| Abstract |
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence. Letters concern Spoon's interest in establishing an ice-making plant in Burlington, N.C.; his employment by the North Carolina Geological Survey; his term as supervisor of roads in Alamance County; his life in Texas where he taught school and worked on an invention for the cotton industry; his travels to Baltimore, Md.; the measles and influenza epidemics in North Carolina; corn prices in Texas; crop prospects; and a flood of the Arkansas River. Correspondence between Addie Spoon and her sister concerns family affairs and daily life. A notebook entitled "The Methodist Recorder" describes Methodist Christian Endeavor Rallies held in Cleveland, Ohio. Spoon's diary recounts the building of a house in Burlington, his travels to Virginia and North Dakota, his work on Alamance County roads, scenery in the Midwest, and rail travel. Collection also contains farmers' almanacs; a North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey; maps of Alamance County; promissory notes and other financial papers from the estate of Eli Moser of Orange County; deeds and indentures from Person, Guilford, and Orange Counties; and newspapers from the 1800s and early 1900s. |
| Access restriction | Joyner- No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William L. Spoon Papers (#170), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Joyner- Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. T. Collins Cooper. |
| Biographical note | William Luther Spoon (1862-1942), a native of Alamance County, N.C., attended the University of North Carolina where he was a member of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. After graduating he worked as a surveyor, teacher, inventor, map maker, and traveling salesman. After marrying Addie Vernon Neville, he was appointed supervisor of public roads in Alamance County and worked as an agent of the United States Department of Agriculture. |
