Special Collections & Archives

Samuel Wait (1789-1867) was a Baptist minister and first President of Wake Forest Institute, later Wake Forest University. Wait was born and raised in New England and married Sarah (Sally) Merriam in 1818. This collection includes correspondence between Samuel and Sally during his journeys; correspondence with government and church officials, family members, and others; Sally's journal (1814-1817) and Samuel's journal (1826-1833); other writings; financial, legal, and other documents relating to the Wait family, the Baptist church, and Wake Forest Institute; photographs, including portraits of Samuel and Sally; and a few personal posessions.

William F. Higson was a student at Wake Forest Institute, 1835-1836. He was a native of Hyde County, North Carolina. This letter was written by Higson while a student, to Van R. Boddie, Nashville, North Carolina, and mentions mutual acquaintances, a trustee resolution, and the boys' going to the store without the "old man" (Samuel Wait) finding them out.