Ellington and Gold Hill Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains correspondence and miscellaneous business papers spanning the years from 1902-1942. The bulk of the correspondence falls in the following years: 1902, 1903, 1910, 1928-131, 1934, 1937-1939, and 1940. In addition, there is a business ledger.
As a result of earlier processing practices and difficulties with identification, the journals and ledgers of the Schuessler and Ellington-Gold Hill businesses are mixed between collections. (See also the ledger inventories of the Schuessler Collection, Record Group 46, and the Tucker Collection, Record Group 267.) In some cases, the journals remain unidentified or were identified based on comparative handwriting.
Dates
- Creation: 1902 - 1942
Creator
- Schuessler, Charles (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to research without restrictions.
Biographical / Historical
The name Ellington is associated with cotton gin and shipping records from 1905-1920. The Ellingtons appeared to have been the operators of a general merchandise store that later expanded to include shipping (i.e. a wholesale distributor) around 1911. Chambers County, Alabama is the primary area included in the business operations, with Gold Hill in Lee County and Lafayette being the two main cities of operation.
There are several different business names located in Gold Hill that are associated with the name Ellington: Ellington and Cherry, Ellington and Co., (V. E. Ellington, W. A. Ellington, H. A. Botsford), The Gold Hill Co., and the Eufaula Grocery Co.
It is believed that by 1928 the Ellington family no longer owned the main business; W. C. Bradley, of Bradley Manufacturing Co., in Columbus, Georgia, was president of the Gold Hill Co. by that date.
The business interests of these companies were varied and included a retail store, farming operations with tenant farmers, and a dairy herd. Cotton farming and ginning were also a part of the normal business routine.
Full Extent
1.25 Cubic Feet (one RC box and one ledger )
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is organized by accessions. Each accession represents as addition to the collection. Each accession also represents a transfer of physical and legal custody of archival materials from the donor(s) to Auburn University Special Collections and Archives.
Processing Information
Accession 10-17-1972 processed by MBS/MCH, 1974-197; Transcribed into ArchivesSpace by Sameena Massey, 2025. Finding aid modified by Joanna Ashley, 2026.
- Title
- Guide to the Ellington and Gold Hill Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- Record Group 1390
- Author
- MBS/MCH
- Date
- 10/13/1972
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Auburn University Special Collections and Archives Repository
Auburn University
Ralph Brown Draughon Library
231 Mell Street
Auburn Alabama 36849
334-844-1732
archives@auburn.edu
