New from Old Natchez - the Collections

Muggah-Glover-Guyther Family Papers, 1844-1852, 1906 (bulk: 1844-1848)
13 items

Mary Glover lived at Anchorage, her family's plantation near Natchez. Her brothers were Frank and George Glover. Their cousin Mary Anderson was married to the Baptist minister in Natchez, ca. 1848, and may have lived with Mary Glover at Anchorage. Cousins Julia and Mary Curtis, correspondents in the collection, wed James Milne Muggah and Richard Lynch, both of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.

The collection is primarily comprised of letters from Mary Glover to her cousins in which she describes Natchez balls and recreational activities and expresses her desire to find a husband. In addition, she reveals much about women's lives of the time, opinions on marriage and pregnancy, constraints of place and family obligations, and religious life and attitudes. The collection also includes photographs of LSU cadet and relative Kennard Guyther and newspaper clippings about his death, as well as a photograph of the Silliman Institute (Clinton, La.) class of 1897.

Notes on the images:

1. Mary Anderson to Mary Curtis Lynch, [March 23, 1844]. In this addition to a letter from Mary Glover to Mary Lynch, Mary Anderson gives advice on spiritual and marital matters and gives the news that her husband has taken a position as the Baptist minister in Natchez. Her inquiry as to whether Mary has begun wearing loose gowns is an allusion to pregnancy.
Image | Transcript

2. Mary Glover to Cousin Julia, June 21, 1848. Mary mentions the celebration in Natchez over Zachary's Taylor's nomination for president. Additionally, she makes veiled references to pregnancy.
Images: 2.1-2.2 | Transcript

3. Mary Glover to Cousin Julia, September 20, 1850. Mary relates the excitement in Natchez over the recently finished telegraph line between Vicksburg and Natchez.
Images: 3.1-3.2 | Transcript

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