Toms family scrapbooks, 1922-1936
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Summary
- Creator:
- Toms, Mary Newby, 1871-1925
- Abstract:
- Mary Newby Toms (1871-1925) was married to Clinton White Toms Sr. (1868-1936), who was a trustee of Duke University from 1901-1932 and was president of Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company from 1928-1936. Collection consists of two albums created by the Toms family; one memorializing Clinton White Toms Sr., and one created by Mary Newby Toms documenting a 1922 family trip to California.
- Extent:
- 2 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
- Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.01302
Background
- Scope and content:
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The collection consists of two albums, both assembled by the Toms family. The first album documents a "Trip to California" led by Mary Newby Toms in 1922; the second is a memorial scrapbook created following the death of Clinton White Toms, Sr. in 1936.
- Biographical / historical:
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Clinton White Toms Sr. was born in 1868 in Hertford, North Carolina. He and his wife, Mary Newby Toms (1871-1925), had seven children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Mary Newby was also born in Hertford, North Carolina.
He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at age 21, and became a principal at a Durham high school. In 1894, he became Superintendant of Schools in Durham. He was soon recruited by the Duke family, and left the education system to become a manager at American Tobacco's Durham plant. Following the breakup of the company, Toms joined the newly formed Liggett & Myers as a vice president and as a board member in 1911. In 1928, he was elected president of the company. He remained president until his death in 1936.
Toms was also a generous philanthropist and benefactor to many North Carolina charities and organizations. He served as a trustee of Duke University from 1901-1932.
The Toms' are buried in Maplewood Cemetary in Durham, North Carolina.
- Acquisition information:
- The Clinton White Toms Memorial Scrapbook was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010. The "Trip to California" scrapbook was received from George Flowers as a gift in 2016. The albums were combined into the Toms Family Scrapbooks collection in 2025.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Meghan Lyon, July 2010; reprocessed to include second scrapbook by Meghan Lyon, April 2025.
Accessions in this finding aid: 2010-0084, 2025-0016
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Funeral rites and ceremonies
Railroad travel -- Canada
Postcards -- United States - Format:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
Scrapbooks - Names:
- Duke University. Board of Trustees
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Toms, Clinton White, Sr., 1868-1936 - Places:
- Durham (N.C.)
West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
Contents
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- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Toms Family Scrapbooks, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1b95c