William B. Tuell papers
Collection
Identifier: L466
Scope and Contents
This collection includes receipts, indentures, contracts, checks, bank drafts, mortgage papers, correspondence, daybooks, ledgers, account books, and other papers from William B. Tuell in Terre Haute, Indiana and the United States, ranging from 1822 to 1901, regarding the operation of a dry goods store, other business, and disposal of Tuell's estate.
There are also oversize General Land Office certificates and indentures (1828-1860, 1877), insurance policies (1872-1875), and first mortgage bonds (1880-1884), as well as Margaret D. Tuell's passport certificate (1901) (OBC198).
There are also oversize General Land Office certificates and indentures (1828-1860, 1877), insurance policies (1872-1875), and first mortgage bonds (1880-1884), as well as Margaret D. Tuell's passport certificate (1901) (OBC198).
Dates
- 1822-1901
Creator
- Tuell, William B., 1825-1883 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
William Blackwell Tuell was born on August 15, 1825, to Lucinda B. (Johnson) (1806-1896) and Rezin Tuell in Indiana. He married Catherine Marion Topping (1825-1883) on August 20, 1850, in Greene County, Indiana, and they had three children: William Melville (1852-1907), Marion Douglas (1855-1930), and Margaret D. (1862-1918). When he was 18, Tuell moved to Terre Haute, Indiana. He worked as a clerk for several years, then bought out his employer, G. W. Langworthy, becoming a businessman. Tuell was a merchant in partnership with John P. Usher in Terre Haute, Indiana, in the mid 1800s. They dissolved the partnership June 3, 1863. Tuell partnered with his brother-in-law, Col. Topping, who was killed in the U.S. Civil War. Then he formed a partnership with M. D. Topping and Company, lumber merchants, until 1873. Tuell also became a partner of Tuell, Ripley and Deming, wholesale dealers in foreign and domestic dry goods. He owned a share in the Terre Haute Hotel Company from approximately 1866 to 1873. Tuell was also president of the Terre Haute Street Railway Company, incorporated in 1866. In 1878, he and two others bought the Terre Haute and Cincinnati (Southeastern) railroad, buying the other two out and extending the line to Washington, Indiana. William B. Tuell died December 2, 1883, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana. After his wife died on April 12, 1900, he was reinterred by her side at the Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sources:
Items within the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Rezin Tuell." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 28, 2026. http://www.ancestryinstitution.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." 1860 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "W. B. Tuell." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." Indiana Marriages to 1850. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William Melville Tuell." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017. Accessed January 28, 2026. http://www.ancestryinstitution.com.
Beckwith, H. W. History of Vigo and Parke Counties. Chicago: H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Publishers, 1880.
Findagrave.com. "William B. Tuell." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 18, 2015. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26027130/william-b-tuell.
"Marian C. Tuell." Terre Haute Evening Gazette, March 16, 1900.
Oakley, C. C. Greater Terre Haute and Vigo County. Chicago, New York: Lewis Public Co., 1908.
Sources:
Items within the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Rezin Tuell." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 28, 2026. http://www.ancestryinstitution.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." 1860 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "W. B. Tuell." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William B. Tuell." Indiana Marriages to 1850. Accessed May 18, 2015. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "William Melville Tuell." Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017. Accessed January 28, 2026. http://www.ancestryinstitution.com.
Beckwith, H. W. History of Vigo and Parke Counties. Chicago: H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Publishers, 1880.
Findagrave.com. "William B. Tuell." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 18, 2015. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26027130/william-b-tuell.
"Marian C. Tuell." Terre Haute Evening Gazette, March 16, 1900.
Oakley, C. C. Greater Terre Haute and Vigo County. Chicago, New York: Lewis Public Co., 1908.
Extent
7 Cubic Feet (6 manuscript boxes, 1 small manuscript box, 6 custom boxes, 4 volumes, 4 large oversize folders)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject and chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 1999/08/18 by Amy L. Baskette. EAD finding aid created 2015/05/20 by Edythe Huffman. Collection reprocessing completed 2026/01/28 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid revised 2026/01/28 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Tuell, William B., 1825-1883 (Person)
- Title
- William B. Tuell papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
