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Natalie Wilson du Pont and family papers

Creation: 1815-1969
 Collection
Accession: 1493

Abstract

The Wilson and du Pont families were prominent families in the Wilmington, Delaware area. The papers document the daily activities of three generations of Natalies: Natalie Green Driver (Wilson)(1846-1912), Natalie Driver Wilson (du Pont)(1877-1918), and Natalie Wilson du Pont (Edmonds)(1904-1975).

Dates

  • Creation: 1815-1969

Creator

Extent

1 Linear Foot

Biographical Note

Natalie Green Driver (1846-1912) was born August 27, 1846 in New Castle, Delaware, the daughter of Joshua Edmonson Driver (1806-1851) and Mary Jemima Merritt (1810-1883). Joshua served as Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware from 1850 to his death in 1851. In October 1872, she married Andrew Gray Wilson. He was well-known among shipbuilders as a preeminent marine engineer and naval architect. He worked for over thirty years at the Harlan and Hollingsworth Company. The couple settled in Wilmington at 1119 Market Street. The Wilsons had six children: Rodgers Wilson, (1874-1923), Esther Driver Wilson (1875-1891), Natalie Driver Wilson (1877-1918), Andrew Wilson Jr., (1880-1897), Reynolds Driver Wilson, (1884-1948) and Paul Edmondstone Wilson (1886-1916). Esther and Andrew Jr. both died in their youth. Rodgers worked for the DuPont company in a variety of positions including mill office clerk, superintendent of plant at Schaghticoke, New York, and superintendent of the Nemours West Virginia plant. Natalie Driver Wilson married Lammot du Pont (1880-1952) who was president of the DuPont Company from 1926 to 1940. The couple had eight children. Reynolds Driver Wilson married Deborah Brewster Halsey (1886-1970). Paul Edmondstone married Alice Hounsfield du Pont (later Buck) (1891-1967) on October 29, 1912 and had two children before his death in 1916. Natalie Green Wilson continued to live in Wilmington until her death in 1912. The couple is buried at Old Swedes Church in New Castle, Delaware.

Natalie Driver Wilson (1877-1918) was born November 26, 1877 to Andrew Gray Wilson and Natalie Green Driver. In 1903, she married Lammot du Pont. He was president of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. from 1926-1940. They had eight children: Natalie Wilson du Pont (1904-1975), Mary Belin du Pont (1907-1985), Esther Driver du Pont (1908-1984), Lammot du Pont III (1909-1964), Pierre Samuel du Pont III (1911-1988), Edith du Pont (1912-2003), Alexandrine du Pont (1915-1953), and Reynolds du Pont (1918-1980).

Natalie married George Phippen Edmonds (1905-1994). Mary was a birth control advocate and on the board of directors of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. She married James Morison Faulkner (1899-1980). Esther was a horse breeder and philanthropist who created the Thouron Award. She married first Campbell Weir (1901-1982), but later divorced in 1938, and married second John Rupert Hunt Thouron (1907-2007). Lammot married Mary Elizabeth Wooten (1916-1996) and they had five children. He was the assistant vice president of the Wilmington Trust Company. Pierre worked in a variety of positions within the Du Pont Company from 1934 until 1963 including the engineering department, nylon division, trade analysis division, and rubber chemicals division. He married Jane Holcomb (1913-1985) and had three children. Edith married first Richard Riegel (1903-1964) and second G. Burton Pearson Jr. (1905-1999). Alexandrine married first Howard A. Perkins (1906-1947) and second George W. Collier. Reynolds was a Republican Delaware state senator from 1958 to 1974. He married Katharine Lewars (1921-2008).

Natalie du Pont (1904-1975) was born August 4, 1904 to Lammot du Pont and Natalie Wilson. In May 1930, she married George Phippen Edmonds (1905-1994). He served as president and chairman of the board of the Wilmington Trust Company and director of Continental Can and Coca-Cola International. She was appointed by the Delaware governor to the Board of Welfare in the early 1940s. Other philanthropic interests included the Delaware Hospital, Delaware Wildlands, Planned Parenthood, and the John Dickinson Mansion. The couple had two sons: George Jr. and Andrew.

Scope and Contents

The papers document three generations of Natalies: Natalie Green Driver (Wilson), Natalie Driver Wilson (du Pont), and Natalie Wilson du Pont (Edmonds). It is arranged into three series, representing each woman.

Papers include a volume with entries pertaining to the death of two of Natalie G. Wilson's children in 1891 and 1897; additional entries recorded by her daughter Natalie Wilson du Pont include birth and death dates of family members. There is also an undated recipe book.

Natalie Wilson du Pont's diaries dating from 1894 to 1903 and from 1915 to 1918, document her daily activities. Before marraige, Natalie Wilson wrote about attending school, church, dances, and weddings; dating; visiting; a trip to Europe; and female friendships. After her marriage, she wrote about her children's activities and illnesses; attending card and dinner parties, teas, the theater, and Red Cross meetings; shopping; births of her children and her subsequent recuperations.

The papers of Natalie du Pont Edmonds consist of correspondence between 1959 and 1961, regarding the restoration of St. Mary's Chapel and St. John's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, in memory of her mother.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Related Materials

Andrew Gray Wilson family miscellany (accession 2592), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Wilson family photographs (accession 2014.247), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Language of Materials

English

Related Names

Subject

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Natalie Wilson du Pont and family papers
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2020: Ashley Williams

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400