Mrs. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (1817-1903) Papers, PC.26

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Mrs. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (1817-1903) Papers, PC.26

Descriptive Summary

Title
Mrs. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (1817-1903) Papers
Call Number
PC.26
Creator
Branch, Lawrence O'Bryan, Mrs.
Date
1770-1895
Extent
1 cubic feet
Repository
State Archives of North Carolina

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], PC.26, Mrs. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch Papers, Private Collections, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, U.S.A.

Collection Overview

Papers of Nancy Haywood Blount Branch and her husband Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (1820-1862) of Raleigh, Democratic congressman (1855-1862) and Confederate general. Early Blount and Branch family correspondence (1833-1848) includes letters from UNC, College of New Jersey (Princeton), Harvard Law School, Tallahassee, Fla., Franklin, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., with good descriptions and some political advice (1848) from Lawrence's brother Joseph. Letters from uncle and former governor John Branch (1844, [1860]) include advice given prior to Democratic convention of 1860. Branch's letters to his wife describe his life and work as a congressman, President Buchanan's visit to North Carolina (1859), the Democratic convention (1860), and his declining to serve as Buchanan's secretary of the treasury (Dec., 1860). Other letters are from Clement C. Clay, and Galusha A. Grow. Branch's speeches, printed letters to constituents, and committee reports concern the election of 1856, the homestead bill, slavery in the territories, acquisition of Cuba, collection of import duties in the South, and right of the president to call the militia. The few Civil War letters (1862-1863) are from Branch, his wife, and children; and from others, including Varina Davis, about his death at Sharpsburg. Also copies of General Lee's letter praising Branch (June, 1862) and of an 1863 letter to Mrs. Branch from John H. Wheeler. Postwar material includes notes from Jefferson Davis and material relating to the Ladies Memorial Association (1866), UDC, and the North Carolina [Confederate] Monumental Association, 1895.

Contents of the Collection

➤ Container Count 2 Boxes, 2 Items

  • •  Correspondence and Miscellaneous Items (Mounted Volume)
    PC.26.1

  • •  Correspondence and Miscellaneous Items (Mounted Volume)
    PC.26.2

  • •  Letterpress copy book (used for correspondence and later as a sketch book) [EXTREMELY FRAGILE]
    PC.26.3

  • •  Correspondence; North Carolina Monument Association Papers; Printed Materials; Newspapers; Scrapbook
    PC.26.3-5

Subject Headings

  • Branch, Lawrence O'Bryan, Mrs.
  • Branch, Lawrence O'Bryan
  • Branch, Nancy Haywood Blount
  • Blount family
  • Branch, John
  • Branch, Joseph
  • Buchanan, James
  • Clay, Clement C.
  • Grow, Galusha A.
  • Davis, Varina Howell
  • Lee, Robert Edward
  • Wheeler, John H.
  • Davis, Jefferson
  • Democratic Party (U.S.)
  • Ladies Memorial Association
  • United Daughters of the Confederacy
  • North Carolina [Confederate] Monumental Association
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Harvard Law School
  • Sharpsburg (Md.), Battle of, 1862
  • Brigadier Generals
  • Presidents
  • Congressmen
  • Elections
  • United States Secretaries of Treasuries
  • Governors
  • Bills
  • Universities and colleges
  • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
  • Tallahassee (Fla.)
  • Franklin (Tenn.)
  • Washington (D.C.)
  • Cuba
  • Processing Information

    Boxes 3-5 re-boxed and re-foldered September 24, 2025 by Lev Rosenberger and Juliana Siler. Folder and box identifiers retain the original numbering.