William Sidney Porter Papers

: Financial and legal documents - Porter Drug Store; Twenty-six items are from the Porter Drug Store from 1853-1889. The majority are receipts for items purchased and several are signed by W.C. Porter. See the finding aid for the various names of this drugstore at different times. Also included is an agreement (1882) between Porter and Dalton and C. P. Mendenhall for fixtures, etc. (with explanatory notes included) as well as the receipt from W.C. Porter to R.F. Dalton (1882) for 1/2 interest in the drugstore. Very interesting are two pages of accounts from Porter and Gorrell to W.C. Porter (debits), 1863, with amounts in "Confederate" and "Gold." Several of the receipts are Civil War era and many have the drugstore letter/billhead.

: Letter from William Sydney Porter to Burges Johnson; One letter from William Sydney Porter to Burges Johnson.

: Letters from Shirley Worth Porter; These letters are addressed to Mrs. Harry Thornton in Greensboro. They speak of Shirley's nickname "Shell" and how it was acquired, mutual acquaintances in Greensboro, a description of the original Porter drug store, a sketch made by Shirley Porter of the Porter home on West Market St., and Dr. J. K. Hall. They also discuss Shell's birthplace, early childhood, and other items relating to the Porter family in general.

: Letters from William Sydney Porter to Bill Davis; The letters in this folder are written to Bob Davis, fiction editor of Munsey's Magazine. Most involve requests for various cash advances and also excuses as to why promised manuscripts have not been delivered. Many letters display the wit and humor of William Sydney Porter. He also mentions typing some stories, although he rarely used the machine for that work. This may have been an excuse for undelivered materials. Many items in this group are ALS (autograph letter signed) by WSP, and several are TLS (typed letter signed) (typed letter signed) by Porter.

: Letters from William Sydney Porter to Sara Coleman Porter; This folder consists of three photostatic and two typescript copies of letters William Sydney Porter wrote to Sara Coleman before they were married. The July 15 letter is in response to Sara's contact with Porter and the other item is urging Sara to visit New York on a planned trip to New England. One typescript of each letter and two photostats of the July 15 item are included. Also included is an ALS (autograph letter signed) by Porter to Sara (1908) speaking of possibly returning to Asheville, North Carolina. The "Magnolia Letter" refers to Sara's visit to New York and has a magnolia sketched on it.

: Letters from William Sydney Porter to daughter Margaret, 1898-1901; This group of letters was written by William Sydney Porter to his daughter Margaret between April 25, 1898, and July 24, 1901, while he was an inmate in the Ohio State Penitentiary. Margaret was never told of her father's whereabouts. The letters are mainly the chit-chat of a father to his pre-teen daughter. No covers are included with the items; two letters are undated and one is dated only "November 12." Of these three items, two are probably late 1898.

: Letters from William Sydney Porter to daughter Margaret, 1905-1907; These letters were written by William Sydney Porter to daughter Margaret while she attended Belmont College, a finishing school in Nashville, Tennessee. They speak of Margaret being homesick, of her clothes, family matters, her discontent at school, of sending money, holidays, etc. Some covers include Porter's wax seal. Specific inclusion dates are September 25, 1905, to April 18, 1907.

: Letters from William Sydney Porter, miscellaneous; The items in this folder include a calling card, three letters, and one cover. Three photostats of a letter from William Sydney Porter in Texas to his friend Dr. Beall in Greensboro (1882) are included along with the original. Porter also wrote to Mrs. J.K. Hall of what he missed about living in North Carolina. Also included is a 1907 letter written by Porter from New York to Ms. Lily Benbow, and an undated letter to "Uncle John" written by Porter while in New York. This folder also contains two ALS (autograph letter signed) by Porter on the stationery of the General Land Office in Texas. Both 1890 items deal with settling the estate (real estate holdings) of William Kerr. A photostat of each letter is included. Also included are a printed page and photograph of the two letters of introduction that Porter presented in Austin (1884).

: Letters to Ethel Arnett from Porter family members; This folder contains seventeen letters, seventeen covers, and two typed pages of notes dealing with O. Henry, possibly by Mrs. Arnett or possibly sent to her in a letter. These letters are to Mrs. Arnett from members of the Coleman and Porter families. They speak generally of William Sydney Porter anecdotes and mention the publication of "O. Henry from Polecat Creek" by Arnett. The information in these letters was probably used in an article written by Arnett on firsthand remembrances of William Sydney Porter (see literary production series).

: Letters to Lina Gray; Included are an Easter card and an ALS (autograph letter signed) (1897) with cover to Lina Gray from her aunt, Lina Porter. The letter discusses general family matters.

: Letters to Lyndon Swaim; Lyndon Swaim followed William Swaim as editor of the "Greensboro Patriot" (1839-1854). He had been apprenticed under William. In 1842, he married the widowed Mrs. William Swaim and became stepfather to Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter, William Sydney Porter's mother. The 1839 item is from Jesse Lindsay to Lyndon Swaim inviting him to return to Greensboro to edit the "Carolina (Greensboro) Patriot." The other item is from a John Swaim in New Jersey and deals with early Swaim genealogy.

: Letters to and from E.M. Oettinger; This group includes three items addressed to Eli Oettinger, ten carbon letters written from Eli Oettinger, and six memorandum sheets written by Eli Oettinger. The 1937-1939 items relate to Mr. Oettinger's attempts to add to his collection of O. Henry materials. Among the three letters addressed to E.M. Oettinger is a TLS (typed letter signed) by Upton Sinclair. The memoranda deal with William Sydney Porter's publications and his pen name.

: Manuscript fragment by Shirley Porter on William Sydney Porter's use of O. Henry

: Works of art; This series includes an original pencil drawing (12 inches by 15 inches) entitled "the pet fawn," by Lina Porter (1888), the tombstone sketch, probably by WSP, and the Pritchett Spring sketch by WSP. Copies of originals include a photocopy of the Pilot Mountain sketch (1879), three copies of the "sword and cat" sketch, and a copy of the "Tourgee" sketch, all by WSP. The original of the "sword and cat" sketch is included, as is a sketch by Shirley Porter of the Porter house on West Market Street. Finally, the series contains a copy of a cartoon showing the interior of the Porter drugstore and sketches of several Greensboro citizens with accompanying rhymes.

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