COMER-SHOOK FAMILY PAPERS, 1762-1978 Finding aid Call numbers: PR577, PR580-PR583, CA84 Extent: 2 cubic ft. (4 archives boxes, 1 book box, 1 oversized folder). To return to the ADAHCat catalog record, click here: http://adahcat.archives.alabama.gov/vwebv/holdingsinfo?bibid=37049 Alabama Dept. Of Archives and History, 624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130 www.archives.alabama.gov
COMER-SHOOK FAMILY PAPERS CONTAINER LIST A. GENEALOGY, 1762-1951 This series is divided into the following subseries: 1. Comer family, 1762-1843, undated; 2. Shook family, undated; 3. Other Families, undated; and 4. Correspondence and Miscellaneous, 1916-1951. 1. Comer family, 1762-1843, undated This subseries primarily consists of handwritten and typed research notes related to the Comer family, although a small number of research notes related to the Moss family is interspersed throughout. There is a folder of typed and handwritten copies of wills and other legal documents, dated 1762-1843, that includes copies of wills written by John Comer, Samuel Comer, Rebecca Moss, and James Moss. PR580 1 Comer family notes PR580 2 Comer family notes PR580 3 Comer family notes PR580 4 Comer family notes PR580 5 Copies of wills + legal documents, 1762-1843 2. Shook family, undated This subseries primarily consists of typed research notes related to Alfred Montgomery Shook, Andy Keith, Revolutionary War veteran Andrew Shook, and other members of the extended Shook family. Drafts of several genealogical manuscripts presumably written by Anne Kendrick Walker are also included, such as a biography of Alfred Montgomery Shook and a general history of the Shook family. PR580 6 Shook family notes PR580 7 Shook family notes PR580 8 Shook family notes PR580 9 Alfred Montgomery Shook PR580 10 Report on Andy Keith 3. Other families. This subseries consists of two folders containing typed research notes related to the Green and Sears families. PR580 11 Green family notes PR580 12 Sears family notes
Comer and Shook Family Papers A. GENEALOGY, 1762-1951 (continued) 4. Correspondence and miscellaneous, 1916-1951 This series primarily consists of correspondence written by Anne Kendrick Walker and members of the Comer family requesting and sharing genealogical information. A small number of miscellaneous brochures advertising genealogical societies and products are also included. PR580 13 Correspondence, 1916-1943 PR580 14 Anne Walker Correspondence, 1946-1951 PR580 15 Miscellaneous B. FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1832-1924, undated This series is divided into the following subseries: 1. Comer family, 1832-1918 and 2. Shook family, 1893-1924, undated. 1. Comer family, 1832-1918 Items include a survey certificate and deed describing the sale of Creek Indian land located in Cherokee County; an 1852 letter describing a horse purchased by James Comer; and a 1918 contract describing a tombstone purchased by E. T. Comer. PR580 16 Financial Records: Comer Family, 1832-1918 2. Shook family, 1893-1924, undated The business correspondence of Alfred Montgomery Shook and Pascal Green Shook, dated 1893-1924, primarily relates to the expansion of the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company. The bulk of the correspondence, dated 1916-1918, relates to the construction of a nitrate plant in Muscle Shoals. The Shooks, Emmet O Neal, and other Alabama businessmen supported the construction of the nitrate plant in the hopes that an armor plant and other wartime production facilities would also come to the state. Another notable letter, dated 18 December 1899, reports a workplace accident at a top house in Alice. PR580 17 Financial: Shook family, 1893-1899 PR580 18 Financial: Shook family, 1914-1918 PR580 19 Financial: Shook family, 1924, undated C. PERSONAL PAPERS, 1846-1955 This series is divided into the following subseries: 1. Braxton Bragg Comer political scrapbook, 1913-1927; 2. Donald Comer papers, 1900-1955; 3. Laura Beecher Comer diary, 1846-1862; and 4. Alfred Montgomery Shook papers, 1907, undated.
Comer and Shook Family Papers C. PERSONAL PAPERS, 1846-1955 (continued) 1. Braxton Bragg Comer political scrapbook, 1913-1927 This scrapbook primarily contains correspondence congratulating Comer for his appointment to the Senate and offering condolences following the death of his wife. (Comer was appointed to fill the Senate seat left vacant following Senator John H. Bankhead s death in 1920.) The scrapbook also contains earlier newspaper clippings related to Comer s political career. Other notable items include letters from Alabama University President George Denny and Alabama Polytechnic Institute President Spright Dowell thanking Comer for his support. In order to preserve the scrapbook, loose correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items were removed from the scrapbook, numbered, and filed in separate folders. The original order of these materials were retained. PR577 B. B. Comer political scrapbook, 1913-1927 PR581 1 Loose items from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 1-29 PR581 2 Loose items from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 39-59 PR581 3 Loose items from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 60-78 PR581 4 Loose items from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 79-87 PR581 5 Loose clippings from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 2-81 PR581 6 Loose clippings from B. B. Comer scrapbook, pgs 84-91 2. Donald Comer papers, 1900-1955. This series contains personal correspondence and speeches written by Donald Comer and dated 1900-1955. Notable correspondence includes a Spanish-American War telegram dated 17 April 1900. Written by Colonel Andrew Sheridan Burt, it commends Comer and his men for their actions during a skirmish with insurgents at Pamal Hill on 16 April. Speeches, dated 1930-1955, include pamphlets from several events where Donald Comer spoke about his father, Braxton Bragg Comer, and the development of Alabama industry. These pamphlets include the full text of his speeches. A typescript speech, dated 25 January 1930, discusses concerns faced by the textile industry in the South. PR580 20 Correspondence, 1900-1955 PR580 21 Speeches, 1930 PR580 22 Speeches, 1940-1952
Comer and Shook Family Papers 3. Laura Beecher Comer diary, 1846-1862 In this diary, Laura Beecher Comer writes about religion, education, and her travels between Alabama and New Hampshire. Entries, dated 1846-1867, do not appear in chronological order. The first 17 pages of the journal contain entries dated 23 June 1852 to 20 December 1852. In this portion of the journal, Comer describes her travels through South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D. C., Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, and other states. In notable entries, Laura describes Henry Clay s funeral procession (1 July 1852), discusses reading Uncle Tom s Cabin (1 August 1852), and mentions passing a group of poor Carolinians she describes as Clay Eaters (December 1854). Another notable journal entry describes a tense encounter between James Comer and an unidentified acquaintance in New Hampshire. I wish no one would speak to Mr. Comer on the subject of Slavery, she wrote on 15 August 1852. I was becoming quite enthusiastic about ascending Mt. Washington until a very mercenary remark, from one I love was made to me this eve. The next 4 pages list the names of Comer family members and provide a brief biography of James Comer, dated 12 April 1860. The biography provides a list of important events that occurred Comer s life from 1825 to 1859. This list provides detailed information about the purchase and sale of land. Diary entries dated 20 November 1846 to 10 December 1847 appear next. In these entries, Laura discusses moving to Birmingham, teaching, and visiting her recently widowed brother Abraham T. Beecher in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The final pages of the diary contain a diary entry dated 27 September 1842; a religious essay titled Reflections on the past and present dated 1867; Civil War era newspaper clippings; a list of states that seceded from the Union in December 1860; ledger entries, 1861-1862, that list supplies donated to injured soldiers; an itinerary for a trip to Canada; and a list of naval battles fought during the War of 1812. PR577 Laura Beecher Comer diary 4. Alfred Montgomery Shook papers, 1907, undated. This series primarily consists of manuscripts written related to the history of the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company. Blank TCI letterhead is also included. PR581 7 Alfred Montgomery Shook papers, 1907, undated
Comer and Shook Family Papers D. CLIPPINGS AND PUBLICATIONS, 1891-1978, undated This series primarily consists of newspaper clippings and magazine clippings related to the Shook, Comer, and Ryding families. Clippings related to Avondale Mills and TCI are also included, along with a th published history of the 25 Infantry. PR581 8 Comer family, 1930-1936, undated PR581 9 Shook family, 1891-1978 PR581 10 Ryding family, 1954 PR581 11 Avondale Mills, 1936-1965, undated PR581 12 TCI, 1899-1906, undated PR581 13 Ala. Business Hall of Fame program, 1908 PR577 th History of the 25 Infantry CA84 The Avondale Sun, 8 November 1943 E. PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES, 1895-1933, undated This series is divided into the following subseries: 1. Comer family photographs, undated; 2. Shook family photographs, undated; 3. Ryding family photographs, 1904-1933; 4. Photographs: Gertrude and Cliff Sylvester, undated; 5. Photographs: Sallie B. Lathrop, undated; 6. Spanish-American War photographs, 1895-1903; and 7. WWI Memorial, University of South, undated. 1. Comer family photographs, undated This subseries consists of photographs and negatives, circa 1890s-1930s, of identified and unidentified members of the Comer family. Identified family members include Braxton Bragg Comer, Catherine Drewry Comer, Donald Comer, Fletcher Comer, Mignon Comer Smith, John Wallace Comer, Hugh Moss Comer Jr., Emma Bates Comer, and Annie Comer. Photographs of Donald Comer and other cadets enrolled at the Bingham School in Asheville, North Carolina are particularly notable. PR581 14 Comer family album (empty) PR582 1 Photos from Comer family album PR582 2 Comer family - identified PR582 3 Comer family - identified PR582 4 Comer family - unidentified woman PR582 5 Comer family - unidentified PR582 6 Comer family - unidentified PR582 7 Cadets at Bingham School, Asheville, NC, 1895, undated PR582 8 Negatives: Comer family 2. Shook family photographs This subseries primarily consists of photographs of the Alfred Montgomery Shook family, although it also contains a photograph of a man identified as Judge Sharpe.
E. PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES, 1895-1933, undated (continued) 2. Shook family photographs (continued) PR582 9 Photographs: Shook family Comer and Shook Family Papers 3. Ryding family photographs, 1904-1933. This subseries contains photographs, dated 1904-1933, of the Herbert and Eva Comer Ryding family. Notable images include a tintype of Herbert Ryding at the 1904 World s Fair and photograph from the 1919 launching party of the U.S.S. Lorain. PR582 10 Photographs: Ryding family, 1904 PR582 11 Photographs: Ryding family, 1910-1933 4. Gertrude and Cliff Sylvester photograph. A inscription on the back of this photograph notes that it was taken at Comer, Alabama. It is unclear how Gertrude and Cliff Sylvester are related to the Comer and Shook families. PR582 12 Photographs: Gertrude and Cliff Sylvester 5. Sallie B. Lathrop photographs. Three undated photographs of Sallie B. Lathrop, an infant being cared for by an Indian nanny. PR583 13 Photographs: Sallie B. Lathrop 6. Spanish-American War photographs, 1895-1903 This extensive series of Spanish-American photographs documents the military service of th Donald Comer and other members of the 25 Infantry. Photographs taken at military bases in the United States, such as Jefferson Barracks, Missouri and Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, document military life during the 1890s and 1900s. Photographs taken while Donald Comer th was stationed in Philippines include images of 25 Infantry members and Filipino guides, military transport ships, and roads constructed by the military. One series of photographs shows an unidentified building engulfed in flames. Several photographs taken in the Philippines also depict the city of Masinloc and the coast of Iba, located in the Zambales province. Photographs of the interior and exterior of homes and other major structures provide a glimpse into the city s infrastructure, while images of Filipino men, women, and children document daily life in the province. A particularly notable series of photographs feature a group of Filipino children gathered for worship outside the San Andres Church in Masinloc.
E. PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES, 1895-1933, undated (continued) 6. Spanish-American War photographs, 1895-1903 (continued) Comer and Shook Family Papers PR582 14 Campsites in U.S., 1895-1899 PR582 15 Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, 1899 PR582 16 Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, 1903 PR582 17 Coast of Zambales PR582 18 Zambales, Philippines PR582 19 Masinloc, Zambales PR583 1 Spanish-American War photos from album, pgs 1-15 PR583 2 Spanish-American War photos from album, pgs 16-27 PR583 3 Empty scrapbook album PR583 4 Pasing River, Manila PR583 5 Buildings on fire PR583 6 Roads and ferry in Philippines PR583 7 Scenic photos, Philippines PR583 8 Identified men in Philippines PR583 9 Unidentified people PR583 10 Unidentified people PR583 11 Unidentified people PR583 12 Unidentified people PR583 13 Unidentified people PR583 14 Unidentified people CA84 Oversized photographs 7. WWI Memorial, University of South. Photograph of a memorial service held at the site of the war memorial cross on the campus of The University of the South located in Sewanee, Tennessee. Cadets from the Sewanee Military Academy are shown standing in formation under the cross. PR583 15 WWI Memorial, University of the South