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Haverty family papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS904

Scope and Content

This collection documents the Haverty family, Haverty's Furniture Company, and associated professional organizations. The papers consist of business correspondence, family letters, financial records, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, speeches, travel journals, and writings. Included in the collection are speeches from Haverty's and American Retail Federation meetings and conventions, as well as first person narratives from Rawson Haverty Sr. highlighting his travels to Europe and family history. Additionally included are musical compositions and poetry from Clarence Haverty. The collection also contains materials highlighting the Catholic Church, MARTA, and the National Retail Furniture Association. Of special interest are annual reports and board member documents from Saint Joseph's Hospital, along with United States Army brochures and booklets for soldiers in World War II.

Dates

  • 1810-2007, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Thomas Haverty (1809-1896) was born in Kilchreest, Ireland. He married Margaret Cannon (1816-1882) in 1835 and they had five children: Michael (1837-1907), Katherine (1838-1899), Mary (1840-1930), Ellen (1843-1905), and J. J. (James Joseph) Haverty Sr. (1858-1939). The family immigrated from Ireland to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1858. J. J. Haverty Sr. married Clara Theresa Malone (1859-1918) in 1880 and they had ten children: James "Clarence" Haverty (1881-1960), Mary May (1884-1967), Maud (1887-1968), Robert Thomas (1889-1952), Marguerite (1893-1982), Ben (1894-1895), John Rhodes (1896-1940), J. J. Jr. (1896-1965), Dorothy (1900-1986), and Katherine (1902-1986). J. J. Haverty Sr. started Haverty's Furniture Company in 1885. Between 1889-1908 Haverty went into partnership with A. G. (Amos Giles) Rhodes (1850-1928) and formed the Rhodes-Haverty Furniture Company. After separating with A. G. Rhodes in 1909, J. J. Haverty Sr., along with Clarence Haverty, went on to restructure Haverty's Furniture Company.

Administrative/Biographical History

Clarence Haverty married Elizabeth Rawson (1889-1986) in 1912 and had three children: Clare (1917-1979), James "Rawson" Haverty Sr. (1920-2007), and Elizabeth (1924-2014). Clarence became president of Haverty's Furniture Company in 1938, served as director of Fulton National Bank from 1910 to 1938, and president of the National Retail Furniture Association in 1943. In 1946 he was appointed a Privy Chamberlain of the Sword and Cape and in 1956 was invested as a Master Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Clarence served on the boards of Saint Joseph's Infirmary and the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Co. Rawson Haverty Sr. was called into active duty with United States Army in 1942 and served as lieutenant and later was promoted to the rank of major. Rawson Sr. married Margaret Middleton Munnerlyn (1925-2013) in 1951 and had five children: Peggy, Jane, Rawson Jr. (1956- ), Liz (Mary Elizabeth), and Ben. Rawson Sr. was elected president of the National Retail Furniture Association in 1952 and was appointed president of Haverty's Furniture Company in 1955. In 1960 Rawson Sr. became director of the Fulton National Bank. He also served on the board of directors for MARTA and Saint Joseph's Hospital.

Extent

19.17 linear ft. (29 document cases, four oversize boxes, and two record center boxes)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged into five series: Series I: Haverty family ephemera; Series II: J. J. Haverty; Series III: Clarence Haverty; Series IV: Rawson Haverty Sr.; Series V: Haverty professional records. Series II-V are arranged alphabetically according to titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1983, with subsequent additions

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2020.

Title
Haverty family papers
Author
Josh Hogan and Daena Carrillo
Date
January 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040