Harkins Family papers

Abstract

Walter S. Harkins, Sr. (1857-1920) was a lawyer and entrepreneur active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Floyd County, Kentucky. By the 1920s his sons, Walter S. Harkins, Jr. (1898-1936) and Joseph Davidson Harkins were practicing in the Harkins law firm and also participating in the development of coal and gas in eastern Kentucky. Materials primarily include business papers, including a large amount of the correspondence and case files relating to legal cases handled by the Harkins and Harkins law firm.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Harkins Family papers

Extent: 14 Cubic Feet

Subjects: Mineral rights -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History.; Law reports, digests, etc. -- Kentucky.; Mining leases -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History.; Practice of law -- Kentucky.; Bankers -- Kentucky.; Banks and banking -- Kentucky -- Prestonsburg.; Coal trade -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History.; Lawyers -- Kentucky.

Arrangement: Organized into the following series: Personal (1876-1953, undated), Business (1860-1954, undated), Topical Files, Legal Cases, and Photographs.

Finding Aid Author: Processed by Archives staff.; machine-readable finding aid created by Beth Eifler

Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Harkins Family papers, 1860-1954, 63M46, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington

Repository: University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History: Walter S. Harkins, Sr. (1857-1920) was a lawyer and entrepreneur from Floyd County, Kentucky. Harkins was married to Josephine Davidson and inherited significant portions of land through the estate of her father, Joseph M. Davidson, an influential member of eastern Kentucky society. Prior to 1889, Harkins' law business was primarily devoted to the recovery of debts on the behalf of wholesalers and collection agencies based out of regional cities such as Cincinnati and Portsmouth, Ohio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland. Harkins worked to recover these debts from merchants and private citizens in eastern Kentucky and ultimately used the information gained from this business to acquire land and mineral rights in the region and to promote eastern Kentucky as a location for investment to industrialists, real estate agents, and fellow entrepreneurs throughout the United States and Europe. With the extension of railroads into eastern Kentucky during the 1890s and early twentieth century, Harkins' legal practice shifted toward the representation of companies devoted to the development and extraction of eastern Kentucky's natural resources (coal, oil, natural gas, and timber). Harkins did much to facilitate the economic and social transformation in the region by consolidating landholdings for the purpose of attracting investors and by representing outside companies in numerous legal disputes with eastern Kentuckians over who would control development in the region and how it would occur.; By the 1920s his sons, Walter S. Harkins, Jr. (1898-1936) and Joseph Davidson Harkins (1884-1954) were practicing in the Harkins law firm and also participating in the development of coal and gas in eastern Kentucky. Walter Jr. died in 1936 at age 38, but Joseph's sons Walter S. (Scott) III and Joseph D. Jr. were still practicing law at the time of their father's death in 1954.

Scope and Content: These are primarily the business papers of the Harkins family of eastern Kentucky, though some personal papers are also included. Much of the correspondence relates to legal cases handled by the Harkins and Harkins law firm, as well as a substantial number of case files containing letters and carbons of transcripts and other court documents. There are also letters dealing with the family's other business interests, including the development of the Big Sandy River Valley. Personal papers include family correspondence, clippings, certificates, and photographs.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access: Conditions Governing Access Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: Copyright has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.

Contents of the Collection

PERSONAL

The Harkins family personal papers are predominantly composed of receipts and invoices related to W.S. Harkins' purchase of household items, including clothing, jewelry, furniture, groceries, books, and office supplies. The receipts and invoices also give indication of Harkins' extensive law library, his rising financial status and place within eastern Kentucky society, and his reputation as a shrewd, and active, consumer. In addition there are letters from suppliers to Harkins containing advertisements or samples of products which they hope will interest him. There is personal correspondence from family, friends, and fellow professionals, including a few letters addressed to Harkins' wife Josephine and other members of the Harkins family. Also included are payrolls, receipts, and correspondence pertaining to the building of Harkins' new house around the year 1905 in Prestonsburg (Floyd County), Kentucky. Papers dealing with Harkins' involvement in civic organizations and political matters were removed from this section and placed with material on his business dealings and to illustrate the interconnected nature in which these forces functioned in his life during this period. Papers concerning Harkins' personal banking activity, particularly with Catlettsburg National Bank, were also kept in the "business" category because they are more pertinent to Harkins' paying of others' debts rather than his personal finances.

BIOGRAPHICAL

Walter S. Harkins

Certificates of appointment to Notary Public and Delegate in Kentucky, 1884-1889

Box 1, folder 1

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Estate Papers, 1919-1928

Box 1, folder 2

[These papers outline the financial account and land and mineral ownership of Walter S. Harkins. They show receipts and disbursements of his estate and the accounting of land tracts. Included are papers related to the various oil, gas, and mineral leases that Walter S. Harkins owned, often showing from whom and where they were bought. The papers also outline the history of various land tracts and how they came to be in the Walter S. Harkins estate.]

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Josephine D. Harkins

Dedications to Josephine D. Harkins, 1941-1946

Box 1, folder 3

[including one from the Bank Josephine, founded by the Harkins family, which outlines a short biography of Josephine and the Harkins family.]

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Joseph D. Harkins

Judge appointment certificates, state bar association materials, address given before the Indiana Bar Association, picture, obituary, and ledger labelled "coal book", 1907-1954

Box 1, folder 4

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Walter S. Harkins Jr.

Army papers and obituary, 1936, undated

Box 1, folder 5

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Walter S. Harkins III (Scott Harkins)

Military papers, 1946-1948

Box 1, folder 6

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Harkins Family

Genealogy, family cemetery blueprint, miscellaneous short story and newspaper clippings, undated

Box 1, folder 7

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CORRESPONDENCE

Most of the personal correspondence is between family members, but also includes letters to friends and business acquaintances.

1876-1883

Box 1, folder 8

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1883-1885

Box 1, folder 9

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1885-1886

Box 1, folder 10

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1886-1887

Box 1, folder 11

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1887 May-December

Box 1, folder 12

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1888 January-June

Box 1, folder 13

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1888 July-December

Box 2, folder 1

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1889-1906

Box 2, folder 2

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1907-1917

Box 2, folder 3

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1918-1919

Box 2, folder 4

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1920-1939

Box 2, folder 5

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1940-1953

Box 2, folder 6

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undated

Box 2, folder 7

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BUSINESS

CORRESPONDENCE AND RELATED MATERIALS

Arranged chronologically, these files include bills, invoices, business agreements, land leases, deeds, and surveys of land in the Kentucky counties of Floyd, Magoffin, Knott, Martin, Letcher, and Pike. Papers dating from 1860 through March 1889 deal primarily with the Harkins law firm and its representation of wholesalers and collection agencies in their collecting of debts in eastern Kentucky. Letters from these businesses concern the status of claims; inquire about the financial standings of individuals; and respond to settlement offers from Harkins on behalf of debtors. Papers from 1889 onward display a shift away from Harkins' business in claiming debts to a more intense focus on land dealings and representation of the mining, railway, oil, and natural gas companies beginning to do business in eastern Kentucky. Much of the correspondence concerns the payment of fees and debts, as well as disputes over amounts owed. There are also letters discussing the prospect of railroads coming into eastern Kentucky and its importance in the development of the mining industry in that area. Moreover, letters also reveal disputes between citizens of eastern Kentucky and the various railroad, timber, oil, and mining companies doing business in the region over such things as destruction of property, failure to deliver merchandise, contested land titles, violation of agreements, and citizens' refusals to sell or leave land coveted by companies. The business correspondence provides an indication of Harkins's growing influence within the community. The files contain letters from friends or acquaintances asking for assistance in finding employment, requests for him to use his political capital to repair local roads and bridges, and documents which demonstrate his active involvement in the Masonic Lodge and Mutual Benefit Association. In addition, there are numerous letters from politicians seeking his backing.