TENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. McEWEN, ROBERT HOUSTON, PAPERS,

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1 TENNESSEE HSTORCAL SOCETY McEWEN, ROBERT HOUSTON, PAPERS, Processed by the Manuscripts Section of the Tennessee State Library and Archives BJY and HCO Accession number THS 93 Date com~leted 10/16/68 Location -A-5 THS Cage Mf. Ac. No. 744 The papers of Robert Houston McEwen ( ), merchant in Kingston, Fayetteville, and Nashville, Tennessee; Regimental quartermaster for Colonel John Brown's Regiment in War of 1812; and Superintendent of Common Schools in Nashville, Tennessee, were given to the Tennessee Historical Society, by Waldo Emerson. Linear feet of shelf space occupied:.42 Approximate number of items: 150 and 1 volume Single photocopies of unpublished writings in these ~apers may be made for purposes of scholarly research but reproduction on a large scale is restricted. Library of Congress catalog card no. MS

2 -1- SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The papers of Robert Houston McEwen, approximately 150 items for the dates , are composed of accounts, , biographical and genealogical data, correspondence, invitations, programs, notices, land records, estate papers, 1858, of John A. McEwen (son of Robert), a Confederate bond, a few Civil War photographs, and some school items. One little volume of accounts kept by Mrs. R. H. McEwen, , contains personal accounts for Mrs. McEwen and several of her children. Materials for dresses (including velvet, Chintz, calico), gloves, bonnets, lace, handkerchiefs, stockings, pantaloons, shoes, and other items of apparel are carefully listed together with the prices paid for each. Other accounts are for collections of the firm of John A. and Robert H. McEwen, The bulk of the correspondence is composed of letters of W. B. Robinson who was obviously a business partner of Robert McEwen during the period There are three Civil War letters written to Miss H. K. McEwen by her cousin, a Federal soldier stationed at Somerset, Kentucky, in Four letters were written by Robert H. McEwen -- one to his son, John A. and two to his daughter, Kitty, while she was on a trip abroad with Dr. and Mrs. Paul Eve in These letters are full of news about Nashville and Nashville people and contain some political comments worthy of note. One letter written to Miss Kitty McEwen by Rutherford B. Hayes and wife Lucy in 1867 while he was a member of Congress was franked. The remainder of the correspondence concerns the Union flag flown by Mrs. R. H. McEwen (Hetty Kennedy McEwen) in Nashville during the Civil War, some genealogical data about the Putnam family, and letters from numerous friends regarding the fiftieth wedding anniversary celebrated November 14, 1865, by the McEwens at their home on Spruce Street, Nashville, Tennessee. The guest list included Samuel D. Morgan, James A. McAlister, Jacob McGavock, John M. Hill, John M. Bass, V. K. Stevenson, Rev. R. B. C. Howell, Samuel Watkins, James Nichol, and Major General B. F. Cheatha Other items include an indenture dated June 23, 1853, made by Robert G. Smiley to Andrew Ewing; a Confederate bond; a number of invitations to balls, picnics, "at homes'', funerals, etc., ; clippings; biographical and genealogical data regarding Hetty (Kennedy) McEwen and her husband Robert Houston McEwen; a few Civil War photographs; and some school items for Mrs. Knox's School (Young Ladies Seminary), 1855, 1857, and an Act to incorporate the Nashville Protestant School of ndustry for the Support and Education of Destitute Girls which was passed by the Legislature, February 2, Mention is made in a clipping of the Walladoid Academy, attended by Hetty Kennedy when she was a young girl. No acquisition information.

3 -2- BOGRAPHCAL NOTE Robert Houston McEwen 1790 Born in Washington County, East Tennessee, near Jonesboro; son of a Virginia surgeon of the Revolution ca Merchant in Kingston, Tennessee 1813 Served as Regimental Quartermaster of Colonel John Brown's Regiment and was present at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend 1814 Volunteered for service in War of 1812 on January /.0, 1814, and continued in service until mustered out May 20, On November 14, he was married to Miss Hetty Montgomery Kennedy of Lincoln County, Tennessee Lived in Fayetteville, Tennessee 1828 Moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and was a merchant until he was elected Superintendent of Common Schools and beqan his collecting agency Elder in First Presbyterian Church of Nashville; had ten children 1868, Jan.Died in Nashville. Buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery Hetty Montgomery (Kennedy) McF.wen 1786 Kennedy family moved to Nashville, Tennessee 1796 Born July 29, daughter of Robert and Esther Kennedy of Scotch rish descent ca Attended Walladoid Academv 1808 Moved to Fayetteville, Lincoln Countv, Tennessee 1815 November 14, married Robert Houston McEwen Flew the Union flag in Nashville during the Civil War 1881, Jan.Died in Augusta, Georgia, while on a visit to her sister, Kitty. Buried at Mt. Olivet Cemeterv.

4 -3- CONTANER LST Box 1 1. Account book mcewen, Mrs. Hetty 2. Accounts Biographical data--mcewen, Robert H. and Hetty 4. Biographical data--revolutionary War soldiers 5. Correspondence--Berry-Ramsey 6. Correspondence--Robinson, W. B., Correspondence--Robinson, W. B., Wills 8. nvitations, programs, notices, and calling cards 9. Land records--ndentures, Ewing, Andrew and Robert G. Smiley 10. McEwen, John A., papers 11. Miscellaneous items--csa bond; claims against Robert H. McEwen; establishment of military parks 12. Photographs 13. Schools--Mrs. Knox's School and Nashville Protestant School of ndustry

5 -4- NAME NDEX The following is an index to the correspondence in the Robert Houston ~cewen Papers, together with the dates of the letters, the addressees. The last number given refers to the folder in which the material is to be found. Berry, Mary, to Kitty McEwen, 1865, 5 Cantrell, William A., to R. H. McEwen, 1865, 5 Curtis, James, to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1865, 5 Duer, Edward N., to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1865, 5 Fowler, J. M., to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1877, 5 Hayes, Riutherford] BiirchardT and Lucy, to Kitty McEwen, 1867, 5 [Kennedy], Henry, to sister, Kitty McEwen, n.d., 5 Kennedy, William E., to sister, Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1846, 5 Kimball, George G., to Col. and Mrs. R. H. McEwen, 1865, 5 L'Aimond, F., to A. W. Wills, 1908, 5 Mulholland, Hugh, to Kitty McEwen, 1862, 5 McEwen, A. C., to uncle, Robert H. McEwen, 1850, 5 McEwen, Mrs. Hetty, to General Thomas, 1865, 5 McEwen, Robert E. (4), to cousin, H. K. (Kitty) McEwen, McEwen, R. H., to son, John McEwen, 1850, 5 McEwen, R. H., to Kitty McEwen (2), 1859, 5 Putnam, Douglas, to Waldo P. McEwen, 1885, 5 Ramsey, Margaret L., to Waldo P. McEwen (2), 1908, 5 Ramsev, Robert H., to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1865, 5 Robinson, William B., to A. c. McEwen, 1835, 6 Robinson, William B., to Robert H. McEwen (32), , 6-7 Rosenheim, Louis, to Robert Ewing, 1915, 7 Thomas, George H., to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1865, 7 Videll, W. H. to Colonel and Mrs. R. H. McEwen, l86s, 7 Willis, Nathaniel, to Mrs. Hetty McEwen, 1842, 7 Wills, A. W., to Waldo P. McEwen, 1908, 7 Wills, A. W., to Secretary of War, 1908, 7 Wills, A. W., to Luke E. Wright, 1908, 7

6 WLLAM EDMSTON fl (l) Martha Campbell (2) Margaret Montgomery Margalet E f (l) Montgomery (2) Robert Harold John Margaret Montgomery Esther Robert Alice Dean Campbell Kennedy (see next chart) Rober~ Campbell Thdmas Martha Buchanan Mah (l) Gilliland (2) Ebenezer McEwen Marthl Campbell James Gillespie W~lll.am W~l lj.. arn Campbell Andrew Elizabeth Stewart El~z abeth Jonathan Smith Sally Beattie Kather~ne Robert Jones Moff~tt nformation taken from data supplied by Hetty Montgomery (Kennedy) McEwen, ac. no Some of the information was confusing so there may be errors.

7 Margaret Montgomery George Martin Martha Campbell John McConnell Elizketh Edmiston Vance Greer ROBERT CAMPBELL KENNEDY ESTHER EDMSTON William Edmiston Elizabeth Willis Hetty Montgomery Robert Houston McEwen Andrew Jackson Mary Miriam McNairy Lewis Joel Thomas Boone Kacheval Saunders Margaretta Doak Houston John Trimble Sar ah Caroline Wilda John Thompson John Alexander Selina Frierson Jones (2) 1856 Sallie Turner Anna Maria D. F. Wilkins Robert Houston /75 Henry Martyn Lucy Putnam Lucie Curd Hetty Kennedy Erwin John Scott Coleman