Natchez-Area Manuscript Collections
The Mississippi River is one of the predominant geographical features of the United States. It simultaneously divides and links the country, demarcating the east from the west while serving as the artery of communication through which has passed the enterprise and the soul of the nation. The Mississippi River has defined the contours of the lands it drains and given shape to the culture, the economy, and the politics of the communities that draw sustenance from it.
For this reason, when LSU history professor Edwin Adams Davis began in 1935 systematically to collect the papers of the families that settled and prospered in the region and the records of the plantations and businesses they built and maintained, he gave no thought to distinguishing among those who were divided by the almost artificial political boundaries of the states. His interest was in documenting and preserving the rich history and culture of the Lower Mississippi Valley. Over the years, the department he founded at LSU has developed into one of the premier repositories for such materials in the nation.
In 1985, Louisiana State University renovated the original library building on its Baton Rouge campus specifically to house its growing collections of manuscripts and rare books. The Department of Archives and Manuscripts was renamed the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC), highlighting the scope of its mission to collect and preserve. It was combined administratively with the collection of printed materials related to the history and culture of the region, creating an integrated center for research.
Preserved in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections at LSU are more than 5,000 manuscript groups, totaling 25,000 linear feet in extent. The collections include the papers of individuals and families; the records of plantations, merchants, and financial institutions; and the records of political, social, and labor organizations. The most important of these collections relate specifically to the families and enterprises in the Lower Mississippi Valley, from Memphis to New Orleans, and are especially strong in the Natchez, St. Francisville, and Baton Rouge areas. This guide concentrates on collections relating to Natchez and Adams County, Mississippi, as well as to the four Mississippi counties surrounding Adams County: Amite, Franklin, Jefferson, and Wilkinson. All were part of the original Natchez District of the Spanish period, and together they form the southwestern corner of the state, bordering Louisiana on two sides of a triangular geographical area.
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Conner, Mary Macrery Britton. Scrapbook, 1825-1904. 1 volume. Location: O:21. Scrapbook created by Mary Macrery Britton Conner, daughter of Eliza Macrery and Audley Clark Britton and wife of Lemuel P. Conner, Jr. Scrapbook contains drawings and fabric swatches, including pieces of fabric from her own trousseau and from that of her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Frances Turner Conner. Mss. 5320. Referenced in Guides: Women, Natchez, Mississippi
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COURIER (Natchez, Miss.), 1862 May 22. 1 item. Location: 99:. Single issue on blue paper. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3365. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, Natchez, Mississippi
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Crawford family notebook, 1886-1887, 1914-1917. 1 vol. Location: F:16. Farmers of Centreville, Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Early notes are recipes for various medical cures; later notes pertain to stock on the Crawford farm. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 288. Referenced in Guides: Medicine, Natchez, Mississippi
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Crosby, Dixie Hammond. Family Papers, 1890-1992 (bulk: 1937-1965). 159 items, 3 v. Location: 34:, OS:C. Family papers of Mack Gerald Crosby, Dixie Lillie Myrtle Hammond Crosby, and their daughter Dixie Lee "Dee" Crosby Brown. Mack Crosby and Dixie Hammond were both from Baton Rouge, La. and attended Louisiana State University in the 1930?s. Mack Crosby served in the United States Air Force for over thirty years. This collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and, newspaper clippings relating to family affairs, work, and military service. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4805. |
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Dana, Charles B. Family Papers, 1799-1949 (bulk 1823-1880). 700 items, 59 vols. Location: B:71-72, OS:D, K:35-36, Mss.Mf:D. Protestant Episcopal minister of Alexandria, Virginia, Port Gibson, Mississippi, and Natchez, Mississippi. Papers include correspondence, sermons, essays, maps, photographs, and other papers relating to religious activities, family matters, and local events. Manuscript volumes are comprised of a diary, cashbooks, registers, sermons, and notebooks. A letter of S. A. Kimball of Concord, New Hampshire discusses the abolitionist movement and members of the Colonization Society (1836). For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 972, 973. |
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DeRussy, Rene Edward. Letter, 1838 Dec. 1. 1 item. Location: Misc.:D. Letter to Benjamin L. C. Wailes, Jefferson College, Adams County, Mississippi declines an offer of a position as a teacher of mathematics and civil engineering at Jefferson College. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1053. Referenced in Guides: Education, Natchez, Mississippi
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Diary, 1835-1837. 1 vol. Location: M:19. Available on microfilm 5750: University Publications of America Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and Diaries Series E, Reel 33. Governess from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Belfield Plantation near Natchez. Diary records reactions to plantation life, amusements, visits to neighbors, and expressions of discontent with the South. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 533. |
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Douglas, Emily Caroline, b. 1840. Papers, 1855-1913 (bulk 1855-1868). 9 items, 2 ms. vols., 1 printed vol. Location: U:49, Mss.Mf:D. Available on microfilm 5750: University Publications of America Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and Diaries Series E, Reels 8-9. Connecticut native and resident of Louisiana and Mississippi. Autobiography, diary, and writings describe life in New England; with her brother, the Rev. William Kirtland Douglas, near Natchez, Mississippi, during the Civil War; at New Iberia, Louisiana; in various Mississippi towns; and in New Orleans. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 566. Referenced in Guides: Religion, Plantations, New Orleans to 1861, Women, New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War, Natchez, Mississippi, Literature
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Douglass, Daniel. Document, 1802, 1813. 1 item. Location: Misc.:D. Resident of Concordia Parish, Louisiana. Sale of land of Daniel Douglass by Elijah Smith, executor for the estate, to Jonathan Thompson of Natchez, Mississippi. Attached is the grant to Douglass, signed by Joseph Vidal, Commandant of the Post of Concordia, 1802. Grant in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 397. Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Natchez, Mississippi
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Dunbar, Archibald. Document, 1836. 1 item. Location: Misc. Resident of Adams County, Mississippi. Sale (notarized) of slaves formerly attached to Ashwood Plantation by Archibald Dunbar to Peter M. and Joseph H. Lapice. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 668. |
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Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Correspondence, 1817-1877. 158 items, 2 vols. Location: S:120. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Correspondence includes letters from friends and family concerning social, political, and economic problems of Reconstruction. Papers include legal documents, bills, and receipts. A daybook includes lists of slaves present at Homochitto Plantation. Included is a diary of W. P. Duncan, son of Stephen Duncan, Jr., describing his travels in France and Italy. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061 as the Stephen Duncan Family Papers, Mss. 1403, 1793: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1403, 1431, 1551, 1595, 1793. |
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Duncan, Stephen and Stephen Duncan, Jr. Papers, 1846-1899. 255 items, 11 ms. Vols. Location: U:49, F:17, Mss.Mf:D. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Duncan plantations included L'Argent, Auburn, Camperdown, Carlisle, Duncan, Duncannon, Duncansby, Ellisle, Homochitto, Middlesex, Oakley, Rescue, Reserve, and Attakapas. Correspondence, business papers, diaries, and plantation and personal records of Dr. Stephen Duncan and his son, Stephen, Jr., who also resided in New York City. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 126, 721. |
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Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Letters, 1855, 1859-1860. 72 items. Location: U:65. Planter and banker of Natchez, Mississippi. Duncan plantations included L'Argent, Auburn, Camperdown, Carlisle, Duncan, Duncannon, Duncansby, Ellisle, Homochitto, Middlesex, Oakley, Rescue, Reserve, and Attakapas. Includes letters written by Duncan to his financial advisor, Charles Leverich, related to the economic and financial activities of a wealthy planter and land owner. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4641. Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Natchez, Mississippi
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Duncan, Stephen, Jr. Passport, 1871. 1 item. Location: OS:D. Resident of Natchez. Passport of Stephen Duncan, Jr. Also available on Microfiche 2729, Southern Historical Manuscripts, Plantation Records 1799-1900. Part of the George De Forest Collection. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1350. Referenced in Guides: Natchez, Mississippi
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Eggleston-Roach Papers, 1825-1903. 285 items, 6 vols. Location: U-51, OS:R. Planters of Wilkinson County and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Mrs. Elizabeth Eggleston of Vicksburg smuggled goods through Union lines to Confederate soldiers. She was subsequently imprisoned and banished from Vicksburg. Diaries and personal papers of members of the Gildart, Eggleston, and Roach families. Horace Nelson Gildart's diary gives an account of a journey through England and Ireland; Dick Hardaway Eggleston's diary records activities on Learmont Plantation. Included are correspondence and orders of Union military authorities concerning Elizabeth Eggleston's activities during the Civil War. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reel 5. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 832. |
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Elliot, William St. John, 1800-1855. Papers,1824, 1835-1858.5 items. Location: OS:E. Cotton broker, planter, and owner of D'Evereaux Hall, Natchez, Miss. Among other properites in Adams County, Miss., he also owned Saragossa Plantation. Indentures and deeds for land in Adams County, Mississippi, purchased by William St. John Elliot from Stephen Duncan, Samuel A. Moore, and Henry Chotard; and a land survey of a plantation in Tensas Parish, La., owned by his wife, Anna F. Conner Bell Ruffin Elliot. Also includes a plat of land in Adams County owned by various members of the Conner family. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1147. |
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Ellis-Farar Papers, 1768-1871 (bulk 1804-1833). 308 items. Location: S:1; OS:E; Vault:21. Richard Ellis, planter of White Cliffs, Homochitto, and Laurel Hill plantations, Natchez. His children included Mary (who married Captain Benjamin Farar), Jane, and Abram. Papers document plantation management and include deeds, vouchers, correspondence with overseers, and receipts. Jane took a special interest in managing Laurel Hill. Personal correspondence deals with education, plantation life, and family news. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 3, Reel 10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1000. |
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Embree, Joseph. Family Papers, 1826-1884. .88 linear ft. (805 items, 1 vol.). Location: E:19-20. Cotton planter near Woodville, Wilkinson County, Mississippi, and soldier in the Confederate Army. Papers include letters, account statements of cotton brokers, land deeds, contracts, slave bills, receipts, and documents related to education in Wilkinson County. Includes a printed list of the 1879 Democratic state ticket. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 2, Reels 10-11. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 693. Referenced in Guides: Politics, Plantations, Civil War, Education, African Americans, Natchez, Mississippi
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Evans, Nathaniel. Family Papers, 1791-1932 (bulk 1800-1850). 5 linear ft., 47 ms. vols. and 42 printed vols. Location: E:10-15, G:12, OS:E, 98:E, VAULT:6, VAULT:38, MICROFILM 5322. Postmaster and general merchant of Fort Adams, Wilkinson County, Mississippi; and owner of Oakland Plantation in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Papers consist of business and family correspondence and plantation records. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 2, Reels 1-10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 670, 893, 913. |
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Exchange and Banking House of Brown & Johnston business letter, 1859 June 17. 1 business letter. Location: Misc. A.H. Arthur of the Exchange and Banking House of Brown & Johnston office in Vicksburg, Miss., writes to Alexander C. Ferguson of Natchez, Miss., regarding $10,425.00 in bank notes. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4400. Referenced in Guides: Business, Natchez, Mississippi
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Farar, Benjamin. Papers, 1773-1826 (bulk 1820-1826). 56 items (on 1 microfilm reel). Location: Mss.Mf:F. Planter of Laurel Hill Plantation near Natchez, Mississippi. Papers include personal and business correspondence (1820-1826) related to family matters, plantation operations, and social life in New Orleans. Includes some land grants in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1364. |
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Farrar, Alexander K. Papers, 1804-1931 (bulk 1831-1870). 2.25 linear ft. Location: UU:229-231; OS:F. Planter and lawyer of Kingston, Adams County, Mississippi, and Mississippi state senator. Personal, professional, and plantation papers concerning Farrar's law practice, including settlement of several estates, and his plantation and business interests. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 532: University Publications of America Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations Series I, Part 3, Reels 6-10. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 782, 850, 1348. |
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Farrar, B.G. Papers, 1863-1870 (bulk: 1863-1865). 13 items. Location: Misc:F. Brevet Brigadier General Bernard G. Farrar, Colonel of the 6th U.S. Colored Artillery (Heavy). Letters, orders, and affadavits relate to recruiting African-American soldiers, anticipated attacks, and plundering of plantations in the Natchez and Vidalia area. An 1870 letter to Farrar from J.W. Alfvord, General Superintendent of Education, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands relates to the education of the freedmen. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4764. |
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Fern, A. Letter: Natchez, Miss., to George P.? James, 1863 August 28. 1 item (2 leaves). Location: Misc:F. Union soldier in the Civil War stationed with a regiment camped in Natchez, Mississippi, in August 1863. Letter written while Fern was on guard duty. Topics discussed include the draft in the eastern states; the French and English stances on the Civil War; the fighting at Charleston, South Carolina; and General Meade's campaign along the Rappahannock River. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3404. Referenced in Guides: Civil War, Natchez, Mississippi
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Foster, James, d. 1880. Medical record books, 1826-1830, 1867-1868, 1876-1878, 1893. 3 ms. vols. Location: G:6. Medical doctor of Natchez, Mississippi, and owner of the Hermitage Plantation near Natchez. Entries give patients' names, treatment, and fees for Foster's medical practice in Kentucky and later in Mississippi. Volume 3 contains an extensive inventory of household furnishings. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 1403. Referenced in Guides: Medicine, Natchez, Mississippi
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Foster, James. Family Papers, 1829-1904. 92 items, 7 ms. vols. Location: U:117. O:3. 1Medical doctor of Natchez, Mississippi, and owner of the Hermitage Plantation near Natchez. Correspondence consists chiefly of personal letters from family members concerning travel in the East; yellow fever in New Orleans; and plantation affairs. Some letters relate to student life at Oakland College (Mississippi) and Harvard University. Three manuscript volumes contain poetry and four record books concern a Confederate monument in Natchez, listing subscribers to a memorial fund (1888-1889). Available on microfilm 5735: University Publications of America Confederate Military Manuscripts Series B, Reel 6. Mss. 1705. |
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Foster, James. Family Correspondence, 1861-1866. 110 items, 1 ms. Vol. Location: B:41. Isaac G. Foster and John S. Foster were the sons of James Foster, a medical doctor of Natchez. Both served in the Confederate Army and died during the Civil War. Papers include letters from John Foster written in New Orleans (1861) relating his views on Louisiana's secession. Later letters describe First Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and other battles. Isaac Foster's papers deal with Shiloh and other battles. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 2184. Referenced in Guides: New Orleans in the Civil War, New Orleans 1866-, Civil War, Medicine, Natchez, Mississippi
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Fourniquet, E. P. Letter, 17 January 1838. 1 item. Location MISC:F. E. P. Fourniquet was the owner of Long Branch Plantation in Grand Gulf, Miss. Letter from Fourniquet to his overseer William Pugh gives instructions about the maintenance of Long Branch. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4862 Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Natchez, Mississippi
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Freedmen's Bureau document, 1864 Dec. 1. 1 item. Location: Misc.:F. Order by the Office of Superintendent and Provost Marshal of Freedmen, Natchez, Mississippi, signed by Lt. Col. A. L. Mitchell, for use of livestock on Home Farm. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 3365. |
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Freemasons. Grand Lodge of the State of Mississippi. Slate of officers, 1825 Jan. 5. 1 certificate. Location: Misc:M. The Grand Lodge of the State of Mississippi was established in Natchez, Miss., on July 27, 1818. This certificate naming the officers of the Grand Lodge of the State of Mississippi for the year 1825 bears the signatures of the following officers: Israel Loring, Grand Master; Elijah Smith, Deputy Grand Master; Joseph Dunbar, Senior Grand Warden; and John A. Quitman, Junior Grand Warden. Mss. 5044. Referenced in Guides: Natchez, Mississippi
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Gandy, Thomas H. and Joan W. Photograph collection, 1850-1950, 1960-1988. 110 linear ft. Location: Range 64. Thomas H. Gandy, Natchez, Mississippi, physician, and his wife Joan. Collection contains glass plate and celluloid negatives of Natchez photographers Henry Norman, Henry Gurney, and Earl Norman, collected by the Gandys, and prints made from the negatives by Dr. Gandy. Images include scenes of Natchez, historic buildings, civic events, sports, family groups, and portraits. Mss. 3778. Referenced in Guides: Medicine, Natchez, Mississippi
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Gandy, Thomas H. and Joan W. Photograph Collection. Cameras and Equipment Subgroup, 1900-circa 1975. 53 items, 2 linear feet. Location: 146:9-14, 18; McIlhenny Room. This collection consists of thirty-seven cameras, fourteen lenses, one stereoscope, one novelty carte de visite in a bottle, and two cubic feet (2 c.f.) mixed photographic equipment collected by Dr. Thomas H. and Joan Gandy. Mss. 3778. Referenced in Guides: Natchez, Mississippi
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Gayoso de Lemos, Manuel. Papers, 1792-1799. 41 items, 1 microfilm reel. Location: Vault:7, MSS.MF:G. Spanish governor of the Natchez District (1792-1797). Major Stephen Minor was a planter of Natchez, Mississippi. Letters of Manuel Gayoso de Lemos to Major Stephen Minor concerning general administrative issues and personal matters in the closing years of Spanish rule of the Natchez District. Includes a document by Gayoso titled 'Instructions for my commission to the Chocta Nation' (1792) and a proclamation calling for the reestablishment of peace at Natchez (1797). Partly in Spanish. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 157, 859, 1673, 3099. |
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Gayoso de Lemos, Manuel. Passport, 1797 June 6. 1 passport. Location: Misc:G. Manuel Gayoso de Lemos was the Spanish Governor of the Natchez District (1792-1797). This passport, issued at Natchez, grants permission for John Orr, Edward Newcom, and William Buchanan to pass unmolested to the United States with seven horses. Form printed in Spanish but completed in English. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4285. Referenced in Guides: Spanish, Natchez, Mississippi
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Gilbert, Walker. Letter, 1814 February 18. 1 item [typed transcription]. Location: Misc. Resident of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Letter from Gilbert to Thomas Freeman of Washington, Adams County, Mississippi, concerns the activities of Jean Lafitte and a description of his base at Cat Island. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 457. Referenced in Guides: Natchez, Mississippi
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Gillespie, James A. and family. Papers, 1776-1929 (bulk 1840-1890). 1,530 items, 20 volumes. Location: E:22-24, E:118, G:16, 65:G, OS:G Vault:38. Planter of Hollywood Plantation, Adams County, Mississippi, and Indian Village Plantation, Concordia Parish, Louisiana. Collection includes plantation records, business papers, and correspondence of the Gillespie family and business papers of the Davis family. Papers include slave sales, land deeds, a will, diaries, portraits, maps, sheet music, and fashion publications. Includes some printed items in German. Available (with some omissions) on microfilm 6061: University Publications of America Records of Southern Plantations from Emancipation to the Great Migration, Series B, Part 4, Reels 5-8, or Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, Series I, Part 3, Reels 13-14. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 669, 695, 1104, 2086. |
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Gleason, David K. Papers, 1951-1992. 202 linear ft. Location: Ranges 87-90. Commercial photographer of Baton Rouge whose work included photographs of plantation homes along the Mississippi River. Gleason's work appeared in a number of books, including The Great Houses of Natchez (1986) and Plantation Homes of Louisiana and the Natchez Area (1982). Collection includes negatives, working proofs, prints, and notes. Unprocessed. Mss. 4520. |
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Goodwin, Josiah. Diaries and Research Collection, 1862-1864, 1983-1984, undated 0.3 linear feet, 2 vols. Location B:66. The collection consists of two original 1863-1864 diaries of Josiah Goodwin, kept during his service in the Mississippi Marine Brigade aboard various U.S. Steamers along the river in Louisiana and Mississippi. In addition are research materials compiled by William C. Wiseley, PhD, in his study of the diaries. These include biographical information on Goodwin, photocopies of Goodwin's service record, photoprints of portraits and other Civil War images, and an annotated transcription of the diaries. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4886. |
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Grafton, Daniel. Conveyance, 1801. 1 item. Location: OS:G. Adams County, Mississippi, resident. Sale of land in the District of Concordia, Louisiana, by Daniel Grafton to Joseph Fletcher, also of Adams County, signed by D. Lattimore, Parish Judge. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 162. Referenced in Guides: Natchez, Mississippi
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Graham, Alice Walworth. Papers, 1884-1992, undated. 5.3 linear feet. Location: 104:2-4; J: 25; and OS:G. Novelist and native of Natchez, Miss., and sometime resident of New Orleans. Professional and personal correspondence includes letters document Graham's literary career. Scrapbooks and printed items contain literary reviews of her books and describe her personal appearances at literary functions. Graham describes Natchez plantations in manuscript drafts for many of her published and unpublished works including Cibola, The Natchez Woman, and Romantic Lady. The letters of Graham's mother, Lela Gordon Walworth, and her sister, Mary Walworth Whitaker of Baton Rouge, are also part of the collection, and pertain to personal and family matters. For further information, see online catalog. Mss. 4295. Referenced in Guides: Plantations, Women, New Orleans 1866-, Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mississippi, Literature
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