The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Feb. 13, 1873 – “The Rock Hill Lantern has been purchased by a group of fourteen investors. J.M. Ivy was elected President of the group and John R. London, Secretary. The publisher will be Gaston Paul.”
The YK Enquirer reported on June 8, 1876 – “To be sold at auction one tract of land situated near Rock Hill where on J.M. Ivy now resides and bounded by lands of J.L. Watson, S.M. Fewell, Lawrence Moore and others containing thirty acres. Levied on as the property of L.P. Sadler at the suit of W.I. Clawson and others…”
The Yorkville Enquirer contained an ad on Sept. 15, 1881 – “J.R. Gardner informs the planters of this section that he has again entered into partnership with J.M. Ivy and Co., of Rock Hill for the purchase of cotton in Yorkville. His place of business is the warehouse of J.A. Carroll near the depot.”
On April 20, 1882 the Herald reported – “J.M. Ivy and Co., bought 610 bales of cotton last Tuesday. Twenty five bales were bought on the streets of Rock Hill, 82 @ Richburg, 164 @ Columbia, and 339 bales from the State Penitentiary, raised on the Penitentiary farm.” On Sept. 18, 1884 the Herald reported – “Mr. N.P. Alexander left Rock Hill for Chester where he will be a local cotton buyer for J.M. Ivy and Company. Mr. Ivy also has agents E.H. Jennings in Bennettsville and A.R. Smith in Camden.”
The RH Herald reported on Jan. 5, 1888 – “There was a fire on Tuesday night which destroyed the kitchen in the yard of Mrs. J.M. Ivy. She lost all her furniture and provisions with a total loss of about $300.”
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City Directories and History: James Morrow Ivy (1836-1896) James Morrow Ivy (J.M. Ivy), came to Rock Hill from the Indian Land area of Lancaster County. His father was Rev. Adam Ivy, whose home still stands in the Indian Land area, and who was founder of several Methodist churches and farmed a 1,500-acre plantation. James Ivy
came to Rock Hill as a boy to study at the Rock Hill Academy and later Ebenezer Academy. He went to South Carolina College (now USC) and served in the Civil War, where he was badly wounded. He returned to Rock Hill in 1869 and started the J. M. Ivy Company. He became one of the largest cotton buyers in upper South Carolina. He is credited with inventing the cotton futures market as early as 1872. Because of his volume of
trading, he could offer better prices for cotton than any other dealer. This brought farmers to Rock Hill from a wide area. The town’s business in cotton went from 2,000 bales to well over 12,000 bales in just a few years. This level of trading helped many other businesses, as farmers were in town with money in their hands. Ivy invested in a number of other businesses, including a drug store, and the creation of the Lantern newspaper, which eventually became the Herald. With A. E. Hutchison, he helped create the first textile mill, the Rock Hill Cotton Factory, in 1888. Ivy served as Mayor for two terms. Many consider him the “Father of Rock Hill” because of the great progress the city made under his leadership. Two of the Ivy children are buried next to Mr. and Mrs. Ivy. The figures represent an exact likeness of the children. Their photos were sent to Italy, where statues were carved and shipped to Rock Hill. [Written and contributed by Paul M. Gettys with research assistance from Louise Pettus]
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Nov. 26, 1874 – “J.M. Ivy and Co., have established a banking house at Rock Hill to buy and sell gold and silver coins, bonds, bank notes, and to make cash advances in cotton. The attempt made last summer to establish a national bank at Rock Hill failed.”
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Oct. 18, 1877 – “Mr. Hyder Ratterree and Mr. J.L. Walker of Rock Hill have gone to Sherman, Texas where they are employed by a firm handling and grading cotton.”
The RH Herald reported on May 6, 1880 – “Mr. Hyder Ratterree and Mr. A.R. Smith who have been buying cotton for J.M. Ivy and Co., for the past few months, have returned home. Ratterree was in Charlotte and Smith was in Camden.”
The Herald reported on Sept. 9, 1880 – “Col. Allen Jones has withdrawn from the firm of J.M. Ivy and Company which will continue in business.”
The Rock Hill Herald on Aug. 25, 1881 reported – “The Firm of J.M. Ivy and Co., has received a new safe from Hall’s Safe and Lock Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio.”
The Herald reported on Feb. 23, 1882 – “Col. J.M. Ivy has purchased the old planing machine and grist mill near the factory and this spring plans to tear it down and build a new building to be used as a merchant mill. It will include a planing machine, whip saw, cotton seed huller and seed cotton cleaner.” On March 2, the paper reported, Mr. A.B. Fewell has purchased a half interest in the milling property owned by Col. J.M. Ivy and has taken charge as superintendent. A corn mill was put in yesterday and the other improvements will begin soon.”
The Herald reported on Jan. 18, 1883 – “Ivy and Fewell ad featuring cloths, wagon and plows.”
The Herald reported on Sept. 10, 1885 – Reported J.M. Ivy and Co., has suspended operations due to Mr. Ivy’s poor health. This cotton and banking firm is better known than any other in South Carolina. The company deals in 20-30,000 bales annually and has extensive banking operations. The Herald furthermore reported on Sept. 17, 1895 on the death of Mr. Ivy. The Ivy Company was made up of principles: J.M. Ivy, J.J. Roach and R.T. May. (The Charleston News and Courier reported in 1890 – “The Rock Hill Herald was established in 1876 by J.M. Ivy and has grown to be a first class newspaper.)
September 10, 1885 reported via the Rock Hill Herald – The banking and business conducted at Rock Hill under the name of J. M. Ivy and Co. has been closed, and Mr. F. W. Williams of New York has been chosen to liquidate the offices of the firm. Mr. Ivy has been in bad health for some time. He telegraphed Williams, Black Co. of New York, who are his principal creditors and correspondents of many years. Mr. Black came to Rock Hill and conferred with Mr. Ivy and his physician. The firm’s legal advisor, Col. John C. Haskell of Columbia, was in Rock Hill for a week. The liabilities are $237,128, and it is believed that Mr. Ivy’s assets will exceed that amount. J. M. Ivy and Co. is one of the oldest in Rock Hill and is probably better known than any other house in upper Carolina. The firm annually handled from 20,000 to 30,000 bales of cotton.
September 17, 1885 – Mr. Ivy died on September 11. He was the son of Adam Ivy of Lancaster County. He came to Rock Hill as a boy to attend school under W. H. Thomasson, Col. J. M. White and General J. A. Alston. He followed Gen. Alston to the Mount Zion Institute in Winnsboro when he went there in 1858 and later studied at Ebenezer in the school of John R. Shurley. He entered South Carolina College in 1859. He served the Confederacy in the Civil War. After the war, he located at Beattie’s Ford in Lincoln County, NC as a merchant with his father-in-law Mr. Connor. He came to Rock Hill in 1867 and formed the firm Ivy Roach & Jones with J. J. Roach and Allen Jones. He then formed J. M. Ivy & Co. with partners John J. Roach and R. T. May. Allen Jones was also associated with the firm until he left in 1880 to form Jones & Robertson. In 1877, the firm Ivy & Fewell was formed with R. T. Fewell. Mr. Ivy was the largest dealer in cotton in upper South Carolina. He was the first dealer to offer to buy cotton at an advance price (cotton futures). He was a leader in the development of the Rock Hill Cotton Factory. He began the Lantern newspaper in 1872 and later the Rock Hill Herald in 1877 and owned it until his death. He was also active in the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour.
September 17, 1885 – Creditors have agreed to sell the residence of Mr. Ivy and 9 ½ acres adjacent to Mrs. A. V. Ivy for $100. The liabilities of the estate are $245,000 and the assets are $253,000.
From the Rock Hill Herald, November 4, 1886:
The real estate of the late J. M. Ivy was sold this week. A total of 4,776 acres and four town lots with good brick buildings were sold. The cost for the acreage averages less than $4 per acre. Most of the land was bought by Mr. A. G. Black of the firm of Williams Black & Co. of New York City. The property includes: 21 acres adjacent to the Ivy home, a store house and lot occupied by Ivy and Fewell ($2,500), warehouse and lot near the depot recently occupied by J. M. Ivy & Co. ($1,125), store house and lot on Depot Street occupied by J. J. Hagins & Co. ($530), 60 acres on Old Saluda Road ($77), 22 ½ acres near the railroad ($50), 100 acres known as the Connelly Place ($700), 100 acres on the Thorn and Wright Ferry Road, lot in Fort Mill sold to Sep Massey ($105), 81 acres near Cureton’s Ferry in York County to J. H. Abernathy ($505), 20 acres in Lancaster County at Cureton’s Ferry, 115 acres in Bethesda Township ($850), 62 acres on Bethesda Township to A. Friedheim & Bro. ($531), 215 acres known as Rawlinson lands (withdrawn from sale), 1,247 acres in Lancaster County known as the Red House Place ($4,425), 709 acres in Lancaster County known as the Mill Tract ($3,030), 725 acres near the Mill Tract ($2,075), 500 acres in Lancaster County known as the Stinson place ($2,000)., 440 acres in Lancaster County known as the W. H. Green Place ($1,250), 116 acres in Lancaster County on the Catawba River ($885), and 240 acres in Lancaster County known as the
Turner Hill Place ($910).
The Herald reported on Nov. 4, 1886 on the sale of the estate of J.M. Ivy – It included 4,776 acres of land and four town lots, three with brick buildings.
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