Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions to access or use for research purposes.

Ownership and Custodial History

This collection was donated to the Farmville-Prince Edward County Historical Society by Thelma Mottley in the early 2000s.

Biographical sketch

The Paulett Family has a long history associated with business in Farmville, Virginia. Richard Singleton Paulett, born in Charlotte County in 1820, came to Farmville in 1842. He was a commission merchant, establishing a partnership with John Thackston and W.P. Elam, which later operated as R.S. Paulett and Company, Paulett and Carroll, Hilliard, Hill and Company, Warren, Paulett, and Company, and then as Paulett, Son, and Company (which he operated with his son, Richard H. Paulett, who later formed a hardware firm with Charles F. Bugg). Richard S. Paulett was also involved in the tobacco business. His tobacco company, R.S. Paulett & Son (which he operated with his son Samuel Whitfield Paulett) was one of the largest exporters of tobacco in the state, shipping primarily to England and Norway. After the death of H.E. Warren, the first President of Planters Bank, R.S. Paulett was named his successor, and remained in that position until his death in 1902. Samuel W. Paulett, who later opened Paulett Crockery Company, was a veteran of the Confederate Army, having enlisted when he was 15 years old. S.W. Paulett was also a member of the Farmville District School Board from 1886 to 1920, and was Farmville's mayor from 1916 to 1920.

Scope and Contents

This collection, which dates from 1877 to 1929, represents the business records of Richard Singleton Paulett, Paulett, Son& Company, S.W. Paulett, R.H. Paulett, H.A. Paulett, H.C. Paulett, E.L. Paulett, and Paulett and Bugg. These records include property deeds, deeds of trust, stock certificates, contracts, and correspondence.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Bugg, Charles F.
• Deeds -- Virginia -- Prince Edward County.
• Farmville (Va.) -- Commerce.
• Paulett, Henry C.
• Paulett, R.S. (Richard Singleton)
• Paulett, Richard H.
• Paulett, S.W. (Samuel W.)
• Prince Edward County (Va.) -- History.
• Sharecropping -- United States -- Virginia.

General Note

This collection is part of the Farmville-Prince Edward Historical Society Archives which are housed at the Greenwood Library Archives and Special Collections