Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of John Linn Hurt, Accession #38-86, 38-86-a, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was a gift of the Hurt Family of Chatham, Va., 1930-1931, 1937, and 1959.

Biographical/Historical Information

John Linn Hurt was born in 1838, in Carrroll County, Tennessee, and raised in Halifax County, Virginia. He was the son of William Walker Hurt, a Halifax farmer, and Nancy Sims Linn. His earliest American Ancestor was the Reverend Philomen Hurt, a Baptist minister who was born in Virginia in 1785.

Hurt was educated at the Samuel Davis Institute at Halifax Courthouse, Virginia. He was given his first job there by James Easley in 1854, as deputy of the Halifax Clerk's office. After three years at this job, Hurt became clerk of Pittsylvania County. The relationship with Easley continued, and led to the establishment of the Hurt fortune. Their financial collaboration began when Easley asked Hurt to mange lands in Missouri for him at about the time of the Civil War. While doing so, Hurt also began investing in land for himself. Easley and Hurt remained business partners until the former's death in 1881. In 1861, Hurt enlisted as a Confederate soldier and rose to the rank of Colonel. In 1862 he was captured and exchanged, after which time he returned to Pittsylvania. Around 1870, John Hurt, together with his brother, Henry Hays Hurt, became involved with the management of Hurt's store in Pittsylvania. During this same period, Hurt was in charge of the division of Pittsylvania County in to townships, and of the establishment there of public education and U.S. postal service.

In 1877, Hurt was elected to the state senate, a post which he held continuously until approximately 1905, eventually assuming leadership as senate president. Hurt's contemporaries considered him a shrewd politician. He was a conservative Democrat and a principal opponent of William Mahone and the Readjuster Party. Mahone led the Readjusters to almost complete control of the Virginia state government during the brief period, 1879-1883, in which the party flourished. The Readjusters favored scaling down or repudiating Virginia's Civil War debt in order to finance public services, while the Conservatives reversed these priorities.

After retiring from public life, Hurt settled on his estate in Pittsylvania County immersed himself in his personal affairs and friendships until his death, at the age of ninety-three, in 1931. He was married twice, first to Nannie Kate Clement in 1862 (d. 1872) and then to Sallie T. Douglas in 1874. He had no children by either marriage.

Henry Hays Hurt was born in 1842. He became sheriff of Halifax County in 1863. It appears that he too served in the Civil War, as he is often addressed as Captain Hurt. H.H. Hurt was the principle operator of Hurt's store.

Scope and Content

The Hurt Papers at the University of Virginia comprise ca. 5,000 items (ca. 11 shelf feet) dating from 1755-1931, with most material dated after 1850. The material consists chiefly of the correspondence and business papers of John L. Hurt, and ledgers and daybooks from Hurt's store.

The material in accession numbers 38-86 and 38-86-a, now combined, consist of ca. 4900 items, dating from 1809-1831, although most of the material is post 1850. They consist chiefly of the correspondence and business papers of John L. Hurt, and the correspondence of H.H. Hurt.

The correspondence of John L. Hurt regards his wartime imprisonment and exchange in 1862, his political career beginning in 1877, and his personal business, family and friends. The political letters include accounts of Hurt's attempt to become governor of Virginia in 1885, letters from Senator John W. Daniel (beginning n 1885) and Hurt's 1908 account of the intrigue surrounding the defeat of the Readjuster Party in 1879. The personal business papers mainly concerns investment and debts, including large investments in Panama Canal bonds (ca. 1912) and in Liberty Bonds. There are letters from the laboratory of Thomas Edison (1892) and from the offices of Presidents Grover Cleavland (1892) and Theodore Roosevelt (1908).

The correspondence of Henry Hays Hurt deals chiefly with retail and legal matters. His election to the Virginia state senate in 1875 is documented by letters of congratulation. Personal correspondence includes letters from brothers John L. Hurt, S.S. Hurt, and William Hurt.

The financial and legal papers of John L. Hurt include records of his assets, investments, and debts. A large portion of the papers relate to Hurt's store, including many receipts from wholesalers. Also included are postal records, and a book of debts to George H. West and Co. dated 1867.

Miscellaneous papers in the collection include genealogical materials of John L. Hurt, verse written by him and early papers (1809-1848) form his files. The collection also includes account books, photographs, printed material, and four ledgers. These collections are a gift of the Hurt family, Chatham, Virginia, October 1959, and bear no restrictions.

Arrangement

The collection has been divided into the following seven series, each arranged chronologically:

Series I. Correspondence:

Subseries A. John L. Hurt

Subseries B. H.H. Hurt

Series II. Financial and legal papers of John L. Hurt

Series III. Miscellaneous papers of John L. Hurt (including genealogical material and verse)

Series IV. Account books

Series V. Photographs

Series VI. Printed Material

Series VII. Ledgers