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| J.O. Clifton was the son of John L. Clifton. The document was signed by John W. Giddens and George L. Giddens, who owned the Steam Mill and were brothers to J. O. Clifton's second wife, Patricia Giddens. |
I don't have a photo of my 2nd great-grandfather, George Lullen Giddens. I'm sure there must have been photos taken. At age 21, he was found on the 1860 census as a "dauguerman," which sounds as if his occupation at that time had something to do with photography.
Although not photos of George, photos of these items tell a little more of his story, and I thought this would be a good way to share with those who are interested.
George was born in Wayne County, NC, but spent most of his adult life living in Sampson and Duplin Counties. He was a merchant, often a postmaster, and also did some farming. For more about George, read my 2020 post, George Lullen Giddens, a Merchant from North Carolina.
These items came from a huge collection of papers amassed by John L. Clifton found at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University. John L. Clifton, a clergyman, businessman/merchant, and possibly attorney, carefully saved and named almost every receipt and document. Receipts and small items like these were found in large boxes, one for each decade.
I had been at the library for most of the morning looking at larger items in the collection and was dismayed when I opened that first box full of tiny pieces of paper. Little did I know what treasures I would find.
