A Guide to the Hugh McGavock Papers, 1763-1923 #1993.1

Biographical Information

Hugh McGavock, son of early settler James McGavock Sr., was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia in 1761 but moved with his family to Fort Chiswell in 1771. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a prison guard in Albemarle County, Virginia. However, he later enlisted in the Virginia State Line and served under Colonel Joseph Crockett. Crockett's troops joined those of George Rogers Clark in defending the Ohio River Valley from Indian and British attack.

Returning home from war, McGavock first married a Campbell from Cripple Creek. His first wife died shortly after their marriage. IN 1785, Hugh McGavock wed Nancy Kent and settled near his father in Max Meadows. Together Nancy and Hugh reared twelve children.

As his family grew, so did Hugh McGavock's prosperity and prominence in the young county of Wythe. He served as Collector of the Revenue, responsible for collecting duties (taxes) on land, slaves, horses, stills and carriages among other items. In 1815, President James Madison appointed McGavock as Tax Assessor for the First District which included most of southwest Virginia. Besides his duties as tax collector, assessor, and farmer, McGavock also worked as a justice of the peace for Wythe County.

All but one of Hugh McGavock's sons embarked upon careers far away from Wythe County. the youngest son, Randal, remained in Max Meadows and assumed the operation of his father's estate. Born in 1803, Randal married Maria Reed in 1826. She died in 1834 and Randal remarried in 1845. His second wife, Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, was a cousin. Cynthia and Hugh raised five children.

Scope and Content

The Hugh McGavock Papers are arranged in five series comprising correspondence, financial and legal records, Collector of the Revenue records, miscellaneous records, and tax assessment tickets.

Series I, Correspondence (1805-1923), includes letters send and or received by James McGavock, Hugh McGavock, Randal McGavock, and his wife Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock. Letters from Jacob Cloy McGavock, Joseph Randal McGavock, Sallie M. McGavock Robertson, and Lucy Nancy McGavock Kent to their mother Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock are also included. Other correspondents found in this series are Amanda Billups McGavock, S. F. Ewald, Lucy Elizabeth Ewing Brown, and William Ewing. Subjects discussed in these letters focus primarily upon school, family and social activities, religion, and other aspects of life in Wythe County, Virginia, and Franklin, Tennessee.

Series II, Financial and Legal Records (1763-1909), includes account statements, bills, and receipts (1763-1909) saved by family members. Tax receipts (1788-1894), court summons (1804-1839), and legal agreements and judgments (1802-1844) complete this series.

Series III, Collector of the Revenue Records (1798-1817), contains documents pertaining to Hugh McGavock's work as Collector of the Revenue for Wythe County. McGavock also served in 1815 as Tax Assessor for the district encompassing southwest Virginia (see Series V). Included in this series is correspondence (1802-1817) between McGavock and his regional, state, and federal supervisors as well as sundry reports, abstracts of duties (taxes) collected, and receipts for collected duties.

As Collector of the Revenue, Hugh McGavock oversaw the registration of all stills operated in Wythe County. Federal and State law required distillers to register their stills with their Collector of the Revenue. Arranged alphabetically, the registration forms include the distiller's name, still marking, still number, and gallon capacity.

Series IV, Miscellaneous Records (Undated), contains records ranging from recipes and remedies for various ailments to land plats and surveys. Also included in this series is a newspaper, the Universal Gazette , dated 17 March 1808 and a notice fining Randal McGavock for his absence from a mustering of Captain Yerion's militia company in April 1845.

Series V, Tax Assessment Tickets, was added to the Hugh McGavock Papers in June 1995. These tickets were also donated by Mary B. Kegley. These original tax records have been abstracted and published by Kegley in two works: Southwest Virginia Tax Assessments, 1815: Grayson, Lee, Scott, Russell, Washington, and Wythe Counties (1991) and Supplement to Southwest Virginia Tax Assessments, 1815 (1992). The tickets in this series are arranged Alphabetically by county, then alphabetically within each county by landowner last name. most tickets are abstracted and a few are transcribed in whole in Kegley's books. Both books contain last name indices.

As Tax Assessor for the First District of Virginia, Hugh McGavock and his assistant assessors (appointed for each county) surveyed all landowners in the contemporary counties of Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington, and Wythe. The First District encompassed all land west of Peak Creek in present day Pulaski County. An Act of Congress passed on 22 July 1813 charged the Tax Assessor with ascertaining the "value of all lands, lots of ground with their improvements, dwelling houses, and slaves. "

Contents List

Series I. Correspondence. 1804-1831

4 folders.

Folder 1. Correspondence. 1804-1831.

7 items.
- Folder-item 1:1
  Letter. Joseph Barron, Evansham, Virginia to Hugh McGavock. 7 September 1804.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 1:2
  Letter. James McGavock Sr., Wythe County, Virginia to [unknown]. 16 August 1805.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 1:3
  Letter. John L. Lindenberger, Wythe County, Virginia to Hugh McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 24 June 1807.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 1:4
  Letter. H. Bowyer, Executor for Thomas Madison, deceased, Fincastle, Virginia to Hugh McGavock, Fort Chiswell, Virginia. 1 January 1808.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 1:5
  Letter. Henry Engel, York Towne, Pennsylvania to Hugh McGavock, Fort Chiswell, Virginia. 9 December 1809.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 1:6
  Letter. Isaac Lehue to Hugh McGavock, Wythe Court House, Virginia. 26 January 1815.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 1:7
  Letter. John Clark to Hugh McGavock. 8 September 1831.
  
  2 p.
Folder 2. Correspondence. 1850-1867.

8 items.
- Folder-item 2:1
  Letter. Samuel McNutt, Rockville, Indiana to Randal McGavock. 26 June 1850.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 2:2
  Letter. William Ewing, Williamson County, Tennessee to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 10 August 1855.
  
  4 p.
- Folder-item 2:3
  Letter. Sarah E. Trennis, Buchanan, Virginia to [unknown]. 3 February 1859.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 2:4
  Letter. William H. Pendleton, Max Meadows, Virginia to Randal McGavock. 1 February 1864.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 2:5
  Letter. Sallie M. Otey, Franklin, Tennessee to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 16 September 1866.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 2:6
  Sallie M. McGavock, Female Seminary, Wytheville, Virginia to Hugh Ewing McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 28 April 1867.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 2:7
  Letter. J. M. Wharin, Briery Parsonage, Keysville, Virginia to Randal McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 14 November 1867.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 2:8
  Letter. Sallie M. McGavock, Wytheville, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 8 December 1867.
  
  3 p.
Folder. Correspondence. 1868-1869.

7 items.
- Folder-item 3:1
  Letter. Sallie M. McGavock, Masonic Institute, Wytheville, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 7 April 1868.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 3:2
  Letter. Sallie M. McGavock, Masonic Institute, Wytheville, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 3 June 1868.
  
  4 p.
- Folder-item 3:3
  Letter. Sallie M. McGavock, Masonic Institute, Wytheville, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 12 June 1868.
  
  4 p.
- Folder-item 3:4
  Letter. Joseph Randal McGavock and Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia to Randal McGavock. 15 November 1868.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 3:5
  Letter. Lucy Nancy McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia to Hugh Ewing McGavock. 15 November 1868.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 3:6
  Letter. Joseph William Ewing, Franklin, Tennessee to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 23 December 1868.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 3:7
  Letter. Joseph W. Caldwell, Wytheville, Virginia to Randal McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 5 October 1869.
  
  1 p.
Folder 4. Correspondence. 1870-1923, undated.

12 items.
- Folder-item 4:1
  Letter. Lucy Elizabeth Ewing, Franklin, Tennessee to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 2 August 1870.
  
  6 p.
- Folder-item 4:2
  Letter. Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Draper's Valley, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 5 October 1872.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 4:3
  Letter. Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Draper's Valley, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 16 November 1872.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 4:4
  Letter. Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Draper's Valley, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 23 November 1872.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 4:5
  Letter. Joseph Randal McGavock, Draper's Valley, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 23 November 1872.
  
  3 p.
- Folder-item 4:6
  Letter. Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Draper's Valley, Virginia to Cynthia Elizabeth McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 6 December 1872.
  
  3 p.
- Box 4:7
  Letter. Lizzie McGavock Robertson, Warrenton, Virginia to "My Dearest Auntie. "15 December 1872.
  
  4 p.
- Folder-item 4:8
  Letter. S. F. Ewald, Wytheville, Virginia to Amanda Billups McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 12 January 1903.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 4:9
  Letter. Amanda Billups McGavock, Norfolk, Virginia to Cecil Billups McGavock, Jacob C. McGavock, and Ezra Summers McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 13 November 1910.
  
  2 p.
- Folder-item 4:10
  Letter. Theresa Perkins, Franklin, Tennessee to Amanda Billups McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 13 April 1913.
  
  7 p.
- Box 4:11
  Letter. "Brother Soy " to Mrs. C. B. McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 23 January 1923.
  
  1 p.
- Folder-item 4:12
  Letter. [unknown], Cave Spring, Virginia to Jacob Cloyd McGavock, Max Meadows, Virginia. 15 April [unknown].
  
  1 p.

Series III. Collector of the Revenue Records. 1798-1817.

9 folders.

Series-folder 3:1
Folder 1. Collector of the Revenue Records - Correspondence. 1802-1817.

6 items.

Includes correspondence between Hugh McGavock, Collector of the Revenue, from Edward Carrington, Supervisor of the Revenue for Virginia; J. E. M. Orr, Supervisor's Office of Virginia; Joseph Anderson, Treasury Department of United States; S. Smith, Commissioner of the Revenue, Treasury Department of the United States; and James McDowell, Inspector of the Revenue.
Series-folder 3:2
Folder 2. Collector of the Revenue - Statements, Returns, and Reports. 1797-1815, undated.

4 items.

Includes Statement of Stamps Required, Statement of Stamps Received and Disposed, Returns of Balances, Monthly Return of Monies Received, Return for Land and Horses, Report of the Board of Assessors, Report of Tax Rates on Land, Slaves, and Horses, and Report of Collections.
Series-folder 3:3
Folder 3. Collector of the Revenue Records - Abstract of Duties. 1798-1803, undated.

5 items.

Includes abstracts of duties on carriages, sales at auctions, county stills, and stills in distilleries.
Series-folder 3:4
Folder 4. Collector of the Revenue Records - Receipts. 1799-1815.
Series-folder 3:5
Folder 5. Collector of the Revenue Records - Registration of Distillers, A - E. 1798-1801, undated.

61 items.

Includes registrations for Phillip Acre, Joseph Adkins, Joseph Arnoy, Henry Bains, Thomas Baldin, Elisha Bedsalt, Thomas Blair, Jacob Blessfink, James Breeding, William Caffey, Francis Carter, Moses Chambers, Hezeciah Chaney, William Cisel, Noland Collins, John Compton, John Copenhaver, Jacob Coulson, Robert Cranston, James Crow, Robert Crow, Thomas Crow, Andrew Daner, Nicolas Daughterty, Henry Davis, John Dick, William Dills, David Doak, William Drope, Mary Dunn, Phillip Dutton, George Eller, Humphrey Ellis, William Engledove, Tobias Erney, Jesse Evans, Robert Evans, George Ewing.
series-folder 3:6
Folder 6. Collector of the Revenue Records - Registration of Distillers, F - K. 1798-1801, undated.

52 items.

Includes registrations for John Florit, Edolph Flohr, William Foster, Thomas Freel, Randal Fugat, Joseph Glasgow, Phillip Gose, Robert Graham, Shadrach Grear, Christopher Grimes, Henry Groseclose, James Harbison, Andrew Harmon, George Harmon, William Harrell, Thomas Harrison, Henry Honaker, Levis Hutsil, Frederick Idle, William Ingledove, John James, Sherod James, Ministry Jones, Daniel Justice, Moses Justice, Jacob Keesling, William Kidd, William King, and Henry Kirk.
Series-folder 3:7
Folder 7. Collector of the Revenue Records - Registration of Distillers, L-R. 1798-1801.

29 items.

Includes registrations for John Lasley, John Liggot, Godfrey Messersmith, Martin Miller, Charles Morgan, Gidion Moss, Mical Neff, William Orr, Joseph Patterson, Jno. Paysor, John Peery, Fred Perkins, William Phipps, John Robinson, William Ross, and Joseph Russil.
Series-folder 3:8
Folder 8. Collector of the Revenue Records - Registration of Distillers, S - Z. 1798-1801, undated.

31 items.

Includes registrations for David Sayers, John Snevley, Peter Snevley, Jacob Spangler, Hopnel Spraker, Leonard Straw, Feltz Staley, Abraham Stayley, Jeremiar Stone, Henry Umbarger, Mical Venricks, Michael Walter, George Wampler, John Westman, Jeremiah Whitten, Methas Wise, and Earhart Zimmerman.
Series-folder 3:9
Folder 9. Collector of the Revenue Records - Blank Forms.

17 items.