John T. McMurran (1801-1866), a lawyer and state senator in Natchez, Mississippi, was married to the former Mary Louise Turner (1814-1891), with whom he had two children, John T. McMurran, Jr., and Mary Elizabeth McMurran (1835-1861). They built Melrose near Natchez in 1845, and it remained in the family until the Civil War.

John Jr. married Alie Austen (d.1899) of Baltimore County, Md, in 1856, and they resided at Riverside Plantation in Wilkinson County, Miss., until the Civil War. During the war, John enlisted in a local artillery unit but was discharged in 1862 for deafness. In 1864 he worked as a clerk for the federal war department in Washington D.C. John Jr. and Alie had two daughters, Caroline (Carrie) and Alice (Alie), who moved with their mother from Riverside to her family home, Filstone Farm in Maryland, during the Civil War.

Mary Elizabeth McMurran married Farar Conner and lived in Natchez before moving to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1857. They had two children, a son, Farar (Fazee), and a daughter. Farar remarried after Mary Elizabeth's death from a spinal disease in 1864.

The collection includes correspondence, printed items, photographs, and miscellaneous papers. The correspondence, primarily among John T. McMurran, Mary Louise McMurran, Alie McMurran, John T. McMurran, Jr., and the Austen family, pertains to John and Alie's wedding and courtship, women and family life, the 1856 Know-Nothing National Convention in Baltimore and Whig political sentiment in Natchez, and opinions about secession and the Civil War. The letters also include a description of Riverside Plantation's slaves and Alie's impressions of the institution of slavery, Natchez, and Natchez society. Letters between Alie and John T. McMurran Jr., during his tenure as a clerk for the federal government during the war reflect his growing anti-Southern attitudes. Post-war letters from Natchez friends provide a description of conditions in Natchez and relate their bitterness toward Yankees. Printed items include clippings regarding the John T. McMurran Sr.'s death in a steamboat accident and wedding invitations. Cartes de visites of Alie and Carrie, John Jr. and Alie's daughters, are also present. Miscellaneous items include a household inventory, J. T. McMurran, Jr.'s discharge from the Confederate army in 1862, and military passes.

Notes on the images:

1. Mary Louise McMurran to John T. McMurran, Jr., August 29, 1856. She discusses his pending marriage in Maryland and expresses excitement that he will be near the Know-Nothing nominating convention and tells who from Natchez will participate. She also describes conditions at Riverside Plantation.
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