Guide to the Armwood family papers, 1866-1991 Descriptive Summary Title : Armwood family papers Creator: Armwood Dates : 1866-1991 ID Number : A18 Size: 14 boxes Language(s): English Repository: Administrative Summary Special & Digital Collections University of South Florida Tampa Library 4202 East Fowler Ave., LIB122 Tampa, Florida 33620 Phone: 813-974-2731 - Fax: 813-396-9006 Email Special & Digital Collections Provenance: Armwood Acquisition Donation Information: Access Conditions: None. The contents of this collection may be subject to copyright. Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for more information. Processing Complete History: Preferred Citation: Armwood Family papers, Special Collections Department, Tampa Library, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. Related Material: Armwood, John, Oral History Cassette Tape and Transcript, USF Department of Anthropology African Americans in Florida Project, Special Collections Department, Tampa Library, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. https://www.lib.usf.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=58&q=&rootcontentid=5943#82. Information about related materials is available at https://www.lib.usf.edu/archon/? p=collections/findingaid&id=58&q=&rootcontentid=5943#82. Biographical Note In 1866, the Armwood family settled near the Alafia River in Seffner, FL. Over the years, the family played a major role in the social and political development of Hillsborough County, especially as related to the area's African American community. In 1878, family patriarch Levin N. Armwood, Jr. (1854-1936) married Margaret Holloman (1862-1936), the daughter of Hillsborough County pioneer Adam Holloman. Levin and Margaret Armwood had five children: Walter Adam (1879-1944), Idella (1881-1968), James (1883-1889), Henry (1884-1885), and Blanche (1890-1939). A citrus-grower by trade, Levin Armwood, Jr. served as Hillsborough County's first African-American deputy sheriff, Supervisor of County Roads, and Postmaster; he was also the first African-American police officer for the city of Tampa. In 1914, along with his son Walter, Levin Armwood opened the Gem Drugstore on Central Avenue- the first African-American owned drugstore in Tampa. One of the most widely recognized members of the Armwood family, Blanche, is regarded as one of Hillsborough County's most prominent women of the early 20th century. An educator and speaker who rose to national heights, Blanche Armwood began her professional career as a teacher for Tampa's African-American schools. In 1914, the same year that her family opened the Gem, Blanche was contacted by the Tampa Gas Company to serve as a demonstrator. Later that year, Armwood established the Tampa School of Household Arts, where African-American women and girls learned domestic science skills. She served as principal, instructor and course developer for the school and eventually established a sister school, the New Orleans School of Domestic Science, in Louisiana. Based on Armwood's success, other domestic science schools were established in Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina. Other significant accomplishments of Blanche Armwood include appointment as Supervisor of Negro Schools for Hillsborough County (1926-1934) and co-founder and first executive secretary of the Tampa Urban League. In 1985, Armwood Senior High School was dedicated in her honor. Scope Note The collection provides a general overview of the Armwood family's numerous accomplishments and professional and personal activities. Birth, marriage, and death certificates are included as well as photographs, correspondences, legal documents, military service records, newspaper clippings, brochures and other printed materials, diaries, manuscripts, and speeches. Arrangement Note: Record groups. The collection is divided into the following record groups: (1) Armwood Family papers; (2) Armwood Family photographs. Record Group (1) is further subdivided into 3 sub-groups: (1) General Family papers; (2)
Blanche Armwood papers; (3) Walter Armwood. Within each subgroup, items are arranged alphabetically by name, type of material or chronologically. Arrangement Record groups. The collection is divided into the following record groups: (1) Armwood Family papers; (2) Armwood Family photographs. Record Group (1) is further subdivided into 3 sub-groups: (1) General Family papers; (2) Blanche Armwood papers; (3) Walter Armwood. Within each subgroup, items are arranged alphabetically by name, type of material or chronologically. Subject Headings Corporate Names: Tampa School of Household Arts Tampa Urban League (Tampa, Fla.) Personal Names: Armwood, Blanche Armwood, Walter Armwood, Walter -- Correspondence Family Names: Armwood family Armwood family -- Correspondence Armwood family -- Genealogy Geographic Names: Florida -- Genealogy -- Periodicals Tampa (Fla.) Tampa (Fla.) -- Politics and government COLLECTION CONTENTS Record Group : Armwood Family papers Series 1 : General Family papers BOX 1 : Alexander, Mrs. Marzell Orsely~Marriages FOLDER 1 : Alexander, Mrs. Marzell Orsely FOLDER 2 : Armwood, Garrett Ward, Sr,, 1978 FOLDER 3 : Armwood, Gertrude Horton, 1956 FOLDER 4 : Armwood, Henry Proseus, (1914-1986) FOLDER 5 : Armwood, Jesse, (1883-1947) FOLDER 6 : Armwood, John Holloman FOLDER 7 : Armwood, Levin & Holloman, Margaret, (1855-1936) FOLDER 8 : Armwood, Levin Winfred, (1906-1966) FOLDER 9 : Armwood, Leonidas (Lonnie) Owen & Jackson, Rebecca FOLDER 10 : Armwood, Napoleon Bonaparte & Fykes, Mary FOLDER 11 : Armwood, Napoleon Bonaparte & Hamilton, Anna Mae FOLDER 12 : Armwood, Owen & Armwood, Sarah L., (1858- ) & (1863-1983) Scope/Content: (maiden name Sarah Gurnsey Rogers) FOLDER 13 : Armwood, Walter Adam (1879-1944) & Johnson, Hattie (1885-1976) FOLDER 14 : Armwood, Hattie V. (1885-1976) FOLDER 15 : Armwood, Walter Adam, Jr. (1908-1973) & Massey, Ethel FOLDER 16 : Armwood, Walter Adam, III (1943- ) FOLDER 17 : Armwood, Willie Edward (1918-1985) & Armwood, Mrs. Willie Mae FOLDER 18 : Clarke, Paul T. & Gibson, Anita Sarah
FOLDER 19 : Dixon, Kelvin Norman FOLDER 20 : Dixon, Norman R. & Armwood, Rosalie R. FOLDER 21 : Gibson, William A. ( -1919) & Armwood, Daisy Elizabeth (1889-1955) FOLDER 22 : Gibson, William Howard ( -1988) & Roulhac, Bernice FOLDER 23 : Gillison, James & Gibson, Anita Sara FOLDER 24 : Hamilton, Kittie Mae ( -1979) FOLDER 25 : Hill, Tommie Lee & Milton, Virginia (1947-1986) FOLDER 26 : Holloman, Adam & Starks, Cynthia FOLDER 27 : Jackson, Archibald FOLDER 28 : Jackson, Ervin Albert (1901-1977) FOLDER 29 : Jones, Mrs. Melba Street ( -1998) FOLDER 30 : Leland, George T. (1944-1989) FOLDER 31 : Lewis, Charles Lloyd (1913-1986) FOLDER 32 : McCardy, Mrs. Dorothy M. (Hendry) (1943-1988) FOLDER 33 : McLaurin, William Garrison ( -1968) & Armwood, Elsie Alicia FOLDER 34 : McVay, Lucy T. (1885-1986) FOLDER 35 : Manyfield, Walter Mack (1926-1986) & Anderson, Caesar Belle FOLDER 36 : Mickens, O.K. & Mickens, Christine E. ( -1983) FOLDER 37 : Middleton, Stephen Gillespie FOLDER 38 : Monroe, Robert E. (1915-1986) & Moore, Mary FOLDER 39 : Montgomery, Edward ( -1987) FOLDER 40 : Norton, Carl H. FOLDER 41 : Norton, E.P. ( -1933) FOLDER 42 : Orsely, Booker T. (1912-1988) & Bowman, Geneva FOLDER 43 : Orsely, Burnie H. & Armwood, Hazel Blanche FOLDER 44 : Phillips, Benjamin J. & Gibson, Hazel Louise FOLDER 45 : Poree, John A. FOLDER 46 : Rebel, Frank Anthony (1925-1986) FOLDER 47 : Savoy, John B., Sr. & Johnson, Cecilia FOLDER 48 : Smalley, Dave William (1913-1986) FOLDER 49 : Smith, Elijah & Armwood, Lula FOLDER 50 : Street, James L. & Armwood, Idella FOLDER 51 : Weatherly, Ida Mae Armwood FOLDER 52 : Williams, Otis Owen & Gibson, Alma Wilhelmina FOLDER 53 : Thompson, Johnnie, Johnson, Hattie (1884-1989) FOLDER 54 : Births -- Miscellaneous, (n.d.) Scope/Content: Chronologies, newspaper clippings of birth announcements. FOLDER 55 : Deaths - Correspondence, 1987-88, n.d. FOLDER 56 : Deaths - Eulogies, n.d. FOLDER 57 : Deaths - Memorial Service Programs, 1933-1979 FOLDER 58 : Deaths - Memorial Service Programs, 1980-1985 FOLDER 59 : Deaths - Memorial Service Programs, 1986-1991 FOLDER 60 : Deaths - Miscellaneous, 1919-1990 FOLDER 61 : Deaths - Obituaries FOLDER 62 : Family Reunion, 1992 FOLDER 63 : Marriages - Certificates, 1866-1899 FOLDER 64 : Marriages - Certificates, 1905-1951
FOLDER 65 : Marriages -- Miscellaneous BOX 2 : Miscellaneous - Materials Added, May 13, 2015 BOX 3 : Miscellaneous~Yearbook FOLDER 1 : Miscellaneous -- Certificates, 1929-1984 FOLDER 2 : Miscellaneous -- College Diplomas, 1926-1983 FOLDER 3 : Miscellaneous -- Correspondence -- Greeting Cards, n.d. FOLDER 4 : Miscellaneous -- Correspondence -- Letters, 1877, 1895 FOLDER 5 : Miscellaneous -- Correspondence -- Letters, 1904-1987 FOLDER 6 : Miscellaneous -- Correspondence -- Postcards, 1923-1984 FOLDER 7 : Miscellaneous -- Correspondence -- Postcards, n.d. FOLDER 8 : Miscellaneous -- Legal Documents [Part 1], 1875-1990 FOLDER 9 : Miscellaneous -- Legal Documents [Part 2], 1875-1990 FOLDER 10 : Miscellaneous -- Military Service Records, 1944-1981 FOLDER 11 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1888 FOLDER 12 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1928 FOLDER 13 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1955-1963 FOLDER 14 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1974-1979 FOLDER 15 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1980-1989 FOLDER 16 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1990 FOLDER 17 : Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, n.d. FOLDER 18 : Miscellaneous, 1928-1990 FOLDER 19 : Miscellaneous, n.d. FOLDER 20 : Poetry -- James E. Tokley, Sr. -- "The Armwood Rose" FOLDER 21 : Re-Internment of John Armwood -- Correspondence, 1981-1982 FOLDER 22 : Re-Internment of John Armwood -- Legal Documents, 1982 FOLDER 23 : Re-Internment of John Armwood -- Miscellaneous, 1982 FOLDER 24 : Re-Internment of John Armwood -- Newspaper Clippings, 1982 FOLDER 25 : Tickets for Republican National Convention (Grover Cleveland), June, 1924 FOLDER 26 : Yearbook - Excelsior of Booker Washington High School, 1928 Series 2 : Blanche Armwood papers BOX 4 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication~Education FOLDER 1 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- Correspondence, 1982-1983 FOLDER 2 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- Miscellaneous, 1985, n.d. FOLDER 3 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- Newspaper Clippings [Part 1], 1983-1985, n.d. FOLDER 4 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- Newspaper Clippings [Part 2] FOLDER 5 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- Programs, 1983-1985 FOLDER 6 : Blanche Armwood High School Dedication -- "Relatives and Friends of the Armwood Family Attending Dedication Ceremonies of the Blanche Armwood High School", February 10, 1985 FOLDER 7 : Education - Domestic Science Schools -- Miscellaneous, 1915-1934 FOLDER 8 : Education - Miscellaneous, 1902-1937 FOLDER 9 : Education - Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1915-1933 FOLDER 10 : Education - Miscellaneous -- Programs, 1919-1934 FOLDER 11 : Education - New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Advertisements, 1918 FOLDER 12 : Education - New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Correspondence, n.d. FOLDER 13 : Education - New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Magazine Articles, 1917-1920
FOLDER 14 : Education - New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Miscellaneous, 1918, n.d. FOLDER 15 : Education - New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Newspaper Clippings, 1917-1918, n.d. FOLDER 16 : Education - Tampa School of Household Arts -- Magazine Articles, 1916-1917, n.d. FOLDER 17 : Education - Tampa School of Household Arts -- Miscellaneous, 1916-1918, n.d. FOLDER 18 : Education - Tampa School of Household Arts -- Newspaper Clippings, 1916-1977, 1922, n.d. BOX 5 : Miscellaneous~Organizations FOLDER 1 : Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1906-1938 FOLDER 2 : Miscellaneous Newspaper Clippings, 1913-1939 FOLDER 3 : Miscellaneous Proclamations, 1985, 1989 FOLDER 4 : Miscellaneous Programs, 1903-1937 FOLDER 5 : Miscellaneous, 1895-1934 FOLDER 6 : Miscellaneous, n.d. FOLDER 7 : Organizations -- Federation of Women's Clubs -- Broadsides, n.d. FOLDER 8 : Organizations -- Federation of Women's Clubs -- Correspondence, 1917-1922 FOLDER 9 : Organizations -- Federation of Women's Clubs -- Newspaper Clippings, 1921-1927 FOLDER 10 : Organizations -- Federation of Women's Clubs -- Programs, 1914-1929 FOLDER 11 : Organizations -- Miscellaneous -- Correspondence, 1920-1934 FOLDER 12 : Organizations -- Miscellaneous -- Invitations, 1920-1937 FOLDER 13 : Organizations -- Miscellaneous -- Newspaper Clippings, 1920-1928 FOLDER 14 : Organizations -- Miscellaneous, 1917-1935 FOLDER 15 : Organizations -- NAACP -- Miscellaneous, 1920-1935 FOLDER 16 : Organizations -- National Association of Colored Women -- Correspondence, 1918-1937 FOLDER 17 : Organizations -- National Association of Colored Women -- Miscellaneous, 1904-1918 FOLDER 18 : Organizations -- National Association of Colored Women -- Newspaper Clippings, 1917-1922 FOLDER 19 : Organizations -- Urban League -- Correspondence, 1934 FOLDER 20 : Organizations -- Urban League -- Miscellaneous, 1921-1925 FOLDER 21 : Organizations -- Urban League -- Newspaper Clippings, 1916-1933 BOX 6 : Politics~Walter Armwood papers-- Printed Material FOLDER 1 : Politics -- Newspaper Clippings, 1919-1927 FOLDER 2 : Politics -- Newspaper Clippings, 1931-1933 FOLDER 3 : Politics -- Newspaper Clippings, n.d. FOLDER 4 : Politics -- Programs FOLDER 5 : Politics -- Broadsides, 1920-1931 FOLDER 6 : Politics -- Brochures, 1920-1935 FOLDER 7 : Politics -- Correspondence -- Invitations, 1927-1937 FOLDER 8 : Politics -- Correspondence -- Letters, 1920-1938 FOLDER 9 : Politics -- Correspondence- Telegrams, 1920 FOLDER 10 : Politics -- Miscellaneous, 1919-1934 FOLDER 11 : Politics -- Miscellaneous, n.d. FOLDER 12 : Politics -- Presidential Campaign Songs, 1920-1924 Series 3 : Walter Armwood papers BOX 6 : Politics~Walter Armwood papers-- Printed Material FOLDER 13 : Correspondence, 1917-1947
FOLDER 14 : Legal Documents, 1976 FOLDER 15 : Literary Productions - Diaries, 1918-19, 1934 FOLDER 16 : Literary Productions - Diaries -- Transcripts, 1918-1919 FOLDER 17 : Literary Productions - Manuscripts, n.d. FOLDER 18 : Literary Productions - Speeches, 1926, n.d. FOLDER 19 : Miscellaneous, 1915-1943 FOLDER 20 : Printed Material - Brochures -- Brewer Normal School, 1926-1929 FOLDER 21 : Printed Material - Certificates, 1896-1943 FOLDER 22 : Printed Material - Newspaper Clippings, n.d. FOLDER 23 : Printed Material - Programs, 1937-1944 BOX 7 : Oversized Materials ITEM : Armwood Coat of Arms ITEM : Certificate -- Armwoods of America -- State of Florida, 1985 ITEM : Certificate -- W.A. Armwood -- State of Florida Teacher's Certificate (First Grade), September 18, 1915 ITEM : Certificate -- W.A. Armwood -- State of Florida -- Notary Public, 1925 ITEM : Certificate -- Blanche Armwood Washington -- Notary Public, 1933 ITEM : Certificate -- Blanche Armwood Beatty -- Sociedad "La Union Marti-Maceo" Miembro de Honor ITEM : Certificate -- Hazel Phillips ITEM : Certificate -- Lomax High School -- Certificate of Proficiency ITEM : Certificate -- New Orleans School of Domestic Science -- Certificate of Proficiency ITEM : Certificate -- Tampa School of Household Arts- Certificate of Proficiency ITEM : Class Picture -- Saint Cecilia's Academy -- Class of 1969, 1969 ITEM : Newspaper Clipping -- "Armwood papers preserve Tampa area's past" -- Tampa Tribune, 1991 ITEM : Newspaper Clipping -- "The School Messenger", January 24, 1927 ITEM : Proclamation -- The Board of County Commissioners, County of Hillsborough, 1991 ITEM : Proclamation -- City of Tampa- "Blanche Armwood Family Revival Day" ITEM : Program -- United Charity Drive -- "Hear Mrs. Blanche Armwood-Beatty", 1921 BOX 8 : Oversized Materials ITEM : Book -- "In Memoriam" -- Hattie V. Armwood ITEM : Book- "Holy Bible" -- "Presented to my Grandmother, Mrs. Hattie V. Armood, by Walter A. Armwood, III, on November 8, 1969", 1969 ITEM : Oversized Legal Documents Record Group : Armwood Family Photographs BOX 9 : Photographs 1~179 Scope/Content: Box 1 contains photographs 1 through 179. Please refer to print finding aid for more detailed information regarding photographs. FOLDER 1 : 1~29 FOLDER 2 : 30~58 FOLDER 3 : 59~89
FOLDER 4 : 90~119 FOLDER 5 : 120~149 FOLDER 6 : 150~179 BOX 10 : Photographs 180~329 Scope/Content: Box 2 contains photographs 180 through 329. Please refer to print finding aid for more detailed information regarding photographs. FOLDER 1 : 180~209 FOLDER 2 : 210~239 FOLDER 3 : 240~269 FOLDER 4 : 270~299 Scope/Content: Reburial of John Armwood FOLDER 5 : 300~329 Scope/Content: Reburial of John Armwood BOX 11 : #330~381, Photographs -- Reproductions -- Blanche Armwood Scope/Content: Box 3 contains photographs 330 through 381, plus miscellaneous photographs and photographic reproductions. For more detailed information, please refer to print finding aid. FOLDER 1 : 330~359 Scope/Content: Reburial of John Armwood FOLDER 2 : 360~381 Scope/Content: Reburial of John Armwood FOLDER 3 : Miscellaneous photographs FOLDER 4 : Photographs -- Armwood Family FOLDER 5 : Photographs -- Reproductions FOLDER 6 : Photographs -- Reproductions -- Blanche Armwood BOX 12 : Miscellaneous Photographs BOX 13 : Oversized Photographs ITEM : "US Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, ILL." Class Picture ITEM : Framed photograph -- Walter (brother of Blanche) and Hattie Armwood ITEM : Framed photograph -- Walter and Levin Armwood (holding hands), children of Walter Armwood BOX 14 : Oversized Photographs ITEM : Oval framed photograph -- Foster mother of Hattie Armwood ITEM : Oval framed photograph -- Hattie Johnson Armwood (child), wife of Walter Armwood ITEM : Oval framed photograph -- John Armwood (child), son of Walter Armwood ITEM : Oval framed photograph -- Ida Armwood (child), daughter of Walter Armwood, niece of Blanche Armwood BOX 15 : Oversized Materials ITEM : Photocopy- Henry P. Armwood, President, Arwood Enterprises/The Armwoods of America, Inc. ITEM : Oval reprint -- unknown man (Rev. William Alexander Gibson?) ITEM : Basketball player -- "Chiefs" #41, signed, "To my darling Mother, Love Kelvin" 1976-77
ITEM : Photograph of unknown man in military uniform (Kelvin?) ITEM : "God Bless Our Family" -- Armwood Family Tree (incomplete) ITEM : Certificate -- Postmaster General of the United States, "Albert S, Burleson" -- Daisy Gibson ITEM : Portrait of unknown man (Levin Armwood, II, Blanche's father)? ITEM : Portrait of Owen Armwood ITEM : Portrait of Sarah Armwood ITEM : Portrait of unknown woman (Idella Armwood?) ITEM : Portrait of Ellen Armwood ITEM : Portrait of Yulee Armwood ITEM : Oversized Portrait of Blanche Armwood (young) ITEM : Oversized Portrait of Blanche Armwood (later years) Last modified on November 3rd, 2015 Copyright 2015 USF Tampa Library - Special & Digital Collections. All rights reserved.