A Guide to the J. Alexander McCrone Papers, 1922-1937
Call Number Mss1 M1383 a FA2

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

J. Alexander McCrone Papers, 1922-1937 (Mss1 M1383 a FA2), Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Va.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Prestwould Company in 1982. Accessioned 6 February 1986.

Descriptive Summary

Scope and Content Information

The papers of J. Alexander McCrone (1906-1979) reflect a relatively small part of his career as an employee and officer of the investment firm of Frederick E. Nolting and Company, Richmond, Va., and its various subsidiaries. Although the collection spans sixteen years, only one item appears before 1926 and only accounts of the Monroe Terrace Corporation and its successor, the Monroe-Prestwould Corporation, document the 1935-1937 years.

McCrone’s personal papers begin with his general correspondence, which is arranged alphabetically. This is followed by a folder of correspondence with Davis L. Stokes, Manager of the Nolting First Mortgage Corporation’s Georgia office, and a folder of institutional correspondence.

Accounts precede financial materials, which include bank statements, tax information, and stock statements. Mortgage records for McCrone’s home at 1215 Taylor Avenue and rental records for property on nearby Forest Hill Avenue follow. A folder of miscellany concludes McCrone’s personal papers.

The rest of the collection concerns McCrone’s activities with Frederick E. Nolting and Company and its subsidiaries. Records relating to Frederick E. Nolting and Company (of which McCrone was Assistant to the President) begin with notices, resolutions and rosters for a stockholders meeting held on January 21, 1930. Financial records consist of monthly and annual balance sheets, profit and loss statements, audit reports and Internal Revenue Service materials. Two folders of personnel and general office information precede insurance materials. This includes correspondence pertaining to the estate of Alves Fitzhugh (who assigned Nolting and Company as a beneficiary), information concerning insurance regulations in other states, and information on life insurance policies held by Frederick E. Nolting. A folder of construction accounts for Nolting’s residences in Rio Vista, Va., precedes materials of four Nolting subsidiaries: the City Investing Corporation, the South Atlantic Investment Corporation, the United State Suburban Corporation, all of Richmond, Va., and the First Mortgage Company of Carolina, Charlotte, N. C. A folder of miscellaneous materials concludes this section. Copies of newspaper advertising portfolios are located in Box 5.

Materials concerning the mortgage division include financial records of both the Nolting First Mortgage Corporation and the Home Mortgage Corporation. Other Nolting First Mortgage records include bond notices and miscellany. There is also a folder of stationery and general office information pertaining to both companies.

J. Alexander McCrone was secretary-treasurer of the Westham Ridge Corporation, a land holding and leasing company. These materials include articles of incorporation, by-laws, balance sheets and leases. McCrone served in the same capacity for the Monroe Terrace Corporation and its successor, the Monroe-Prestwould Corporation, both of Richmond, VA. These companies operated the Monroe Terrace Apartments at 801-803 W. Franklin Street and the Prestwould Apartments at 612 W. Franklin.

Records of the Monroe Terrace Corporation begin with corporate agreements, deeds, and amendments for 1931. These are followed by board of director and stockholder minutes, and stockholder correspondence, notices, proxies, and rosters. Financial records include treasurer’s reports, balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and work papers. Information on the buildings, tenants, and employees follows. A folder of materials relating to the Tuckahoe Apartments in Westhampton, Va., contains refinancing, rental and expense estimates as Nolting and Company considered its purchase and operation by the Monroe Terrace Corporation. Accounts of the Monroe Terrace Corporation from 1931-1936 and the Monroe-Prestwould Corporation from 1936-1937 conclude this collection.

Biographical/Historical Information

J. Alexander McCrone (1906-1979) was the son of James H. (b. ca. 1865) and Maria McCrone (b. ca. 1870) of Richmond, Va. His father is listed in the 1930 Census as a furniture salesman. J. Alexander had two siblings, Emily M. McCrone (b. 1908?) and Richard T. McCrone (1911-1997).

Arrangement

The J. Alexander McCrone papers are arranged into seven series. Series 1 contains McCrone’s personal papers. The remaining series contain records for the different companies for whom he worked: Series 2. Frederick E. Nolting and Company; Series 3. Nolting First Mortgage Corporation; Series 4. Home Mortgage Corporation; Series 5. Westham Ridge Corporation; Series 6. Monroe Terrace Corporation; and Series 7. Monroe-Prestwould Corporation. Within series materials are grouped by record type and sorted chronologically.

Index Terms

City Investing Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
First Mortgage Company of Carolina (Charlotte, N.C.)
Franklin Street West, No. 612 (Richmond, Va.)
Franklin Street West, No. 801-803 (Richmond, Va.)
Frederick E. Nolting and Company (Richmond, Va.)
Home Mortgage Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Investment banking -- Virginia -- Richmond -- History -- 20th century.
Monroe Terrace Apartments (Richmond, Va.)
Monroe Terrace Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Monroe-Prestwould Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Nolting First Mortgage Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Nolting, Frederick E., 1872-1955.
Prestwould Apartments (Richmond, Va.)
Real estate business -- Virginia -- Richmond -- History -- 20th century.
Richmond (Va.) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century.
South Atlantic Investment Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Tuckahoe Apartments (Richmond, Va.)
United States Suburban Corporation (Richmond, Va.)
Westham Ridge Corporation (Richmond, Va.)

Guide

Series 1. Personal Papers

Series 2. Frederick E. Nolting and Company, Richmond, Va.

Series 3. Nolting First Mortgage Corporation, Richmond, Va.

Series 4. Home Mortgage Corporation, Richmond, Va.

Series 5. Westham Ridge Corporation, Richmond, Va.

Series 6. Monroe Terrace Corporation, Richmond, Va.

Series 7. Monroe-Prestwould Corporation, Richmond, Va.

Oversized

Last updated: January 14, 2009