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From: DC0152, Rockwell, Elijah Frink, 1809-1888. Papers, 1783, 1848-1869 (Finding Aid)
Transcript
Statesville [1], December 22nd, 1869. [2]
Mr. James B. Smith, [3]
Dear Sir:
Your letter of the 9th inst. in reference to a stretch of the History of D. College, came to land in due time; I have been away a part of the time since, and very busy. I have not the needful Records or memoranda to prepare the paper you speak of.
I can only suggest certain points; the first buildings [4] were erected by subscription in the various congregations in Concord Pres. [5] payable in 5 annual installments – much of it in small sums: the rooms were all furnished, each by a particular Cong. with all needful articles.
Dr. Morrison [6] went to Raleigh to secure the charter, [7] and met with some opposition; finally a charter was granted to hold property to a limited amount; and this restriction was the cause of a serious loss in the bequest of Mr. Chambers. [8] Mr. W. Lee Davidson [9] gave a large track of land, and the college was named after him, or rather his father [10] who fell in 1781 at Cowan’s Ford. [11]
Dr. Morrison was the first Pres. from 1836 to ____ Dr. P. J. Sparrow [12] professor of Languages – Mr. M. D. Johnson [13] was at first I think tutor, and afterward elected prof. of Languages; and Rev. S. B. O. Wilson [14] Prof. of Math; and they exchanged when Mr. Williamson [15] came in Prof. of Math and then Pres. when Dr. Morrison resigned – and events subsequent to that, Mr. Thomas Sparrow, [16] can tell: and the Records of the Board of Trustees will give information – a great many dates I cannot give for want of access to them, and the Records of the Faculty – I think there is in the old Record Book of the Faculty a stretch of the early history of the college, prepared by Prof. Johnson and probably that may answer your purpose.
This which I enclose to you is preliminary to what you spoke of and is most important in reference to the history of education in this part of the state. It is probable that no other copy exists besides the one in my possession. If you use it, copy it and return it to me – and if not return without copying. I hope your proposed periodical with meet with public favor.
Yours truly,
E. F. Rockwell [17]
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Annotations
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[1] Statesville, North Carolina is located roughly twenty miles north of Davidson College and is the closest town to where Rockwell was living in 1869 (Distance Between Cities). Davidson College was founded in 1837 as a Presbyterian, agrarian, and all male institution. The college is located in Davidson, NC about 22 miles north of Charlotte, NC. The town was incorporated as Davidson College in 1879 and in 1891 the town’s name was officially changed to Davidson. (Blodgett, Town of Davidson Site)
[2] While this letter was written in 1869, Rockwell writes about the college’s creation and first years. In 1837, Reverend Morrison was President of Davidson College and led two other faculty members, Rev. Sparrow and Mr. Johnston. The college opened on March 1, 1837 and enrolled 66 students to take different courses. The students learned languages from Rev. Sparrow and mathematics and natural philosophy from Mr. Johnston. Davidson College was the idea of the Concord Presbytery who created it to be a religious, educational institution for residents of western North and South Carolina. (Semi-Centennial Catalogue of Davidson College, v) (Hereafter SCCDC)
[3] Here, Rockwell is most likely referring to James Baylis Smith (1849-1872) who graduated from Davidson College class of 1867. He was a teacher and law student from Anderson, South Carolina. (SCCDC, 52)
[4] One of the earliest buildings erected on the campus of Davidson College was the Chapel Building, which was completed in 1837 and was a very important building on campus. Additionally, the brick Steward’s Hall was the center of college life during the first year and existed until 1909. There were three dormitories at the time, Elm Row, Oak Row, and another building with a similar appearance to Oak Row. The President’s House was another main building on the campus in 1837. The presbytery added two more dormitories by 1838. (Shaw, Davidson College, 26)
[5] Concord Presbytery Congregation was responsible for the idea of Davidson College and they chose the location. Rev. Morrison was chairman of the committee to find a location and William L. Davidson and P.J. Sparrow were also members. They were told to contract for two parcels of land belonging to William Lee Davidson in northern Mecklenburg County. After purchasing, they funded the building of project at $4 per one thousand bricks. The members of the presbytery should be credited with making their idea a reality and bringing education to western North Carolina. (Shaw, Davidson College, 13, 14, 15)
For more information regarding the meetings of the Concord Presbytery visit https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/digital-collections/presbytery-minutes.
[6] Reverend Robert Hall Morrison played an integral role in the founding of Davidson College. He was the first president of the college, elected at the age of 37. He was very religious and connected with the Concord Presbytery and many other churches throughout the region. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1818 second in his class to future President of the United States, James K. Polk. Morrison retired from Davidson College in 1840 due to illness but remained active in the community as a member of the board of trustees from 1852 to 1874. (Gillespie, Morrison)
For more detail about Reverend Robert Hall Morrison visit https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/robert-hall-morrison.
[7] Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and is roughly 125 miles east of Davidson. (Distance Between Cities) Rev. Morrison and Rev. S. Williamson were given the task of drafting a petition for a charter to be presented to the state Legislature by the Concord Presbytery in 1836. They would have had to take this petition to Raleigh to get it passed. (Shaw, Davidson College, 21)
[8] Maxwell Chambers was born in 1780 in Salisbury, N.C. He was a planter and cotton trader in Charleston, S.C. He is important in Davidson College history because he left his large inheritance to Davidson when he died in 1855. (Fernandez)
For more information about Maxwell Chambers and his donation to Davidson College visit https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/chambers-old.
[9] William Lee Davidson II was the seventh son of Revolutionary War hero General William Lee Davidson. He was born the same year his father died, 1781, and was married twice with no children. He sold his land in northern Mecklenburg County to the Concord Presbytery so that they could create Davidson College, named for his father. He died in 1862. (Gillespie: Davidson)
[10] William Lee Davidson was born in 1746 in Pennsylvania. In 1770 he began his career as a soldier when he was appointed as constable, but in 1776 was made a major in the Continental Army. He fell in the battle at Cowan’s Ford in 1781 on the Catawba River in North Carolina. His son of the same name gave the first piece of land on which Davidson College would exist. (Gillespie: Davidson)
See this encyclopedia entry for more information about W. L. Davidson: https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/general-william-lee-davidson.
[11] The Battle of Cowan’s Ford took place in February of 1781 along the banks of the Catawba River in North Carolina. It was a battle between the Continental and British Armies led by General William Lee Davidson and Lord Charles Cornwallis, respectively. Vastly outnumbered, Davidson waited with roughly 500 militia as Cornwallis crossed the ford in an effort to track down Major General Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army. When his men saw General Davidson get shot in the chest, they fled, and victory belonged to the British. (North Carolina Office)
[12] The Reverend Patrick Jones Sparrow, D.D. served on the Davidson College faculty from 1837 to 1840. Born in North Carolina and educated in South Carolina he received his license to preach in 1821, at the age of nineteen. He assisted in the securing of funds for Davidson College in 1836 and was elected Professor of Languages the following year. He went on to become president of Hampden Sidney College in Virginia. After he resigned, he lived in many different places, preaching and teaching until his death in 1867. (SCCDC, 14)
[13] Here, Rockwell is most likely referring to Mortimer Davidson Johnston, who served as professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy from 1841 to 1853. Born in 1805 in Rowan County, North Carolina, he would later go on to attend Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. After his retirement from Davidson College in 1853, he opened a school in Charlotte, North Carolina. He died in Charlotte in 1866. (SCCDC, 14)
[14] Reverend Samuel Blain Owen Wilson was Professor of Languages at Davidson College from 1841 to 1853. He was born in 1809 in Virginia and attended Princeton College, graduating in 1828. He later received his license to preach in 1834 and spent his life teaching and preaching at Davidson College and many churches. (SCCDC, 14)
[15] The Reverend Samuel Williamson took the roles of professor of Mathematics, Chemistry, Mental and Moral Philosophy, and Rhetoric during his time at Davidson College. He was a member of the faculty from 1840-1854. He was born in 1795 in South Carolina and taught himself in preparation for his attendance at South Carolina College. He was a pastor at a church in North Carolina until he was elected to the faculty of Davidson College in 1840. In 1841 he was elected President of the college and held that position until 1854. He then went back to preaching until his death in 1882. (SCCDC, 14)
[16] Thomas W. Sparrow was a college steward from 1854-1855 and brother of Patrick Jones Sparrow. The task of the steward was to work closely with students and have care and possession of the college property. It was considered very prestigious and stewards were paid the same salary as a tutor. Rockwell lists Sparrow as a source for more information on faculty members in the 1840s and 50s. (Harris)
[17] Elijah Frink Rockwell was born in Lebanon, Connecticut in 1809 to Joseph and Sarah Huntington Rockwell. He entered Yale in 1829, but did not graduate until 1834 due to financial difficulties. Before becoming elected to Davidson College faculty in 1850, Rockwell studied theology for two years at Columbia and Princeton Seminaries, and was the Assistant Principal of Donaldson Academy, Fayetteville, NC from 1835-1837. At Davidson, he taught Chemistry, Geology, Latin, and Modern History from 1850 to 1868. In 1858, he was elected the president of the Concord Female College, where he had been one of the trustees from its beginning. Rockwell was also the Pastor Fifth Creek for Bethany and Tabor Churches from 1872 to 1873. He died in 1888 at Fifth Creek, North Carolina. During his time at Davidson, Rockwell offered the first prize ever to be given at Davidson in 1860, where he donated 100 dollars, for which the interest was to be given in money or books to the highest achieving student in science. (Powell, 240)
Works cited
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Davidson College Catalogue, 1869-1870. Davidson: Davidson College Office of Communications. [1870].
“Distance Between Cities.” Distance Between Cities. Google Maps, n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.
http://www.distance-cities.com/
Fernandez, Jennifer. “Chambers – The Old and the New” Davidson Encyclopedia October 2003.
https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/chambers-old/
Gillespie, Molly P. “Robert Hall Morrison ” Davidson Encyclopedia 1998.
https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/robert-hall-morrison/
—. “General William Lee Davidson ” Davidson Encyclopedia 2001.
Harris, Jim. “Stewards.” Davidson Encyclopedia, 29 February 2012.
https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/stewards/
North Carolina Office of Archives & History. nd. “Battle of Cowan’s Ford Essay.” Available:
http://www.ncmarkers.com/print_marker.aspx?id=L-22
Photograph 9-0949a.Davidson College Photograph Collection. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.
Photograph of William Lee Davidson II. N.d. Davidson College Archives and Special Collections, Davidson, NC. Davidson College. Web. 6 May 2014.
https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/encyclopedia/beaver-dam
Powell, William S., ed. “Rockwell, Elijah Frink.” Dictionary of North Carolina Biography.Vol. 5. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Pr., 1994. 240. Google EBook. Web. 6 May 2014.
http://books.google.com/books?id=VeSDB5tKDagC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240#v=onepage&q&f=false
Semi-Centennial Catalogue of Davidson College, 1837-1887. Raleigh: R.L. Uzzel. 1891.
Shaw, Cornelia Rebekah. Davidson College; Intimate Facts. New York: Fleming Revell, 1923. Print.
“Town History Timeline.” The Town of Davidson North Carolina Website.
http://www.ci.davidson.nc.us/index.aspx?nid=129
Transcription and annotation author: Evan Farese.
Date: May 2014.
Cite as: Farese, Evan, annotator. 22 December 1869 Elijah Frink Rockwell Letter to James B. Smith. DC0152.
Available: https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/digital-collections/e-f-rockwell-letter-22-dec-1869.
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