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Bland Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SC-MS-303

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of papers and artifacts of or relating to the Bland Family of North Carolina, including papers of other prominent families who have close relations to the Blands. This collection spans from 1802 to 1985 and consists primarily of legal documents regarding the transfer and acquisition of land in Brunswick and Columbus counties of North Carolina. There are various types of deeds, the majority being land deeds, as well as several indentures between Bland family members and others. Included are maps and land surveys of Brunswick and Columbus counties produced by certified land surveyors within the Bland family. Financial and legal documents are also present, such as court orders, tax receipts, insurance papers, and stock certificates. Personal papers and artifacts include family photographs, hand drawn portraits, military records, driver’s licenses, Christmas cards, a birth certificate, a death certificate, and a marriage license.

Dates

  • Creation: 1802-1985

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Copyright Statement

Copyright retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Historical Note

The Bland Family was prominent in North Carolina in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. William Augustus Bland resettled from Pitt County, North Carolina to western Brunswick County, North Carolina during the early 1800s. W.A. Bland moved to Brunswick County to take advantage of the pine timber in the area, buying land, equipment, and slaves to do so. The Bland family expanded in Brunswick County and eventually into Columbus County, North Carolina, buying and surveying land. Several Bland men fought in the American Civil War as Confederate soldiers, including John Joseph Bland and Christopher Columbus Bland, also known as Kit Bland. Members of the Bland family were certified land surveyors, including Johnnie Bland and L.C. Bland. Their work is present in this collection, including hand drawn maps and surveys done by both men.

Extent

3 Containers (Contains 2 document boxes and 1 oversize folder.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into two main series, Land and Legal Records and Bland Family Personal Papers. Land and Legal Records is divided into the sub-series Deeds and Indentures, Maps and Land Surveys, Banking and Finance Records, and Government and Legal Records. Bland Family Personal Papers is divided into the sub-series Personal Papers, Military Papers, Photographs and Art, and Ephemera. The sub-series are further arranged by date of creation.

Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Terry Bland in 2008.

Accruals and Additions

Addition 1: December 18, 2008

Digital Access

Portions of this collection have been digitized and/or are born-digital. These items are identified by a black icon beside the item title when browsing via the collection organization hierarchy (to the right in desktop view; on the bottom in mobile view).

To view or access all of the digitized and/or born-digital materials in the collection directly, please select "View Digital Material" in the blue header above, just below the collection title.

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed by Addison Vestal in the Fall of 2019.

Title
Bland Family Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Addison Vestal
Date
2019 November 25
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:

910-962-7810