Origins of R.T. Sunday Company

                                                        R.T. Sunday Company 1912-2004

     This post is dedicated to the history of the R.T. Sunday Company. I had started out in the blueprint industry in 1980 and worked with a young man in 1990 who would eventually take over R.T. Sunday Co. I had the privilege of working for the R.T. Sunday Company for 9 years beginning in the mid 1990`s. The new owner told me to think of it as if it were my own company and that is what I did. Coming in there and finding all the treasures, some of which I have posted here, awakened an interest in history. First it was the history of R.T. Sunday, then Richmond Virginia and later onto the Eastern Shore of Virginia and my own roots in Southwest Virginia. I got to work with the former owners before they turned the company over to the young man who bought them out. These fine gentlemen were Wade Curtis and Roy Brill. Mr Brill died of cancer in 1997. Mr. Curtis is still living and I talk to him occasionally.

The blue in blueprint pretty well died out during the digital revolution in the industry in the early to mid 1990`s. When I came to work at R.T. Sunday, there were 2 worn out 1960`s blueline machines that used anhydrous ammonia to develop the prints. It was a painfully slow process, having to change the speed for each and every drawing run through the machine.
 
All photos posted here are owned and protected by copyright laws. They are not to be used without written permission. Please contact Dementi Studio regarding the electric blueprint machine photo. Please contact Laura Smith at sundayhistorical@gmail.com for anything else.

   The company was named for its owner Roy T. Sunday. Mr. Sunday was working for W.A Childrey Draughting and Pattern making Company at 919 1/2 E. Main Street as early as 1908 according to the book Richmond Virginia 1917.  I have included an invoice dated August 1, 1910 in photo#1. By December 1, 1910 the company was called Childrey-Sunday Company Draughtsmen & Blueprinters- see invoice in photo#2. These precious invoices were given to me by Tom Cook who worked for Drytac, a vendor of R.T. Sunday Company. They are all made out to the American Heating & Ventilation Company and were purchased at the estate sale of the former owner of American Heating & Ventilation Company on Grace Street.

photo#1 W.A. Childrey Company 1910

photo#2 Childrey-Sunday Company 1910

  Alice Jellie was the daughter of Nannie Bell Jellie and Alexander Jellie (b. 1845), who were married 4 March 1867 in Raleigh NC. Alice was born in the superintendents house in Glendale Cemetery, 8301 Willis Church Road in Henrico County, Va., approximately 13 miles southeast of Richmond. Her father, a native of Ireland, was superintendent of the cemetery. He died in 1888, when she was about four years old and she went to live with her older sister,  Lovie Jellie Whitlock at Curles Neck Farm. Alexander Jellie was a Private in the U.S. Cavalry and is buried at Section G Site 688 in the cemetery. He has a 15 yr. old son buried in Site 690.
   Glendale National Cemetery was established May 7, 1866, on land purchased from a local resident, Lucy C. Nelson. The cemetery name is taken from the farm located on this property, which served as a Union headquarters during the Civil War. Original interments were the remains of Union soldiers recovered from Malvern Hill, Frayer’s Farm, Harrison’s Landing and other areas in the vicinity.

   Alice Sunday was the book keeper for Mr. Aubrey Childrey and Roy Sunday. She married Mr. Sunday on October 26th, 1911 and I have included a photograph taken on their honeymoon in Niagara Falls. Photo #3

photo#3 Mr & Mrs. Roy T. Sunday honeymoon 1911 

R. T. Sunday Co. 1917



          In a book called Richmond Virginia 1917 by Virginia Illustrating Company,  R.T. Sunday`s operation was featured along with other prominent Richmond business men. There is a photograph of Roy Sunday and his electric blueprint machine. I have the original photograph. It was taken by Dementi Studio www.dementi.com , a fabulous historic photographic studio and archive located in downtown Richmond VA at 2nd & Grace Streets. I have included the photograph and the back with Dementi`s negative file number.

R.T. Sunday and his electric blueprint machine

Back of electric blueprint machine photo

Roy T. Sunday

Roy T. Sunday`s obituary in the Richmond News Leader for Wednesday November 16, 1921

   Roy Sunday died suddenly of a heart attack on November 14, 1921. Wade Curtis said that it was believed that Mr. Sunday`s heart attack was brought on by an abscessed tooth.
  Alice Sunday ran the business until somewhere between 1964-1966. She sold it to the two young men who were working for her, Mr. Roy Brill and Mr. Wade Curtis on the condition that they never change the name of the business. Alice Sunday died February 28, 1971. Both R.T. and Alice L. Sunday are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in the east end of Richmond VA.

    The Virginia AIA Richmond Chapter has an award named for Alice Sunday:  Alice Lehman Sunday Prize
Awarded to intern architects with fewer than 10 years’ professional experience for excellence in technical, sketch, and presentation drawings.

   Mr. Wade Curtis told that Alice Sunday extended credit to the architects in town for long periods. Several of them were still in operation and using R.T. Sunday when I came to work there. She did not use a delivery vehicle, but had the delivery man use the city bus system to make his deliveries.

    Some of the older firms I had the pleasure of serving were Boynton Rothschild Rowland, Carneal and Johnston, Lee King Poole & White and Freeman and Morgan, some having been with R.T. Sunday Co. since the 1920`s.

Alice Jellie Sunday

Written shortly after Alice`s death in 1971 by one of the nieces that shared a house with her at 4013 Hanover Ave. Richmond VA

Lorine Whitlock was born in 1896 and died in 1988 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond VA. She was the daughter of Lovie and Charles Whitlock and was a teacher.

        Signature of Alice L. Sunday on a work permit form for an employee, Edward R. Dalbey, a 16 yr. old messenger boy from Hillside Court in 1956.   R.T. Sunday was located at 606 E. Main St. at that time.

Keys to 606 E. Main St. location. The building was demolished to make way for Main Street Center which takes up most of the block

Complimentary rulers given to customers

International Association Blueprint Allied Industries Membership Directory 1957 with R.T. Sunday listed in the page below. Proprietor Alice L. Sunday

Booklet with measurement conversions, tables & other pertinent information in the year 1957

Stickers that were attached to the back of the blueprints for advertising

R.T. Sunday Co. Seal used on certain  architectural drawings and other documents

Back of blueprints were stamped with this stamp

sample from the stamp above

1969 & 1977 Real Estate Tax bills for R.T. Sunday Co. at 214-216 E. Main St. This location was an A&P store in the 1940`s

Former owner Roy Brill`s Thalhimers Department Store charge card

These items came out of the Empire Safe which was used to store valuable architectural drawings and cash. The safe was given to me, but I could not get it in my house. I sold it to one of our delivery drivers. Wade Curtis told that it took 6 men to push the safe up Main Street hill when the company moved from 606 E. Main to 214-216 E. Main.

Oakwood Cemetery. R.T. Sunday and Alice Lehman Jellie Sunday are buried in her sisters family plot

Mrs. Charles Whitlock was Alice L. Sunday`s sister

Alice`s brother in law Charles Whitlock`s footstone

Grave stones for the Sunday`s

Alice never remarried after Roy died. She became a well respected business woman.

Oakwood Cemetery is a very old cemetery that was once very well kept. There is a Confederate Burial section in this cemetery near the entrance from 34th St. on Church Hill. The Sunday`s are buried closer to the Nine Mile Road entrance.

                             Lovie Jellie b. 1867 was the oldest sister of Alice and was the wife of Charles H. Whitlock. This is their daughter and grandson.

214-216 E. Main Street,  Downtown at 3rd & Main St.

The company would move one more time. This time to 1915 N. Hamilton Street in 2001. It was a costly move for the company. By late 2003 the owner could not maintain the success of the company and it went out of business in early 2004. R.T. Sunday Company will always be dear to my heart and I miss it very much.