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John Wesley Hunt Papers,1795-1849

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Author

Processed by: staff; machine-readable finding aid created by:Bonnie Cox

Title

John Wesley Hunt Papers

Date

1795-1849

Repository

Transylvania University Special CollectionsLexington, Kentucky 40508 USA

Conditions Governing Access note

Open to researchers.

Preferred Citation Note

[Identification of item], John Wesley Hunt Papers, 1795-1849, MSC 515,Special Collections, Transylvania University, Lexington.

Extent

1 cubic ft.

Biography/History

John Wesley Hunt, a native of Trenton, New Jersey, settled in Lexington, Kentucky in 1794. He operated a dry goods store there in partnership with his brother Abijah Hunt, until 1800, when Abijah moved to Mississippi. Thereafter in addition to importing and exporting various commodities through contacts and agents in such cities as Philadelphia, Louisville, New Orleans, and Natchez, Hunt was an important manufacturer of hemp, a stock breeder, land speculator, banker, and farmer. His estate was valued in excess of $800,000 at his death. Hunt was the grandfather of Civil War figure, John Hunt Morgan.

Scope and Content

The collection is comprised of approximately 700 items of business correspondence and records Lexington merchant, John Wesley Hunt. Materials present consist primarily of letters received by Hunt relating to his commercial interests, along with various business or financial records. Present are accounts and correspondence relating to the store of Abijah and John W. Hunt; correspondence from agents, partners, and lawyers in Philadelphia, Trenton, New York, Cincinnati, Louisville, New Orleans, and Natzhez; and a variety of deeds, indentures, accounts, bills, receipts, and inventories. Letters to Hunt from his brothers Abijah, Pearson, and Wilson Hunt are present which, with other correspondence, detail particular transactions or enterprises, market conditions in Kentucky and southern and eastern trade centers, and the wide scope of Hunt's business pursuits. Other correspondence relates to Hunt's land speculation in various Kentucky counties, to his breeding and sale of horses, to the manufacture and sale of hemp products, and to numerous legal suits in which Hunt was involved. Variant title: John Wesley Hunt papers. Condition of material: fair (acid damage).