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DuBose family visual arts materials

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.VIS198

Scope and Content

This collection contains artwork, images, and maps collected by the DuBose family. The artwork pertains to Civil War historical sites and scenes and includes etchings, engravings, drawings, and paintings. Much of the artwork was done by Wilbur G. Kurtz (1882-1967), a family friend, historian, writer, and artist. There are original photographs from the Civil War era in a variety of formats, such as cartes de visite, tintypes, and albumen prints. Photographic subject matter includes military personnel, battlefields, and relics from the Civil War era. The DuBose family and Kurtz collected Civil War relics, military artifacts, and maps as part of their research of the time period. Atlanta History Center displayed many of these relics in exhibitions, which are now part of the Civil War collection.

The second series contains images of the DuBose family as well as members of the Box, Jones, Porcher, and Woodruff families. The bulk of the collection contains the personal and professional life of Beverly M. DuBose Jr., his years serving in the United States Navy, his career in the insurance business, his contributions to various professional organizations, and his leisure time spent with family and friends.

Dates

  • 1783-2007, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Administrative/Biographical History

Beverly Means DuBose Sr. (1886-1953) was the son of Robert Marion (1841-1907) and Elizabeth (Egleston) DuBose (1849-1918). Beverly was born in Sewanee, Tennessee, and attended the University of the South in Sewanee. He came to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1906 to work in the insurance industry with his cousin, Thomas Egleston. DuBose married Lula Dean Jones (1842-1961) in 1915 and the couple had two children: Beverly Means Jr. (1918-1986) and Elizabeth (DuBose) Skiles (1922-2000). DuBose worked for the insurance firm Perdue-Egleston from 1906 to 1923 and later became a partner in the firm DuBose-Egleston. He served on the board of Atlanta Stove Works, was a trustee of Egleston Hospital for Children and Girl Scouts of America, and was a member of the Civitan Club and Piedmont Driving Club. He was president of the Atlanta Historical Society (1948-1952); vice president of Atlanta Art Association; and a trustee of both the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Music Club. DuBose had a lifelong interest in the Civil War, which he shared with his children and grandchildren.

Beverly Means DuBose Jr. (1918-1986) married Frances "Duffie" Henley Woodruff (1919-2015), and they had two children: Beverly Means DuBose III (1940- ) and Dean Woodruff (DuBose) Smith (1947- ). DuBose Jr. graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1939 and went to work at Perdue-Egleston, which later became DuBose-Egleston. He served as an officer in the United States Navy (1943-1946) and was stationed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later, he returned to Atlanta and worked as an executive with Johnson & Higgins Insurance Company, the largest privately owned insurance firm in the nation. He was tasked with expanding the business to the Southeast. Johnson & Higgins purchased DuBose-Egleston from DuBose Jr. in 1956. DuBose Jr. was a charter member of the Civil War Rountable of Atlanta (1949) and later served as president (1951-1958). He was also a member of the Georgia Civil War Centennial Commission (1961-1965) and served as chairman (1963-1965). DuBose Jr. was president of the Atlanta Historical Society on two occasions and was board chairman of the society for many years. He was a member of the Capital City Club and Piedmont Driving Club.

Frances "Duffie" Henley Woodruff DuBose was born in Columbus, Georgia, to Harry Ernest Woodruff (1883-1924) and Frances Louise Henley Woodruff Box (1897-1979). Mrs. DuBose graduated from Gulf Park College in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1938. She volunteered at Egleston Hospital for Children and was a member of the Iris Garden Club, Atlanta Junior League, Forward Arts Foundation, Ceramic Circle of Atlanta, and the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. She was also on the board and chairperson of Historic Westville as well as creating the Frances and Beverly DuBose Foundation, which provides grants for the support of education and historic preservation efforts.

Beverly "Bo" DuBose III was involved in real estate development and construction in Atlanta. Along with his father, he assembled the largest private collection of Civil War military relics, which is now part of Atlanta History Center's Civil War collection. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and served three years in the United States Navy. He served on the board of trustees for several institutions including Washington and Lee University; the Civil War Trust; Gettysburg Foundation; and the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. He has also served on the board of trustees of the Atlanta Historical Society (later Atlanta History Center) serving for two terms as president (1996-2000). DuBose III is a member of the board of The Museum of the American Revolution and has received the John Macpherson Berrien Award for Lifetime Achievements in History from the Georgia Historical Society. He is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, Company of Military Historians, and Piedmont Driving Club.

Extent

7,017 item(s) (2,801 black and white photographic prints, 1,034 color photographic prints, 790 slides, 722 negatives, 602 early photographic prints, 359 maps, 213 drawings, 198 postcards, 188 prints, 30 diagrams, 28 blueprints, 18 lithographs, 16 photograph albums, nine glass plate negatives, eight paintings, and one booklet)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged in two series. Series I: Collected materials and Series II: DuBose family. Series I is arranged in four subseries: Subseries 1. Artwork; Subseries 2. Civil War original photographs; Subseries 3. Exhibitions and research materials; and Subseries 4. Maps. Series and subseries are arranged by titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1985, with subsequent additions

Related Archival Materials

DuBose family collection, MSS 1020, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center

General

America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia received support from a Digitizing Historical Records grant awarded to Atlanta History Center, Georgia Historical Society, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Digital Library of Georgia by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Description Control

The collection was reprocessed in 2021.

Title
DuBose family visual arts materials
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