Finding Aid for the Seymour Family Papers, 1903-1989 (bulk 1903-1960)
MS-2706University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN
Collection processed by: Elizabeth Dunham, February 17, 2006
Finding Aid written by: Elizabeth Dunham, February 17, 2006
Encoded by: Elizabeth Dunham, February 17, 2006
Summary Information
Seymour Family Papers
Date/Date Range : 1903-1989 (bulk 1903-1960)
7.83 linear feet
Abstract: This collection consists of correspondence, speeches, reports, receipts, manuscsripts, publications, photographs, and clippings documenting the activities of various members of the Seymour family of East Tennessee between 1903 and 1989. Most prominently documented are Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., a lawyer, and Charles Milne Seymour, Jr., a priest at St. John's Episcopal Church in Knoxville. Topics touched upon include Knoxville city planning (including a discussion of riverfront development and the construction of the Henley Street Bridge), religion, and genealogy.
MS-2706
University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN
Access and Use
Collection was purchased by Special Collections in January 2006.
Collection is open for research.
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.
[Identification of Item], Seymour Family Papers, MS-2706. The Special Collections Library of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into five series:
- Series I: Correspondence, 1915-1956
- Series II: Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., 1903-1959
- Series III: Genealogy, 1952-1989
- Series IV: Publications, 1937-1968
- Series V: Clippings, 1906-1982
Oversized materials have been removed to appropriate storage containers.
Biography / History
Charles Milne Seymour, Sr. was born to Digby Gordon and Josephine Ermine Douglas Seymour in Enterprise, Mississippi, on July 17, 1882. Although he had little opportunity for formal education as a child, he learned the principles of civil engineering from his father. While working in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1901, a friend convinced Seymour to attend law school. He did so, and graduated from the University of Tennessee with his LL.B in 1903. He began practicing law in 1905, and was made a partner in the firm Frantz, McConnell and Seymour in 1911. From 1911 until his death in 1958, Seymour worked as general councel for the American Zinc, Lead, and Smelting Company. In this capacity, he participated in a 1917 lawsuit against the Minerals Separation, Ltd. of Great Britian. Seymour also served as general councel for the Tennessee Public Service Company from 1932 to 1939 and participated in a lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority during that time. Seymour died on July 27, 1958.
Collection Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of correspondence, speeches, reports, receipts, manuscsripts, publications, photographs, and clippings documenting the activities of various members of the Seymour family of East Tennessee between 1903 and 1989.
Series I: Correspondence, 1915-1956 consists primarily of correspondence to and from Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., although many of the later letters are written to or from Charles Milne Seymour, Jr. Letters to or from Charles Seymour Sr. generally relate to Knoxville city planning, legal issues, St. John's Episcopal Church, or awards. Letters to or from Charles Seymour Jr. generally relate to matters regarding the Episcopal Church, in which he was a priest. Because neither man regularly signed his name with the suffix, it is frequently very difficult to tell which person wrote which letters.
Series II: Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., 1903-1959 is composed of material relating directly to Charles Milne Seymour, Sr. Most of this material deals with Seymour's involvement with the Knoxville City Planning Commission and specifically his participation in riverfront development and the planning and the construction of the Henley Street bridge (Sub-Series B), his participation in the Tennessee Electric Power Company's 1938 lawsuit against the TVA (Sub-Series C), and his 1924 trip to Europe to participate in the First World Power Conference and the American Bar Association's visit to London (Sub-Series D). This series also contains materials relating to Charles Seymour Sr.'s family and life (Sub-Series A), various of Seymour's speeches dealing with city planning, law, and religion (Sub-Series E), as well as photographs of Seymour (Sub-Series F). As with Series I, many of the speeches in Series II, Sub-Series E appear to have been written and delivered by Charles Milne Seymour, Jr. rather than Charles Milne Seymour Sr., but because none of them are signed in full, it is impossible to discern which man wrote which speech.
Series III: Genealogy, 1952-1989 is composed primarily of manuscripts for a book entitled The Seymour Family , which documents Seymour family history and reproduces many original documents, particulary clippings and correspondence, relating to family members. It begins in approximately 1600 with the Seymour family in England, and ends with Charles Milne Seymour, Sr. Digby Gordon Seymour wrote the original manuscript in 1969, and it was revised in 1989. Series IV: Publications, 1937-1968 is composed of published material documenting various members of the Seymour family. Finally, Series V: Clippings, 1906-1982 consists of newspaper clippings and transcriptions of newspaper clippings dealing with the Seymour family.
Subject Terms
- Seymour, Charles Milne Sr., 1882-1958.
- Seymour, Charles Milne Jr., 1910-2004.
- Seymour, Digby Gordon, 1923- .
- City planning -- Tennessee -- Knoxville.
- Tennessee -- Geneaology
- Tennessee -- Religion.
- Knoxville (Tenn.) -- Religion -- St. John's Episcopal Church.
Contents List
| |
|
Series I: Correspondence, 1906-1975
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
1
|
Correspondence, 1906
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
2
|
Correspondence (St. John's Church and Orphanage), 1915-1943
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
3
|
Correspondence, 1922-1928
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
4
|
Correspondence (Federal Power Co. and East Tennessee Association), 1926-1928
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
5
|
Correspondence (Chamber of Commerce, Who's Who, Investments, C.M.S.), 1926-1953
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
6
|
Correspondence, 1928-1929
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
7
|
Correspondence, 1928-1929
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
8
|
Correspondence, 1929-1930
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
9
|
Correspondence, 1930
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
10
|
Correspondence, 1930-1933
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
11
|
Correspondence (City of Knoxville), 1930-1938
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
12
|
Correspondence, 1931
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
13
|
Correspondence (St. John's Church and Parish), 1932-1946
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
14
|
Correspondence, 1933
|
| Box
1
|
Folder
15
|
Correspondence, 1934
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
1
|
Correspondence, 1935
|
| Box
2
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Folder
2
|
Correspondence, 1936
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
3
|
Correspondence (Frank Fitts), 1936-1953
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
4
|
Correspondence, 1937
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
5
|
Correspondence, 1938
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
6
|
Correspondence (Planning Commissions), 1938-1945
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| Box
2
|
Folder
7
|
Correspondence, 1939
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| Box
2
|
Folder
8
|
Correspondence, 1939
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
9
|
Correspondence, 1940
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| Box
2
|
Folder
10
|
Correspondence, 1940
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
11
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Correspondence, 1940-1941
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
12
|
Correspondence, 1941
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
13
|
Correspondence, 1942
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
14
|
Correspondence, 1943
|
| Box
2
|
Folder
15
|
Correspondence, 1943-1944
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
1
|
Correspondence, 1945
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
2
|
Correspondence (St. John's Church), 1945-1952
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
3
|
Correspondence, 1946
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
4
|
Correspondence, 1946-1947
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
5
|
Correspondence, 1947
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
6
|
Correspondence (Knoxville Executives Club), 1947-1950
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
7
|
Correspondence, 1948
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
8
|
Correspondence, 1948-1949
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
9
|
Correspondence, 1950
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
10
|
Correspondence, 1950
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
11
|
Correspondence, 1951
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
12
|
Correspondence, 1951-1952
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
13
|
Correspondence, 1952-1954
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
14
|
Correspondence, 1955-1956
|
| Box
3
|
Folder
15
|
Correspondence, 1975
|
| |
|
Series II: Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., 1903-1959
|
| |
|
Sub-Series A: Family and Life, 1903-1959 |
| Box
4
|
Folder
1
|
Awards and Honors, undated
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
2
|
Graduation from Law School and Admission to the Tennessee Bar, 1903-1905
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
3
|
Activities, 1903-1958
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
4
|
Marriage to Flora Nell Gloster, 1906
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
5
|
Sons of the Revolution, 1914
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
6
|
Testimony for Passport Application, 1924
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
7
|
60th Birthday, 1942
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
8
|
Biographies of Charles Milne and Flora Nell Gloster Seymour, 1958
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
9
|
Resolutions on Charles Milne Seymour's Death, 1959
|
| |
|
Sub-Series B: Knoxville City Planning Commission, 1916-1941 |
| Box
4
|
Folder
10
|
Knoxville City Plan, undated
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
11
|
Formation and Members, 1916-1920
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
12
|
Correspondence, 1926-1927
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
13
|
Knoxville Major Street Plan, 1927
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
14
|
Knoxville Major Street Plan, 1927
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
15
|
The Unified Development of the Tennessee River System , 1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
16
|
River Front Plan, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1941
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
17
|
River Front Plan, Knoxville, Tennessee (Copies 2 and 3), 1941
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
18
|
Summary of Report of City Planning Commission to City Council of Knoxville on Plan for Riverfront Improvement, 1941 1941
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
19
|
Knoxville, Tennessee, Proposed River Front Plan Map, 1941
|
| |
|
Sub-Series C: Legal Career, 1920-1938 |
| Box
4
|
Folder
20
|
Seymour Construction Company, 1920-1926
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
21
|
Contract Between TVA and Tennessee Public Service Company, 1934
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
22
|
Petition to the Third Circut Court of Davidson County: Columbia Ice & Cold Storage Company et. al. vs. Tennessee Public Service Company et.al., 1934
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
23
|
Chancery Court at Knoxville Cause #26994: The Tennessee Electric Power Company vs. Tennessee Valley Authority, 1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
24
|
District Court Cause #228 In Equity: Tennessee Electric Power Company vs. TVA, 1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
25
|
District Court Cause #228 in Equity: Tennessee Electric Power Company vs. TVA (Copy 2), 1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
26
|
An Indexed Bibliography of the Tennessee Valley Authority,1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
27
|
U.S. District Court Bill of Complaint for an Injunction and Other Relief, 1936
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
28
|
Closing Memorandum Sale by Tennessee Public Service Company of Certain Electric Properties to the City of Knoxville and TVA,1938
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
29
|
Closing Memorandum Sale by Tennessee Public Service Company of Certain Electric Properties to the City of Knoxville and TVA, First Draft, 1938
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
30
|
Closing Memorandum Sale by Tennessee Public Service Company of Certain Electric Properties to the City of Knoxville and TVA, Draft, 1938 August 11
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
31
|
Contract Among Tennessee Public Service Company and TVA, 1938
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
32
|
Reproductions of Exhibits submitted by the Appellants in the Tennessee Electric Power Company vs. TVA, 1938
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
33
|
Supreme Court of the United States Appendix to Brief for Appellants in Tennessee Power Compnay vs. TVA, 1938
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
34
|
Tennessee Public Service Company Transportation System Basic Data, 1938
|
| |
|
Sub-Series D: 1924 World Power Conference, 1924-1936 (bulk 1924) |
| Box
4
|
Folder
35
|
Song, undated
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
36
|
"My Trip Abroad" Diary, 1924
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
37
|
Items Removed from "My Trip Abroad" Diary, 1924
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
38
|
Memberships, 1924 May 21-1936 November 17
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
39
|
Hotel Accomodations, 1924 June 5-July 10
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
40
|
The First World Power Conference, 1924 June 30-July 12
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
41
|
American Bar Association Visit to London, 1924 July
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
42
|
Social Events in London, 1924 July
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
43
|
The American Society in London Independence Day Dinner, 1924 July 4
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
44
|
Photographs, 1924 July 15
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
45
|
American Bar Association Visit to the Paris Bar, 1924 July 29-31
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
46
|
Visit to Switzerland, 1924 August
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
47
|
Steamship Travel, 1924 August
|
| |
|
Sub-Series E: Speeches, 1926-1949 |
| Box
4
|
Folder
48
|
Speeches, 1926-1949
|
| |
|
Sub-Series F: Photographs, 1905-1945 |
| Box
4
|
Folder
49
|
Pictures of Charles Milne Seymour, Sr., 1905-1945
|
| |
|
Series III: Geneaology, 1952-1989
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
50
|
General Genealogical Information, undated
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
51
|
Digby Gordon Seymour, 1952-1953
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
52
|
The Seymour Family , vol. I, 1989
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
53
|
The Seymour Family , vol. II, 1988
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
54
|
The Seymour Family , vol. III, 1969-1989
|
| Box
4
|
Folder
55
|
The Seymour Family , vol. III, 1969-1989
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
1
|
The Seymour Family , vol. IV, undated
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
2
|
The Seymour Family , vol. IV, undated
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
3
|
The Seymour Family , vol. IV, undated
|
| |
|
Series IV: Publications 1937-1968
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
4
|
Life Magazine, 1937
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
5
|
Progress in the Valley , 1947
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
6
|
AZn: a History of the American Zinc Company , 1968
|
| |
|
Series V: Clippings, 1906-1982
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
7
|
Transcriptions of Clippings, 1906-1958
|
| Box
5
|
Folder
8
|
Clippings, 1929-1982
|
| |
|
Oversized Material, 1937-1941
|
| Box
6
|
Folder
1
|
Reproductions of Exhibits submitted by the Appellants in the Tennessee Electric Power Company vs. TVA, 1938
|
| Box
6
|
Folder
2
|
Knoxville, Tennessee Proposed River Front Plan Map, 1941
|
| Box
6
|
Folder
3
|
Life Magazine, 1937
|
|
