views on the death of a friend, and a meeting request about a bill in the state legislature.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections.
Contents of the Collection
Letters, 1839-1916
- Box MS-9, folder 1
P. L. Elliot letter to Dick [Richard] K. Spurr, 1839 January 12
Laura Prewitt letter to unnamed cousin, 1857 December 10
J.D. Stone, Jr. letter to R. A. Spurr, 1858 January 3
Levi P. Spurr letter to Marcus A. Spurr, 1860 February 19
J. Eugene Hughes letter to W. M. Athens, 1874 February 10
J. Johnston to Ms. Spurr [first name unknown], 1876 March 1
James K. Patterson letter to Julia Spurr, 1898 May 29
James K. Patterson letter to Julia Spurr, 1916 March 19
Fred L. Pendleton letter to Dick [Richard] Spurr, undated
Invitations, 1859-1866
- Box MS-9, folder 2
General invitation to a picnic in Foxtown, Madison County, Ky., 1859 June 14
Mr. and Mrs. J. Chambers Brent invitation to Mrs. M. L. Brent, [unknown] November 8
General invitation a picnic in Basket, Ky., 1866 July 3
Receipts, 1859-1886
Memorandum, 1884 April 12
- Box MS-9, folder 4
S. J. M. Major, Jr., memorandum to J. Eugene Hughes, 1884 April 12
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Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
