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(updated 9-4-2009)
Selected Archives and Manuscript Collections
Those marked with a star (*) are available on microfilm through University Publication of America’s Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations, Series G.
Airlie Plantation Records, 1846–1951. (1 in.)*
Records of the Airlie Plantation in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Land deeds, map, and record book with daily entries for work done on the plantation, slave activities, steamboat landings, weather notes by overseers for Airlie Plantation, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
Aldrich (Roy Wilkinson) Papers, 1858–1955. (3 ft., 9 in.)
Roy Wilkinson Aldrich (1869–1955) served as a Texas Ranger from 1915 until 1947. His interests included Texas history, botany, and natural history; and his collections of Western artifacts and his library of rare books. His papers include correspondence, scrapbooks, financial records, a diary (1894), literary productions, printed materials, certificates, newspaper clippings, and a large collection of personal photographs.
Archer (Richard Thompson) Family Papers. 1790–1919. (5 ft., 4 in.)
Correspondence, financial records, and legal documents to and from Archer, a Virginia native and prominent Mississippi planter and ardent secessionist, and his relatives, friends, and business associates. Papers concern plantation life and economy, agricultural affairs, social life and customs, education, medical practices, household affairs, and slaves and slavery in Mississippi and Virginia. The collection includes some correspondence between Richard Archer and his cousin Branch T. Archer, a leader in the Texas Revolution and a diplomat to the Republic of Texas. Part of the Natchez Trace Collection.
Balfour (William L.) Papers, 1841–1863.
Probate records of Balfour (1802–1857), North Carolina native, resident of Mississippi, and owner of plantations in several Mississippi counties, primarily contain financial records related to the management of the estate administered by Horace G. Blackman. Included are receipts, bills, and invoices for clothing and educational expenses for some of the heirs, bills and invoices for slaves, equipment, and supplies for the plantations Fall Back, Bolivar County; Homestead, Madison County; and Woodside, Yazoo County, and others; and letters concerning family matters as well as the purchase of slaves and supplies.
Ballinger (William Pitt) Papers, 1815–1909. (17 ft., 5 in.)
This collection, produced and collected by William Pitt Ballinger (1825-1888), soldier, attorney, and businessman of Galveston, Texas, is one of the outstanding sources of documentation for nineteenth-century Texas and Southern history, particularly of the Confederacy and the post-Civil War period.
Barefield (Stephen) Papers, 1867. (1 item.)
Deed leases land comprising the Barefield plantation in Warren County, Mississippi, to A.A. Royall.
Bennett (J. Harry) Papers, 1919–1966. (14 ft., 7 in.)
Papers of Bennett (1919-1966) UT history professor (1948-1966) and specialist in eighteenth-century British history, document his life and academic career. Included are personal and professional correspondence; Bennett’s student materials, lecture notes for courses in British history research materials concerning the British West Indies, particularly slavery in Barbados, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, a British missionary organization; materials related to Bennett’s service on University committees and to the History Department; scrapbooks; maps; pamphlets; newspaper clippings; and photographs.
Benson (Georgia Roads) Papers, 1843–1863. (3 items.)
Papers include a plantation receipt book concerning cotton production, a deed of transfer for slaves, and a broadside containing the proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting of the Biloxi Baptist Association.
Bertlet (Sarah Wharton Groce) Genealogy, 1921. (1.5 in.)
History and genealogy of the Groce and related families, with particular emphasis on William Wharton Groce and Jared E. Groce. Includes photostats of maps, photographs, drawings, and newspaper clippings having to do with the family’s history and their residences.
Billingsley (James B. and Virginia) Papers, 1843–1918. (3 ft.)*
Papers relating to life in Wayne County, Mississippi, and plantation journal, overseer’s daily journal, documents, cash books, and correspondence relating to two plantations in Falls County, Texas.
Blackshear (Thomas Edward) Papers, 1830–1889. (5 in.)*
Photostatic copies of papers concern the financial affairs of Blackshear, a Navasota cotton planter, plus letters, diaries, and business papers pertaining to the administration of the James J. Blackshear and Thomas Edward Blackshear estates, the operation of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company, for which Thomas E. Blackshear served as secretary of the board of directors, Indian disturbances in Georgia in 1836 and genealogy of the Blackshear family. All or a portion of this collection is available on CAH microfilm 18,335 Series G, Part 1, Reel 44. Photocopies should be made from microfilm, not from originals. See microfilm inventory on Reference shelves under the title, “Ante-Bellum Plantations.”
Bolton (John Thomas) Papers, 1850–1912. (4 in.)*
Manuscript volumes pertaining to the cotton plantations of Charles L. Bolton and John T. Bolton in Wharton county, Texas, for the Bolton Plantation in Columbia and Wharton, Texas.
Bookant (B. K.) Letter, 1838. (Natchez Trace Collection)
Letter from B. K. Bookant in Sunflower, Mississippi, to Samuel Anderson in Vicksburg urging Anderson to send a shipment of corn to his plantation. Found in Box 2E551.
Brown (James N.) Papers, 1855–1879. (5 in.)
Records relating to the disposition of the estate of Brown (1807-1859?), a wealthy sugar planter from Iberville Parish, Louisiana, by his son-in-law, including records of Brown’s plantations Manchac (Iberville Parish), Oakland (Plaquemine Parish), Linwood (Ascension Parish), and Magnolia and Highland Place (East Baton Rouge Parish).
Canebrake Plantation Records, 1856–1858. (3 items)*
Records books for 1856, 1857, and 1858 for the Canebrake Plantation in Adams County, Mississippi, owned by Dr. James G. Carson.
Carpenter (Laura Clarke) Papers, 1850–1860. (6 items.)
Correspondence, biographical sketch, and invitation concern the career of Carpenter (1825–1860), teacher. Papers include letters from Carpenter to her family and friends and a letter from her husband telling of her death.
Chamberlain-Hyland-Gould Family Papers. 1805–1886. (8 in.)
Papers of three Mississippi families containing primarily the correspondence of Ellen Marie Wheaton Chamberlain Hyland (1823–1863), daughter of Oakland College president Jeremiah Chamberlain and her uncle, brother, husband, son, daughter, and son-in-law. Documents mainly concern personal and business matters and document daily family life on the Hyland plantation Boque Desha (1848–1886) in Warren County, Mississippi.
Davis (Joseph E.) Papers. 1824–1880. (1/2 in.)
Correspondence, legal documents, plantation records, and estate records documenting the business and personal affairs of Davis, the eldest brother of Jefferson Davis, including an 1838 loan co-signed by Joseph and Jefferson, government documents concerning actions taken by the Freedmen’s Bureau involving Davis’s former slaves and plantations, and a printed petition to President Andrew Johnson requesting a pardon and restoration of Davis’s land. Also included are letters from Davis describing his experiences in the early years of Reconstruction and an 1866 letter from his former slave Ben Montgomery, to whom Davis had sold his Warren County, Mississippi plantation, Hurricane.
Dawson (Edgar) Contracts, 1870-1874. (2 items.)
Contracts made by Dawson with freedmen to work his plantation in Russell County, Alabama.
Devereux (Julien Sidney) Family Papers, 1766–1941. (7 ft.)*
Papers documenting life in Alabama and correspondence, receipts, ledgers, legal papers documenting Monte Verdi Plantation in Rusk County, Texas.
Dinsmore (Silas) Letter, 1844. (2 leaves.)
Letter with map included from Dinsmore (d. 1846), first chief justice of Matagorda, to Robert L. Crawford of Mobil, Alabama, at the behest of Captain Duncan regarding advantages of lands in Gonzales County. Included is a brief description of Duncan’s plantation.
Dryer (Linnie) Essays, 1927. (1 vol.)
Student papers entitled “The Negro as an Economic and Military Factor in the Confederacy in 1861 and 1862” and “Federal Occupation of Plantations and Use of Freedmen from 1862-March 1865.”
Green (Duncan C.) Papers, 1850–1907. (9 in.)*
Papers relate to the career of Duncan (1841–1910), farmer, cattleman, and legislator, including his experiences as a Confederate soldier and as a prisoner of war, his settlement in Texas, service in the twenty-second Texas Legislature, and farming in Wharton County. Included are correspondence, diaries, memorandum books, financial records, land records, newspaper clippings, the plantation records of John B. Walker, and diary of William F. L. Alexander. All or a portion of this collection is available on CAH microfilm 18,335 Series G, Part 1, Reel 33. Photocopies should be made from microfilm, not from originals. See microfilm inventory on Reference shelves under the title, “Ante-Bellum Plantations.”
Graves (Ellen Armistead) Papers. (1 vol.)
Written by Effie Graves, “Old Plantation Days in Mississippi,” describes plantation life before the Civil War in Coahoma County, Mississippi. Pictures of slaves and old buildings included. This account emphasizes the kindness with which most slaves were treated and also the devotion of the slaves to their masters.
Hagerty (Rebecca McIntosh Hawkins) Papers, 1823–1901. (3 in.)*
Correspondence, financial records, personal records relating to Mrs. Hagerty’s management of Refuge and Phoenix plantations in Marion and Harrison counties, Texas. Mrs. Hagerty is the only woman among the 45 planters in Texas owning more than 100 slaves.
Hall (James Madison) Family Papers, 1813–1865. (6 in.)*
Papers of a pioneer settler in Houston County, Texas, documenting agriculture, slavery, cotton culture, social life, and domestic activities.
Horton (Albert Clinton) Papers, 1850–1881. (2 in.)
The collection primarily concerns the sale of Negro slaves to Horton by Josiah S. Brown and family of Charleston, South Carolina, and subsequent efforts to collect the balance of payment for them. It consists of legal papers, including bills of sale for slaves, a mortgage containing the names of the slaves, a will, and a property inventory of Horton’s estate, as well as correspondence, including a letter by Horton to John (Dr. Jack) Shackelford regarding property taxes (1850), and letters of the Brown family and various attorneys (1860-1881). All or a portion of this collection is available on CAH microfilm 18,335 Series G, Part 1, Reel 33. Photocopies should be made from microfilm, not from originals. See microfilm inventory on Reference shelves under the title, “Ante-Bellum Plantations.”
Kiger (Basil) Papers, 1841–1885. (2 ft., 8 in.)
Papers relating to the operation of Buena Vista Plantation, located north of Vicksburg, and to Kiger’s wife, Carrie Kiger, and household affairs.
Ledbetter (Lena Dancy) Papers, 1830–1950.
Clippings, letters, books, bonds. Photographs of Lena Dancy Ledbetter, Lancelot Abby and family, John W. S. Dancy and family, and Peyton Fowler. Also includes land grant signed by Sam Houston and postcards of La Grange, Austin, and Enchanted Rock, Texas, as well as Mount Vernon, Virginia and Kentucky.
Massie (William) Papers, 1747–1919. (19 ft., 11 in.)*
Business records and correspondence documenting three generations of the Massie family of Nelson County, Virginia. Of special interest are the extensive records kept by William Massie on the four plantations and large slave force he owned and managed through 1862. Records document his plantation management, agricultural and technological innovations, finances, crop marketing and plantation provisioning as well as the social life and culture of Virginia planters.
Melrose Plantation Account Book, 1859. (1 vol.)
Account book of the Melrose Plantation in 1859.
Munson (Mordello Stephen) Family Papers, 1825–1978. (4 ft., 1 in.)
Collection includes the papers of Mordello Stephen Munson (1825–1903), Brazoria County lawyer, planter, land agent, legislator, and Civil War veteran, as well as papers of his father, Henry William Munson (1793–1833); his stepfather, James P. Caldwell (1793–1856); his wife, Sarah Kimbrough Armour Munson (1831–1887); his brothers; and his eight children. Also included are genealogical materials collected by Erma L. Rich, granddaughter of Mordello Munson and longtime custodian of the family papers. Mordello Munson’s personal correspondence contains letters from family members describing life in Brazoria County from the 1840s to the 1890s. His general correspondence with prominent Texans such as Thomas William House, John Adriance, Victor Marion Rose, and members of the Bryan and Perry families deals with his legal, agricultural, financial, and political activities. Munson’s financial records consist of purchase receipts, tax receipts, bank statements, and documents relating to cotton and wool sales. Legal records are comprised of land deeds and lawsuit materials. Papers of Sarah Munson consist of correspondence from family members and diaries written between 1864 and 1886. Papers of Mordello Munson’s brothers include the 1831 baptism certificate of William Benjamin Munson (1824–1848) and testimony about the murder of Gerard Brandon Munson (1829–1864). Papers of Mordello Munson’s children contain the certificate of appointment of Henry William Munson II (1851–1924) to the Prairie Rangers in 1880, letters to Walter Bascom (1866–1949) and Milam Stephen Munson (1869–1950) during their attendance at Southwestern University and the University of Texas, Milam Stephen’s school compositions and 1888 law exam, and records of the Munson & Munson law firm.
Neblett (Lizzie Scott) Papers, 1849–1865. (8 ft., 10 in.)*
Correspondence and bound manuscript volumes documenting the life and activities of Lizzie Neblett and her husband William, Grimes and Navarro counties, Texas, including agriculture, cotton, corn, livestock, slaves, domestic life, pregnancy and childbirth, social life, and plantation management.
Perry (James Franklin and Stephen Samuel) Papers, 1786–1940. (13 ft., 9 in.)*
Correspondence, business records, receipts, and legal papers documenting Peach Point Plantation near Brazoria, Texas, and the move of the slave economy into Texas.
Pugh Family Papers, 1807–1907. (10 ft.)*
Personal and business correspondence, plantation records, diaries, and journals relating to the Pugh family of Louisiana and their plantations Augustin, Whitmell, Highland, Woodlawn, New Hope, and Mount Lawrence.
Quinn (Frank David) Papers, 1913–1971. (4 in.)
Collection consists of personal reminiscences and memorabilia of Quinn (1894–1971), Mississippi cotton plantation manager, Texas businessman, and executive director of the Texas State Parks Board (1927–1969). Included are Quinn’s classified files detailing his experiences while working for the Delta Pine and Land Company, a large cotton plantation in Bolivar, County, Mississippi, as well as biographical and genealogical records of the Quinn and Tims families.
Roach (Benjamin) Family Papers, 1831–1867.
Probate records relate to the estate of Benjamin Roach, Sr., a wealthy planter and slave owner in several Mississippi counties. There are receipts relating to plantation management, slaves, taxes, and cotton sales including an 1860 receipt for a plantation on Wolfe’s Lake, Yazoo County, given to David Roach as part of his inheritance describing size, number of slaves, and equipment. Also included are bills of sale for slaves, some of which include names and prices; receipts for the capture of runaway slaves listing jail expenses; invoices for merchants and from steamer companies for transportation of cotton, merchandise, family members, and slaves; and receipts from physicians for attending family members and slaves.
Rose (Preston Robinson) Family Papers, 1832–1893. (9 in.)*
Correspondence, business and legal papers, inventories of slaves, receipts, shipping bills, etc. relating to Buena Vista Plantation near Victoria, Texas. Rose was interested in raising cattle.
Sugg (Peregrine P.) Papers. 1847–1877. (1.5 in.)
Diary and papers of Sugg (b. 1815) documenting his activities as a plantation overseer, slave owner, brick-maker, and lumber hauler in Marinouin, Grosse Tete, and Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, and, later, in Rusk, Texas.
Tait (Charles William) Papers, 1844–1855. (4 in.)*
One photocopy volume and several original manuscripts relating to Charles W. Tait of Columbus, Texas, and his father, James A. Tait of Black Bluff, Alabama. Letters relate to family matters and plantation activities; includes rules for the management of slaves.
Wilkins (James Campbell) Papers,1801–1852. (3 ft., 9 in.)
Correspondence, Financial records, and legal documents relate to the lives and careers of Wilkins, his family, and business associates and concern the cotton trade; business of commission merchants in Natchez, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana; plantation life and economy; slavery; and the planter elite of the Natchez and Adams County area. Included is material concerning James Campbell Wilkins’s uncle, Charles Wilkins, Lexington, Kentucky, merchant and provisioner of the U. S. Army’s work on the Natchez Trace road (1801–1807); James Campbell Wilkins’s work as a commission merchant in Natchez; his partnership (1816–1834) with John Linton in New Orleans; his business as a planter; activities of individuals and families, including George Adams, Adam Lewis Bingaman, Stephen Duncan, Levin R. Marshall, and the Minor family; and the 1836 sale and transportation to the South of a group of 50 slaves. Forms Part of Natchez Trace Collection.
Works Progress Administration Slave Narratives. (2 ft., 4 in.)
Transcripts of interviews with former slaves in Texas. Interviews were conducted in 1937–1938 and are frequently accompanied by photographs of the subjects.
Wright (George Travis) Papers, 1824–1917. (7 ft.)*
Journals, ledgers, accounts books, correspondence and scrapbooks, relating to a Texas plantation, Red River County, and owner of a plantation supply and dry goods store.
