Col. William T. Withers (1825-1889) and his family were prominent plantation owners in Mississippi before the Civil War and owned Fairlawn Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, following the war. They spent a brief time during the war as refugees in Alabama. William T. Withers, the son of William A. Withers and Elizabeth Perrin, fought in the Mexican War and as a Confederate during the Civil War. He and his wife, Martha Sharkey (1830-1915), had ten children together: Ida Withers Harrison (1851-1927), Sallie, Alice, Robert, Martha, Anna (Rebel), William, Jennie, Mary, and Edith. On his father’s side, Withers had a brother named James S. Withers and and a sister named Jennie Withers Smith (1842-1918). Martha Sharkey’s family included her adoptive parents Robert R. Sharkey (1794-1867) and Sallie Sharkey (1802-1876) as well as two cousins Allen and Greenwood Sharkey.
Collection is arranged into six series: William T. Withers, Martha S. Withes, Ida W. Harrison, Jennie W. Smith, Shakey Family, and Assorted Family and Friends.
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.
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
The William T. Withers family papers (dated 1833-1960, bulk 1833-1928; 5.65 cubic feet; 15 boxes) comprise correspondence, legal documents, financial papers, mission and church papers, journals, ledgers and account books, play bills, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and horse pedigrees that document the Withers' family personal, financial, legal, and business matters as well as that of the Kentucky University.
The papers include material related to Col. Withers' Confederate service; his activities after the war in real estate and law; the business of his horse farm, Fairlawn Stock Farm in Lexington, Ky.; and the development of Kentucky University A&M (1865-1878), the precursor to the University of Kentucky. Additionally, the collection includes the correspondence, financial papers, and legal papers of other members of the Withers and Sharkey families: Martha S. Withers, Ida W. Harrison, Jennie Withers Smith, Robert R. Sharkey, and Sallie S. Sharkey. They document the history of Lexington, Kentucky; Mississippi; and the South. Many prominent people are mentioned, including Henry Clay, John Bryan Bowman, John C. Breckinridge, John Morrison Clay, and William Seward. Henry Clay's Ashland estate and the Main Street Christian Church feature prominently in the papers, specifically in relation to Kentucky University. The Assorted Family and Friends Papers series consists of contributions created by friends of the Withers family; his children, the spouses of children; and William A. Withers, William T. Withers father, as well as assorted materials unconnected to the Withers family.
2013ms0772: [identification of item], William T. Withers family papers, 1832-1960, bulk 1832-1928, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
Correspondence, legal documents, deeds and leases, financial papers, bills, checks, inventories, accounts, receipts, stock bonds, ledger books, horse pedigrees, and journals make up the William T. Withers series.
The Kentucky University subseries contains correspondence, financial papers, legal documents, business papers, affiliated church papers, and Ashland estate papers. The prominent people involved in these records include William T. Withers, John Bryan Bowman, and John M. Clay. Interesting items consist of William T. Withers' resignation from the university (Box 2, Folder 13); correspondence and documents regarding the legal issues between the university and J. B. Bowman (Box 2, Folder 16-25 and Box 3, Folder 1); and the correspondence of the affiliated Main Street Church of Christ concerning the functions of the university (Box 2, Folder 14).
The Equestrian subseries includes correspondence about Withers' standardbred horse catalog and the purchase of his bred horses; his horse journals; and horse pedigrees. The journals document the horses that Withers’ bred and purchased, while the pedigrees pertain to his most famous horse line, Almont’s.
Other items of interest include the Supreme Court case records of
Col. William T. Withers, the son of William A. Withers and Elizabeth Perrin, was born in Harrison County, Kentucky in 1825 and married Martha Sharkey on April 24, 1850. He attended school at Bacon College in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, graduating as valedictorian. He fought in the Mexican War (1846-1848) as a Lieutenant and was shot in the leg at the Battle of Buena Vista. After studying law under Major William R. Wall, Withers gained bar admittance between 1847 and 1851. He practiced law in Jackson, Mississippi, first at the law firm of Sharkey & Withers and later with Judge Wiley P. Harris. Additionally, he owned a plantation outside of Jackson, specializing in cotton. He fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War as a Colonel, where he was an integral figure in the command of the Home Guard and artillery in the fall of Vicksburg. After the siege, he was present at the surrender to Ulysses S. Grant with General John C. Pemberton. Later in life, he became friends with General Grant, who visited his Kentucky horse farm, Fairlawn. Following the war, Withers led a prominent business in Standardbred horse breeding through Fairlawn Stock Farm in Lexington, even selling a horse to the King Kalakawa of Hawaii, who stayed at Fairlawn in 1880. Withers was also involved in high education at institutions such as the Kentucky University, Hamilton Female College, and Morehead State University. At the Kentucky University and Agricultural and Mechanical College he became the President of the Board of Curators from 1877 to 1887 as well as being involved as an elder of the Main Street Church in Lexington. William T. Withers, known as
The Martha S. Withers series comprises correspondence, financial papers, bills, receipts, checks, stock bonds, check books, account books, deeds, leases, and phrenological society documents. The series is organized into subseries by form. The bulk of this series consists of financial papers that document the financial obligations of Martha Sharkey Withers from 1894-1914. A large section of these papers documents the needs of a household during the late 19th century and contains checks, bills, and various account and check books. The correspondence primarily regards family and personal matters, although a small section concerns a land dispute and financial issues (Box 3, Folder 15). One notable document pertains to the will of Robert R. Sharkey (Box 3, Folder 17), Martha’s adoptive father.
Martha Sharkey Withers was born in 1830 in Mississippi to William M. Knowland and Martha Hyland. After her mother died in childbirth, Knowland decided he could not support his daughter alone. Robert and Sallie Sharkey, her mother's aunt and uncle, adopted Martha. Martha married William T. Withers on April 24, 1850, and they had eight daughters and two sons between 1851 to 1871. She assumed charge of the family during the Civil War and took care of her husband throughout the last few years of his life when he suffered from illness. After William T. Withers' death in 1889, her children cared for her as she moved between Lexington and Florida. Eventually, she sold the family horse farm, Fairlawn. She died in Lexington, Kentucky, on December 29, 1915.
Correspondence, financial papers, bills, receipts, checks, bonds, account books, inventories, legal agreements, and mission papers compose the Ida W. Harrison series. The bulk of this series includes the financial papers of Ida W. Harrison that pertain to the financial obligations she held from 1894 to 1928. The papers consist primarily of checks, check books, and bills that reflect not only her transactions but also those of Martha Sharkey Withers. The correspondence consists of her personal communication with family and friends as well as a small section of her legal and business correspondence documenting disputes with her siblings over William and Martha Withers’ estates. The collection contains reports, statements, and correspondence regarding her work for local churches and the Christian Women's Board of Missions.
The eldest child of William T. and Martha S. Withers, Ida Withers Harrison was born on her father's plantation in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1851. She was close to her mother's adoptive parents, although she and her siblings were unaware of their mother's adoption until after their grandparents’ deaths. Her father ensured she received a good education by sending her to the Patapsco Female Institute in Maryland (graduated 1863). She later attended Transylvania College in 1914. She married Albert M. Harrison in 1880, and they had one child, Jamie. After settling in Kentucky, she became very involved with the Christian Women's Board of Missions. She authored three books based on her life: one about her father,
The Jennie W. Smith series comprises correspondence, financial papers, checks, accounts, receipts, account books, check books, and legal documents. The bulk of the series contains her financial papers, which document her financial obligations from 1893-1917. Smith’s will and codicils reflect personal connections and family matters over several years (Box 9, Folder 4). The correspondence primarily consists of her personal communication with family and her mission society (Box 8, Folders 9-11). Other items of interest include the arrangements made for her and her husband's cemetery plots (Box 8, Folder 7) and a program from her husband's funeral (Box 9, Folder 5).
William T. Withers' only sister, Jennie Withers, was born in 1842 in Kentucky. At the age of twelve she moved with her father, William A. Withers, to join her brother in Mississippi on his plantation. She attended school in Kentucky but returned to Mississippi after the start of the Civil War. During the war she was a renowned belle who helped raise money and support for the Confederacy. While a refugee, she went to live with her other brother, James S. Withers, in Kentucky. She married Samuel M. Smith in 1878 but had no children of her own. After Jennie Withers Smith’s death in 1918, her estate was divided among her nieces and nephews.
Correspondence, accounts, inventories, bills, checks, receipts, bonds, legal documents, notices, and deeds make up the Sharkey family series.
The Robert R. Sharkey subseries consists of correspondence, financial papers, journals, and legal documents. The bulk of the subseries documents his personal legal obligations as well as including notices of bankruptcy of William T. Withers’ law firm, court documents and summons, agreements, deeds, bonds, and an affidavit. The financial papers containing his accounts and inventories, along with his bills and receipts, document plantation life and legal practices of the antebellum period.
The Sallie S. Sharkey subseries includes correspondence, financial papers and legal documents. The bulk of the subseries contains her correspondence with family and friends as well as business correspondence following her husband's death. Her correspondence with family mostly consists of letters from Martha Withers, her adoptive daughter, as well as Greenwood and Allen Sharkey, her two orphaned nephews that she raised.
The Other Sharkey subseries contains financial papers and correspondence that includes Greenwood. L. Sharkey, Allen. N. Sharkey, and the Sharkey & Withers legal firm. The correspondence of G. L. Sharkey regards a business problem after Robert's death (Box 10, Folder 9). The financial papers of A. N. Sharkey and the legal firm include accounts, bills, and receipts.
Robert R. Sharkey (1794-1867) was born in Tennessee and owned a plantation in Mississippi. In 1818 he married Sallie Booker (1802-1876). In addition to living on their plantation, the couple spent time in Kentucky where their adopted daughter Martha Sharkey Withers would later attend school at Harrodsburg, Ky. In addition to adopting Martha Sharkey, their great-niece, the Sharkey’s also raised two of their nephews, Allen and Greenwood Sharkey. Allen, who was a member of William T. Wither’s regiment during the Civil War, died during the fall of Vicksburg. William Lewis Sharkey, Robert’s first cousin, became William T. Wither’s law partner in Jackson, Mississippi and later a judge.
Correspondence, financial papers, bills, receipts, legal documents, deeds, notices, newspaper clippings, play bills, and a report of the schools make up the Assorted family and friends series.
The Family subseries consists of the correspondence, financial papers, and legal documents of the children and their spouses including Jennie Withers Ashbrook, Sallie Withers, William T. Withers II, Robert S. Withers, Anna (Rebel) Withers, Mary S. Withers, A. M. Harrison, and T. E. Ashbrook; and William A. Withers, the father of William T. Withers. Interesting items include the Vital Statistics appointment of A. M. Harrison (Box 12, Folder 2), Ida Withers Harrison’s husband, the correspondence of the aforementioned children (Box 10, Folders 10-17 and 19), and a financial bond of William A. Withers (Box 10, Folder 18).
The Friends subseries contains the legal documents, correspondence, and financial papers of friends of the Withers family. Interesting items include W. C. Goodloe's bills at Fairlawn (Box 10, Folder 22) and the life insurance policy of J. R. Richardson (Box 10, Folder 26).
The Assorted papers subseries includes newspaper clippings, envelopes, letter fragments, play bills, pamphlets, and the assorted correspondence, financial papers, and legal documents unconnected to the Withers family. The interesting items include
Sallie Withers was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1852 on her adoptive grandparents' plantation and died in 1934 in Lexington, Kentucky. Alice Withers Headley was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1855 and died in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1940. She married James P. Headley in 1880; they had two children, James and Katherine. The first-born son Robert Withers was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1857 and died in 1935. William T. Withers chose Robert to take the King of Hawaii a horse from Fairlawn in 1880. Robert stayed in Hawaii following the delivery working for the King. He married Edith Chichester in 1898; they had four children: William, Martha, Robert, and Thomas. Martha Withers Moore was born in in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1859 and died in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1950. She married Charles Moore in 1883; they had four children: Temple, Virginia, Charles, and Ida. Anna