NOTE: The numbers cited in parentheses throughout the inventory, e.g. 1:5, refer the researcher to the Series#:Folder# in which that name/topic will be found.
INTRODUCTION
The Ted Sturm Collection documents the interests of an individual collector more so than the occurrences of a particular time or place. The collection is notable for the variety of Civil War ephemera and for materials relating to the history of Greensboro institutions.
Arrangement: This collection is arranged into eight series, and within series, materials are arranged alphabetically. The eight series are: Correspondence, 1908-?; Covers, 1861-?; Financial, 1852-1865; Legal, 1803-1873; Maps, 1757-1800; Photographs, nd; Printed, 1855-1935; and Prints and Engravings, 1794-1865.
Provenance: This collection was purchased from Ted Sturm’s sister, Mrs. Margaret S. Rose, in 1990 and assigned accession number 1990.057.106. Two books were removed and placed with book collection: American Etiquette and Rules of Politeness (1884), and Visit of St. Nicholas (n.d.). The Museum also acquired numerous three-dimensional objects from the Sturm estate, which can be accessed through the Collections Department.
Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by Catherine E. Clements in November 1996.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
A Greensboro native, Ted Sturm (1941-1984) had a great interest in local history and, as this collection reflects, was an avid collector of all types of material. Ted Sturm was born in Greensboro and graduated from Greensboro High School in 1959. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked for Pilot Life Insurance Company in the 1970’s. Sturm began collecting coins and magazines as a child and later became interested in Confederate material. Most of the items in this collection were collected in this region. According to his sister, Mrs. Margaret S. Rose, Sturm never sold items or acted as a dealer; he simply enjoyed collecting. He contributed a column entitled “Antique and Unique” to the Hamburger Square Post, a local newspaper.
SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE
This is a miscellaneous collection not comprehensive in nature, but containing a wide range of types of materials including: correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, maps, photographs, a variety of printed material, and a small collection of prints and engravings. Much of the material in this collection is undated, however, the bulk of the dated items are from the second half of the nineteenth century, much from the 1850s and 1860s. The strength of this collection lies in its diversity. Researchers interested in ephemera relating to the Civil War will find this collection useful. Those interested in local history will find several items concerning Greensboro Female College and the North Carolina College for Women (2:3,7:13,14). Greensboro establishments such as the Farmer’s Bank of North Carolina (3:2) and the Greensboro Mutual Life Insurance and Trust Company (3:6) are also represented.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
1. Correspondence. 2 folders (2 items). 1860s-1908.
This series includes a handwritten letter from a Union soldier stationed at a “camp near New Bern” to his brother (1:1). A postcard postmarked Oct. 20, 1908, to a Miss Ruth Thomason in Salisbury, NC (1:2) is also included. The postcard depicts “the Nation’s Choice,” Wm. J. Bryan and John W. Kern for president and vice-president. A photograph of a young man has been affixed between the two candidates.
2. Covers. 5 folders (5 items). 1861-?.
Included in this series are two patriotic covers, one with a poem and image intended as a “Memorial to Col. Ellsworth” (2:2) from 1861 and the other depicting a woman holding a flag and pointing towards the word “Onward” (2:5). The other covers in this series relate to Greensboro establishments and individuals including Greensboro Female College (2:3); G. Will Armfield, dealer in drygoods, notions, and clothing (2:1); and Jesse F. Hoskins, messenger in bankruptcy (2:4).
3. Financial. 11 folders (13 items). 1852-1865.
The bulk of this series is comprised of examples of North Carolina currency from the 1850s and 1860s. From Greensboro, the Farmer’s Bank of North Carolina (3:2) and the Greensboro Mutual Life Insurance and Trust Company (3:6) are represented. Three items are from Fayetteville, including a sheet of uncut five-dollar notes from the Bank of Clarendon (3:3), a note for four shares in the Bank of Fayetteville (1852; 3:4), and a sheet of uncut notes from 1865 (3:5). Also included are two large uncut sheets of North Carolina five cent notes (3:7) and ten cent notes (3:8) and a North Carolina ten-dollar bill (3:9), all dated 1863. A page of uncut sixty cent notes from Richmond, VA (3:10), and a receipt from the Adams Express Company (3:1) dated 1861 are also included.
The most interesting item in this series is a ledger that belonged to Dr. Geo. B. Williams of Wilmington, NC, dating from the 1860s (3:11). It contains two distinct sets of information: a listing of expenses and accounts paid dated 1861-1867 and the doctor’s clinical notes, formulas for prescriptions, and notes on the diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases including syphilis, gonorrhea, and rheumatism.
4. Legal. 3 folders (3 items). 1803-1873.
This series contains miscellaneous items including an insurance policy for the Schooner Catharine from North Carolina to the West Indies and back (1803; 4:1), a license for Jacob T. Brown to practice law (4:2), and a summons to the office of the United States Marshal in Greensboro (1873; 4:3).
5. Maps. 3 folders (3 items). 1757-1800.
Two early maps of North Carolina (5:1,3) are included in this series, as well as a map of the 1781 Battle of Guilford (5:2) engraved for Stedman’s History of the American War (1794).
6. Photos. 5 folders (19 items). n.d.
This series includes portraits of unidentified men (6:4) and women (6:5), as well as portraits of Civil War soldiers and veterans (6:3). Several interesting items include a matted portrait of a Confederate veteran identified as W.H. Brotherton (6:2), a cased ambrotype of an unidentified African American woman in a head wrap (6:1), and a cased ambrotype of an unidentified man wearing a large black hat (6:4).
7. Printed. 28 folders (30 items). 1855-1935.
The largest of the collection, this series reflects Sturm’s interest in collecting different types of material. Included are: advertisements, broadsides, brochures, clippings, newspapers, pamphlets, periodicals, programs, and tickets.
Items of special interest include two brochures from the North Carolina College for Women, now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, (7:13,14); local North Carolina newspapers dating from the 1850s and 1860s (7:16-20); and two boxing tickets dated 1892 for bouts between Sullivan and Corbett, Maher and Fitzsimmons (7:28).
8. Prints and Engravings. 8 folders (8 items). 1794-1831.
The eight items in this series include a print commemorating the capture of Fort Fisher, NC, in 1865 (8:1), two portraits of Major General Nathanael Greene (8:6,7), and a colored print of Lee’s cavalry skirmishing at the Battle of Guilford (8:8).
FOLDER LISTING
| Series | Folder | Contents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Correspondence | -- Letters -- Camp near New Bern, NC (n.d.) |
| 2 | -- Postcards -- Thomason, Miss Ruth (1908) | ||
| 2 | 1 | Covers | -- Armfield, G. Will. (n.d.) |
| 2 | -- Ellsworth, Memorial to (1861) | ||
| 3 | -- Greensboro Female College (n.d.) | ||
| 4 | -- Hoskins, Jesse F. (n.d.) | ||
| 5 | -- Onward (n.d.) | ||
| 3 | 1 | Financial | -- Receipts -- Adam's Express Co. (1861) |
| 2 | -- Currency -- Farmer's Bank of NC. Three Dollars (1859) | ||
| 3 | -- Currency -- Fayetteville, Bank of. Four Shares (1852) | ||
| 4 | -- Currency -- Fayetteville, Bank of Clarendon (18??) | ||
| 5 | Financial | -- Currency -- Fayetteville, NC (1865) | |
| 6 | -- Currency -- Greensboro Mutual Life Insurance (1862) | ||
| 7 | -- Currency -- North Carolina. Five Cents (1863) | ||
| 8 | -- Currency -- North Carolina. Ten Cents (1863) | ||
| 9 | Financial | -- Currency -- North Carolina. Ten Dollars (1863) | |
| 10 | -- Currency -- Virginia. Sixty Cents (1862) | ||
| 11 | -- Ledgers -- Williams, Dr. Geo. B. (1860s) | ||
| 4 | 1 | Legal | -- Insurance Policies -- Schooner Catharine (1803) |
| 2 | -- Licenses -- Brown, Jacob T. to practice as attorney (1859) | ||
| 3 | -- Summons -- US Marshall, Greensboro (1873) | ||
| 5 | 1 | Maps | -- Battle of Guilford March 15, 1781 (1794) |
| 2 | -- Carte de Caroline et Georgie (1757) | ||
| 3 | -- North Carolina (1800) | ||
| 6 | 1 | Photos | -- African American Woman (n.d.) |
| 2 | -- Brotherton, W.H. (n.d.) | ||
| 3 | Photos | -- Military | |
| 4 | -- Portraits -- Men | ||
| 5 | -- Portraits -- Women | ||
| 7 | 1 | Printed | -- Advertisements -- Colored Minstrel Troupe (n.d.) |
| 2 | -- Advertisements -- Dixie Shoe Stores Co. (1926) | ||
| 3 | -- Advertisements -- Erie Washer Co. (1873) | ||
| 4 | -- Advertisements -- F.M. Roberts and Co. (n.d.) | ||
| 5 | Printed | -- Advertisements -- M. Stein & Sons (n.d.) | |
| 6 | -- Advertisements -- Model 32 Roadster (n.d.) | ||
| 7 | -- Advertisements -- Photographs...R.H. Fulghum (n.d.) | ||
| 8 | -- Advertisements -- Sergeant 8-Horse Power (n.d.) | ||
| 9 | Printed | -- Broadsides -- Company B 9th Regiment Ohio Vol. Cavalry (1863) | |
| 10 | -- Broadsides -- Notice...Household Furniture (1890) | ||
| 11 | -- Broadsides -- Southern Fire Insurance Co. (1869) | ||
| 12 | -- Broadsides -- Speech at Lillington... Col. Young (1880) | ||
| 13 | Printed | -- Brochures -- Greensboro Female College (n.d.) | |
| 14 | -- Brochures -- NC College for Women in Pictures (n.d.) | ||
| 15 | -- Clippings -- Good Furniture for Sale (1855) | ||
| 16 | -- Newspapers -- Fayetteville Observer (September 13, 1858) | ||
| 17 | Printed | -- Newspapers -- NC Presbyterian (January 1863 & April 1864) | |
| 18 | -- Newspapers -- NC Times, New Bern (February 7, 1865) | ||
| 19 | -- Newspapers -- Spirit of the Age (October 31, 1855) | ||
| 20 | -- Newspapers -- Way of the World (August 21, 1862) | ||
| 21 | Printed | -- Pamphlets -- Blum's Farmers' Almanac (1877) | |
| 22 | -- Pamphlets -- Waste of the People's Money (1869-1870) | ||
| 23 | -- Periodicals -- Boy's Life (September 1935 & November 1935) | ||
| 24 | -- Periodicals -- Butler Bothers, NY (1914) | ||
| 25 | Printed | -- Periodicals -- Scout Administrator (1935) | |
| 26 | -- Periodicals -- Spotless Co. Inc., Richmond, VA (n.d.) | ||
| 27 | -- Programs -- High Point Classical School (1868) | ||
| 28 | -- Tickets -- Boxing (1892) | ||
| 8 | 1 | Prints | -- Bombardment and Capture of Fort Fisher, NC (1865) |
| 2 | -- Cornwallis, Charles Marquis (1831) | ||
| 3 | -- Davis, Jeff, Capture of (1865) | ||
| 4 | -- George the Third, King of Great Britain (1794) | ||
| 5 | Prints | -- Grant, Lt. General (n.d.) | |
| 6 | -- Green, Nathaniel, Major General (n.d.) | ||
| 7 | -- Green, Nathaniel, Major General US Army (n.d.) | ||
| 8 | -- Lee's Cavalry Skirmishing at Battle of Guilford (n.d.) |
Index to the Ted Sturm Collection (ca. 1757-1935)
NOTE: The numbers following the name/subject entry — e.g. 1:1 — indicate in which Series#:Folder# (or, if no “:”, Series only) that name/topic can be found. Dates of the items are given in parentheses for an individual Series/Folder or, if at the end, for the entire subject/name entry. The abbreviation GSO indicates a Greensboro association.
Adam’s Express Co.: receipt, 3:1 (1861)
Advertisements: 19th & 20th cent., 7:1-12
African Americans: photo of woman, 6:1; minstrel troupe ad, 7:1
Armfield, G. Will: cover, 2:1
Automobiles: Model 32 Roadster, 7:6
Bank of Clarendon, Fayetteville, NC: currency, 3:3
Bank of Fayetteville, NC: currency, 3:4 (1852)
Battle of Guilford: print, 8:8 (1781); map, 5:1 (1794)
Blum’s Farmers’ Almanac: 7:21 (1877)
Boxing: tickets (Sullivan & Corbett, et. al.), 7:28 (1892)
Boy Scouts: periodicals, 7:23, 25 (1935)
Boy’s Life: 7:23 (1935 Sept., Nov.)
Brotherton, W.H.: photograph, 6:2
Brown, Jacob T.: license to practice as attorney, 4:2 (1859)
Butler Bros., NY: 7:24 (1914)
Corbett, Jim (1866-1933): boxing ticket, 7:28 (1892)
Cornwallis, Charles, 1st Marquis (1738-1805): print of, 8:2 (1831)
Currency: Farmer’s Bank of NC.: 3:2 (1859)
Fayetteville, NC: 3:5 (1865); Bank of, 3:4 (1852); Bank of Clarendon, 3:3; 3:5 (1865)
Greensboro Mutual Life Insurance, 3:6 (1862)
North Carolina, 3:7-9 (1863)
Virginia, 3:10 (1862)
Davis, Jefferson (1808-1889): print of, 8:3 (1865)
Dixie Shoe Stores Co. (GSO): ad, 7:2 (1926)
Douglas, Robert, M.: summons, 4:3 (1873)
Erie Washer Co.: ad, 7:3 (1873)
Ellsworth, Ephraim Elmer (1837-1861): cover, 2:2 (1861)
F.M. Roberts and Co.: advertisement, 7:4
Farmer’s Bank of NC (GSO): currency, 3:2 (1859)
Fayetteville, NC: currency, 3:3-5 (1852, 1865)
Fayetteville Observer: 7:16 (Sept 13, 1858)
Fitzsimmons, Robert Prometheus (1862-1917): boxing ticket, 7:28 (1892)
Fort Fisher, NC: print, 8:1 (1865)
Fulghum, R.H. (photographer): broadside, 7:7
Furniture: broadside, 7:10 (1890); clipping, 7:15 (1855)
George III. (George William Frederick, 1738-1820): print of, 8:4 (1794)
Goldsboro, NC: photographers, 7:7
Grant, Ulysses Simpson (1822-1885): print of, 8:5
Greene, Nathanael, Major General (1742-1786): prints, 8:6-7
Greensboro Female College: brochure, 7:13 ((n.d., 19th c.); cover, 2:3
Greensboro Mutual Life Insurance: currency, 3:6 (1862)
High Point Classical School: program, 7:27 (1868)
Hoskins, J.Y.: summons, 4:3 (1873)
Hoskins, Jesse F.: cover, 2:4
Lee, Harry (Light Horse): print, 8:8
Lillington, NC: speech at, 7:12 (1880)
Maps: Battle of Guilford, 1781, 5:1 (1794); Carte de Caroline et Georgie, 5:2 (1757); North Carolina, 5:3 (1800)
New Bern, NC: corresp., 1:1; newspaper, 7:18 (1865)
Newspapers: NC, 19th cent., 7:16-20
North Carolina: currency 19th c., 3:7-9; map, 5:3 (1800)
North Carolina College for Women (GSO): brochure, 7:14
North Carolina Presbyterian: 7:17 (Jan 1863 & Apr 1864)
North Carolina Times (New Bern): 7:18 (Feb 7, 1865)
Ohio: 9th Regiment, broadside, 7:9 (1863)
Photographers: R.H. Fulghum (Goldsboro, NC), 7:7
Photographs: African American Woman, 6:1
Brotherton, W.H., 6:2
Military, 6:3
Portraits of Men, 6:4
Portraits of Women, 6:5
Politics: pamphlets, 7:22
Schooner Catharine: insurance policy, 4:1 (1803)
Scout Administrator (periodical): 7:25 (1935)
Southern Fire Insurance Co.: broadside, 7:11 (1869)
Spirit of the Age (newspaper): 7:19 (Oct 31, 1855)
Spotless Co. Inc., Richmond, VA: periodical, 7:26
Stein & Sons, M.: ad, 7:5
Sullivan, John Lawrence (1858-1918): boxing ticket, 7:28 (1892)
Thomason, Miss Ruth: corresp., 1:2 (1908)
Virginia: currency, 3:10 (1862)
Way of the World (newspaper): 7:20 (Aug 21, 1862)
Williams, Dr. Geo. B.: ledger, 3:11 (1860’s)
Young Col. Isaac J.: political broadside, 7:12 (1880)
