Shore Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: 2019-003-Shore Family

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection, accumulated by Nancy Ella Shore, consists of documents created and used by the Shore family, circa 1900 - 1930. The collection includes materials detailing the history of the Shore family, along with their engagement in the Winston-Salem community. Record types include correspondence with family members, Moravian Church publications, Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) promotional materials, Winston-Salem financial statements, scrapbooks, a diary, and family photographs. This collection has been arranged into two series: Personal/Family History and Winston-Salem Community History.

Dates

1900-1930

Conditions Governing Use

No restrictions to access.

Access to physical collection available at Rollins College Olin Library Archives Reading Room. Winter Park, Florida.

Many of the documents in this collection are in a very fragile state. Use extreme care and keep handling to a minimum.

Biographical / Historical

The Shore Family lived in both Kernersville and Winston-Salem, NC, starting with Henry Eugene Shore (1855-1919) and Nancy Ella Kerner Shore (1857-1947). The Shores had six children: Kerner Evan, Robah Frederick, Robert Dicks, Edgar Eugene, Hellen Gazelle, and Margarette Mozelle. Unfortunately, Robah and Margarette did not live for more than a year and were buried in the same cemetery as their parents.

Henry E. Shore was a partner in Shore, Adkins & Co. with his two brothers-in-law, James Phillip Adkins and James Frederick Kerner. Henry and Nancy met while living in Kernersville and still have descendants who live in Kernersville today. During their lifetimes, the Shores would vacation frequently in the Orlando area during the winter months.

The Shore family was very dedicated to their faith and the Moravian Church. The Moravian Church was organized in 1457 by John Hus in Moravia (present-day Czech Republic), and quickly became popular in Europe, making its way to America during the colonial period. It took root mainly in Georgia and Pennsylvania at first, but by 1857 the Moravian Church had two headquarters in America: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Shore Family Collection includes a substantial amount of Moravian newsletters, showing the family’s dedication to their faith and its importance in their lives.

One prominent member of the Shore Family who appears in the collection frequently is Robert Dicks Shore (1889-1937). Robert was the treasurer of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and was elected director in 1929. He was very active in many phases of the development of Winston-Salem, NC, where he lived with his wife, Marie Merritt Shore, and two children, Robert (Bobby) Dicks Shore, Jr., and Sarah Marie Shore Ruffin. Robert and his mother, Nancy Ella Shore, communicated very often throughout their lives, generating a large amount of correspondence, along with Robert’s other brother, Edgar. An obituary of Robert is found in The New York Times, an indication of his importance to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and to Winston-Salem, NC.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (1 Box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The Shore Family Papers are organized into two series, personal and community. The first series includes a three-year diary by Nancy E. Shore, a collection of family scrapbooks, family photos, newsletters, poetry, family correspondence, and a collection of genealogy materials.

The Winston-Salem Community series includes information about the Moravian church, with programs and newsletters. There is also information on the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, with folders of convention tickets and flyers, as well as information about Kernersville business, including financial reports and tobacco distribution documents.

Custodial History

The collection was gifted to Olin Library on December 30, 1936, by Nancy Ella Shore, the wife of Henry Eugene Shore.

Processing Information

Archivists divided the collection into two series. The first series organized artifacts based on relative historical value to the family of Henry Eugene Shore and Nancy Ella Shore. The second series organized the artifacts based on overall historical significance to the community of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Kernersville, North Carolina.

This collection was processed and described by Michael Corder, Katie Groves, Peter Solien, and Cameron Robinson (students). The work was supervised by Dr. Brandon Jett and the following Archives personnel: Rachel Walton, Wenxian Zhang, and Darla Moore.

This collection was added to our online finding aid database by Anniki Okoye (volunteer).