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Chiefly correspondence and other scattered papers of the McClure family of Clarksville, Tennessee. A few papers of Gustavus A. Henry are also included. This
is the period before the marriage of Gustavus Henry and Marion McClure.
| 1804-1826 |
A few legal and business papers, including several bills of sale for people trafficked
in the internal slave trade by Hugh McClure and James Elder, who were partners in
a merchandise firm.
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| 1828 |
Several letters to James B. McClure, chiefly addressed to him at college in Nashville,
Tenn., from his father, his mother, Marion, and his friends. His mother wrote (4 December
1828) about the plan for him to be a partner in the family store, and for Uncle and
Aunt Frazier to live with them. The family business apparently included a store, a
farm, and a tavern. Gustavus Henry of Hopkinsville, Ky., wrote to Thomas Frazer of
Clarksville on 20 August 1828 about Frazer's claim against his brother's estate, state
politics, and the national presidential election.
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| 1829 |
Chiefly letters to and from James B. McClure, in school in Nashville, including correspondence
with his mother and Marion about the family's business and activities in Clarksville.
Also included is a love letter from James Hamilton of Nashville to Marion, and a letter
from Gustavus Henry of Hopkinsville, Ky., to Thomas Frazer, concerning the settlement
of Henry's brother's estate.
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| 1830 |
Three invitations to members of the McClure family to social activities, and a letter
to Marion from a suitor, Jos. B. Crockett of Hopkinsville, Ky.
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| 1831 |
Chiefly letters to Marion from friends giving news of social activities, and two love
letters addressed to her. Also included is a bill to Dr. Drane.
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| 1832 |
Personal letters to Marion, including items from Eliza Baird, Thomas B. Criaghead,
James Hamilton, Felix Catron, David Criaghead, and Gustavus A. Henry.
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Papers of the family of Gustavus and Marion Henry, chiefly correspondence between
Gustavus and Marion while he was travelling on legal and political business, and making
his annual visit to his plantation in Mississippi (usually in November and December).
| 1833 |
Included are several letters to Marion (now Mrs. Gustavus A. Henry) from friends.
Also included is a letter from Patrick Henry (brother of Gustavus) in Hopkinsville,
Ky., to Sarah Frazer, ordering dresses and hats for his wife and describing the reception
of Gustavus and Marion by the town and his family. There is also a letter from Patrick
in Clarksville to Gustavus in Hopkinsville in which Patrick gave advice on the latter's
problem of whether to settle in Hopkinsville or Clarksville. There are letters from
Gustavus and Patrick to Thomas Frazer discussing personal and legal business, and
a letter to Gustavus from a nephew in Galena, Illinois. Gustavus wrote from Hopkinsville
to Marion in Clarksville about his plan to move to Clarksville permanently.
|
| 1834 |
Correspondence between Marion in Clarksville and Fairfield, Tenn., and Gustavus in
Hopkinsville, in which they discussed court business and personal news. Patrick Henry
also wrote to Marion and Gustavus, advising the latter to buy a farm, describing his
success as a planter, and asking Marion to order clothes for his wife.
|
| 1835 |
Included is a joint letter to Marion from Elizabeth and Patrick Henry of White Hall,
Miss., discussing family and business matters and their purchase of a piece of land
for Gustavus. Gustavus wrote from Hopkinsville to Marion in Clarksville about court
business and work to be done at home. John F. Henry (1793-1873) wrote from Bloomington,
Illinois, to Gustavus, mentioning politics, his sentiments on lynching, and railroad
plans in Illinois. There is also a thank you note from A. T. Johnson to Marion and
Elisa.
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| 1836 |
Included is a letter to Elisa (probably Marion's sister who was married to Walter
Drane) possibly from A. T. Johnson (the signature is torn) about old times in Clarksville,
the crude and rough life in her new home, and the possibility of Dr. Drane selling
Sugar Grove. Gustavus wrote Marion from Charlotte, Tenn., Dover, Tenn, and Hopkinsville
about law cases, people he saw, the presidential election, and their property in Mississippi.
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| 1837 |
Correspondence between Marion and Gustavus while he travelled to Dover, Hopkinsville,
and Clinton, Miss. Among other topics, they discussed Gustavus's visit to his family
in Kentucky and the death of his brother, the drinking and gambling of Marion's brother
James, Gustavus's trip to their plantation in Mississippi, the health of the people
they enslaved, and state of the crops there. Also included is a letter from Lucy S.[?]
Henry of Bloomington, Illinois, to Marion, and a letter from Patrick Henry of White
Hall, Miss., to Gustavus, discussing the cotton crop.
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| 1838 |
Three letters to Marion from Gustavus, in Charlotte and Dover, Tenn., in which he
discussed court business and gave directions about farming activities at home.
|
| 1839 |
Correspondence between Marion and Gustavus, chiefly in November and December while
he was on his trip to Mississippi. He discussed his travels, a visit to Patrick, hiring
a new overseer, and settling the affairs of the people he enslaved. Marion wrote about
activities at home. Also included is a letter to Marion from Lucy S.[?] Henry giving
news of her family and information on their new home in Illinois.
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| 1840 |
A few letters from Gustavus to Marion, written during his travels through Tennessee
campaigning for the Whigs. Also included is one letter from Marion to Gustavus, and
several letters to him from Patrick describing his courting of a widow named Louisa,
the cotton and corn crops in Mississippi, and his activities on behalf of the Whigs.
(The papers indicate that Patrick's wife died sometime in the late 1830s and that
his children were living with Marion and Gustavus.)
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| 1841 |
Three letters to Marion from Gustavus, at Springfield and Dover, in which he discussed
court business and the settlement of his brother Thomas Henry's estate. Also included
is a memorandum of notes sent to Gustavus by Dr. B. Wilkins.
|
| 1842 |
Three letters from Gustavus to Marion written while he was away on court business. |
| 1843 |
Correspondence between Marion and Gustavus, in which they discussed his travels across
Tennessee making political speeches, the efforts to get him to run for the Senate
and his desire not to do so, court business, his trip to Mississippi in December and
the affairs of the plantation, and news of family and friends in Clarksville. Also
included are items concerning the political campaign in July, such as letters from
Edmund S.[?] Cheatham, Thomas Turner, and T. Cooney.
|
| 1844 |
Correspondence between Marion and Gustavus, chiefly concerning his campaign in Tennessee
for Henry Clay from July through October. Also included are letters from W. Henry
of Hopkinsville (20 July) concerning a financial transaction and politics, from Ro.
L. Caruthers of Lebanon, Tenn., (14 August) discussing politics, and from a niece,
S. C. Underwood of Bowling Green, Ky., to Gustavus concerning a family squabble.
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| 1845 |
Letters from Gustavus in January while he was travelling on the Mississippi River
in the same boat with Henry Clay, and in December while he was on another boat trip
(in Vicksburg and on the Cumberland River) and again met up with Clay. James C. Henry
wrote to his brother Gustavus about Patrick's desire to move to Texas, California,
or some other Utopian country. Also included is a list of subscribers to Trinity Church
(Episcopal) in Clarksville, and a statement from the Branch of the Bank of Tennessee
in Clarksville to Gustavus, concerning a note on which he was an endorser.
|
| 1846 |
Correspondence between Marion and Gustavus in January, November, and December, while
he was in Mississippi. Marion wrote about the children, friends, and politics. Gustavus
wrote about friends, relatives, crop prospects, the people he enslaved, the overseer,
the possibility of purchasing new land, politics, and their son Thomas F. Henry (called
Tom), who accompanied him on the trip in November and December. Also included are
a few letters from Susan and Thomas Henry, a letter from a friend in Hickory Flat,
Miss., to Marion Henry, about the virtues of her move from Clarksville to Mississippi
and news of friends and relatives (no signature), and a letter from John R. Harris,
Henry's overseer in Mississippi, about crop prospects and plantation affairs.
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| 1847 |
A group of miscellaneous items, including a carpenter's bill; a letter to Marion Henry
from Mildred T.[?] Tyler concerning efforts to raise money for the church; a letter
from Gustavus to Marion while on a business trip to Dover, Tenn.; an invitation to
the funeral of George C. Boyd; a letter from James Erwin of Lexington, Ky., concerning
land that Gustavus was interested in buying; and a Christmas note to Marion from a
friend, James B. Reynolds.
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Oversize Paper Folder OPF-1431/1
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Chiefly correspondence between members of the Henry family. Marion and Gustavus continued
to correspond while he was away on trips, and they began to correspond with their
children who were away at school and elsewhere.
| 1848 |
Chiefly Henry family letters, most of which are correspondence from September through
December between Susan at the Columbia Female Institute in Columbia, Tenn., and her
mother, father, and brothers. Lou Drane, her cousin, was in school with her, and Susan's
letters discuss their activities, such as studies, social life, and living conditions,
and contain messages to friends and family at home. Her family wrote about news at
home and gave instructions for her behavior, study, and purchases of clothing. There
are also a few letters from Gustavus to Marion. On 18 January, he wrote from Nashville,
where he was at court, about a visit from Governor A. V. Brown, visiting old friends,
and his plans to have portraits of himself and Marion painted. On 29 June, he wrote
about his plans to return home from court business. On 21 and 26 August, he wrote
from Columbia and Pulaski, Tenn., about a speaking tour and his debates with the Democrats.
In December, he wrote while on his annual trip to his plantation in Mississippi about
the crops, his desire to sell the plantation and buy a new one, dissatisfaction with
the overseer due to ill treatment of the people he enslaved, and Patrick's family.
Also included are a few business and political letters to Gustavus (11 February, 21
October, and 9 December), and a few personal letters from relatives and friends (18
October, 4 December, and 31 December).
|
| 1849 |
Continuing correspondence between Susan and members of the family from January through
April. Among other topics, they mentioned the effects of cholera, setting up the telegraph
in Clarksville, and seeing President Taylor. Gustavus wrote to Marion on 31 May and
21 July from Columbia about his speaking tour, and they corresponded in November and
December while he was on a trip to Mississippi accompanied by Susan. There are a few
letters to Marion from friends who had recently visited her, dated 8 and 29 March,
in which they discussed the cholera epidemic and provided a recipe for treatment of
the disease. There are a few financial and political letters to Gustavus, including
one from Senator John Bell and one from Representative Balie Peyton, concerning his
desire for appointment to a foreign mission. Also included are report cards for Gustavus
A. and Thomas F. Henry at the Masonic University of Tennessee, and a bill for Susan's
schooling expenses dated 3 June.
|
| 1850 |
Chiefly correspondence from October through November between members of the Henry
family and Susan, who was at the Columbia Female Institute, and correspondence between
Gustavus and Marion when he was in Nashville in October. Some of the other letters
in 1850 are from other relatives, including Patrick and Bettie Henry in Mississippi,
Fay Henry in Kentucky, and John F. Henry in Burlington, Illinois, in which they discussed
the compromise proposals before Congress, President Taylor, Gustavus's plantation
in Mississippi, and family news. There are scattered letters from friends, chiefly
personal, including a letter dated 6 July from George W. Jones (Senator from Iowa)
to Gustavus, in which he discussed his career, their old classmates, among whom were
Jefferson Davis and David R. Atchison, and the compromise bill of 1850. James Lee,
Jr., wrote to Gustavus on 20 October describing the University of North Carolina.
Also included is a letter from Gustavus's overseer dated 16 June, and a letter from
M.[?] W. McClure in San Francisco, Ca., to Bryce Stewart in Clarksville, describing
his gold mining activities.
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| 1851 |
Chiefly correspondence among members of the Henry family. Gustavus wrote while on
trips to Nashville in January, November, and December, and on a trip to New Orleans,
La., in March. His son Jack (John) accompanied him on the latter journey. Susan wrote
while at the Columbia Female Institute in January and in Nashville in June. Thomas
wrote while on a trip to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky in July. Also included is a funeral
announcement for M. A. Martin of Clarksville, a letter from Patrick to Gustavus dated
23 April, and letters to the Henry family from friends. H.[?] M. Cummins wrote to
Gustavus from Paris, Tenn., on 15 March, commenting on state politics, Whig plans
for the coming state election, and his regret that Gustavus would not be the Whig
nominee for governor.
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| 1852 |
The family correspondence includes a letter Gustavus wrote from Nashville where he
was attending the legislature in January, and letters of Gustavus, Marion, and Thomas,
from August through October, while Gustavus was on a speech-making tour in Tennessee.
Also included are letters to Gustavus from friends, chiefly on politics, and a letter
to Susan from an admirer.
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| 1853 |
Family letters include correspondence between Marion and Gustavus while he was on
trips to Memphis, Tenn., New Orleans, La., and Mississippi in February and March,
on a political tour of Tennessee while campaigning for governor in June and July,
and in Nashville in October while seeking election to the Senate. Susan accompanied
him on his trips to Memphis and New Orleans. Also included are letters from Susan
while on a tour to Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Washington, and New York, from August
through November, and letters to the Henrys from two people travelling in the party
with Susan, Daniel K. Stewart and John Stewart Oxley. There are a few personal letters
from friends to Marion and Gustavus, and letters dated 30 May and 4 June to Susan
from Drane cousins in New Orleans and Glasgow, Mo. Gustavus wrote to J. O. Shackelford
of Clarksville on 3 June telling him of his campaign for governor. On 24 September,
Jo. C. Stark of Springfield, Tenn., wrote to Gustavus describing the obstacles in
the way of his being elected to the Senate and the activities of [John?] Bell.
|
| 1854 |
1854: A few letters from Gustavus to Marion which he wrote while on a trip to Mississippi
in April. He discussed his purchase of new lands in Arkansas, the people he enslaved
who joined the Baptist church, and seeing friends and relatives, including his brother
Dr. John F. Henry. Patrick wrote to Gustavus on 20 March and 15 June discussing plantation
affairs and urging him to be in Mississippi for Dr. Henry's visit. There are several
letters to Susan from friends and relatives, including one from George D. Martin,
whom she later married, and a funeral notice for Norman Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Bryce Stewart, dated 3 March.
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| 1855 |
Chiefly letters from Gustavus to Marion while away in Mississippi in January and February,
accompanied by Susan and her new husband, in Memphis at a railroad meeting in April,
and at his new plantation at Henrico, Ark., in December, accompanied by Gustavus,
Jr. While in Mississippi, he wrote about his plantation plans and Susan's activities.
Also included is a letter, dated 8 February, from Susan to her mother, and a letter,
dated 13 April, from George D. Martin to his wife, Susan, written from Nashville,
where he had gone on business. An item dated 29 January mentioned the death of Johnnie,
infant son of Bryce and Eliza Stewart.
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| 1856 |
Family correspondence, with several letters from the Henry sons who were away at school.
Gustavus wrote on 7 January and 14 December, while on trips to his new plantation,
describing building new cabins for the people he enslaved, the activities of Gustavus,
Jr. (Tade), his boat trip, and sending messages to Sue and her babies. Thomas F. Henry
wrote in March and October from Lebanon, Tenn., where he was studying law, about his
longing for home, his social and school life, his desire to go to Nashville in October
and to hear speeches, and contacts with Judge and Mrs. Caruthers in Lebanon. John
F. Henry wrote in September and October while at school at the University of Virginia,
about his father's political actions and national politics, a trip to Monticello,
Va., the activities of Tade and Thomas, and the Arkansas plantation.
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| 1857 |
Chiefly family correspondence. There are letters from Gustavus, Jr., at school at
West Point, from June through December, describing his schooling and drilling, a visit
from General Winfield Scott, his promises in regard to drinking, and the necessity
for him to leave the Military Academy in December because of deficiency in mathematics.
John F. Henry wrote from the University of Virginia on 22 February, 8 March, 4 May,
and 17 May about a trip he made to Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration,
where he saw a number of national figures and visited Congress. He also commented
on his father's farming activities and political life. On 26 July he wrote from Boston,
Ma., describing his trip to Washington, New York, and Boston, accompanied by Thomas
Drane and Walt Drane, and on 17 October he wrote from Cousin Jack's in the vicinity
of his father's plantation. Thomas wrote from Washington and West Point in July, while
on a trip with John, describing their travels, a visit with Governor [A. V.] Brown
(formerly governor of Tennessee and at that time Postmaster General of the United
States), and a visit with Gustavus at West Point. Gustavus wrote to Marion from the
plantation in Arkansas on 21 March and November through December, describing his cotton
gin, saw mill, corn mill, the activities of sons John and Patrick, who were with him,
and the state of the crops, and giving directions to Gustavus, Jr., to come home from
West Point. He noted on 13 December that Senator Robert Toombs of Georgia had purchased
land near his in Arkansas. On 4 December, Marion wrote to Gustavus about her social
activities and her work with the ladies in Clarksville in organizing work for the
Mount Vernon Association.
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| 1858 |
Included are a letter from Gustavus, Jr., in New York, to his mother, concerning his
plans for returning home, a letter from W. G. Weatherford to Gustavus on legal business,
and an authorization from Gustavus giving Thomas F. Henry power of attorney in connection
with building a levee on his lands.
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| 1859 |
Included are a letter from W. G. Brownlow of Knoxville, Tenn., to W. S. Cheatham,
giving his opinion on his party's chances over the Democrats in the coming election
and mentioning various politicians, and a letter from Jas. Minor Quarles of Clarksville
to Pomp Marbly [?] in the same town, discussing his inability to be in Stewart before
31 July. Quarles was elected as a representative from Tennessee in 1859.
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| 1860 |
Chiefly family letters. John F. Henry wrote from Memphis, on 5 January and 13 December,
about his social life, the price of cotton, the scarcity of money, the sectional conflict
and sentiments against abolitionists, news from his father in Arkansas, and about
selling the old home in Clarksville. George D. Martin wrote to Susan on 4 February
from New Orleans, describing the sale of his tobacco and social life in New Orleans,
and sending messages to Marion and Abe, probably his children. Gustavus wrote Marion
on 22 September from Nashville, on his way to Philadelphia and New York, about a speech
he made, a conference with [John?] Bell, and giving advice on their new home. In November
and December, Gustavus wrote from their plantation in Arkansas describing plantation
activities and rebuilding the gin, which had burned. He wrote on 6 December about
a recent trip to New Orleans to collect insurance on the gin and described a visit
to the elegant new home of a friend named Greenfield. He mentioned secession talk
and the failure of business houses in New Orleans, Charleston, Richmond, and New York
due to the threat of secession. There are a few letters to Marion Henry from friends
and from a niece, Flora Henry, and invitations to Gustavus to speak at a meeting of
the Constitutional Union Party in Philadelphia (17 September) and to speak in a meeting
in New Jersey (6 October).
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Folder 18
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About 25 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly family letters written during the Civil War when several of the Henry sons
were serving in the Confederate Army. In addition to letters on military matters,
there are a number of letters and other documents relating to the management of the
plantation in Arkansas and family activities. There are only a few documents from
after the Civil War, one of which is an article on the life of Gustavus A. Henry.
| 1861 |
Included are letters in January from Gustavus at the Arkansas plantation. Also included
are letters from the following family members: John F. Henry wrote on 6 February and
26 May from Memphis, and from August through December from Confederate Army camps
in Missouri and Kentucky. Gustavus, Jr., was on the staff of General G. J. Pillow
and wrote in August from New Madrid, Mo., and on 1 November from Head Quarters 1st
Div. George D. Martin wrote to Gustavus on financial matters on 26 September, and
Patrick On Board Steamer Ky wrote to his brother Gustavus on 21 April. In these letters,
family members discussed affairs at the plantation in Arkansas; plans of Gustavus,
Jr., and John F. Henry for entry into the Confederate Army; opinions of Gustavus and
Patrick on secession; and military experiences of Gustavus, Jr., and John F. in the
Ohio River area of Missouri and Kentucky, including references to General Pillow and
General U. S. Grant. In a letter dated 17 May, Gustavus wrote to Gustavus, Jr., about
the procedure he should follow in getting a commission, and enclosed a letter of introduction
for him to present to Jefferson Davis. In addition to these letters, there are a few
miscellaneous items from friends and relatives on personal, political, legal, and
financial matters; a letter dated 22 September from Gustavus's overseer; and a letter
dated 14 November from F. A. Hannum of Clarksville to the governor of Tennessee, concerning
the affairs of the military board of Clarksville.
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| 1862 |
All the material in 1862 dates from January through June. Included is a letter to
Gustavus from R. A. Parker of Memphis, concerning sending salt to the former's plantation;
a letter concerning the candidacy of A. L. Edwards for Sergeant at Arms of the Confederate
Senate; and a letter from John F. Henry to Gustavus concerning military action around
Columbus, Ky., dated 22 January. Also included is a telegram, 28 April, from Gustavus,
Jr., to General Patrick Henry, stating that Jack is sinking but little. In June, there
are letters from Susan to her mother and from Marion Stewart to Gustavus concerning
the death of Jack.
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| 1865 |
Only two items are included for this year. The first is a brief note dated 21 April
from G. A. Henry [Jr.] authorizing Captain Reid [?] to draw his pay for him. The second
item is a copy of a letter dated 15 October from J. N. Thomas of Clarksville, to the
president of Lexington Institute, asking if Patrick Henry of Clarksville was one of
the students at the Institute who participated in the Battle of New Market.
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| 1866 |
Two letters, dated 3 and 13 March, to Gustavus A. Henry from T. H. Smith of the Virginia
Military Institute, regarding Patrick Henry's service in the Battle of New Market.
He also discussed the affairs of the school and the plan to bring the remains of the
boys who had died at New Market to the school for burial along with those of General
Henry Lee.
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| 1871 |
Included is a letter, dated 24 May, from E. T. Henry of Vicksburg, Miss., to Uncle
Gus, asking him to give a photograph to Aunt Marion and thanking them for their kindness
to him and his wife.
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| 1895 |
Included is a reprint of an article in the Nashville American, dated 10 November 1895,
written by John F. House, on the life of Gustavus A. Henry.
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Included in this series is some undated correspondence between Marion and Gustavus.
Also included are a number of items relating to the effort in Tennessee to raise money
to buy Mount Vernon, a project in which Marion Henry participated. Other items include
a letter from James B. McClure; letters to Marion and Gustavus from nieces and cousins;
letters to Marion from her mother and Sarah Frazer; and letters written to Marion,
before her marriage, by friends, suitors, and Sally Frazer. There is some correspondence of Susan Henry, and a group of calling cards and invitations.
The miscellaneous items include recipes, notes from friends, poems, a bill, and two
maps, one of lands owned by M. H. Howard along the Mississippi River, and one of a plat of a township in Desha County.
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