Avery Family Papers, 1835-1903

Biography/Background:

Daniel Humphrey Avery (1818-1866) and his family resided in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, from 1852 until 1868. Avery was the junior partner in the firm of Leach and Avery, an agricultural supply business and plow manufacturer. Before coming to Tuscaloosa, Avery had sold plows made in the family foundry in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife Julia (married1848) were from upstate New York (Aurora and Albany, respectively), and during the Civil War they remained loyal to the Union. Federal troops under Brigadier General Croxton destroyed the facilities of Leach and Avery during a raid (now known as Wilson's Raid) on Tuscaloosa on April 3 through 5, 1865. The partners attempted to rebuild, but Avery died in December 1866, and his widow and sons returned north (1868), first to Providence, Rhode Island, then to Geneva, New York.

Scope and Content:

The bulk of the collection consists of papers, primarily depositions and correspondence, relating to a claim filed under the Tucker Act by Julia Avery to secure reparations for damages to her husband's property in Tuscaloosa. The original claim was evidently mislaid in Washington. It was filed again in 1875, only to be rejected when one deposition alleged that the firm had made hats and small cannons for the Confederate Army. The younger Avery son, Edwin, then entered the claim a third time in 1902. The file is incomplete and does not record the result of the third claim. The remainder of the collection is comprised of personal correspondence. The collection was a gift from Margaret Searing Taylor of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Her mother, Mrs. Amos G. Searing (Louise Avery Searing), was the daughter of Daniel Avery's younger son, Edwin Morgan Avery, and several items in the collection bear her annotations.

Guide to Collection:

File level guide available in the Archives Department.

Subject Areas:

Avery Family.
Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) -- History.
Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) -- Genealogy.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
Wilson's Cavalry Raid, 1865.

Collection Number: 75

Size: 1/3 linear foot (1 box)

Restrictions: Standard preservation and copyright restrictions.

RA/7-10-01