Collection Number: 00923

Collection Title: Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902.

This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.

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Size 7 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 46 items)
Abstract Samuel A. Agnew grew up and attended college and seminary in Due West, S.C. In 1852, he moved to Mississippi, and thereafter lived in the northeastern part of the state, chiefly in Tippah and Lee counties, where he was an Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister, teacher, farmer, and prominent local citizen. The collection contains a detailed diary of Agnew's thoughts, experiences, and activities; neighborhood news; public events, particularly as they affected the locality; relations with slaves and free blacks; the Civil War, during which he was in the area of operations of both armies; Reconstruction, which was tumultuous in his vicinity; the Ku Klux Klan; local and regional church affairs; farming and leadership in the local Grange; major natural events; frequent travels to Memphis and to other parts of Mississippi; and many other aspects of personal and public life that came within his view. There are occasional gaps in the diary before 1873 and after 1883.
Creator Agnew, Samuel A., b. 1833.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
Volume 7b is closed due to extreme fragility; researchers must use digital scans, microfilm, or transcriptions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Samuel A. Agnew Diary, #923, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Alternate Form of Material
Full text of diary, 27 September 1863-30 June 1864
Microfilm and partial typed transcript copies available.
Additional Descriptive Resources
A copy of the original finding aid is filed in folder 1.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Agnew grew up and attended college and seminary in Due West, S.C. In 1852 he moved to Mississippi, and thereafter lived in the northeastern part of the state, chiefly in Tippah and Lee counties, where he was an Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister, teacher, farmer, and prominent local citizen.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection contains a detailed diary of Agnew's thoughts, experiences, and activities; neighborhood news; public events, particularly as they affected the locality; relations with enslaved people and Black people who were free before the American Civil War and emancipation; the Civil War, during which he was in the area of operations of both armies; Reconstruction, which was tumultuous in his vicinity; domestic terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan; local and regional church affairs; farming and leadership in the local Grange; major natural events; frequent travels to Memphis and to other parts of Mississippi; and many other aspects of personal and public life that came within his view. There are occasional gaps in the diary before 1873 and after 1883.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902.

45 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Folder 1

Introductory material #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 1

Includes a copy of the original finding aid; two maps showing places mentioned in the Agnew diaries; a photograph of Samuel Agnew's house in Union City, Miss.; typed excerpts from obituaries on Samuel Agnew; and some miscellaneous fragments.

Folder 2

Volume 1: 1 March-28 April 1851 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 2

Written while attending Erskine College, Due West, S.C. Also contains copy pages, stated to be the work of Calvin P. Agnew, and some genealogical notes. 1 March entry refers to his father as "Enoch Agnew," and a later entry mentions his father telling him to stay in the "store;" also a mention of his father's idea of perhaps moving to Maury Co., Tenn.

Folder 3

Volume 2: 21 October 1852-1 January 1853 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 3

Account of move from Due West Corner, S.C., through Georgia and Alabama, to Tippah County, Miss., mentions iron works in Cass County, Ga., and describes wooded condition of Tippah County, Miss. A note on 1 January mentions Agnew's graduation in the year past, the death of his brother, Calvin Pressly Agnew, and the family move to Mississippi. There is an account of a trip to Holly Springs, Miss., and lists of meetings of the Memphis Presbytery, 1853-1868, and the A. R. Synod of the South, 1833-1868. An entry on the last page indicates Agnew's starting to Troy, Obion County, Tenn., to place himself under the care of the Presbytery as a divinity student.

Folder 4

Volume 3: 17 April-3 October 1854 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 4

Description of a two-week trip from Tippah County, Miss., by stage, carriage, boat, and train to Due West, S.C. Also covers Agnew's stay at the Erskine Theological Seminary; a trip to Laurens, S.C.; his return trip to Mississippi; and another trip to Lafayette County, Miss.

Folder 5

Volume 4: October 1856-16 April 1857 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 5

Accounts of Agnew's move to take charge of a church at Madison County, Miss.; social life; travels to nearby places; and national politics. Also accounts of money spent and lists of meeting of Synods of Presbyterian Church.

Entries include:

24 December 1856 Fear of an uprising of people who were enslaved
7 February 1857 A trip to Holmes County, Miss., with mention of "buffalo gnats" then, and several other places in the index
Folder 6

Volume 5: 26 September 1860-1 March 1861 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 6

Entries include:

8 October 1860 Agnew, in Tippah County, Miss., writes about the death of his brother Rutherford.
28 November 1860 Agnew mentions hearing first whistle of M   O Railroad, and relates daily happenings such as births, marriages, parties, church services, and deaths, both on the farm and in the neighborhood.
Folder 7

Volume 6: 28 October 1861-4 April 1862 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 7

Much talk of war and rumors of troop movements and battles, in Tippah County, Miss. Accounts of organizing companies in the neighborhood; sickness and death among the troops; Agnew's father making knives for volunteers; and other happenings within the family and neighborhood.

Folder 8

Volume 7a: 5 April 1862-23 September 1863 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 8

This volume is filled with rumors and bits of news collected by Agnew at his home in Tippah County, Miss., concerning the war activities in his neighborhood, as well as those in other parts of the country. There are reports of skirmishes here and there, stories told by passing soldiers or other travelers, gleaned from newspapers. These accounts reveal that many soldiers, both United States and Confederate, passed near Agnew's home. Enslaved people self emancipating and talk of moving them elsewhere are some of the things Agnew writes about in this volume.

Entries include:

June 1862 Details of Confederate troops passing in the neighborhood, and on 26 June, relates the death of his brother Luther
12 November 1862 Writes of sending to the Louisiana coast for salt.
January 1863 Details of a United States army officer, because of a previous business connection, being able to save a place from plunder; small-pox and vaccination in the neighborhood; cloth-making; the difficulty of getting salt; and the roundup of conscripts, deserters and cotton traders
April-May 1863 Entries note robberies by United States troops and trouble caused by the departure of enslaved people to South Carolina, etc. The 31 May entry is a comment on Clement L. Vallandigham's treatment by the United States troops.
18 August 1863 Agnew describes how his father's papers, buried in a glass jar, were dug up and found injured (?).
September 1863 Descriptions of destruction by United States troops, and the retreat from Corinth
Folder 9

Volume 7b: 27 September 1863-November[?] 1864 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 9

Volume 7b is closed due to extreme fragility; researchers must use digital scans, microfilm, or transcriptions.

Folder 10

Volume 8: 12 September 1864-10 December 1865 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 10

This volume, as others, is filled with notes about news from the neighborhood, war rumors, farm and family activities, church services and other meetings.

Entries include:

October 1864 Reports about Generals Forrest and Hood, and about Richmond. Other October entries include reports from the army in Tennessee, and of Sheridan's atrocities in the Valley of Virginia; and horse stealing.
November 1864 News from Beauregard in Tennessee; the appointment by President Davis of 16 November as Prayer Day; and rumors of treason in the Northwest involving the Sons of Liberty
December 1864 Accounts of hiding from the United States troops
January 1865 A rumor of the death of Jefferson Davis, and a personal meeting with Gen. Cheatham. Other January entries include the sowing of poppy seeds to be used later as opium.
February 1865 Tax-in-kind found to be a hardship; Confederate soldiers' forcing labor of enslaved people; and news of peace commissioners and their subsequent failure
March-April 1865 Accounts of the burning of Columbia, S.C., and appeals for aid; the mention of a corn shortage; tax on corn, wheat, and bacon for families made destitute by the war; the surrender and its effect on the people; the report of Lincoln and Seward being killed, and Lincoln's funeral
May 1865 A report of robber bands made up of United States troops; "buffalo gnats;" outrage committed by Missourians; news of the capture of Jefferson Davis; contracts with formerly enslaved people for work by agent; the experiment of making opium from poppies; and the hiring of people who were formerly enslaved
2-3 June 1865 A report that James L. Alcorn will be military governor, then a report that it will not be Alcorn but Banks; and Black people leaving for the North and returning.
4-7 June 1865 Gathering opium
13 June 1865 Company organized to repress thieving
19 June 1865 advancement and advocacy of equal rights for Black people
21 June 1865 Returning war prisoners and freed people
25 June 1865 Dealings with the Freedmen's Bureau
4 July 1865 News of a neighborhood dinner and picnick
1 August 1865 Discusses the candidates for State Convention
3 and 17 August 1865 Printed agreements with freedmen and troubles in connection with those
26 August 1865 News about the Mississippi Convention
4 September 1865 Meetings of the Memphis Presbytery
5 September 1865 A wedding-in-family connection
20 September 1865 Experiment of boiling molasses in wooden trough that was plaited with sheet iron
October 1865 Rising prices of cotton and other products; and a rumor that Jefferson Davis has escaped and fled Fortress Monroe for England
11, 22 October 1865 Freed people and United States troops.
November 1865 Fear of insurrection by freed people; talk of war with England; order from the Freedmen's Bureau; and Agnew's 32nd birthday
December 1865 More discussion of freed people and their attitudes
Folder 11

Volume 9: 11 December 1865-31 December 1866 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 11

Entries include:

December 1865 Discussions of contracts with freed people, their attitudes, and state laws governing same; much about moving around of freed people and their adjustments to new conditions.
1 January 1866 The opening of Agnew's school
3 January 1866 Freed people leaving the Agnew place; more about school--repairs to the building and furniture-making
21 January 1866 Schoolhouse used as guard house for horse thieves
25 January 1866 Meeting of citizens about horse thieves
26 January 1866 Civil trial instead of mob trial decided
29-30 January 1866 More about horse thieves being killed
8 February 1866 More about another shooting
13, 28 February 1866 Federal land tax
22 February 1866 Superstitions of formerly enslaved people
1 April 1866 United States troops digging up graveyards in search of the bodies of their friends
22 April 1866 Extraordinary freshet, and reports of violence against Black people in Memphis
14 May 1866 More about Black people in Memphis, and the opening of a school for Black children in the neighborhood
5 June 1866 A destructive hailstorm
16, 21 June 1866 Large numbers of fleas
19 June 1866 Small-pox suspected in the neighborhood
27 and 28 June 1866 The prospect of other schools being started
4 July 1866 Notes concern the superstition that "Katy-dids" mean frost in four months
August-September 1866 Feelings between Black and white people in church, and reports of many cholera cases in Memphis
October, December 1866 Making ink from oak balls; and discussion of the meaning of "Tippah," according to legend of Indigenous people
17 December 1866 Mention of Black people passing by in wagons from Abbeville, S.C. on their way to Arkansas. Throughout the month, Agnew writes about making arrangements to teach a school, rent a house, etc. at Guntown.
Folder 12

Volume 10: 1867 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 12

Entries include:

January-February 1867 Agnew's removal to Guntown with his wife Nannie and baby Enoch to teach school there. Other remarks are made on keeping the Sabbath in the community; bound freedmen; school rules and matters; and the need for more organization to enforce discipline in school.
March-April 1867 Mostly school matters, with mention of other happenings such as a hurricane nearby
May 1867 News of Jefferson Davis's release; preaching in Guntown and places nearby; and general news of the neighborhood
June 1867 A son was born to Agnew and his wife, and a Black preacher was ordained in the church meeting at Guntown.
July-August 1867 Notes about a meteoric explosion; a strike on the M   O Railroad; and United States troops in town to apprehend a man for failure to pay a debt
October 1867 Notes on the passage through town of persons fleeing yellow fever in Memphis; cotton coming in; and business being good in general
November 1867 The baptism of Agnew's son, James Calvin, is noted, and entries for the remainder of the year include school and church affairs, and the marriage of Agnew's sister, Mary.
Folder 13

Volume 11: 1868 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 13

Entries include:

January 1868 Agnew's moving to a newly purchased house at Guntown
February 1868 Discussion of possibly changing county names; radicals in politics; advance in cotton prices; news from Washington including removal of Stanton from the war office, and impeachment of the President
3 March 1868 Bankruptcies among residents of the vicinity
24 March 1868 Rumors about the Ku Klux Klan
21 April 1868 News of new counties in Mississippi: Columbia, Crawford, Clay, and Culpepper
9 May 1868 Locusts (called seven-, thirteen-, or fourteen-year locusts) in abundance
5 June 1868 Reports of strike on the M   O Railroad
20 June 1868 Mass meeting of Black people in protest against the Radicals
24 June 1868 Election, and reports of the removal of Governor Humphreys and Attorney General Hooker
July 1868 Poor health of Agnew's wife Nannie, her visit to her people at Oktibbeha, and her death on the 24th. Agnew left his house in Guntown and returned to his father's home near Bethany, Miss.
September 1868 Agnew reopened the Academy at Guntown.
November 1868 Agnew closed the Academy.
December 1868 Agnew made arrangements for David Todd to take charge of the Academy at Guntown.
Folder 14

Volume 12: 1869 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 14

Entries include:

1 January 1869 Reliability of Black people
6, 30 January 1869 Domestic terror activities of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan
28 January 1869 Some genealogical notes
March 1869 Topics include references to President Grant and his cabinet.
28 March 1869 Criticism of the Ku Klux Klan
21 April 1869 Problems confronting the Guntown school
3 June 1869 United States troops investigating men who had been terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan
6 June 1869 Preaching to Black people
12 June 1869 Controversies about Campbellism
28-29 August 1869 Preaching and celebrating communion for Black people
1 September 1869 Visit from the Ku Klux Klan--odd head coverings, covered horses, blackened faces
4 September 1869 Warning from Ku Klux Klan about talking
8 September 1869 More about the Campbellites
23-28 September 1869 Trouble with United States troops and others
5 October 1869 Emigration to Texas from the vicinity
8 October 1869 News from Starkville about emigrations to Missouri
27 October 1869 More neighbors planning move to Texas
4-5 November 1869 Illness and death of Agnew's four-year-old son Enoch
9 November 1869 Genealogical notes
11, 15 December 1869 Trouble between Black and white people
Folder 15

Volume 13: 1870 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 15

Entries include:

18 January 1870 Word of election as to subscription by county to railroad
19-21 January 1870 Discussion about United States federal revenue officer
22 January 1870 Ideas on a Black senator, H. R. Revels
3 February 1870 More about revenue agent
10 February 1870 School offered to Agnew at County Line
12 February 1870 Agnew refuses school; talk about importing Danes and Swedes into the county as labor
13 February 1870 Emigrations to California
15 February 1870 More about Scandinavian immigrants and the railroad; desire for a new county
23 February 1870 Reports of Black people terrorized by Ku Klux Klan
28 February 1870 Opening of Agnew's school
25 March 1870 More about bills to create new counties
30 March 1870 About Agnew's school
2 April 1870 More about the school
20 June 1870 Ku Klux Klan terrorism
11 July 1870 School "dried up" and closed
21 July 1870 Opposition to the Ku Klux Klan
27 July 1870 Excessive taxation
1 August 1870 Opposition by some white people to Black people in the Church
25 September 1870 Northern lights in the sky and some superstitions concerning same
14 October 1870 Another aurora
17, 23-24 October 1870 Strange light in the sky
27 October 1870 Ku Klux Klan
Folder 16

Volume 14: 1871 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 16

Entries include:

7 February 1871 Start of free schools for white and Black children
27 February 1871 Account of hurricane in the neighborhood
2 March 1871 Death of Agnew's father Enoch
27 April 1871 Letter to Jennie Moffatt about possible matrimony
15 May 1871 News of Ku Klux Klan terrorism at Pontotoc
20 May 1871 Answer to Agnew's matrimonial letter
25 September 1871 End of matrimonial venture
27 September 1871 Assessments in county for schools looked upon as offensive.
12-13 October 1871 Planting orange sprouts from Florida
Folder 17

Volume 15: 1872 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 17

Entries include:

4 January 1872 Arrests of illicit liquor dealers and Ku Klux Klan by United States troops
6 January 1872 Plans for new church at Bethany
8 January 1872 Difficulty in getting hiring Black people for labor
2 February 1872 Erection of monument to Agnew's father Dr. Enoch Agnew (30 October 1808-2 March 1871)
5 February 1872 Black people subscribing for the new church building at Bethany
10 February 1872 Reported blackmailing by a U.S. Deputy Marshal, who was also mentioned on 7 February
14 May 1872 Thirteen-year locusts
22 July 1872 Vaccination for small-pox
1 August 1872 Corona Grange started in the neighborhood
2 December 1872 Marriage ceremony (Agnew's first ring ceremony)
14 December 1872 Trouble related to Black people sharing the church
Folder 18

Volume 16: 1873 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 18

Entries include:

14 January 1873 Trouble related to Black people sharing the church
3 February 1873 Reports of discipline of church members for wrongdoing; reports of mule drivers with herds of mules passing and trading
9 February 1873 Proposed changes in county lines
3, 6-7 July 1873 Arrest of members of a Black secret society charged with killing Black people
17 July 1873 Telegraph office installed in Guntown
25 September 1873 Reports of panic in New York financial circles
27 September 1873 Crash of cotton market
29 September 1873 More about the fmancial situation
12 October 1873 Reports of yellow fever raging in Memphis
13 October 1873 New process for making soap
November 1873 Many concerning financial troubles, people unable to pay their debts, and troubles of those securing notes
Folder 19

Volume 17: 1874 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 19

Entries include:

20-21 January 1874 Talk of mix-up in Mississippi government, making officers and their actions illegal
22-23 January 1874 Much need and suffering due to lack of money
25 January 1874 State government problems straightened out and officers declared legal ones
March 1874 Legislation on county boundaries and county seat in Lee County; big rains through that section of the country, freshets and much damage
May 1874 Complaints of gnats, mosquitoes and caterpillars
2 July 1874 Description of a comet written about in newspapers
15 July 1874 Death of Agnew's sister Mary Richey
August-September 1874 Correspondence with J. Peoples about matrimony
12 December 1874 Black people in Vicksburg
14 December 1874 Misdemeanors of person in neighborhood being handled by the Grange; and matrimonial plans for 21 January 1875
Folder 20

Volume 18: 1875 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 20

Entries include:

11 January 1875 Grange expelling members who have misbehaved
18 January 1875 En route to his wedding, Agnew finds many emigrants to Texas using newly completed railroad.
19 January 1875 Description of Memphis
20-21 January 1875 About Sardis, and his marriage to Janie Peoples
22 January 1875 His return home
15-16 March 1875 Tornado in neighborhood
6, 14 May 1875 Caterpillars in great profusion
19 May 1875 Train of soldiers from New Orleans going to Black Hills Expedition under Custer
26-27 May 1875 More about caterpillars
29 May 1875 Threat of grasshoppers
9 June 1875 Swarm of candle flies, supposedly from caterpillars
12 August 1875 Description of Grange dinner at Guntown
12 September 1875 Prevalence of diphtheria, trouble with cooks
21-22 October 1875 L.Q.C. Lamar at Guntown
27 October 1875 Earthquake felt
28 October 1875 Mass meetings against radicals
2 November 1875 A boy born to Agnew and his wife
27 November 1875 Petitions about boundaries of counties
December 1875 The naming of his son, "John Brown," for his wife's father
Folder 21

Volume 19: 1876 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 21

Entries include:

23 April 1876 Death of Agnew's son, James Calvin
24 April 1876 Devastating caterpillars
4-5, 11 May 1876 Devastating caterpillars
10 June 1876 Decoration Day and plans for the care of soldiers' graves
10 July 1876 Report of the defeat and death of Gen. Custer and his force
Folder 22

Volume 20: 1877 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 22

Entries include:

10 April 1877 Many caterpillars
25 April 1877 Caterpillars increasing
30 June 1877 Failed effort to organize a Farmers' Movement
15 August 1877 Birth of Agnew's daughter Mary
23 November, 18 December 1877 A number of persons emigrating to Texas
Folder 23

Volume 21: 1878 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 23

Entries include:

1 January 1878 News from Texas emigrants
8-9 March 1878 Description of a hanging at New Albany
5 April 1878 Caterpillars sighted
6 April 1878 Description of a second hanging at New Albany
27 June 1878 Inspection of a horse-powered thrasher
August 1878 News of yellow fever in nearby communities
9 September 1878 Residents of Tupelo fleeing from yellow fever
16-17 September 1878 More about yellow fever
4 October 1878 Birth of another daughter, Lizzie
5 October 1878 Increase of yellow fever
13 October 1878 Death of daughter Mary
11 November 1878 Emigration of neighbors to Texas
Folder 24

Volume 22: 1879 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 24

Entries include:

30 January 1879 Account of a bad hurricane at Iuka and Rienzi
28 February 1879 Death of Agnew's mother (b. 19 September 1809)
28 September 1879 Emigrants to Texas
Folder 25

Volume 23: 1880 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 25

During this year, Agnew worked on compiling a history of his community, collecting narratives from the memories of various persons. He mentions a number of these collected narratives.

Entries include:

8 January 1880 A housewarming given to Agnew and his family by his congregation
19 March 1880 Agnew's sister Mag Simpson and family move to Hinds County, Miss.
26 April 1880 News of destructive tornado at Macon, Miss.
14 October 1880 Birth of son Rutherford
18 December 1880 Black people leaving Mississippi for Arkansas
Folder 26

Volume 24: 1881 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 26

Entries include:

1 January 1881 Collecting funds for publication of Bethany history
3 January 1881 Black people leaving Mississippi for Arkansas
20-21 February 1881 Meetings held by Mormons in the community
6 April 1881 Death of Agnew's daughter Lizzie
11 May 1881 Arrival of thirteen-year locusts in the woods
6 June 1881 Reports seeing General U. S. Grant at Guntown
28 June 1881 Reports seeing a comet
Folder 27

Volume 25: 1882 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 27

Entries include:

21 September 1882 Birth of a daughter
Folder 28-49

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Folder 29

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Folder 31

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Folder 44

Folder 45

Folder 46

Folder 47

Folder 48

Folder 49

Volumes 26a-45: 1883-1902 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Folder 28-49

Diary entries for these years are the same type as those made in previous volumes, and contain material on the following topics: church affairs--administration, organization, meetings of the Memphis Presbytery, sermons, baptisms, services, pastoral visits, references to Methodist church appointments and meetings (among the churches Agnew mentions serving in Lee County, Miss., and adjoining counties, are Bethany, Corders, Ebenezer, Guntown, and Hopewell); miscellaneous news items from various towns--illnesses, deaths, marriages, local crimes, social events, county and town politics, and civic improvements; personal items--illnesses of family, births, deaths, visits, and farming; brief notations of state politics, national and international events; and a few references to books. There's also an account of a college commencement at Starkville in 1887, and an 1853 land title.

Transcription Volume TV-923/1-9

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TV-923/9

Typed transcriptions of manuscript volumes 1-10, 19, and 29 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." TV-923/1-9

Box 15

Marriage data and transcriptions #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Box 15

Acquisition information: Additions of July 2012 (101624) and April 2013 (Acc. 101787)

Compiled list of marriages mentioned in the papers.

Four volumes of typed excerpts from the diaries of Samuel A. Agnew. The transcriber included the excerpts that they considered the most important, rather than the entire text of the diaries. Dates include 1861-1865, 1871-1875, 1876-1879, and 1880-1883.

Reel M-923/1-20

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M-923/20

Microfilm copy of collection materials, 1851-1898 #00923, Series: "Samuel A. Agnew Diary, 1851-1902." Reel M-923/1-20

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Processing Information

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Finding aid updated for digitization by Kathryn Michaelis, October 2010

Updated by: Laura Hart, June 2021

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