Volume:3.75 linear feet (3 cartons).
Scope and Content
Thirty-one letters pertain to the family of John S. Means of Charlotte, N.C., prior to and during the Civil War. John and three of his sons, William N.M., Theophelus, and Joseph D.P. Means, served in various North Carolina regiments, while another son, James P. Means, served in the 19th Mississippi Regiment. William's passionate concern for the safety of his state is well defined in a letter of 4 September 1861 to his sister Rose. Reacting to news of the Union occupation of Wilmington, N.C., Means wrote,"The question now is:--will N.C. allow the vandals to retain their foothold, on her fair & prosperous territory? I answer never. No let N.C. no longer debate, which of the 2 to choose slavery, or death; but let them rise at once gird on their swords, & at the head of thousands, of strong, & brave; Carolinians push to the rescue of her wronged citizens, or share their fate."
William often wrote of sickness in camp and the need for clothing and shoes, especially after his regiment moved close to Wilmington. There was one camp which none of the soldiers were sorry to leave--Camp Wyatt. Writing on 20 June 1862, William noted,
"It is the hardest camp that I ever seen, you can take a peck of sand, & sift it, & you will have a quart of `flees'. The way they do bite....I heard one of our men say, that he would rather go to hell, & stay twelve hours, as to go to that camp."
Two letters from a cousin in Georgia, N.M. Holton, express great admiration and faith in the Southern Confederacy and its cause:
"But I donot [sic] think that the north can ever whip us for we are on the right side and God will be with us if we will but do our duty, he has been with us so far and I believe he wil [sic] be with to the end, and if God be for us no need for what old Abe Lincoln and all of his advisors can do" (8 July 1861).
A second letter, 10 September 1862, sends condolences on the death of James P. Means in the field. Also included are Confederate States Army military passes, August 1861, for John Means while at Yorktown, Va. Other Means family letters relate more wartime news.
The McFadden family is represented by papers and professional certificates of attorney Joseph Means McFadden (1901-1990) and his family, as well as the personal papers and modern dance archive of his wife, Endymion Francis Graham McFadden (b. 1904). J. Means McFadden, a native of Chester, was the son of Samuel Edward (d. 1925) and Ethel Means McFadden (d. 1966). He practiced law in Chester and later in Columbia and taught at the University of South Carolina School of Law. The papers reflect Means's membership in Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Columbia; Forest Lake Country Club, Columbia; Columbia Rotary Club; Richland County Bar Association; and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Also among the McFadden family papers is an undated history of the Catawba Guards by John C. McFadden.
Oklahoma native Francis Graham, involved in dance since her undergraduate days at University of Texas, went to New York where she studied under Byrd Larson and later at the Denishawn School. She attended New York University and took the Master of Arts degree in education in 1933. Francis then accepted a teaching position at the University of Georgia, where she met J. Means McFadden. They married in 1937, moved to Chester, and Francis opened a dance studio there. After the family moved to Columbia around 1955, Francis taught with the University of South Carolina's Department of Physical Education. Under her initiative, the Martha Graham Dance Company came to U.S.C. in 1972. Francis retired that year but continued to teach private dance lessons. Her daughter, Francis "Babe" McFadden, also studied dance and performed several seasons in Cherokee, N.C. Four scrapbooks, 1952-1959, document Babe's high school career, years at Agnes Scott College, and social debut.
The modern dance archive comprises one and one-quarter linear feet of the collection. Compiled by Francis Graham McFadden, the archive contains programs, brochures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and other information on modern dance, individual dancers, dance companies, and dance schools.
Also included in the collection are approximately fifty-six photographs picturing J. Means McFadden engaged in sports activities at Davidson College, 1919-1922; Francis Graham McFadden's dance pupils, ca. 1954; the Martha Graham Dance Company, 1972; and Francis Graham McFadden's granddaughter, Deborah Cone, at Palmetto Girls State, 1979. Other photographs, undated, are from Francis's childhood.
Description of series
Means Family, 1851-1912 and undatedThe Means family is represented by letters of John S. Means and family of Charlotte, N.C., including Civil War letters of John and sons William N.M., Theophelus, Joseph D.P., and James P. Means who served in North Carolina and Mississippi regiments. Also present are Confederate States Army military passes of John Means and letters from cousin N.M. Holton.
McFadden Family, 1880, 1926-1990 and undated
The McFadden family is represented principally by papers and membership certificates of attorney Joseph Means McFadden (1901-1990), chiefly reflecting his membership in professional and social organizations. Also among the McFadden family papers is an undated history of the Catawba Guards by John C. McFadden.
Endymion Francis Graham McFadden, 1922-1979 and undated
Materials documenting the career of Endymion Francis Graham McFadden, wife of Joseph Means McFadden, as a dancer and dance instructor; including materials re teaching positions held at the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina. Other items document the University of South Carolina residency of the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1972.
Photographs, 1919-1979 and undated
Photographs of J. Means McFadden and his sports activities at Davidson College, 1919-1922; Francis Graham McFadden's dance pupils, ca. 1954; the Martha Graham Dance Company, 1972; and Francis Graham McFadden's granddaughter, Deborah Cone, at Palmetto Girls State, 1979. Other photographs, undated, are from Francis Graham McFadden's childhood.
Volumes, 1952-1959 and undated
Published and unpublished dance instruction manuals used by Francis Graham McFadden and scrapbooks, 1952- 1959, documenting the high school career, years at Agnes Scott College, and social debut of Francis "Babe" McFadden, daughter of J. Means and Francis Graham McFadden.
The modern dance archive compiled by Endymion Francis Graham McFadden contains programs, brochures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and other information on modern dance, individual dancers, dance companies, and dance schools.
Contents List:
Means Family
Papers, 6 Jan. 1851 - 25 July 1861
Papers, 15 Sept. 1861 - 25 July 1864
Papers, 1910-1912, n.d.
McFadden Family
Papers, 1880, 1926-1966
Papers, 1967-1973
Papers, 1974-1990, n.d.
McFadden, Endymion Francis Graham
Conferences, 1964-1973
Lectures, n.d.
Papers, 1922-1929
Papers, 1930-1962
Papers, 1963-1979
Papers, n.d.
University of Georgia
Concerts, 1934-1937, n.d.
Teaching Materials
Bibliographies, 1930, 1934, 1935
Examinations, 1934-1937, n.d.
General, 1932, 1935, n.d.
General, n.d.
University of South Carolina
Martha Graham Dance Company Residency, 1972
Student Papers, 1964-1967, n.d.
Teaching Materials
Bibliographies, 1962-1967, n.d.
Examinations, 1963-1972, n.d.
General, 1962-1971, n.d.
General, n.d.
Photographs
1919-1922, n.d.
ca. 1952-1954, 1972, 1979, n.d.
............................................Box 2
Volumes
McFadden, Endymion Francis Graham
Manuscript (4), 1953, n.d.
Printed (2), 1956
McFadden, Francis "Babe"
Scrapbooks (4), 1952-1959
............................................Box 3
Modern Dance Archive
Argentina
Articles on Dance
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Barnes, Clive
Cunningham, Merce
Dance Images
DeMille, Agnes
Enters, Angna
Fokine
Fort Worth, Tx.
Graham, Martha
Gregory, Cynthia
Hawkins, Erick
Holm, Hanya
Humphrey/Weidman
Jooss Ballet
Kreutzberg, Harald
Limon, Jose
Martin, John
Mettler, Barbara
Miscellaneous dance programs
Miscellaneous dance publications
Miscellaneous dancers
Nagrin, Daniel
Nureyev, Rudolph
Pavlowa, Anna
St. Denis, Ruth
Schools of Dance
Shankar, Uday
Shawn, Ted
Sokolow, Anna
Taylor, Paul
Terry, Walter
Wigman, Mary
Administrative Notes
- Citation Form:Papers of the Means and McFadden Families, South Caroliniana Library, The University of South Carolina
- Accession number: 11861.
- Location: Annex (Materials stored offsite; advance notification required).