Finding aid to the Moorman and Lynch Grist Mill accounts

Text

JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24501
(434) 846-0501
MOORMAN AND LYNCH GRIST MILL
The collection includes accounts and orders (1807-1817) for a grist mill operated in
Lynchburg, Virginia, under several names: MOORMAN and LYNCH, James C.
MOORMAN and Company, LYNCH and MOORMAN. Partners in the operation of the
mill were James C. MOORMAN, John LYNCH, Sr., and Thomas WIATT. The accounts
include customers' names and amount of grain milled. Also included are letters from the
donor about the collection and his notes about United States currency at the time.

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JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2311 MEMORIAL AVENUE
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24501
(434) 846-0501
JAMES CLARK MOORMAN (1779-1836)
James Clark MOORMAN, son of Andrew MOORMAN and Judith CLARK, was born
10 March 1779, probably in Bedford County, Virginia. He married 13 August 1799 Jane
ROBINSON, daughter of John ROBINSON and Janet EDGAR, of Campbell County.
James C. MOORMAN entered into partnership with John LYNCH, founder of
Lynchburg, Virginia, in the operation of the Lynchburg Mills ca. 1809, as the firm of
James C. MOORMAN. Later, Thomas WIATT joined the partnership and the name was
changed to James C. MOORMAN and Company. Still later, when WIATT left the
partnership, the business operated first as MOORMAN and LYNCH, then as LYNCH
and MOORMAN.
James C. MOORMAN was elected to the Council of Lynchburg on 23 December
1812. On 12 January 1813, he was elected by Council to replace John PERKINS, who
had resigned as Alderman. MOORMAN was elected Alderman on 7 April 1813 and
served until 1817.
Following the death of John LYNCH in 1820, a controversy arose over the articles of
agreement for the several partnerships involving the Lynchburg Mills, and the case was
eventually sent to arbitration. Apparently, James C. MOORMAN entered into some
financial difficulty at that time. On 18 December 1823, two large tracts of land, a
number of slaves, livestock, and crops belonging to MOORMAN were to be sold to pay
debts secured by a deed of trust.
James C. MOORMAN died 18 August 1836 in St. Louis, Missouri, "opposite the
town of St. Charles."
[Mrs. Thomas Moorman Eldridge, History of the Moorman Family (Atlanta: Author, 1942), pp. 13, 25;
Lucy M. H. Baber and Hazel Letts Williamson, comp., Marriages of Campbell County, Virginia 1782-1810
(Lynchburg: Compilers, 1971), p. 71. Bond dated 13 August 1799, Marriage return by Abner Early, 15 --[August?] 1799; "Lynchburg Mills - James C. Moorman," Lynchburg Press, 3 June 1809, p. 3 col. 4;
"Arbitration settlement, James C. Moorman vs. Edward Lynch and Anselm Lynch, executors of John
Lynch, Sr., deceased, and Thomas Wiatt," Superior Court of Law and Chancery, Lynchburg (Va.) Circuit
Court, Order Book No. 2 (October 1822-July 1825), pp. 110-113, 21 May 1823; Minutes [of Common
Council, Lynchburg, Va., 20 February 1811-31 March 1826, Reel No. 93; "Trust Sale of Land, Negroes,
&c," Lynchburg Virginian, 14 November 1823, p. 3 col. 5; Obituary, Lynchburg Virginian, 24 October
1836, p. 3 col. 3. That the James C. Moorman who died in St. Louis is the same as the James C. Moorman
in the arbitration settlement is proven in the case of James C. Moorman vs. Alexander Liggat,
administrator de bonis non, with the will annexed of John Lynch, deceased, Samuel Bransford, sergeant of
the corporation of Lynchburg, administrator of Thomas Wiatt, deceased..."it appearing to the satisfaction
of the court that the plaintiff hath departed this life...," Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery,
Lynchburg (Va.) Circuit Court, Order Book No. 6 (January 1836-January 1845), p. 253, 1 June 1839. An

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earlier case, James C. Moorman against Bolling Clarke, et als., states that the "plaintiff hath departed this
life." Ibid., p. 82, 22 October 1836. This date coincides with the newspaper obituary.]

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Dublin Core

Title

Finding aid to the Moorman and Lynch Grist Mill accounts

Subject

Finding aids
Moorman, James C.
Lynch, John
Wiatt, Thomas

Description

Manuscript finding aid to the Moorman and Lynch Grist Mill collection which includes accounts and orders from 1807-1817 for a grist mill in Lynchburg, Virginia

Creator

George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia)

Publisher

George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia)

Date

2023

Rights

George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia)

Format

PDF file

Language

English

Identifier

MS1050FA

Citation

George M. Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia), “Finding aid to the Moorman and Lynch Grist Mill accounts,” Digital Collections, accessed March 28, 2024, https://digitaljones.omeka.net/items/show/64.