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Copyright © 1996 by University Publications of America. Records
of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations
From the Revolution Through the Civil War
Series J: Selections from the Southern Historical Collection
Part 7: Alabama
[This item added to Web July, 1996.]
By Kenneth M. Stampp, Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley
The impact of the ante-bellum southern plantations on the lives of their black and
white inhabitants, as well as on the political, economic, and cultural life of the South
as a whole, is one of the most fascinating and controversial problems of present-day
American historical research. Depending upon the labor of slaves who constituted the great
majority of the American black population, the plantations were both homes and business
enterprises for a white, southern elite. They were the largest, the most commercialized,
and on the whole, the most efficient and specialized agricultural enterprises of their
day, producing the bulk of the South's staple crops of tobacco, cotton, sugar, rice, and
hemp. Their proprietors were entrepreneurs who aspired to and sometimes, after a
generation or two, achieved the status of a cultivated landed aristocracy. Many
distinguished themselves not only in agriculture but in the professions, in the military,
in government service, and in scientific and cultural endeavors.
Planters ambitious to augment their wealth, together with their black slaves, were an
important driving force in the economic and political development of new territories and
states in the Southwest. Their commodities accounted for more than half the nation's
exports, and the plantations themselves were important markets for the products of
northern industry. In short, they played a crucial role in the development of a national
market economy.
The plantations of the Old South, the white families who owned, operated, and lived on
them, and the blacks who toiled on them as slaves for more than two centuries have been
the subjects of numerous historical studies since the pioneering work of Ulrich B.
Phillips in the early twentieth century. The literature, highly controversial, has focused
on questions such as the evolution and nature of the planter class and its role in shaping
the white South's economy, culture, and values; the conditions experienced by American
blacks in slavery; the impact of the "peculiar institution" on their
personalities and the degree to which a distinct Afro-American culture developed among
them; and, finally, the sources of the tension between the proslavery interests of the
South and the "free labor" interests of the North that culminated in secession
and civil war.
Research materials are plentiful. Census returns and other government documents,
newspapers and periodicals, travelers' accounts, memoirs and autobiographies, and an
abundance of polemical literature have much to tell historians about life on ante-bellum
plantations. The autobiographies of former slaves, several twentieth-century oral history
collections, and a rich record of songs and folklore are significant sources for the black
experience in slavery. All the historical literature, however, from Phillips to the most
recent studies, has relied heavily on the enormous collections of manuscript plantation
records that survive in research libraries scattered throughout the South. These
manuscripts consist of business records, account books, slave lists, overseers' reports,
diaries, private letters exchanged among family members and friends, and even an
occasional letter written by a literate slave. They come mostly from the larger tobacco,
cotton, sugar, and rice plantations, but a significant number survive from the more modest
estates and smaller slaveholdings whose economic operations tended to be less specialized.
Plantation records reveal nearly every aspect of plantation life. Not only business
operations and day-to-day labor routines, but family affairs, the roles of women, racial
attitudes, relations between masters and slaves, social and cultural life, the values
shared by members of the planter class, and the tensions and anxieties that were
inseparable from a slave society are all revealed with a fullness and candor unmatched by
any of the other available sources. Moreover, these records are immensely valuable for
studies of black slavery. Needless to say, since they were compiled by members of the
white master class, they provide little direct evidence of the inner feelings and private
lives of the slave population. But they are the best sources of information about the care
and treatment of slaves, about problems in the management of slave labor, and about forms
of slave resistance short of open rebellion. They also tell us much about the behavior of
slaves, from which historians can at least draw inferences about the impact of slavery on
the minds and personalities of its black victims.
Deposited in southern state archives and in the libraries of many southern universities
and historical societies, the number of available plantation records has increased
significantly in recent decades. Our publication is designed to assist scholars in their
use by offering for the first time an ample selection of the most important materials in a
single microfilm collection. Ultimately it will cover each geographical area in which the
plantation flourished, with additions of approximately four new collections annually. A
special effort is being made to offer the rarer records of the smaller slaveholders and to
include the equally rare records of the plantations in the last quarter of the eighteenth
century; however, the documentation is most abundant for the operations of the larger
plantations in the period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War, and their records
will constitute the bulk of our publication.
The collections microfilmed in this edition are holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection, Manuscripts Department, Academic Affairs Library of the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599. The descriptions of the
collections provided in this user guide are adapted from inventories compiled by the
Southern Historical Collection. The inventories are included among the introductory
materials on the microfilm.
Historical maps, microfilmed among the introductory materials, are courtesy of the Map
Collection of the Academic Affairs Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Maps consulted include:
Thomas G. Bradford, Comprehensive Atlas, 1835;
Robert Mills, Atlas of South Carolina, 1825;
and S. Augustus Mitchell, "A New Map of Alabama," 1847.
The Reel Index for this edition provides the user with a précis of each collection.
Each précis gives information on family history and many business and personal activities
documented in the collection. Omissions from the microfilm edition are noted in the
précis and on the microfilm. Descriptions of omitted materials are included in the
introductory materials on the microfilm.
Following the précis, the Reel Index itemizes each file folder and manuscript volume.
The four-digit number to the left of each entry indicates the frame number at which a
particular document or series of documents begins.
John Fletcher Comer Journal, 1844-1847,
Barbour County, Alabama
Description of the Collection
This small collection comprises a journal kept by Comer, 1844-1847, containing various
kinds of records relating to agricultural activities on his Barbour County, Alabama,
plantation and to his lumber and corn mills. Included are records of cotton and corn
planted, picked, and stored, and of hogs slaughtered. There are also records of specific
orders for lumber cut to varying sizes and of numbers of bushels of corn milled for
various customers. Miscellaneous purchases of knives, clothing, cloth, and tobacco also
are documented. For 1845 through 1847, there are short journal entries, most of which list
weather conditions and planting and milling activities. A few entries, however, contain
slight references to the health and activities of family and friends.
The journal is arranged as follows: Pages 1-5: Records of cotton planted and picked and
of hogs slaughtered, 1844-1845; Pages 6-92: Records of activity at Comer's sawmill,
including specific orders for lumber cut to varying sizes and numbers of bushels of corn
milled for various customers, 1844-1847; Pages 93-107: Miscellaneous records of corn and
cotton planted, picked, and stored in warehouses, and of purchases of knives, clothing,
cloth, and tobacco, 1844-1845; and Pages 108-200: Short journal entries, most of which
list weather conditions and planting and milling activities. A few entries, however,
contain slight references to the health and activities of family and friends.
Biographical Note
John Fletcher Comer (1811-1858), a native of Jones County, Georgia, was the son of Ann
Trippe and Hugh Moss Comer, and grandson of Elizabeth Moss and Samuel Comer. He married
Catharine Lucinda Drewry in 1841 and settled in Barbour County, Alabama, where he engaged
in growing cotton and in operating both a sawmill and a corn mill.
When he died, Comer left his widow with six minor sons. The fourth son was Braxton
Bragg Comer, who, in 1906, became governor of Alabama.
N.B. Related collections among the holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection include the Braxton Bragg Comer Papers; the Laura Beecher Comer Papers; and the
Comer Family Papers. The Laura Beecher Comer Papers and the Comer Family Papers are
included in UPA's Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and
Diaries, Series A, Part 5.
Dorman Family Papers, 1838-1897,
Mobile, Alabama; also Mississippi
Description of the Collection
This small collection comprises correspondence, financial materials, and other papers
relating to Dorman family members and friends in Mobile and Claiborne, Alabama. Letters
1847-1854 and undated give news of family and neighborhood activities. Those from 1862 are
to Thomas T. Dorman, son of Thomas W. Dorman, from family and friends while he served with
the 21st Alabama Regiment at Corinth, Mississippi. Letters 1867 to 1868 include two from
Thomas W. Dorman to son Thomas when the elder Dorman was vacationing at Healing Springs,
Virginia. Beginning in 1871, there are a few routine business letters relating to various
family members. Financial materials consist of scattered bills and receipts relating to
purchases of goods and services by various family members. Also included are a handwritten
transcription of the 1853 commencement speech delivered by William Lipscomb from the
Centenary Institute, a women's school in Sommerfield, Alabama, and eight undated school
exercises, including compositions and French translations by various female family
members.
The collection is divided into three series: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2.
Financial Materials; and Series 3. Other Papers.
Series 1. Correspondence (1847-1892 and undated)
This series comprises letters to and from Dorman family members and friends in Mobile and
Claiborne, Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi. Letters 1847 to 1854 chiefly give news of
family and neighborhood activities. Those from 1862 are to Thomas T. Dorman, son of Thomas
W. Dorman, from family and friends while he served with the 21st Alabama Regiment at
Corinth, Mississippi. Letters 1867 to 1868 include two from Thomas W. Dorman to son Thomas
when the elder Dorman was vacationing at Healing Springs, Virginia. Beginning in 1871,
there are a few routine business letters relating to various family members. Undated
letters chiefly convey routine family news.
Series 2. Financial Materials (1867-1897)
This series comprises scattered bills and receipts of various Dorman family members
relating to purchases of goods and services.
Series 3. Other Papers (1838-1881 and undated)
This series comprises a wide variety of material. Included are: a handwritten poem
entitled "The Shipwreck," dated 1838; a handwritten copy of commencement speech
delivered by William Lipscomb at the Centenary Institute, a women's school in Sommerfield,
Alabama, 6 July 1853; a program from the "Sixth Anniversary of Infant Mystics"
pageant, location unknown, 9 February 1875; a program cover from the "Order of
Myths" production, Mobile, Alabama, 1 March 1881; and eight undated school exercises,
including compositions and French translations by various female family members.
Henry Alderson Ellison Papers, 1848-1882,
Baldwin County, Alabama; also North Carolina and California
Description of the Collection
This small collection comprises slave records and other papers relating to Henry Alderson
Ellison, planter of Baldwin County, Alabama, and his family, including a notebook
containing lists of slaves belonging to Ellison in 1848 and 1858-1860 and records of their
being hired out. Other papers include a letter, 30 October 1864, from Abram M. Allen, an
Ellison slave who had been freed before the Civil War, in Washington, North Carolina, to
Eliza Tripp Ellison, Henry's widow, at Wilson, North Carolina, where she had taken refuge
during the Civil War, in which Allen informed her of his whereabouts and offered hope for
the future. Also included is a letter, 16 October 1867, to Eliza, now living near Mobile,
Alabama, from Edward Stanly (1810-1872), a California politician who had been U.S.
representative from North Carolina, describing conditions in California and evaluating
prospects there for southerners. Also included are five invitations to social functions in
Beaufort County, North Carolina, 1877-1880 and undated, sent to Ellison and Bonner family
members.
William Stump Forwood Papers, 1836-1861,
Clarke County, Alabama; also Maryland
Description of the Collection
This collection consists mostly of letters to Forwood from family members, friends, and
professional associates; the writings of Forwood and others on a variety of topics; and
bills and receipts. Only a small part of the collection is included in this microfilm
edition.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence--Subseries 1.1
1836-1861, Subseries 1.2 1862-1865 [not included], Subseries 1.3 1866-1884 [not included],
and Subseries 1.4 1885-1897 [not included]; Series 2. Writings and Speeches [not
included]; Series 3. Financial Materials [not included]; Series 4. Clippings,
Advertisements, and Other Papers [not included]; and Series 5. Pictures [not included].
Biographical Note
William Stump Forwood, son of Samuel Forwood, was a physician and local historian of
Darlington, Maryland. He was born 27 January 1830 in Darlington and remained there most of
his life. At his father's urging, he moved to Gosport, Alabama, in 1848, returning to
Maryland in 1851. He again lived in Gosport during the period 1870-1873.
Forwood married Pamela Wilson, probably in June 1857. She died in childbirth on 19
March 1860. On 6 May 1863, Forwood married Addie Bond. Forwood and his second wife had two
children, Lizzie and Katie.
Forwood served as president of the Clarke County, Alabama, Medical Society; the
Pennsylvania and Maryland Union Medical Association; and the Harford Historical Society,
of which he was a charter member. He was also president and founder of the Medical Society
of Harford County.
Forwood wrote extensively on the "ethnological" justification for slavery. He
also published articles in medical journals on a variety of topics. He was the author of An
Historical and Descriptive Narrative of the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, first published
in 1870.
Forwood remained active in his medical practice until his death, apparently in 1891.
Series 1. Correspondence (1836-1897 and undated)
This series comprises mostly personal and professional correspondence of William Stump
Forwood with family members, friends, and professional associates.
Subseries 1.1. (1836-1861) This subseries consists mostly of letters from
family members, especially from Forwood's father, Samuel, who moved to Gosport (Clarke
County), Alabama in 1832. These letters concern health matters and farming conditions in
Alabama. Also of interest are Samuel Forwood's references to slavery and the impending
Civil War.
In a letter dated 8 October 1846, Samuel Forwood advised his son to become a doctor
because "it will not prevent you from being a Farmer, you could attend to both...and
it is an easy profession to acquire."
Numerous letters, beginning 4 April 1857, discuss the alleged intellectual inferiority
of the black race.
Omissions
Omissions from the William Stump Forwood Papers include Subseries 1.2-1.4, Correspondence,
1862-1897 and undated; Series 2, Writings and Speeches, 1853-1890 and undated; Series 3,
Financial Materials, 1856-1887; Series 4, Clippings, Advertisements, and Other Papers,
1871-1890 and undated; and Series 5, Pictures, 1854-1881. A list of omitted materials is
provided on reel 2, frame 0210. Descriptions of omitted materials are included in the
introductory materials provided at the beginning of this collection.
Miscellaneous Letters, 1786-1860,
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
Description of the Collection
This collection consists of single, unrelated letters, chiefly from the 19th century, to
and from various persons, especially southerners, who were prominent in literary and
political arenas. Topics include family life, travels throughout the South, social life
and customs, slavery, local and national politics, and literature. Among the
correspondents are Abiel Abbott, Henry Ward Beecher, Alfred Holt Colquitt, Peter Early,
Sam Houston, Washington Irving, Andrew Jackson, North Carolina governor Samuel Johnston,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Milledge, Wilson Cary Nicholas, Edward Telfair, Martin
Van Buren, Abraham Bedford Venable, and Daniel Webster.
Omissions
Omitted materials include Items 107-160, Letters, 1863-1982. A list of omissions is
provided on reel 2, frame 0689. Descriptions of omitted items are included in the
introductory materials provided at the beginning of this collection.
Miscellaneous Southern Business Letters, 1747-1929,
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Virginia
Description of the Collection
This collection comprises letters, chiefly 1833-1858, of various merchants, agents,
planters, lawyers, clerks, ship captains, and other individuals doing business at ports
along the North American coast from New Orleans to Maine, and at scattered locations in
the interior.
The collection is organized into units, items in each unit either are addressed to the
same recipient or sent by the same person or business. Many letters are about aspects of
the cotton trade, such as shipping and contracting for sale of cotton. Other types of
business, such as the selling of tobacco, leather, steel, and foodstuffs, are mentioned
less frequently. Several letters concern the collection of money due. Besides showing
general business trends, these letters document economic relationships between the slave
and nonslave regions of eastern North America. The collection includes two overlapping
chronological groupings of units: Units 1-16 and Units 17-73.
Units 1-16. (1788-1923)
Unit 1 comprises two letters relating to a Capt. Taggart and to cargo shipped. The first
letter is from John Ingram at Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Capt. Taggart at
Wilmington, North Carolina, dated 3 December 1788, regarding a shipment of flax seed for
Christopher Ellery. The second letter is from A. McNaughton and Co., at Wilmington, North
Carolina, to Christopher Ellery at New Port (Newport), Rhode Island, dated 30 [January?]
1789, concerning Capt. Taggart's cargo.
Unit 2 comprises four letters sent to John D. McGill, Esq., an attorney practicing in
Middlesex County, Virginia, regarding collection of payments due. The first letter is from
William F. & A. Murdock at Baltimore, Maryland, to McGill at Churchville, Middlesex
County, Virginia, dated 17 December 1831, concerning the collection of payments owed by
John South. The second letter is from William M. Donald & Co., at Baltimore, Maryland,
to McGill, dated 7 August 1840, regarding the transfer of money for partial settlement of
a claim. The third letter is from F. & R. Voss at Baltimore, Maryland, to McGill,
dated 16 May 1842, briefly about claims. Mentioned are members of the firms F. & R.
Voss and F. & R. Voss & Co., and the fact that "Mr. Taliaferro went home in
the Rapph on Saturday." The fourth letter is from Norris & Brothers at
Baltimore, Maryland, to Messrs. McGill & Woodward at Clifton, Urbanna County,
Virginia, dated 12 June 1844, regarding the collection of an overdue payment. They wrote:
"Probably you can arrange with Mr. C. to pay without suit if not please sue. Geo. S.
& R. Norris, Jr., comprise our firm."
Unit 3 comprises two letters addressed to Seth Lowe & Co., at New York, New York.
The first letter is from Thomas Janvier at Baltimore, Maryland, to Seth Lowe & Co.,
dated 20 June 1835, concerning orders for leeches, imported spirits, and other medical
imports. The second letter is from Robert Lindenberger & Co., at Louisville, Kentucky,
to Seth Lowe & Co., dated 20 December 1848, concerning a merchandise account.
Unit 4 comprises two letters in this unit that relate to Abraham Bell & Co./Son,
merchants at New York, New York. (See also Unit 37.) The first letter is from J. Ganahl
& Co., at Savannah, Georgia, to A. Bell & Co., dated 1 December 1836, concerning
cotton sales. The second letter is from S. Coates at Mobile, Alabama, to "My dear
Father," c/o Mssrs. Abraham Bell & Son, dated 16 April 1846, concerning the
writer's mistake in leaving Mobile, a shipment of lumber to Texas, and shipping connected
with business matters. He mentioned Corpus Christi, Texas, family and personal matters, a
cargo of porter, the weather, and business associates.
Unit 5 comprises eight letters addressed to Abraham Richards, a merchant, at New York,
New York. They all are related to the cotton trade. The first three are from S. C. Dunning
in Savannah, Georgia, and are dated 15 and 21 December 1838 and 17 October 1839. The
fourth letter, of 4 June 1842, is from Jonathan Meigs in Augusta, Georgia. The fifth
letter, of 2 January 1843, is from A. Richards, Jr. The sixth letter, of 8 March 1843, is
from Thomas Alexander at Savannah, Georgia. The seventh letter, of 17 May 1843, is from S.
Matison at Savannah, Georgia. The eighth letter, of 1 March 1844, is again from Jonathan
Meigs in Augusta, Georgia.
Unit 6 comprises ten letters addressed to Charles P. Leverich, Esq., merchant at New
York, New York. The first letter is from Franklin W. McCoy at Mobile, Alabama, to
Leverich, dated 15 February 1840, regarding merchandise sales and purchases. The second
letter is from William Newton Mercer at Laurel Hill [Natchez], Mississippi, to Leverich,
dated 28 August 1840, concerning the sale of cotton, prices, and weather conditions. The
third letter is from Samuel J. Peters at New Orleans, Louisiana, to Leverich, dated 26 May
1842, concerning important banking matters involving New York and New Orleans banks. The
fourth letter is from Dunbar S. Dyson at New Orleans, Louisiana, to Leverich, dated 2
November 1844, concerning the excellent cotton crop conditions in the Carolinas, Georgia,
and Alabama, estimating a crop of 2.4 million bales, with prices, comments about sugar
crops, trade, and sterling exchange rates. The fifth letter is from Stephen Duncan at
Natchez, Mississippi, to Leverich, dated 30 January 1846, concerning the sugar trade. The
sixth letter is from Franklin W. McCoy at Mobile, Alabama, to Leverich, dated 3 April
1847, concerning business troubles, and the cotton trade. The seventh letter is from
George H. Johnson at Mobile, Alabama, to Leverich, dated 29 March 1849, concerning details
of cotton trading, mentioning the ships Republic and Mobile, and musing that
the California fever was "now over," dimming prospects for cotton sales. The
eighth letter is from Fontaine & Dent at Mobile, Alabama, to Leverich, dated 5
February 1850, about an account balance. The ninth letter is again from Stephen Duncan at
Natchez, Mississippi, to Leverich, dated 9 December 1850, briefly concerning a journal
subscription, business matters, and the weather. The tenth letter is from F. Surget at
Natchez, Mississippi, to Leverich, dated 3 February 1851, regarding the sterling exchange
and matters of account.
Unit 7 comprises two letters addressed to J. A. Montgomery, Esq., at Woodville,
Mississippi. The first letter is from Walter Carswell at Natchez, Mississippi, to
Montgomery, dated 2 May 1840, concerning cotton sales, invoices, and the dull market. Of
the latter, Carswell commented: "business here is at a standstill." The second
letter is from Samuel R. Walker at Natchez, Mississippi, to Montgomery, dated 4 January
1841, concerning his (Walker's) temporary inability to pay an account due.
Unit 8 comprises two letters relating to the steel industry, addressed to Messrs.
Orrick, Tucker & Grubbs (& Parker) at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first letter
is from D. Anderson & Co. at Richmond, Virginia, to Orrick et al., dated 15 February
1841, regarding steel prices and a shipment of steel. The second letter is from F. B.
Deane, Jr., Superintendent to Tredegar Iron Co., at Richmond, Virginia, to Orrick et al,
dated 22 July 1842, concerning account balances and a remittance for payment.
Unit 9 comprises two letters addressed to L. Bissell, Esq., at Madison, Georgia. The
first letter is from Peck & Dearning[?] at Augusta, Georgia, to Bissell, dated 8 April
1842, concerning cotton sales in Savannah and market purchases. The second letter is from
H. P. Peck at Augusta, Georgia, to Bissell, dated 5 May 1842, regarding a cash receipt and
the price of corn and corn meal.
Unit 10 comprises two letters relating to Tiffany Ward & Co., at Baltimore,
Maryland. The first letter is from Tiffany Ward & Co., at Baltimore, Maryland, to L.
C. Grant at Bristol, Virginia, dated 24 May 1845, regarding the sale of Grant's
merchandise. The second letter is from Tiffany Ward & Co., at Baltimore, Maryland, to
L. C. Grant, agent, Bristol Managing Company, dated 3 October 1845, concerning sales of
merchandise, with a "sketch of sales for acct."
Unit 11 comprises three letters addressed to Messrs. Mason & Laurence at Boston,
Massachusetts. The first letter is from J. B. Tomlinson & Son at Mobile, Alabama, to
Mason & Laurence, dated 15 April 1846, concerning cotton sales. The second letter is
from Dexter & Abbot at Mobile, Alabama, to Mason & Laurence, dated 25 March 1848,
concerning cotton sales; there is mention of news received by telegraph. The third letter
is again from Dexter & Abbot at Mobile, Alabama, to Mason & Laurence, dated 10
June 1848, concerning cotton sales.
Unit 12 comprises two letters addressed to J. Day & Co. at New York, New York. The
first letter is from C. A. Gunst[?] & Co., at Columbus, Georgia, to J. Day & Co.,
c/o Sherman Day & Co., at New York, New York, dated 5 October 1849, concerning
bagging, coffee, molasses, the cotton trade, prices, and similar matters. The second
letter is from W. Woodbridge at Savannah, Georgia, to J. Day & Co., dated 27 November
1850, regarding cotton sales.
Unit 13 comprises two letters addressed to William A. J. Finney at Pittsylvania County,
Virginia. The first letter is from John P. Pleasants & Sons at Baltimore, Maryland, to
Finney, dated 4 May 1853, regarding a shipment of tobacco. The second letter is from
Charles D. DeFord at Baltimore, Maryland, to Finney, dated 5 August 1854, concerning the
sale of "Twist" tobacco, and including the following observation: "Our
Southern and Western customers who during the month of July came `like Angels' visits,'
are now beginning to show themselves in earnest, and the cry in their mouths is always bright
Tobacco."
Unit 14 comprises two letters concerning business or legal matters involving Daniel H.
London of Richmond, Virginia. The first letter is from A. Jackson at Jackson, Louisa
County, Virginia, to London at Richmond, Virginia, dated 1 November 1856, concerning the
partial payment of a debt and mentioning his tobacco crop. The second letter is from D. H.
London at Washington, D.C., to John L. Woodruff c/o D. H. London at Richmond, Virginia,
dated 8 April 1857, concerning payments of bills, veiled references to business or legal
matters, and an appointment to meet the president. Also mentioned is "Floyd."
(President James Buchanan's cabinet included, since 8 March 1857, Secretary of War John B.
Floyd, former governor of Virginia). London made the following comment about his stay in
Washington: "The weather is cold and unpleasant here and certainly not
comfortable."
Unit 15 comprises three letters addressed to Motz & Boehm at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The first letter is from Jesse Hare at Lynchburg, Virginia, to Motz &
Boehm, dated 2 September 1858, regarding a telegram sent by Motz & Boehm, and
prospects for shipping tobacco. The second letter is from Benjamin F. Dickinson at
Richmond, Virginia, to Motz & Boehm, dated 18 September 1858, regarding a shipment to
Philadelphia of "Rose Bud" via the steamer Virginia; further shipments
and related tobacco business matters are mentioned also. The third letter is again from
Benjamin F. Dickinson at Richmond to Motz & Boehm, dated 2 October 1858, regarding a
"Rose Bud" shipment conveyed by the ship City of Richmond.
Unit 16 comprises two letters concerning Walter C. Thatcher of Maryland. The first
letter is from [Jules?] Levy, President, M.S. Levy & Sons, Inc., Lombard and Pace
Streets, Baltimore, Maryland, "To Whom It May Concern," envelope addressed to
Howard R. Thatcher, 1509 John St., Baltimore, Maryland, dated 6 November 1919, comprising
a brief letter of recommendation for Thatcher, "Whittler and Pattern Maker." The
second letter is from Munn & Co., 625 F St. NW, Washington, D.C., to Thatcher at 507
Oakland, Govans, Maryland, dated 31 May 1923, concerning the advisability of filing a
patent application in Canada for his invention that is not described.
Units 17-73. (1747-1929)
The remaining units have one letter each. These units are arranged in six folders. Folder
17 includes units 17-27. Folder 18 includes units 28-39. Folder 19 includes units 40-46.
Folder 20 includes units 47-61. Folder 21 includes units 62-69. Folder 22 includes units
70-73.
Unit 17 is a letter from Solomon Isaacs at Charleston, South Carolina, to W. W. Vernon
at Newport, Rhode Island, dated 22 July 1747, concerning shipments of goods. Isaacs
mentioned captains Bryan and Goodman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a health relapse, and
notice that "Rum is in great Dem'd here...W. Ind. .25/...Engl. 22/6 pr. gall."
Unit 18 is a letter from William Bule at Newbern [New Bern], North Carolina, to Samuel
Vernon and Samuel Brown, merchants, at Boston, Massachusetts, dated 12 November 1780,
refers to "drawing 3,000 Continental dollars in favor of Capt. Constant Churchill and
in favor of Capt. Benjamin Bates for $10,000 which bill I beg you will
countenance...." Bule also mentioned recommending Vernon and Brown to New Bern
merchants, the possibility of shipping naval stores to Boston in the spring of 1781, and
also a Mr. John Cooke. Unit 19 is a letter from J. N. Sears at Newberne [New Bern], North
Carolina, to John Law, Esq., Attorney at Law, at Washington, D.C., dated 2 June 1822,
regarding papers "which in any manner related to the claims of the Heirs of Charles
Churchill for Spanish spoliating...." Unit 20 is a letter from Lewis Williams at
Washington, D.C., to Thomas T. Armstrong, Esq., at Germanton, Stokes County, North
Carolina, dated 2 May 1824 (with envelope), concerning the collection of money in
connection with an estate. Unit 21 is a letter from Louis De Henry at Fayetteville, North
Carolina, to John Giles at Salisbury, North Carolina, dated 19 September 1825, concerning
the collection of money on behalf of Stephen North of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from
Satterwhite & Travis. Unit 22 is a letter from Henry R. Savage at Wilmington, North
Carolina, to Mssrs. Davis & Mathews, at Fayetteville, North Carolina, dated 28
November 1828, concerning the recipient's disappointment with a shipment of cotton,
additional freight assigned to the schooner Argo, and cotton for the vessel Damon;
a bill of charge for shipping cotton to New York on the brig Arethasa is attached.
Unit 23 is a letter from Joshua Gross at Wilmington, North Carolina, to Messrs. Charles
and William D. Crooker at Bath, Maine, dated 12 February 1830, concerning passage from St.
Thomas, severe weather, lumber, shingles, response to inquiries about a person named
Grimes working in Bladen County, North Carolina, and Joel Davidson. Unit 24 is a letter
from William Nekervis, cashier at the Farmer's Bank of Virginia (place not specified), to
Daniel Sprigs, Esq., cashier at the Hager's Town Bank, Hager's Town (Hagerstown),
Maryland, dated 21 June 1831, accepting "with pleasure" the transference of
Maryland notes; Baltimore banks also mentioned. Unit 25 is a letter from Aron Emmerson[?]
to Arthur Emmerson, Esq., at Portsmouth, Virginia, dated 12 January 1832, briefly
regarding a business matter. Unit 26 is a letter from Carriere & Bondurant at New
Orleans, Louisiana, to Messrs. J. Ransom & Co., at New York, New York, dated 10 March
1833, regarding cargo on ships Saratoga, Alabama, Jn. Linton, Talma, and Oceana;
and voicing dissatisfaction with the Oceana's cargo of Holland gin because of its
yellowish color; satisfaction with a "judicious" selection of cheese; and
requesting candles, black pepper, nutmeg, foolscap uncut paper, and almonds. Unit 27 is a
letter from R. Abbey & Co., at Natchez, Mississippi, to Messrs. G. & A. Francis at
Hartford, Connecticut, dated 4 June 1833, concerning an order for carriages and a harness.
Unit 28 is a letter from George Williams at Baltimore, Maryland, to Griggs and Weld
& Co., at Boston, dated 15 September 1834, concerning the shipment of marrow in casks
sealed with tar (plaster of paris as a sealer is mentioned) and barrels of tallow. Unit 29
is a letter from Thomas Sewell, leather supplier, at Baltimore, Maryland, to Messrs.
Eveleth & Wood, Merchants, at Boston, Massachusetts, dated 25 October 1834, regarding
the transfer of payments, orders, leather goods, and prices. Unit 30 is a letter from Ira
Dodge at Georgetown, D.C., to his nephew Allen W. Dodge at New York, New York, dated 10
June 1835, concerning the sale of stock. Unit 31 is a letter from Smith Hawthrone[?] &
Co. at New Orleans, Louisiana, to Messrs. Smith & Co., at Hartford, Connecticut, dated
22 July 1836, concerning banking arrangements. Unit 32 is a letter from Ephraim Larabee at
Baltimore, Maryland, to Messrs. Seth Lowe & Co. at Baltimore, Maryland, dated 10
December 1838, regarding a bank note on the Leather Manufacturers Bank of New York
Included is a comment that "myrh is rather too high." Unit 33 is two letters in
one: Allen Asher & Co., at New Orleans, Louisiana, to E. J. Sepions, Esq., at
Warrenton (Jackson), Mississippi, dated 19 December 1838, concerning the favorable market,
a sale of cotton, and payment in notes of the Vicksburg Waterworks & Banking Co.; and
from Templeton Payne & Co., at Warrenton, Mississippi, regarding details of money
exchange. Unit 34 is a letter from J. Spalding, Attorney, at St. Louis, Missouri, to A. C.
Bush at Tioga, Pennsylvania, dated 29 January 1839, concerning the collection of debts.
Unit 35 is a letter from James Evans at Port Deposit, Maryland, to William Hollingsworth
at Elkton, Maryland, dated 26 April 1839, regarding their legal case in the Court of
Appeals. Evans mentioned someone named McLane and a compromise proposal. (McLane might be
Louis McLane, 1786-1857, who served as president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Company from 1837 to 1847). Unit 36 is a letter from Tate & Hopkins at New Orleans,
Louisiana, to P. W. Vaughan, Esq., at Greensburg, Kentucky, dated 14 April 1840, primarily
about the shipment of tobacco. Unit 37 is a letter from Hazard & Fowler at Mobile,
Alabama, to Jacob Harvey, Esq., c/o Abraham Bell & Co., at New York, New York, dated
20 August 1840, concerning the cotton market, etc. (See also Unit 4). Unit 38 is a letter
from G. G. Wood at Rodney, Claiborne County, Mississippi, to George Forman at New Orleans,
Louisiana, dated 16 December 1840, about settling accounts and ordering bagging for David
McCoy. Unit 39 is a letter from Conway Whittle, Customs House, at Norfolk, Virginia, to
Jesse Hoyt, collector, at New York, New York, dated 22 December 1840, concerning a cargo
of salt on the brig Pandora.
Unit 40 is a letter from Samuel Jones, Jr., at Baltimore, Maryland, to Messrs. Tidball,
Marshall & Conrad, Trustees, at Winchester, Virginia, dated 20 January 1841,
concerning prospective changes in the board of directors of the Western Bank, on which
Jones was serving as president. Unit 41 is a letter from S. Thomson at Asheville, North
Carolina, to James Nable at Orangeburg, South Carolina, dated 7 April 1841, about the dire
need for Nable to pay him a debt owed, and the hardships caused by lack of payment. Unit
42 is a letter from F. Lucas, Jr., sales agent, at Baltimore, Maryland, to R. Hoe &
Co., printing presses and equipment, at New York, New York, dated 28 June 1841, concerning
the "Super Royal Washington Press" (machinery) being sold in Baltimore.
Unit 43 is a letter from C. Rodes at St. Louis, Missouri, to J. B. Macy at Portsmouth,
Ohio, dated 20 September 1842, concerning a protested bank draft. Unit 44 is a letter from
W. N. Haldeman at Louisville, Kentucky, of the "Books & Periodicals business
here," to Messrs. Tileston & Hollingsworth at Boston, Massachusetts, dated 6
February 1844, inquiring and supplying ordering information about paper on which to print
the Daily Dime, of which he was a prospective owner; Mr. Halbrook of the New
Orleans Picayune is mentioned. Unit 45 is a letter from John S. McCullock at
Baltimore, Maryland, to William P. Maulsly, Esq., counselor at law, at Westminister,
Carroll County, Maryland, dated 15 August 1844, requesting to place creditors' notices in
the Carrollonian and Democrat. Unit 46 is a letter from M. Southgate,
cashier of the Exchange Bank of Virginia at Norfolk, to Lt. Col. R. E. DeRussy at Old
Point Comfort, Virginia, dated 20 December 1844: "we credit your amount of $1365.11
in a treasury draft on this Bank rec'd with your favor of the 19th instant...."
Unit 47 is a letter from Hall Neilson at Richmond, Virginia, to John Marran, Esq., at
Washington, D.C., dated 24 January 1845, mostly concerning the bright prospects for a new
company using Mr. Broadmeadow's patent for the manufacture of steel, soliciting capital
investment. Unit 48 is a letter from E. W. [?] at Baltimore, Maryland, to Lindsley &
Blackston at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, dated 8 February 1845, regarding a protested
draft. Unit 49 is a letter from Tiffany War & Co., at Baltimore, Maryland, to L. C.
Grant, Bristol, at Bristol, Virginia, dated 24 May 1845, regarding the sale of Grant's
merchandise. Unit 50 is a letter from R. C. Cooke at Concord, North Carolina, to William
H. Horah, at Salisbury, North Carolina, dated 3 June 1845; brief cover note for payment by
draft of $207, and "$71,18 3/4 cts in Cash." Unit 51 is a letter from J. M.
Taylor at Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Henry J. Williams, Esq., dated 1 September 1845,
concerning a debt owed by Wilson P. Harrison; endorsed by Thomas Biddle, 16 September
1845. Unit 52 is a letter from D. H. Branch at Petersburg, Virginia, to Henry H. Watson at
606 Broadway, New York, New York, dated 13 October 1845, concerning, over three pages, a
financial and legal claim, including the following statement: "the old man...will be
worth from $125,000 to $150,000...." Unit 53 is a letter from Easten & Co. at
Baltimore, Maryland, to Alexander I. Boys, Esq., attorney, at Chillicothe, Ohio, dated 13
January 1846, about a claim against W. Patton Miller. Unit 54 is a letter from F. Winthirt
at Charleston, South Carolina, to Henry A. Coit, Esq., at New York, New York, dated 14
January 1846, concerning a shipment of rice. Unit 55 is a letter from James T. Marriott at
Raleigh, North Carolina, to William Jeffreys at Rolesville, Wake County, North Carolina,
dated 18 March 1846, briefly about suggested rent being too expensive. Unit 56 is a letter
from H. S. Eustis at Natchez, Mississippi, "To the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the
U.S.," dated 12 April 1846, requesting transcripts for Messrs. A. J. Dennestown &
Co. of New Orleans, Louisiana, of 1837-1838 payments drawn against the Branden Bank. Unit
57 is a letter from P. D. Woodruff at Charleston, South Carolina, to Col. Absalem Janes at
Penfield, Green County, Georgia, dated 16 June 1847, regarding the price of flour and
wheat crops. Unit 58 is a letter from Daniel Keith at Augusta, Georgia, to P. Whitin &
Sons at Whitinsville, Worcester County, Massachusetts, dated 17 June 1847, concerning
looms and other machinery for mills. Unit 59 is a letter from John J. Collier at Raleigh,
North Carolina, to Major George M. Collier at Waynesboro [Goldsboro?], North Carolina,
dated 5 October 1847, briefly about financial matters, mentioning family matters, and
plans to leave for Alabama later in the month. Unit 60 is a letter from James Winston at
Richmond, Virginia, to S. Dinguid at Lynchburg, Virginia, dated 22 March 1848, about
receipts for merchandise shipped, including shipping and toll costs. Unit 61 is a letter
from Chauncy Brooks at Baltimore, Maryland, to L. Spencer at Burlington, Hartford County,
Connecticut, dated 28 September 1849.
Unit 62 is a letter from W. M. W. Cochran at Natchez, Mississippi, to D. S. Kennedy,
Esq., at New York, New York, dated 7 June 1850, concerning methods to compel J. L. Dobyns
to pay off his debt, including the suggested mortgaging of 40 slaves. Cochran also
commented that the Mississippi River was high, that nearby riparian Louisiana plantations
were flooded, and that the area's prospects for cotton were "exceedingly gloomy and
disheartening." Unit 63 is a letter from H. B. Gwathmey[?] at Richmond, Virginia, to
Ebenezer Chadwick, Esq., at Boston, Massachusetts, dated 8 June 1850, concerning business
matters, the weather, and the good outlook for cotton. Unit 64 is a letter from William C.
Ellis at Prospect Hill [Vicksburg], Mississippi, to Messrs. Buchanon, Carroll & Co.,
cotton merchants at New Orleans, Louisiana, dated 14 April 1851, requesting that a
three-month subscription to the New Orleans weekly prices current be directed to Hannibal,
Missouri, and inquiring about bagging and rope information. Unit 65 is a letter from
Reynolds Smith & Co., at Baltimore, Maryland, to John Nycum, dated 21 May 1851,
concerning a shipment of wool, fish, and flour; and a receipt for turpentine, port wine,
glass, herrings, and shad. Unit 66 is a letter from S. H. Holland at Danville, Virginia,
to his brother Asa Holland at Hale's Ford, Franklin County, Virginia, dated 16 August
1852, about the need to pay back a loan related to a work enterprise. Unit 67 is a letter
from R. Holmes and Son, at Baltimore, Maryland, to Mr. Butterworth, dated 30 August 1852,
concerning a shipment of metal for Charles Collier. Unit 68 is a letter from F. H.
Humphreys at Richardsville, Culpeper County, Virginia, to "Dear Friend," dated
30 April 1854, concerning mining and other business matters. In the three-page letter
Humphreys mentioned his endeavor to construct "the Largest mill house at the Wycoff
gold mine that is in the state," news of that, the Liberty mines, and other property
in the area, explorations and machinery (Gardeners Crushers), and related matters. There
is also a brief list of small articles sold for the recipient. Unit 69 is a letter from
George Rivers, administrator of the George Tucker estate, to Whittle & Dabney at
Pittsylvania County, Virginia, dated 8 November 1862, consisting of a short note
concerning drawing money from an estate account.
Unit 70 is a deed from Charles Holshouser, Commissioner of Rowan County, North
Carolina, to Paul Holshouser, dated 5 April 1880. It concerns the sale of land comprising
"163 acres & 19 poles." Unit 71 is a letter from "R", Rock Hill,
South Carolina, to J. H. Sawyer Cash, location unknown, dated 3 October 1898, comprising a
very brief report of rent and apparent sharecropper payments collected during the
foregoing week. The fact that the price being paid for cotton is low is noted. Unit 72 is
a letter from the Koca Nola Company at Atlanta, Georgia, to the Turner Drug Store at
Wilkesboro, North Carolina, dated 10 March 1905, describing the beneficial qualities of
their fountain drink, Koca-Nola, "the only Koca drink on the market that is
absolutely free from dope or injurious ingredients of any kind," and soliciting an
order for it. Unit 73 is a letter from E. P. Rhyne, Piedmont Wagon and Manufacturing
Company, at Hickory, North Carolina, to R. P. Johnson at Wytheville, Virginia, dated 7
October 1929, specifying arrangements for delivery of wagons and parts and enclosing a
two-page price list for these items.
N.B. A related collection to Unit 2 (John D. McGill) is the John D. McGill
Papers at the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond (NUCMC MS 89-1963).
Herbert C. Peabody Papers, 1845-1849,
Mobile, Alabama
Description of the Collection
Herbert C. Peabody, a cotton factor of Mobile, Alabama, was the father of Horace Mansfield
and Emily Peabody (b. 1844), and a relative of George Peabody (1795-1869) of London,
England.
The collection consists chiefly of letters, 1852-1859, from Peabody to Samuel St. John,
Jr., of Charleston, New Hampshire, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, who had previously lived
in Mobile. Letters discuss Peabody's business career, especially his attempts to promote
Mobile as a port and his convictions on the importance of regulating trade and setting
trade standards. Peabody also discussed his personal affairs, including family news, his
involvement with the Unitarian Church, and visits to George Peabody in London. Also
included are: a document relating to Mobile real estate formerly owned by St. John, 12
September 1845; undated sheet music for a nonsense song; and an undated mock invoice for
"strings of wampum."
Henry Lee Reynolds Papers, 1851-1864,
Mobile, Alabama; also Mississippi and New York
Description of the Collection
This collection consists chiefly of business and personal correspondence and financial and
legal papers relating to Henry Lee Reynolds and other members of the Reynolds family. Also
included are a few diaries, probably written by Reynolds family members, and other papers
including documents relating to land warrants held by the Mobile firm of Harding and
Redditt, papers about Greene family history, an incomplete biographical sketch of Baptist
evangelist Hezekiah Smith (1737-1805) of Massachusetts, and a sketch book belonging to
Harry L. Reynolds.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence and Financial and Legal
Papers--Subseries 1.1, 1851-1864 and Subseries 1.2, 1865-1924 and undated [not included];
Series 2. Diaries, 1802-1840 [not included]; and Series 3. Other Papers, ca. 1840s-1884
and undated [not included].
Biographical Note
Papers show that Henry Lee Reynolds of Norwich, Connecticut, was in business in Mobile,
Alabama, as early as 1852, first with William A. Witherspoon in Reynolds, Witherspoon,
& Co., "importers, manufacturers, and dealers in hardware...iron and
nails...cooking stoves...cutlery... tools...and house furnishing articles of every
description." The firm also received cotton on its accounts and sold it on the
market. By 1860, Reynolds's associates were Jack P. Richardson and James C. Reynolds,
Henry's nephew, and his firm was called H. L. Reynolds & Co.
In September 1861, Henry Lee Reynolds was arrested in the North by federal agents.
After being detained at Fort Lafayette for two weeks, he was paroled in Washington, D.C.,
but not permitted to return south. After the Civil War, Reynolds's base of business
operations was in New York, with his nephews William C., James C., and Alfred C. Reynolds,
managing his affairs in Mobile with his old partner, Jack P. Richardson and others.
Sometime in 1865, Henry Lee Reynolds became associated with L. Jacquelin Smith, forming
Reynolds, Smith & Co., commission merchants, at New York, with interests in Mobile.
Henry Lee Reynolds's first wife, Martha Thomas Reynolds, died in June 1855, leaving a
young son, Charles, who was cared for by his mother's relatives in Norwich. Reynolds
remarried around 1859, taking as his wife Mary Wilson Hill of Washington, D.C. Mary was
the daughter of the Reverend Stephen Prescott Hill, a Baptist minister. Among other
children, the Reynoldses had a son, Harry Lee (b. 1861), and a daughter, Louise (b. 1868).
Harry Lee studied law and was admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar in 1885. He might have
died of tuberculosis at Asheville, North Carolina, in 1891. Louise married Gardiner Greene
(1851-1925) of Norwich, Connecticut, in 1894. Greene, the son of Gardiner (1822-1895) and
Mary Ricketts Adams Greene, was a judge of the Connecticut superior court and a state
legislator.
Series 1. Correspondence and Financial and Legal Papers (1851-1924)
This series includes business and personal correspondence, accounts, legal papers, and
other business records of Henry Lee Reynolds and other members of his family. Materials
relating to Harding and Redditt land warrants are filed in Series 3.
Subseries 1.1. 1851-1864 This subseries comprises papers chiefly relating
to the activities of Henry Lee Reynolds's successive companies in Mobile and in New York.
Antebellum papers are concerned with Reynolds, Witherspoon, & Co., the Mobile
merchandizing company Reynolds ran in partnership with William A. Witherspoon. Topics
covered are securing supplies from New York, sales in Alabama and Mississippi, debt
collection, and other business matters. Many of the letters written in the 1850s are from
Witherspoon and others who discussed not only business, but politics, economic conditions,
local news and gossip, and the weather.
Family letters received by Reynolds during this period are particularly numerous in
1855 when Reynolds was at Richfield Springs, New York, and his first wife's relatives were
caring for his young son in Norwich, Connecticut. In 1859, there are letters from Mary
Wilson Hill, whom Reynolds married that year, and, in 1861, there are letters about
Reynolds's arrest and detention by federal agents, including two documents, 14 September
1861 and 24 March 1862, relating to his parole. There are also items relating to Mary's
father, Baptist minister Stephen Prescott Hill, in 1851 and 1853.
Omissions
A list of omissions from the Henry Lee Reynolds Papers is provided on reel 3, frame 0555.
Omissions include: Subseries 1.2, Correspondence and Financial and Legal Papers, 1865-1924
and undated; Series 2. Diaries, 1802-1840; and Series 3. Other Papers, ca. 1840s-1884 and
undated. Descriptions of omitted materials are included in the introductory materials
provided at the beginning of this collection.
W. J. Ridgill Papers, 1851-1853,
Montgomery, Alabama; also Georgia, Mississippi, and New York
Description of the Collection
W. J. Ridgill (fl. 1851-1853) was a cotton broker of Montgomery, Alabama. This small
collection comprises business letters to Ridgill, chiefly about the cotton market in
various regions. His correspondents discussed the current prices for cotton, the size and
quality of crops, and political events, such as the possible war between Turkey and
Russia, that might influence the market. They also discussed other business matters, such
as purchasing cotton bagging materials, and freight rates and insurance on shipments of
cotton. Also included is a letter from an Alabama planter on the progress of his cotton
crop. Among the correspondents are Sterling F. Grimes and W. A. Beddell of Columbus,
Georgia; B. F. Marshall of Mobile and New York; T. U. V. Phillips of Florence, Alabama;
William R. Hagood of Columbus, Mississippi; and S. B. Glazman of Hudson Place, Talladega
County, Alabama.
Leonard M. Burford Papers, 1837-1868,
Lowndes County, Alabama; also Georgia and Texas
Description of the Collection
Leonard M. Burford was a cotton planter of Lowndes County, Alabama. This small collection
comprises letters, bills, and receipts, chiefly relating to Burford and his relatives. A
few items relate to the buying and selling of cotton through Mobile factors, while others
document purchases of dry goods, books, and other items, chiefly through merchants in
Mobile. There are several letters about family matters. There is also an 1863 letter from
Maj. Sebert J. Smith, Confederate quartermaster at Chattanooga, Tenn., to Capt. Alexander
McVay, quartermaster at Mobile, Alabama, about the need for accurate written reports in
order to make proper allocations for payment of troops.
The following items appear in the collection. A receipt, dated 12 December 1837, for
supplies for Mr. A. Stinson[?] at Mobile, Alabama. A letter from Boykins & McRae at
Mobile, Alabama, to Leonard M. Burford at "His Landing," Lowndes County,
Alabama, dated 7 January 1847, about cotton trading between Mobile and Lowndes County via
the Alabama River, which apparently was carried out by the vessel Lowndes. A letter
fragment, dated 20 September 1848[?] from E. C. Compton to an unknown recipient. Written
in a semi-literate style, the surviving text concerns personal and family matters. A
receipt, dated 24 January 1850, from John K. Randall & Co., Booksellers, etc., at
Mobile, Alabama, to L. M. Burford, for books and supplies bought. A receipt, dated 13
March 1850, from More & Lynes, Wholesale Dealers in Fancy & Staple Dry Goods, to
Leonard M. Burford for supplies bought. A letter, dated 3 July 1854, from Thomas J. Jones
at Montgomery, Alabama, to Messrs. Stewart, Cook & Burford, mostly about legal
matters. A letter, dated 25 May 1857, from lawyer T. J. Jones to Leonard M. Burford about
legal matters. A printed letterhead gives Jones's office location as Allenton, Wilcox
County, Alabama; his territory also included Monroe and Dallas counties, Alabama. A letter
of account, dated 19 January 1859, from Boykin & McRae at Mobile, Alabama, for Leonard
M. Burford, covering the period July 1858 to January 1859, and listing cotton sales. A
bill, dated 6 February 1860, from C. & H. W. Lowe at Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama,
for clothing supplies purchased by Bettie Burford in December 1859. A bill, dated 6
February 1860, from C. & H. W. Lowe at Camden, Alabama, for clothing supplies
purchased by Amanda Burford, January to December 1859. A letter, dated 12 March 1863, from
Maj. Sebert J. Smith, Chief Pay Quartermaster, Department Number 2, Confederate States of
America, at Chattanooga, Tenn., to Capt. Alexander McVay, quartermaster, District of the
Gulf, at Mobile, Alabama, in which Smith ordered an estimate of funds needed for March and
April, based upon returns of the assistant adjutant general of the district, and
emphasizing the need for accurate and fair payment. A letter, dated 20 May 1868, from H.
D. Bonne[?] at Fairfield, Freestone County, Texas, to her brother and sister (not named)
at a location in Wilcox County, Alabama. She mentioned requests for supplies, including
her sewing machine, and photographs of people back home; personal and family matters;
crops; health; and Mr. James Robinson, who delivered the letter. She also discussed
freedmen, commenting "I have no annoyances we have no freedmen around us...." A
letter, 18 March [18??], from Bettie (probably Bettie Burford) at Talbotton, Talbot
County, Georgia, to her father (probably Leonard M. Burford). The letter mentions personal
and family matters, including visiting with relatives in Georgia, including Uncle William
at Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia. Of the latter place, there is the comment that
"I was a little anctious [sic] to get in the country, as you know, dressing in
Columbus is considered very important...." A letter fragment, undated (post-Civil
War), from Ezl. B. G.[?] to P. D. Burford. The surviving text includes comments on the
difficult social conditions the writer experienced "since the surrender," and an
uncle's attempt at "selling some cotton Ginns for Brown of Connecticut."
Walton Family Papers, 1804-1868,
Greene County, Alabama
Description of the Collection
This collection consists chiefly of nineteenth-century personal correspondence and
financial and legal papers of the Walton and Webb families. There are also miscellaneous
loose writings and six maps, circa 1820s, of land in western Alabama.
Although William Walton and his wife Justina L. Walton owned and operated a cotton
plantation in Greene County, Alabama, there are few items directly related to the running
of the plantation or to the approximately 100 slaves who lived and worked there. Financial
and legal papers, however, include a number of plantation-related receipts from cotton
merchants, including R. Moore & Company, Cotton Factors, of Mobile, Alabama.
Information in many of the items, including an 1834-1835 account book, indicates that
goods were regularly shipped between Mobile and points up and down the Tombigbee River and
its tributaries.
Personal letters in this collection concern chiefly personal and family interests of
members of the Walton and Webb families. Other items include a small 1804 volume
containing accounts for building a house; a McLean's Family Almanac for 1868, with
brief annotations by Justina L. Walton; questions derived from reading a naturalist book;
a culinary thesaurus; a list of compatible flower decorations; a thesaurus of medicines; a
school-age composition by Justina L. Walton entitled "On Romping"; and a
silhouette of an unknown man.
The collection is arranged in series and subseries as listed below. Series 1.
Correspon-dence--Subseries 1.1. 1828-1860, Subseries 1.2. 1861-1865 [not included],
Subseries 1.3. 1866-1901 [not included], and Subseries 1.4. Undated; Series 2. Financial
and Legal Papers--Subseries 2.1. 1811-1865, Subseries 2.2. 1866-1910 [not included], and
Subseries 2.3. Undated; Series 3. Account Books, Notebooks, and Miscellaneous Volumes;
Series 4. Maps and Other Loose Materials--Subseries 4.1. Other Loose materials, and
Subseries 4.2. Maps.
Biographical Note
Members of the Walton family, including William Walton (fl. 1811-1843) and John G. Walton
(fl. 1811-1844) emigrated from South Carolina to Alabama around 1820. William Walton and
his wife Justina L. (Jessie) Walton (fl. 1836-1866) had at least two children, Justina S.
(Jessie) (fl. 1836-1910) and Louisa W. (Lou) (fl. 1836-1880). As of 1836, they were living
at Strawberry Hill Plantation near Forkland, Greene County, Alabama. Members of the family
also lived at Eutaw, Greensboro, and Kirkpatricks Landing, Alabama.
Upon her husband's death, Justina L. Walton assumed responsibility for her family's
financial affairs. The estate she inherited included the family cotton plantation of
approximately 1,000 acres and 100 slaves located in Township 20, Range 2 East (see
"Assesment [sic] of the property of Justina L. Walton made June 30th '55...upon the
affidavit of J. D. Webb, agent," Volume 1, James Lusk Alcorn Papers, Southern
Historical Collection).
About 1853, Justina S. Walton married James Daniel Webb (1818-1863), who appears to
have moved to Alabama from North Carolina sometime in the 1840s. Together they had at
least two children, Minnie (fl. 1861-1897) and James E. In May 1861, James Daniel Webb
joined the 5th Alabama Regiment and traveled with it to camps and in the field in Florida
and Virginia. While on the regimental staff, at least part of the time as assistant
quartermaster, he served with several Confederate Army officers, including generals Robert
Emmet Rodes (1829-1864) and Richard Stoddert Ewell (1817-1872), and lieutenant colonels
Allen Cadwallader Jones (b. 1811) of Greene County, Alabama, and John Tyler Morgan
(1824-1907) of Selma, Alabama. In May 1862, Webb was appointed lieutenant colonel of the
newly formed 51st Alabama Regiment ("Partisan Rangers"); John Tyler Morgan was
appointed colonel. The 51st Alabama operated in Tennessee. Webb was mortally wounded in a
skirmish near Elk River, Tennessee, on 2 July 1863. Subsequently, Justina S. Walton Webb
managed her financial and personal affairs at Kirkpatricks Landing and Forkland, Alabama,
from 1866 until her death around 1910.
Series 1. Correspondence (1828-1901 and undated)
Subseries 1.1. (1828-1860) This subseries comprises letters to and from
members of the Walton family, chiefly concerning personal and family matters.
Correspondents included William Walton; Justina L. (Jessie) Walton; Louisa W. (Lou)
Walton; and Justina (Jessie) Walton. Beginning about the time James Daniel Webb married
Justina Walton (ca. 1853), he began corresponding with Walton family members. Many of the
letters for this period mention social life and customs at various Alabama locations,
including Strawberry Hill Plantation, Forkland, Eutaw, Greensboro, and Mobile.
There are also two letters from Margaret Smith at Greenville, South Carolina, to her
cousin Jesse L. Walton, which mention personal and family news, cotton crops, illnesses,
and church reforms. Letters, dated 1853, from Justina S. Walton Webb and James Daniel Webb
at New York and Saratoga, New York, to Justina L. Walton at Greensboro, Alabama, describe
the Webb's honeymoon trip to the North.
Subseries 1.4. (undated) This subseries comprises scattered notes and
letter fragments relating to members of the Walton and Webb families.
Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers (1811-1910 and undated)
This series consists chiefly of financial and legal papers of members of the Walton and
Webb families. There are scattered early papers relating to John G. Walton, William
Walton, James M. Walton, and Alfred Young Walton, chiefly about land purchases and
business matters in Charleston, South Carolina, Pensacola, Florida, New Orleans,
Louisiana, and Mobile and St. Stephens, Alabama. The bulk of these papers relate to
Justina L. Walton and Justina S. Walton Webb.
Subseries 2.1. (1811-1865) This subseries is comprised chiefly of
financial papers of Justina L. Walton at Forkland, Kirkpatricks Landing, and Eutaw,
Alabama, including accounts and business correspondence with James Crawford at Mobile,
Alabama.
There are also scattered business and legal papers relating to William Walton, John
Walton, William Walton and Company, James M. Walton, and Alfred Young Walton. Some of the
items are: a writ of intent, dated 15 June 1811, for the payment of $5,800 by William
Walton and Company at Charleston, South Carolina; a document, 1823, relating to a 640-acre
tract of land granted to William Walton in 1819 by the governor of Pensacola; a document,
dated 10 June 1826, relating to the purchase of land by James M. Walton of Greene County,
Alabama, at St. Stephens, Alabama; and an indenture, dated 22 September 1829, between
Alfred Young Walton and Cannan Pistole.
There is one Confederate army document, circa 1861, authorizing the allocation of
$20,000 to James Daniel Webb, acting assistant quartermaster for the 5th Alabama Infantry
Regiment in Virginia, for dispensation.
Subseries 2.3. (undated) This subseries comprises scattered financial and
legal papers relating mostly to members of the Walton family, including a list of
silverware bought and a document concerning a tract of land.
Series 3. Account Books, Notebooks, and Miscellaneous Volumes (1804-1868 and
undated)
This series comprises volumes as described below. The first volume is an account book,
1804, containing accounts for building a house. The second volume is an account book,
1834-1835, containing accounts for shipping. It includes lists of goods ordered and
delivered to persons living along the banks of the Tombigbee, Little Tombigbee, and Black
Warrior rivers in Alabama, delivered by the ship Ophelia or another vessel. Many
places are named, including Fairfield, Derden's Landing, Chickasaw Bluff, Woods Bluff,
Jones Bluff, Kirkpatricks Landing, Bartons Bluff, Demopolis, St. Stephens, Ivanhoe, and
Mobile. A few Civil War era newspaper clippings are pasted in. Enclosures to the second
volume volume include two loose sheets and newspaper clippings. The third volume is McLean's
Family Almanac, 1868. It includes handwritten annotations on some of the monthly
calendars. "J. L. Walton" is inscribed on the front cover of the almanac.
Enclosures to the third volume consist of scattered diary entries, author unknown,
December 1866 to March 1868. The fourth volume is a culinary thesaurus, undated. It
contains definitions of foods and cooking techniques. The fifth volume contains naturalist
questions, undated. It includes a list of questions, based on reading a book (title not
specified), dealing with subjects such as the characteristics of spiders, sloths, snails,
and birds.
Series 4. Maps and Other Loose Materials (ca. 1820s and undated)
Subseries 4.1. Other Loose Materials (undated) This subseries comprises a
variety of undated papers. Items include: "Patterns that will answer for other
Flowers," a list of compatible flower decorations; a thesaurus of medicines entitled
"Technical Names of Medicines," giving Latin names followed by American forms; a
conduct sheet for four Webb children, with blank columns for "conduct"
(good/bad),"temper" (good/bad), and "punished" (with
"whipped" crossed out); a script for a scene from the New Testament (Mark xvi);
"On Romping," a school-age composition by Justina L. Walton, explaining why
little children should not romp, run, or climb trees; a silhouette of an unknown man; and
drawings of a circular design.
Subseries 4.2. Maps (ca. 1820s) This subseries comprises maps of land in
western Alabama. There are five plat maps, with names on some tracts, of the following
areas: Townships 19-20, Range 3 (dated 24 February 1820); Part of Township 19, Range 3
East; Part of Township 19, Range 2 East; Township 20, Range 1 East; and Township 20, Range
2 East (land mostly west of Black Warrior River, including tracts owned by John G. Walton.
There is an undated map of a larger area, embracing land west of the Tombigbee and Little
Tombigbee rivers to the Mississippi state line, and including Demopolis and Chickasaw
Bluff.
N.B. A related collection among the holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection is the James Lusk Alcorn Papers.
Omissions
A list of ommissions from the Walton Family Papers is provided on reel 4, frame 0414.
Omissions include Subseries 1.2-1.3, Correspondence, 1861-1901 and Subseries 2.2,
Financial and Legal Papers, 1866-1910. Descriptions of omitted materials are included in
the introductory materials provided at the beginning of this collection.
George Washington Allen Papers, 1832-1865,
Chambers and Russell (now Lee) Counties, Alabama;
also Georgia and South Carolina
Description of the Collection
George Washington Allen owned large plantations around Opelika and Lafayette, Alabama. His
brother, Alexander A. Allen, held sizable plantations near Bainbridge and Lexington,
Georgia, and was also a lawyer. A large portion of this collection consists of letters
between the two brothers, as they discuss business, political, and family affairs. Topics
in antebellum papers include: planting and harvesting of crops (chiefly cotton); life on
the plantations, including the buying and selling of slaves; family affairs; the practice
of law; and, as the Civil War approached, the possibility of conflict between the North
and the South. Civil War papers deal with military preparations and, later, with
descriptions of destruction left in the wake of battles. There are a few early papers
relating to the Wheat family, to which the Allens were related, and the Wheats surface
periodically throughout the collection.
Postwar letters discuss Reconstruction in Georgia and Alabama, but also in Florida and
Texas where family members, including Alexander A. Allen, who opened a law practice in
Tampa, had settled. A major topic during this period is developing relationships between
farmers and former slaves. In the 1870s and 1880s, topics covered family affairs; the
cotton crop; and life
at the Opelika Female Institute, the Home School in Opelika (Misses B. & W. Allen,
principals), and other Alabama schools in which some of Allen family members, chiefly
women, taught.
There are letters as well to Alexander A. Allen's son, also named Alexander A. Allen (d.
1918), reporter for the Macon Telegraph and the Atlanta Journal, and, later,
editor of the Telegraph, from, among others, Hoke Smith (1855-1931). In the 1890s
through 1918 and again in the 1920s, there are letters from various family members
traveling in Europe, particularly Willie M. (b. 1853) and Ruth Linton Allen, whose
teaching careers in various Alabama locations are documented also. Willie was principal of
the Girls' High School in Montgomery and on the faculty of the State Normal College at
Florence, and Ruth appears to have taught chiefly in schools for girls in Birmingham. Many
letters from the 1910s through the 1930s deal with genealogy, particularly relating to the
Allen family's Linton relations. There are additional Linton family history materials in
Series 2, which also contains miscellaneous clippings, school essays, and other items.
Volumes consist chiefly of scrapbooks relating to the teaching duties of Allen family
members, 1880s-1920s. Also included, however, are 1828 and 1831 mathematics books, an 1869
record of cotton picked, and volumes containing souvenirs of European trips.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence--Subseries 1.1.
1832-1865 and Subseries 1.2. 1866-1932 [not included]; Series 2. Other Papers; and Series
3. Volumes--Subseries 3.1. Mathematics Books, 1828-1831, Subseries 3.2. School Volumes
[not included], and Subseries 3.3. Other Volumes [not included].
Series 1. Correspondence (1832-1932 and undated)
This series consists chiefly of correspondence among Allen family members, and between the
Allens and their relatives, business associates, and friends.
Subseries 1.1. (1832-1865) The earliest correspondence, 1832-1849, is
between members of the Wheat family of Thomaston, Upson County, Georgia, and the Allen
family of Bainbridge, Georgia. There are several letters from Alexander A. Allen in
Bainbridge to his brother George Washington Allen at Opelika and Lafayette, Alabama. Many
of these letters relate to plantation business, especially to cotton planting and to the
management of slaves. Of special interest are the following: 16 March 1843: Alexander to
George about their father's financial affairs, gold mining, and their sister's marrying
Dunstad Blackwell; 4 June 1843: typed transcription of a letter of W. L. Harris at
Princeton, New Jersey, to George, telling of his arrival and discussing the large number
of students from the South and the poor reception President Tyler received during a visit
to the school (location of original letter unknown); and 28 September 1849: J. S. Allen of
Anderson County, South Carolina, to his son George about the murder of a friend and
relative in Alabama by a slave.
Letters, 1850-1855, are chiefly from Alexander to George relating to farming, horses,
and debts. Alexander was a lawyer as well as a planter, and, beginning in 1854, his
letters are on letterhead from Allen & Evans Law Office, Bainbridge, Georgia. In 1850,
there is evidence that George had journeyed to Texas and back, and, in 1855, there is
correspondence concerning their father's death and their brother Stephen's claims to their
father's estate. There are a few letters from sister M. A. (Amanda) Barrett in
Ruckersville, Georgia, about her family. Of special interest are the following: 12 May
1851: Maria Allen, Alexander's wife, to Margaret Allen, George's wife, containing family
news; 10 July 1851: Alexander to George about Maria's death, and subsequent letters about
how he and his children were managing; and 27 July 1852: Alexander to George about his
approaching marriage to Ann L. Dickenson.
Letters, 1856-1860, are chiefly from Alexander to George about family matters, the
cotton crop, and the practice of law. The letters were written from Americus, Bainbridge,
Starksville, Macon, Albany, and Rock Pond, Georgia. Also included are several letters to
and from other family members.
Letters, 1861-1865, are chiefly from Alexander to George. From 1863 through 1865, there
are scattered letters about Wheat and Allen family news. Of special interest are the
following: 12 February 1861: Alexander to George, giving his political comments on the
Confederacy; 23 February 1861: S. D. Blackwell of Elberton, Georgia, to George on the
inevitability of war; 10 April 1861: Alexander to George, saying that it is not yet time
for married men to commit themselves to leaving their homes; 16 August 1861: Alexander to
George, about Alexander's becoming captain of the Steam Mill Home Guard and saying that
military spirit is high in Georgia; 17 February 1862: Alexander to George about pork,
cotton, and corn, and about his decision not to sell the Rock Pond property; 19 August
1865: George's oath of allegiance; and 22 August 1865: George's amnesty paper.
Series 2. Other Papers (1778-1928 and undated)
This series includes a wide variety of items. Clippings consist chiefly of editorials
probably written by Alexander A. Allen for the Macon Telegraph in the 1890s and
later reports of the activities of various Allen family members. School essays include
essays by Alexander A. Allen and George Washington Allen at Franklin College in the late
1830s and early 1840s, and one by Willie M. Allen at Tuskegee Female College in 1870.
Linton family history includes notes and other items relating to the Linton family.
Miscellaneous materials include: an announcement from the Misses Allen's School in
Montgomery, 1888-1889; Willie M. Allen's 1902 passport; her certificate of registration as
an elector in Alabama, 1928; a handwritten copy of "Yellow Jasmine," a poem by
Mary Redding, 1905; and a printed copy of "His Teacher," a poem by Marion
Bernice Craig, 1926.
Series 3. Volumes (1828-1922)
This series consists chiefly of scrapbooks relating to the teaching careers of various
Allen family members, especially Ruth Linton Allen, but also includes earlier mathematics
books and later scrapbooks about European travel.
Subseries 3.1. Mathematics Books (1828-1831) This subseries comprises
mathematics books of Francis A. Wheat at the Franklin Academy, Upson County, Georgia.
Omissions
A list of omissions from the George Washington Allen Papers is provided on reel 5, frame
0249. Omissions include Subseries 1.2, Correspondence, 1866-1932 and undated; Subseries
3.2, School Volumes, 1880-1922; and Subseries 3.3, Other Volumes, 1869-1918. Descriptions
of omitted materials are included in the introductory materials provided at the beginning
of this collection.
William M. Byrd Papers, 1832-1914,
Dallas and Marengo Counties, Alabama;
also Mississippi and Tennessee
Description of the Collection
This collection consists chiefly of deeds, indentures, and land grants for sales of land
in Marengo County, Alabama. There is also scattered political, business, and personal
correspondence of William Byrd, and certificates presented to various members of the Byrd
family.
The arrangement of the collection is as follows: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2.
Deeds and Indentures; and Series 3. Other Papers.
Biographical Note
William M. Byrd (1817-1874) was the son of William H. Byrd of Richland, Mississippi. He
was born on 6 December 1817 in Perry County, Mississippi. He attended La Grange College
and, after his graduation, settled at Holly Springs, Mississippi. He later moved to
Linden, Alabama, where he began the practice of law and soon became prominent in the
political life of his state. In 1851, he was elected to the state legislature. In 1865, he
was elected to a seat on the bench of the state supreme court, which he held until
displaced by the reconstruction measures of Congress. At the Methodist Conference of 1870,
he advocated the establishment of a Methodist university which later became Vanderbilt
University. He died on 24 September 1874.
William Byrd married Maria Hawkins Massie (b. 1818) on 14 June 1838.
Series 1. Correspondence (1838-1882)
This series comprises scattered correspondence of William Byrd and his family between the
years 1838 and 1882. Some personal correspondence to Byrd from his father, William H.
Byrd, in Richland, Mississippi is included. His father wrote about family news, including
the death of one of his brothers, and plantation affairs. There are a few letters from
Byrd to his wife when he was away on business. He gave her instructions for the servants
who were tending the crops. Other scattered personal letters include one from Byrd's son
William when he was studying at the University of Virginia, and a letter from a teacher of
his two daughters when they were away at school.
Business correspondence to Byrd, chiefly about legal cases is included also. There are
also a few letters and telegrams from other lawyers referring cases to Byrd for
collection. In 1856, he received a letter from John W. S. Napier regarding Napier's
business problems, with which Byrd apparently was helping.
Byrd received some letters from political figures. In 1860, Millard Fillmore wrote to
Byrd denying that he had pledged himself to support the nominees of the Chicago
Convention. Also in 1860, Byrd received a letter from Edwin H. Ewing, chairman of the
Union Executive Committee in Tennessee, answering questions Byrd had posed about their
presidential candidate, John Bell. He received a letter from Horace Greeley of the New
York Tribune in 1871, in which Greeley seems to have clarified his stance on a
political issue.
During the Civil War, Byrd received a letter from N. H. R. Dawson at Camp Jones,
defending his conduct in the first battle of Manassas.
At the end of this series, there is a letter of condolence to Maria Byrd after the
death of William Byrd in 1874. The final two letters were probably to Byrd's daughters.
Series 2. Deeds and Indentures (1832-1907)
This series consists chiefly of deeds and indentures for land in Marengo County, Alabama.
Most of the deeds relate to people other than William Byrd and were possibly part of his
law practice. Also included are a number of land grants signed during the presidential
terms of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. A few of the deeds and indentures apparently
were part of estate cases. Also included in this series are receipts for payment made on
lands at the Receiver's Office in Demopolis, Alabama.
Series 3. Other Papers (1839-1914 and undated)
Included in this series is William Byrd's will and other papers relating to his estate,
some biographical information on Byrd, and some genealogical information on his family.
Also included are a number of certificates, such as an official pardon signed by Andrew
Johnson for John T. Morgan, dated 1865; a document certifying that William Byrd had taken
the oath prescribed by the President's Proclamation of 20 May 1865; Byrd's appointment by
Ulysses S. Grant as a commissioner on the commission to provide for celebrating the 100th
anniversary of American independence to be held at Philadelphia; a license for William
Byrd to practice law in Alabama; a certificate of life membership for Sallie Byrd in the
Woman's Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church South; and a document
certifying that P. H. Pitts had become a qualified elector for the state of Alabama. Also
included are some miscellaneous writings.
Benjamin Fitzpatrick Papers, 1819-1892,
Autauga (now Elmore) and Hale Counties, Alabama
Description of the Collection
This collection consists chiefly of the business, political, and personal papers of
Benjamin Fitzpatrick from 1819 to 1869, including legal and financial documents, letters
from his political allies, and other material relating to his political career; and the
papers of his son Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr., consisting of school compositions and
speeches, letters from his mother, Aurelia Blassingame Fitzgerald, and other relatives,
1868-1871, and legal and financial documents, 1873-1892. There are also newspaper
clippings on Benjamin Fitzpatrick's role in the Baltimore Convention of 1860 and
obituaries on his death in 1869, as well a copy of his 1841 inaugural address as governor
of Alabama.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Benjamin Fitzpatrick--Subseries 1.1.
Business, Financial, Personal, and Political Papers, 1819-1869 and Subseries 1.2.
Newspaper Clippings and Miscellaneous Items, undated; and Series 2. Benjamin Fitzpatrick,
Jr.--Subseries 2.1. School Compositions and Correspondence, ca. 1868-1872 and undated and
Subseries 2.2. Financial and Legal Papers, 1873-1892.
Biographical Note
Benjamin Fitzpatrick, son of William and Anne Phillips Fitzpatrick, was born 30 June 1802
in Greene County, Georgia. In 1816, he moved to Alabama, where he studied law and was
admitted to the bar in 1823. He retired from the practice of law in 1827 due to ill health
and became a successful planter on his estate "Oak Grove" in Autauga (now
Elmore) County, a few miles from Montgomery. In 1827, he married Sarah Terry Elmore
(1807-1837), member of a prominent Alabama family, and became a brother-in-law by marriage
to Dixon Hall Lewis (1802-1848), a powerful states-rights advocate in Congress from 1829
to 1848. In 1840, Fitzpatrick campaigned for Martin Van Buren, and was awarded with the
Democratic Party's nomination for the governorship of Alabama. He was elected in 1841, and
served two terms. In 1844, he retired once again to his Oak Grove plantation, but
re-entered politics when called upon to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Dixon Lewis, who died
in 1848. In 1853, he once again was appointed to fill a U.S. Senate seat, this time that
of William Rufus DuVane King, and he was elected for a full term in 1855. In 1860, he was
nominated by the National Democratic Convention in Baltimore for vice president on the
Douglas ticket. He refused this nomination. He opposed secession, but supported the
Confederate cause. After the outbreak of the Civil War, he retired once more to Oak Grove,
where he died on 21 November 1869.
Benjamin Fitzpatrick had several children with Sarah Elmore: Elmore Joseph, Phillips
(1830-1901), Morris, James Madison, and John Archer. In 1837, Sarah died, and, in 1846,
Fitzpatrick married Aurelia Rachel Blassingame. Their only surviving child was Benjamin
Fitzpatrick, Jr. (1854-1892).
Series 1. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (1819-1869 and undated)
This series includes business, financial, political, and personal papers of Benjamin
Fitzpatrick, 1819-1869, as well as newspaper clippings on his life and reminiscences by
members of his family.
Subseries 1.1. Business, Financial, Personal, and Political Papers (1819-1869) This
subseries comprises business, financial, personal, and political papers. Included are
receipts for the purchase of slaves by his nephews, David and William Baldwin;
Fitzpatrick's commission as a member of the Alabama state militia in 1823; receipts for
the purchase of slaves and land, and for the sale of cotton; documents and correspondence
relating to Fitzpatrick's legal practice; a letter dated 1831 from R. Safford regarding
Andrew Jackson's election and Cabinet, and the upcoming gubernatorial race in Alabama; and
letters to and from various family members, including a letter dated 1849 from A.
Fitzpatrick in Arenoso near Texana, Texas, a brother of Benjamin Fitzpatrick, to his
nephew Phillips Fitzpatrick, comparing the states of Louisiana and Texas in terms of
quality of life and agricultural value, and describing methods of conducting business and
setting up a plantation in West Texas.
Fitzpatrick's political papers include a letter from Dixon H. Lewis, 1841, on the state
of the Democratic party in Alabama, Lewis's opinions on abolitionists, various political
figures in Washington, the disarray of the Whig party, and his observations regarding
Clement Comer Clay (1789-1866), fellow U.S. senator from Alabama. There is also a printed
copy of Fitzpatrick's inaugural address in 1841, and an original copy and a typed
transcription of his second inaugural address in 1843.
For Benjamin Fitzpatrick's U.S. Senate career, there are documents relating to the
purchase of a share of the steamboat Watumpka in Cincinnati; a letter, presumably
by Benjamin Fitzpatrick to a constituent, describing the events leading up to the
admission of Kansas to the Union; and a letter from Benjamin Fitzpatrick to Colonel Albert
James Pickett (1810-1858) in Autaugaville, Alabama, regarding a claim before Congress on
behalf of the Creek Indian tribe, asking for his testimony. There is a great deal of
material dealing with the Baltimore Convention of 1860 and Fitzpatrick's nomination for
vice president on the Douglas ticket by the National Democratic Convention, including an
official letter from the Convention informing him of the nomination; telegrams urging him
to either accept or reject the offer; and letters to friends explaining both his decision
to decline and views on the upcoming election.
There are documents from the Civil War years about the embrasure of mules by the
Confederate army, a Confederate bond, records of tax payments for agricultural products,
and receipts for the sale of corn to the Confederate army. There is a typed transcription
of a letter Fitzpatrick wrote his son Elmore in Mobile in which he informed his son of
prominent northern statesmen who would aid him if captured by the Union army, and a letter
of acknowledgment from the U.S. Department of State regarding Fitzpatrick's presidential
pardon in 1865. There are also several letters dated 1868 and 1869 to his son Benjamin
Fitzpatrick, Jr. and his wife Aurelia giving family news. Letters to his son include
fatherly advice and news from home while Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr., was studying under the
care of his uncle Albert in Mobile. There are other letters from this period in Subseries
2.1.
Subseries 1.2. Newspaper Clippings and Miscellaneous Items (undated) This
subseries comprises newspaper clippings relating to Benjamin Fitzpatrick's nomination as
vice president during the National Democratic Convention in Baltimore in 1860, obituaries,
and other clippings about him. There is also a typed transcription of a reminiscence of
Fitzpatrick's Oak Grove plantation by his niece Mary Glenn Brickell and the lyrics to a
song by Fitzpatrick's nephew William O. Baldwin called "Wait for the Wagon," on
his decision to leave politics and not to run for a seat in the Confederate Congress.
Series 2. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr. (ca. 1868-1892 and undated)
This series comprises personal, financial, and legal papers of Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr.,
1868-1892, including school compositions, letters to and from members of his family, and
legal and financial documents.
Subseries 2.1. School Compositions and Correspondence and Related Items (ca.
1868-1872 and undated) This subseries includes Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr.'s school
compositions while attending the Greene Springs School near Havana, Hale County, Alabama.
This school was directed by Henry Tutwiler and his daughters. Included are essays, a
course of readings, speeches, Bible lessons, and a translation from Virgil; a handwritten
copy of a song or poem entitled "Little Breeches" by John Hay and copies of two
debating society speeches from 1872; a number of letters written to Benjamin, Jr., while
at the Greene Springs School and in Mobile, mostly undated, from Fitzpatrick's mother
Aurelia Blassingame Fitzpatrick, detailing family and neighborhood activities; and several
letters from Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr. to and from his cousins at home and to his mother.
Note that there are letters from this period in Subseries 1.1.
Subseries 2.2. Financial and Legal Papers (1873-1892) This subseries
includes the will of Aurelia Blassingame Fitzpatrick, mother of Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr.;
several promissory notes to various individuals from Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Jr.; legal
documents relating to his law career; a list of his solicitor's fees for 1890; and a bill
for the court costs relating to his will, 1892.
John Gideon Harris Diary, 1859,
Greene, Hale, and Tuscaloosa Counties, Alabama
Description of the Collection
This collection consists of the diary of John Gideon Harris, 1 January through 31 December
1859, chronicling his life in Greensboro, Havana, Eutaw, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Harris
wrote in his diary almost daily, but most of the entries are rather brief. Sometimes only
the weather is noted, but on other days Harris wrote short descriptions of his activities,
which seem to have revolved around attendance at church and at various social functions.
There are also entries referring to the hire and sale of slaves, as well as to cases
brought against slaves in the courts. Also, there is mention of Harris's frequent visits
to educational institutions like the Greensboro Female Academy, the University of Alabama,
and the Greene Springs School. He occasionally mentioned cutting timber or shearing sheep
for his father. There are infrequent references to his work as a lawyer, including court
appearances, and to more general community activities, such as elections. A typed
transcription of the diary, produced at the Southern Historical Collection in 1960, is
included also.
Biographical Note
John Gideon Harris was born 1 March 1834. The 1859 diary in this collection indicates that
Harris had attended law school. During 1859, he appears to have been both reading law, and
also participating in some court cases. His days (and nights) were largely filled with
social engagements in and around Greensboro, Havana, Eutaw, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In 1861, Harris organized Company I of the 20th Alabama Regiment in Greene County. From
1866 to 1886, he practiced law at Livingston, Alabama. He then was appointed by Grover
Cleveland "Registrar of the Land Office" in Montgomery, Alabama. He held this
post until 1890, when he was elected state superintendent of education, serving in this
capacity for two terms. In 1906, he was elected to the railroad commission.
Active in religious affairs, Harris edited the Alabama Baptist, a statewide
newspaper that he bought in 1884 and sold in 1902. He also was president of the Baptist
convention in Pittsburg in 1890. He also served as Master of Masons of Alabama in
1885-1886.
Harris married Mary Jane Brown (b. 1840). He died 7 July 1908.
N.B. Biographical information was supplied by Jennie Barrow Dawson, donor and
wife of Harris P. Dawson, John Gideon Harris's grandson.
Johnston and McFaddin Family Papers, 1839-1890,
Greene, Hale, and Marengo Counties, Alabama;
also Mississippi and North Carolina
Description of the Collection
Thomas M. Johnston was a planter of Greensboro, Alabama, who held land in Greene, Hale,
and Marengo counties, Alabama, and in Noxubee, Winston, and Kemper counties, Mississippi.
In 1860, Johnston became administrator of the Marengo County plantation of his son-in-law,
Robert H. McFaddin (also spelled McFadden). Johnston also was guardian of the children of
Robert and Mary A. McFaddin. This collection consists of financial papers, slave lists,
legal documents, business and personal correspondence, and a few miscellaneous items
chiefly relating to the Johnston and McFaddin families. There are, however, several items
relating to others, including an 1839 legal order against members of the Green family in
Lincoln County, North Carolina, and a few 1873-1875 letters to Mrs. V. F. Dalton of
Uniontown, Alabama. The connections among the Greens, Mrs. Dalton, and the Johnstons and
McFaddins are unclear. The education of the McFaddin girls in Raleigh, North Carolina, in
1869 might be part of a North Carolina link.
Items are arranged chronologically as described below. Papers, 1839, include a legal
order, dated October 9, relating to a debt owned by W. B. and D. W. Green, Lincoln County,
North Carolina. Papers, 1841-1860, consist chiefly of lists and tax statements, relating
to land in Greene County, Alabama, and Noxubee, Winston, and Kemper counties, Mississippi,
held by Thomas M. Johnston. For 1859-1860, there are lists of Johnston's holdings in
Marengo County, Alabama, and a list of taxable property in Marengo County belonging to the
estate of Robert H. McFaddin. Most 1860 items have to do with slaves. They include two tax
lists, dated 1 March 1860, describing slaves owned by Johnston as of that date, and
several items from May 1860 that show the distribution of slaves among various
plantations.
Papers, 1862-1863, include a 29 August 1862 newspaper clipping about Confederate taxes
in Greene County and financial papers and tax statements relating to Johnston's property
and to property in the estates of Robert H. and Mary A. McFaddin, including several lists
and descriptions of slaves. In a 9 May 1863 letter, Johnston wrote to W. C. Oliver of
Eutaw, Alabama, advising him on the procedure for selling a slave and stating that he was
prepared to destroy all books and papers should the enemy appear. In October 1863, there
are two receipts for the sale of cotton from McFaddin's estate to business houses in Selma
and Mobile, Alabama. Papers, 1865, include statements for cotton sold at Le Havre,
Liverpool, Mobile, and New York and several copies of "Merchants' and Planters'
Prices Current." Papers, 1866-1869, include two contracts, 1 January 1866 and 31
January 1868, of Johnston with freedmen for work on Canebrake (also spelled Canebreak)
Plantation in Hale County, Alabama. There are also miscellaneous letters and market
reports relating to the selling of cotton in Mobile, Liverpool, and New Orleans and a 15
October 1868 circular from the S. J. Murphy and Company of Mobile telling about the
condition of the cotton crop and urging crop diversification. In several letters,
1866-1868, D. C. B. Connerly of the Stonewall Institute in Dallas County, Alabama,
discussed the education of Johnston's grandsons, and there is a 15 January 1868 letter
from Lida McFaddin to Connerly about her brothers. Also included are 8 May 1868 tax
statements for Johnston and for the McFaddin estate and a letter, dated 1 May 1869, from
Albert Smedes of St. Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina, to a Doctor G. Drake,
stating that Smedes had learned that Drake was to replace Johnston as guardian of Mary and
Carrie McFaddin and enclosing a bill for their schooling.
Papers, 1873-1890, include several letters to Mrs. V. F. Dalton of Uniontown, Perry
County, Alabama, from Marcus A. Wolff of St. Louis, Missouri, concerning her financial
affairs, hard times in the South, and family news. Wolff apparently was involved in real
estate and in handling Mrs. Dalton's business affairs. There is also a letter to Mrs.
Dalton from a minister in Corinth, Mississippi, concerning the activities of his church.
Also included are two maps from 1890: a map of Tredegar, Alabama, and one of the Cahaba
Coal Field in Alabama.
Undated materials consist of a recipe for dyspepsia pills and a plat for land
"around Blunt Springs."
Philip Henry Pitts Papers, 1814-1889,
Perry County, Alabama; also North Carolina and Virginia
Description of the Collection
This collection consists of four manuscript volumes of accounts and diary entries for
Philip Henry Pitts, five letters to and from various members of the Pitts family, one
sheet of handwritten song lyrics, and two miscellaneous papers. The volumes document
Pitts's personal life and business associations, providing a commentary on the social and
economic life of Perry County, Alabama. The letters illuminate Pitts's father's activities
in the War of 1812 as well as news of the Pitts family.
The material is arranged in chronological order. Diaries and account books are the bulk
of the collection from the 1850s through the 1880s. Typed transcriptions accompany the
volumes and one of the letters. They contain some typographical errors and omissions of
text, although none of major proportions.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence and Other Loose Items
and Series 2. Diaries and Account Books.
Biographical Note
Philip Henry Pitts, an Alabama cotton planter, was born 3 June 1814, probably in Essex
County, Virginia. He was the son of Thomas Daniel Pitts (d. 26 August 1851) and Polly
Pitts (d. 4 March 1839). Thomas D. Pitts and his family moved from Lloyds, Essex County,
Virginia, in 1833 to Oak Lawn, near Union Town (now Uniontown), Perry County, Alabama.
Some of the Pitts family remained in Virginia, while others moved to Mecklenburg County,
North Carolina. Philip H. Pitts married Margaret Pitts (b. 25 May 1924), probably before
1841 when their first child was born. They had ten children, most of whom survived into
adulthood--sons Philip Henry ("Henry" or "Harry") Pitts, Jr., Arthur
D. Pitts, Thomas Daniel Pitts, Ellic Pitts, John Pitts (26 June 1843-27 June 1862), and
David W. Pitts, and daughters Mary Grey (Pitts) Walker (b. 27 February 1841), Adelene
Pitts (b. 1 January 1862), Sarah E. ("Kitty") (Pitts) Hudson, and Pattie Pitts
(b. 2 March 1858).
The Pitts family was related to several other prominent Uniontown families frequently
mentioned in Philip Henry Pitts's diaries--including the Davidson family (also with
members in North Carolina), most notably Alexander Caldwell Davidson, Democratic
representative from Alabama to the 49th and 50th U.S. Congresses. Other frequently
mentioned families were the Caldwell family of North Carolina and the Rennolds or Reynolds
family of Virginia. There was a great amount of travel by Pitts relations between North
Carolina and Alabama during the years covered by the diaries.
Thomas Daniel Pitts was a captain in the 4th Regiment, Virginia Militia, in
Westmoreland County, during the War of 1812. One of the letters in the collection relates
to his service in that war. Thomas and his sons, Arthur B. L. Pitts (d. 25 July 1853),
David William ("William") Pitts (d. 22 July 1861), and Philip Henry Pitts, were
landowners and cotton planters in the Cane Brake or Black Belt Region of west central
Alabama. At the time of the 1860 census, Philip owned 2200 acres and 89 slaves, as well as
stock in the Alabama-Mississippi Railroad, for a total worth of $175,300. His estates were
called "Rurill Hill" (probably named after John Davidson's "Rural
Hill" plantation in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina) and "Kings." He may
have owned land in other areas of Alabama, perhaps including Choctaw County, as well.
Following the end of the Civil War, Philip Pitts retained at least part of his holdings at
Rurill Hill, but Kings seems to have disappeared. In 1870, he bought a section of the
Lodebo plantation adjoining Rurill Hill. He remained a cotton planter until his death on
22 April 1884.
Series 1. Correspondence and Other Loose Items (1814-1839)
The first item in this series is a letter, 4 August 1814, from John M. Parnell to Captain
Thomas D. Pitts at Camp Yeocomico, Westmoreland County, Virginia, both correspondents
being officers during the War of 1812, regarding a problem with an underage army
substitute who was Pitts's responsibility. Parnell mentioned the legal status of age of
substitution for the army. Also, he discussed the amassing of troops and the imposition of
the draft during the War of 1812 for the U.S. army stationed on the Potomac, perhaps in
response to the imminent British invasion of Washington, D.C. He also mentioned "a
most bloody engagement in Canada"--probably the Battle of Lundy's Lane on 25 July
1814, at Niagara Falls.
The second item is the handwritten lyrics to a song "Save De Union", set to
the tune of "Clare De Kitchen." The lyrics are about the Nullification Crisis of
1832, focusing on Virginia's wish to preserve the Union despite her hatred of the tariff.
The third item is a letter, possibly dated November 4, 1833 or 1834, from B(?)
Rennolds, at Philadelphia to Philip H. Pitts at Union Town, Perry County, Alabama. The
letter mentions a possible trip of the Pitts family to Virginia, the cousin's
soon-to-be-earned diploma, and news of births, deaths, and marriages.
The fourth item is a letter, dated April 10, 1838, from Philip H. Pitts at Union Town,
Perry County, Alabama, to David William Pitts at Davidson College, Mecklenburg County,
North Carolina. The letter gives news of births, deaths, and marriages in Perry County for
local families as well as news of the Pitts family. A typed transcription accompanies this
letter.
The fifth item consists of rough drafts of three letters written by Thomas D. Pitts at
Oak Lawn near Union Town, Perry County, Alabama. The first draft concerns a business
matter. The second is to "Robert" regarding the death of Thomas Pitts's wife
Polly from inflammatory fever on 4 March 1839. The third draft is a reply to a man
inquiring about relocation to the Cane Brake region of Alabama. Pitts extolled the virtues
of Marengo and Perry counties, including the fertility and inexpensiveness of the land; he
also extended an invitation to the visitor to stay with his family and gave advice about
hiring out the man's slaves.
The sixth item is an undated letter, either a draft or unfinished, to "Reverend
Sirs" from Thomas D. Pitts at Union Town. The letter asks for aid in finding a female
teacher of French, English, and the piano to come to the female academy in Union Town (at
that time, a town with 150 inhabitants) in Pitts's capacity as one of the seven trustees
of the academy.
The seventh item, of uncertain date, is a short anecdote about three family dogs, and
the eighth item, which is undated also, is a loose page of accounts from manuscript volume
3.
Series 2. Diaries and Account Books (1850-1884)
Volume 1, September 1850-February 1853, is composed of a mixture of Philip H. Pitts's
accounts and memoranda as well as diary entries and a number of pasted-in newspaper
clippings relating to farm, household, cooking, and medicinal matters. Entries include
notices of births and deaths of slaves as well as whites; planting records for cotton,
corn, potatoes, and oats; notes on the livestock owned by Pitts--horses, sheep, pigs, and
cattle, including records of hog killings; notes on the weather and planting by the signs;
church news and critiques of various visiting preachers; Pitts's business dealings with
the Alabama-Mississippi Railroad and the Selma-Meridian Railroad; financial matters
dealing with loans and debts, cotton sales, insurance, and taxes; accounts relating to the
building of his home; the purchasing and hiring of slaves from other planters, runaway
slaves in the county, and a case of slaves murdering their master; local politics; a
description of Pitts's encounter with U.S. vice president and senator from Alabama William
Rufus de Vane King (1786-1853) regarding the latter's illness and cure; the deaths of
Pitts's father Thomas D. Pitts and brother Arthur B. L. Pitts; news of the Davidson and
Caldwell families; and the construction of a brick kiln.
Volume 2 comprises accounts of Philip H. Pitts, January 1856-1865; accounts of Arthur
D. Pitts, July 1884; and diary/accounts of Philip H. Pitts, August 1882-March 1884. The
accounting entries on pages 1-105 and pages 295-300 record Philip H. Pitts's debts and
loans: purchases of lumber and building supplies; cotton sales, bale weights, and shipment
to Mobile, Alabama, via railroad; doctor's bills for his family and slaves; the purchase
of provisions; and the purchase of marriage licenses from a judge ("20 marriage
licenses for freedmen + 10 marriage licenses for whites"). There is an alphabetical
name index to the accounts in the front pages of the volume. Pages 189-270 contain a
scattering of the accounts of Arthur D. Pitts, Phillip H. Pitts's son, dated July 1884.
The diary on pages 106-186, was written in the back of the older account book. It
covers the last two years of Philip H. Pitts's life. At this time, he was still a cotton
planter, although now hiring blacks to work in crews in place of slave labor. The diary is
primarily concerned with Pitts's family matters, livestock, garden and crops; weather; and
local news. Some mention is made of local politics and the nascent Republican (Radical)
party. Also mentioned are details of local crimes and court cases--his sons Henry and
Ellic were apparently part-time lawyers on the Circuit Court. There are also scattered
accounts throughout the diary. The failed cotton crop and ensuing financial panic of 1883
is discussed. Pitts's interest in church business, the railroads, and medicinal cures
continued, although not as strongly as in previous years. A new theme of anti-Semitism
emerges. Pitts also mentioned the Alabama congressional elections, corruption in Alabama
politics, and a brief history of the Alabama railroads. There is an anecdote from Dr.
Davidson about the cure of Governor Zebulon B. Vance (1830-1894) of North Carolina from
impotence. Again, the Davidson family, A. C. Davidson in particular, is mentioned
frequently in this diary.
Volume 3, January 1860-January 1863, is for the most part a diary, although it does
include lists of accounts for the railroad, cotton, etc. Other entries relate to
agriculture, livestock, planting advice, and the weather; legal concerns; and local county
births, deaths, and marriages. Pitts took a great deal of interest in home remedies and
the symptoms of different illnesses of both humans and livestock; and in local crimes and
court trials, as well as his own legal disputes with different individuals. He primarily
attended the local Presbyterian church, although he was interested in preaching and the
comparative church activities of the local Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Baptist
churches. Pitts was concerned with railroad business and elections also, and he discussed
the hiring of slaves from other planters and his relationships with his overseers. He also
discussed the financial panic of 1861. In 1860, he took part in the census, giving his
total worth as $175,300. Also in 1860, the presidential election and news of the impending
Civil War were mentioned. News of the war increased as Pitts's brother David William Pitts
and son John Pitts both enlisted in the Cane Brake Rifle Guards of the 4th Regiment
Alabama Volunteers, leaving Uniontown April 25, 1861, for Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Pitts
recorded the death of William in the First Battle of Manassas, 22 July 1861, and John on
the third day of the Seven Days Battles at Gaines Mill, near Richmond, Virginia, on 27
June 1862, one day after his 19th birthday. Pitts wrote extensively about their burials
and the settling of his brother's estate.
Volume 4, January 1-December 28, 1870, is a date-book for the year 1870, with entries
for almost every day. This volume continues the listing of accounts for Pitts's cotton and
oat crops; local crimes; court cases; gossip; and agricultural and weather notes. At this
time, Pitts retained his Rurill Hill plantation, although he apparently had lost his Kings
estate after the Civil War. Frequent themes are the problem of hiring and getting freedmen
to work, local politics of the Republican (Radical) party, and the enfranchisement of
blacks. He also wrote about his purchase of a section of the Lodebo plantation adjoining
Rurill Hill. Other items of note are folktales about medicinal cures and the weather;
railroad elections and business; and an increasing theme of anti-Semitism, which is even
more strongly expressed later (see Volume 2, 1882-1884).
Ruffin, Roulhac, and Hamilton Family Papers
(James H. Ruffin Plantation Records), 1841-1848,
Marengo (now Hale) County, Alabama
Description of the Collection
Included here is one volume of James H. Ruffin plantation records from a much larger
collection. The collection consists chiefly of family correspondence and other
documentation of members of the Ruffin, Roulhac, and Hamilton families and their friends
and associates, who lived chiefly in eastern and central North Carolina, but also in
Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama. The papers relate to routine family matters and everyday
life and, to a lesser extent to business matters, to both the Civil War and
Reconstruction, and to various public concerns.
Papers are basically those of the following persons and their immediate families:
Thomas Ruffin, Anne M. Kirkland Ruffin, Joseph B. G. Roulhac, Catherine Ruffin Roulhac,
Daniel Heyward Hamilton, Jr., and Frances Gray Roulhac Hamilton. There is little
information on Thomas Ruffin's legal and judicial career in this collection.
The collection is arranged as follows: Series 1. Correspondence, 1784-1951 and undated
[not included]; Series 2. Financial and Legal Papers, 1787-1879 and undated [not
included]; Series 3. Other Papers, 1812-1926 and undated [not included]; Series 4.
Volumes, 1829-1917 and undated [included in part]; and Series 5. Pictures, 1862-1916 and
undated [not included].
Biographical Note
Thomas Ruffin (1787-1870), a lawyer who became chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme
Court, settled in Rockingham County in 1807. He was married to Anne Kirkland in 1809 and
settled in Hillsborough, where her family's home, Ayr Mount, was located. Ruffin also
became a leading planter who operated two plantations--one in Rockingham County and the
Hermitage in Alamance County. Ruffin's oldest daughter, Catherine, married Joseph Blount
Gregoire Roulhac (1795-1856), a merchant in Raleigh who frequently traveled to the
Northeast and Middle Atlantic states on business. Catherine and Joseph had seven children,
one of whom, Frances Gray, married Daniel Heyward Hamilton, Jr. (b. 1838), a Confederate
soldier who later (in 1865-6) owned a naval stores business in Madison County, Florida.
James H. Ruffin was a brother of Thomas Ruffin.
Series 4. Volumes (1829-1917 and undated)
Account books, journals, and diaries. Most of the merchandise ledgers and account books
were kept by Joseph Blount Gregoire Roulhac. The volumes are arranged roughly by type,
then chronologically.
Subseries 4.1. Plantation Records (1841-1848) This subseries consists of
a plantation record of James H. Ruffin, Marengo County, Alabama. Record was kept of cotton
picked, clothing allowances to slaves, number of hogs killed, and other matters. This
volume was formerly
volume 3.
The plantation was near Prairie Creek and Cane Brake in northern Marengo County (now
Hale County), Alabama. In 1846, Ruffin planted 200 acres of corn, 620 acres of cotton, 55
acres of oats, 10 acres of wheat, 5 acres of potatoes, and 1 acre of tobacco. The slave
force in that year appears to have included over fifty hands out of over one hundred
individuals receiving clothing. Ruffin appears to have retained William L. Williford as an
overseer or agent and some of the records were presumably made by Williford. Other members
of the Ruffin family included G. M. Ruffin and James S. Ruffin.
One entry of a social nature in the volume is a wager between James H. Ruffin and
Carter B. Beverley dated November 19, 1846. The wager limited each man to not more than
two glasses of ardent spirits per day.
Omissions
A list of omissions from the Ruffin, Roulhac, and Hamilton Family Papers is provided on
reel 7, frame 0354. Omissions include Series 1, Correspondence, 1784-1951 and undated;
Series 2, Financial and Legal Papers, 1787-1879 and undated; Series 3, Other Papers,
1812-1926 and undated; Subseries 4.2-4.6, Volumes, 1829-1917 and undated; and Series 5,
Pictures, 1862-1916 and undated. Descriptions of omitted materials are included in the
introductory materials provided at the beginning of this collection.
N.B. Related collections among the holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection include the Thomas Ruffin Papers and the Cameron Family Papers. The Cameron
Family Papers are included in UPA's Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from
the Revolution through the Civil War, Series J, Part 1.
Slave Birth Record, 1807-1861,
Russell (now Lee) County, Alabama
Description of the Collection
This collection comprises five pages from a medical manual entitled, "A Compendium of
the Theory and Practice of Midwifery Containing Practical Instructions for the Management
of Women During Pregnancy, in Labour, and in Child-bed," by Samuel Bard, 1817.
Records of slave births and deaths from 1807 to 1861 are written in the margins. The pages
appear to be from a volume belonging to P. Philips and read by A. C. Phillips. No location
is indicated.
N.B. A related collection among the holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection is the Tillman and Norwood Ledgers. That collection, which follows this
collection in this edition concerns Russell (now Lee) County, Alabama, physicians, in
which entries for Mrs. P. Phillips and for the estate of P. Phillips appear, and in which
some of the names of slaves in this collection are duplicated.
Tillman and Norwood Ledgers, 1859-1868,
Russell (now Lee) County, Alabama
Description of the Collection
James A. Tillman and John Norwood, physicians of Crawford, Russell (now Lee) County,
Alabama, who, in 1860-1862, appear to have shared a practice, called Tillman and Norwood.
The collection comprises two ledgers relating to the medical practices of Norwood and
Tillman. Volume 1 contains entries about Norwood's practice, 1859-1866, with only a few
entries for 1860-1862, the period during which he appears to have shared a practice with
Tillman. Volume 2 contains Tillman and Norwood entries, 1860-1862, and Norwood entries,
1866-1868, when the partnership seems to have been dissolved. Entries in both ledgers show
dates of treatment and payment received, and, before and after the Civil War, note which
patients were black. Many entries, especially in Volume 1, consist only of "advice
and medicine for self." Other entries, however, list the patient's complaint and the
treatment rendered. Tillman and Norwood typically dressed wounds, delivered babies, lanced
fingers, and prescribed morphine, quinine, and laudanum. Tooth extraction was also an
important part of their practice; an entry on 26 August 1860 shows that Tillman was paid
in whisky for "nocking (sic) out two teeth with a hammer and nail."
N.B. A related collection among the holdings of the Southern Historical
Collection is the Slave Birth Record. That collection, which precedes this collection in
this edition, duplicates some of the names of entries in the Ledgers, including those of
slaves' names.
Marcus Joseph Wright Papers (John W. Womack Series), 1831-1860,
Butler and Greene Counties, Alabama
Description of the Collection
Only one series is included from a much larger collection, primarily documenting
Confederate military history. The collection is divided into nine series: Series 1. John
W. Womack Papers; Series 2. Wright Family History [not included]; Series 3. Marcus Joseph
Wright Biography, Bibliography, Tributes [not included]; Series 4. Marcus Joseph Wright
Early Memoirs [not included]; Series 5. Marcus Joseph Wright Papers [not included]; Series
6. Howard P. Wright Papers [not included]; Series 7. Clippings and Articles [not
included]; Series 8. Pictures [not included]; and Series 9. Volumes [not included].
Biographical Note
Marcus Joseph Wright (1831-1922) was a native of Purdy, McNairy County, Tennessee. He was
a lawyer, clerk of court, and sheriff in Memphis before serving in the Confederate army,
where he was assistant adjutant general on Cheatham's staff, regiment commander, military
governor, brigade commander, and post commander. He also served as brigadier general.
In 1878, Wright was appointed agent of the United States War Department charged with
collecting and compiling official Confederate army records. He served in this post for
thirty years.
Wright was married twice. His first wife was Martha Spencer Elcan Wright (d. 1875),
daughter of Spencer and Martha Bolling Elcan. His second wife was Pauline Womack Wright,
daughter of John W. (fl. 1831-1860) and Ann M. Beville (or Bevill) Womack. Wright had at
least two sons, Howard P. (fl. 1929-1947) and John W. Wright.
Marcus Joseph Wright's second father-in-law was John W. Womack, who migrated from
Butler County, Alabama, to Greene County, Alabama, by the year 1840. A planter and lawyer,
he served from 1831 to about 1837 in the Alabama General Assembly. Jacob Lewis Womack (b.
1806?), his brother, also a planter, resided in Butler County, despite frequent urging
from John to move to Green County.
Series 1. John W. Womack Papers (1831-1860 and undated)
This series comprises letters from John W. Womack, Marcus Joseph Wright's father-in-law,
to his brother, Jacob Lewis (Lewis) Womack, and a letter of advice, undated, to his
daughter, Pauline, wife of Marcus Joseph Wright.
Most letters discuss family matters, the state of people's health, and crop conditions.
Family members mentioned in the letters include John W. Womack's mother, who split her
time between John and Lewis; John's first wife Nancy and their daughter; and his second
wife Ann M. Beville (or Bevill) Womack and their children Winston, Sidney, and Pauline.
Members of Lewis's family mentioned in the letters include his wife Agnes and their
children Joseph, Augustus (Gus), and Caroline. Occasionally mentioned are Joseph Womack's
struggle with alcoholism, and the illness and death of his and Marcus's brother Mansel
Womack (1810?-1842). Many letters mention politics, travel, social matters, and business
and legal deals.
Selected letters are described below. 23 November 1831: John to Lewis about travel from
Montgomery, Alabama, to Tuscaloosa and about political matters, such as convening the
Alabama general assembly and a speech of Governor John Gayle ( |
