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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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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 200 items) |
| Abstract | James T. Harrison, of Columbus, Miss., was a white lawyer and member of the Confederate Congress. The collection is chiefly correspondence among Harrison family members. Topics include the forced migration and trafficking through sale and hiring out of enslaved people and other aspects of slavery; acquiring Chickasaw and Choctaw land in Mississippi; the U.S. public lands policy; the possibility of the acquisition of Texas by the United States; and travel in the northeast and Canada, and in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. During the American Civil War, Harrison wrote from Richmond, where he was serving in the Confederate Congress, and mentioned meetings with Confederate president Jefferson Davis; after the war he wrote from Washington, D.C., where he was trying to claim his seat in Congress. Other materials relate to the Earle and Sloan families of South Carolina and the Blewett family in Anson and Richmond counties, N.C. A few of these papers concern Revolutionary War soldiers. |
| Creator | Harrison, James T. (James Thomas), 1811-1879. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: E. Ryan, November 1951
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Shonra Newman, March 1991
Conscious editing by Nancy Kaiser, April 2024: Updated abstract, subject headings, biographical note, scope content note, contents list.
In April 2024, archivists reviewed this collection to uncover more information about the lives of enslaved people. Containers that include materials related to enslaved people during the antebellum period or the institution of slavery, are indicated as "Records of enslavement." Researchers are advised that the collection may include more documentation of slavery than has been identified in this finding aid.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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Subject Headings
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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Related Collections
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Biographical Information
James Thomas Harrison (1811-1879), son of Thomas Harrison (active 1834-1838) and Hannah(?) Earle Harrison (active 1837-1838), was born near Pendleton, S.C., in 1811. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1829 and studied law under James L. Pettigru. In 1834, he moved to Mississippi, settled in Columbus, and began the practice of law. He was a delegate to the convention of southern states that met in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1861 and was a member of the Confederate Congress throughout its existence. After the American Civil War, he was elected to the United States Congress, but was refused admittance. He returned to the practice of law and died in Columbus, Miss., in 1879.
James Thomas Harrison married Regina Blewett (active 1845-1868), daughter of Thomas G. Blewett (active 1819-1869). Among their children were Tom or Sam (he is frequently mentioned in letters from James to Regina but the writing is not clear), James, Allen, and Regina (active 1860-1878). Regina married General Stephen Dill Lee in 1865. In his letters to Regina, Lee referred to her as "Lily."
Other family members include Isham Harrison (active 1834-1838), brother of Thomas Harrison, and Randle Blewett (active 1856-1862), son of Thomas G. Blewett and a Confederate soldier.
Enslaved people who are identified by name and/or a familial relationship in the collection include:
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Scope and Content
The James T. Harrison Papers consist chiefly of correspondence of Harrison family members, including James Thomas Harrison; his father Thomas Harrison; his mother Hannah Harrison; his uncle Isham Harrison; his wife Regina Blewett Harrison; his daughter Regina Harrison Lee; and her husband Stephen Dill Lee. There are also letters from Thomas G. Blewett and other Blewett family members, the Earle family, William Sloan, B. F. Sloan, and others. Regina Blewett Harrison and Regina Harrison Lee were recipients of but did not write any of the letters in this collection.
Papers, 1770-1833, include financial and legal documents pertaining to Anson and Richmond counties, N.C., probably collected by the Blewett family. A few of these papers concern Revolutionary War soldiers. Records of enslavement for this time period include two bills of sale for people enslaved by Thomas G. Blewett, and other items documenting slavery, especially the trafficking through sale or hiring out of enslaved people.
Papers, 1834-1838, include many letters to James T. Harrison with instructions and advice from his father Thomas Harrison and his mother Hannah Harrison in South Carolina, written after James moved to Mississippi in 1834, and letters exchanged between Isham Harrison in Mississippi and Thomas Harrison. Topics include the progress of James T. Harrison's legal career; economic conditions; U.S. public land policy and the Choctaw treaty; the acquisition of Choctaw and Chickasaw land in Mississippi; and the possible acquisition and annexation of Texas. Records of enslavement for this time period include numerous letters with ongoing discussion of the forced migration of people enslaved by Thomas Harrison from South Carolina to Alabama, where they were trafficked through sale by James T. Harrison. Other letters discuss slavery more broadly, including concerns for enslaved communities at risk of disease, especially cholera; the threat of interracial violence; the economics of slavery, especially prices for enslaved people in different markets in the Southeast and Southwest and the sale of enslaved people by rice plantation owners in South Carolina.
Papers, 1845-1860, are chiefly letters James T. Harrison wrote to Regina Blewett Harrison (active 1845-1868) while he was away on trips in the northeast and Canada, and in various towns in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
Papers, 1861-1865, consist of letters James T. Harrison wrote from Richmond, where he was serving in the Confederate Congress, to Regina Blewett Harrison in Mississippi. He reported on meetings with Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Records of enslavement from this time period include letters in which James T. Harrison mentioned enslaved people back at home by name and also commented more broadly on the state of slavery and enslaved people during the war.
Papers, 1866-1896, consist of letters from James T. Harrison to Regina Bluett Harrison, written from Washington, D.C., where he was trying to claim his seat in Congress, and letters from Thomas G. Bluett to his granddaughter Regina Harrison Lee, with family news and advice.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Papers, 1770-1833.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly legal papers, bills, receipts, and miscellaneous items relating to individuals in Anson and Richmond Counties, North Carolina. Among them were Thomas G. Blewett (active 1819-1869), his father Thomas Blewett, William Love, John Crawford, David Love, John Cole, and William Colson. There are a few items relating to the Revolutionary War, such as receipts for supplies furnished to troops, notes concerning payments to volunteer soldiers of Anson County (whose names are listed), agreements relating to locating and surveying land claims of veterans in North Carolina, and a deed of sale for military land claim by Benjamin Simmons to Thomas Evans.
Records of enslavement for this time period include two bills of sale for enslaved people and other items documenting slavery, especially the trafficking through sale or hiring out of enslaved people. See folder level descriptions below for more details.
Other items of interest include the following:
| Folder 1 |
Papers, 1770-1821Records of enslavement:
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| Folder 2 |
Papers, 1824-1833Records of enslavement:
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Series 2. Papers, 1834-1838.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between Thomas Harrison in South Carolina and his son James T. Harrison and his brother Isham Harrison in Mississippi. The main topics of discussion were slavery, especially the interrelated costs of enslaved labor, land, and cotton in Alabama and Mississippi; the progress of James's career as a lawyer; Isham's success with his recently acquired lands in Mississippi; the public lands policy of the federal government, particularly in relation to the Choctaw treaty; acquisition of Choctaw and Chickasaw land in Mississippi (16 June 1834, 27 July 1834, 19 August 1834, 14 October 1834, 15 November 1834); land speculation in Kentucky and in the West; the acquisition of Texas by the United States, the new constitution, land policy, and the possibility of settling there; Thomas Harrison's desire to sell his lands in South Carolina and purchase lands in Mississippi and his activities as an officer in the Bank of South Carolina; and news of the Earle family, some living in South Carolina and some in Mississippi.
Records of enslavement for this time period, especially 1836-1837, include many letters discussing the forced migration of people enslaved by Thomas Harrison from South Carolina to Alabama and their subsequent trafficking through sale. Letters also include more general discussions of enslaved communities at risk of disease, especially cholera; the threat of interracial violence; the economics of slavery, especially prices for enslaved people in different markets in the Southeast and the sale of enslaved people by rice plantation owners in South Carolina. See folder level description below for more details.
Other items of interest include:
| Folder 3 |
Papers 1834Records of enslavement:
|
| Folder 4 |
Papers, 1835-1836Records of enslavement:
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| Folder 5 |
Papers, 1837-1838Records of enslavement:
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Series 3. Papers, 1845-1860.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters from James Harrison to his wife Regina Blewett Harrison while he was away on various trips. In 1848, he wrote while on a trip in the Northeast and Canada in which he commented on his travel experiences. In 1853, Harrison wrote at various points on a trip through Charleston, Washington, Saratoga Springs, Quebec, White Mountains, and New York. He described persons and places he saw, and mentioned the "Great Industrial" exhibition in New York and his view of the president of the United States, who was attending the exhibition. From 1854 to 1859, he wrote from various towns in Mississippi, from Mobile, Ala., and from New Orleans, La. He wrote about his legal activities, selling cotton, hotel accommodations, and persons and places he saw.
Other items of interest include the following:
| Folder 6 |
Papers, 1845-1853 |
| Folder 7 |
Papers, 1854-1860 |
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Series 4. Papers, 1861-1865.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence of James T. Harrison during the American Civil War when he was member of the Confederate Congress. During 1861-1862, letters are chiefly from James T. Harrison to Regina Blewett Harrison. Those dated 17 February and 14 May 1861 were written from Montgomery and contain comments on the formation of the Confederate government, a conversation with "Mr. Barnwell," expectations about the actions of the border states, and the military situation in Virginia and at Pensacola. The remainder of the letters were written from Richmond where James was a member of the Confederate Congress. They deal with the military situation in Virginia and elsewhere, the activities of the Congress, visits to President Jefferson Davis, news from friends from Mississippi who were then in Virginia, news of Randle Blewett and Thomas G. Blewett in Virginia where the former was organizing a military outfit, the entry of their son into the army, the Mason-Slidell affair (December 1861), Lincoln's policies, and activities in Richmond.
Records of enslavement include a letter mentioning by name several individuals enslaved by the Harrison family. See folder level descriptions for more details.
Other items of interest include the following:
8 October 1861: letter from Thomas G. Blewett in Richmond to Regina Harrison about the activities of his son Randle Blewett in forming a regiment, a conversation with President Jefferson Davis, an accident involving the wives of President Davis and General Johnston, and activities in Richmond.
14 January 1862: letter from G.[?]H. Sesler[?] in Mount Sterling, near Jackson, Miss., to Major Thomas G. Blewett, inviting him to visit his home, giving news of members of his family in the Confederate Army, and expressing dissatisfaction over the slowness of the Confederate government in carrying on the war.
12 April 1862: letter from Randle Blewett to Thomas G. Blewett about recent skirmishing in which his outfit had participated.
10 June 1862: Confederate $100 loan certificate.
1 December 1862: Confederate $100 note.
28 August 1863: printed copy of orders of Lt. General W. J. Hardee relating to his appointment as commander of paroled prisoners of Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana.
1864: letters from James Harrison in Macon, Miss., written on stationary of "Head-Quarters, State of Mississippi, Adjutant and Inspector General's Office," discussing the military situation in Mississippi and at Mobile, Ala. Also included is a letter from Stephen D. Lee at Meridian, Miss., to James Harrison in Columbus, Miss., asking permission to marry his daughter Lily (Regina Harrison), and a letter from Lee near Nashville to Lily in Columbus, Miss., discussing personal matters and his military campaign in Tennessee.
30 May 1865: printed copy of the orders of Col. Joseph Karge of the Military Division of West Mississippi, relative to the labor of freed people, munitions and stores, Confederate government cotton, and former soldiers.
13 July 1865: letter from a committee in Jackson, Miss., to James T. Harrison asking him to represent the Bar of Mississippi on the occasion of the trial of Jefferson Davis.
17 August 1865: letter from Thomas G. Blewett in Columbus, Miss., to Regina Harrison Lee, giving advice on her religious life and describing food he is sending her.
10 December 1865: letter from James T. Harrison in Washington, D.C., to Regina Blewett Harrison about attempts by himself and other Southern representatives to gain admission to Congress and his visits to the President and several cabinet members.
| Folder 8 |
Papers, 1861Records of enslavement:
|
| Folder 9 |
Papers, 1862-1865 |
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Series 5. Papers, 1866-1896.
Arrangement: chronological.
The items in this series are chiefly letters to Regina Harrison Lee from her grandfather Thomas G. Blewett and from James T. Harrison to Regina Blewett Harrison with news of family and discussions of politics and current events.
Items of interest include:
30 January 1866: letter from Thomas G. Blewett to Regina Harrison Lee, telling her to ignore the unfavorable remarks about his allowing General Lee to manage his York plantation and mentioning the possibility of the election of General Lee as president of the board of directors of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
13 August 1866, 10 March 1867, 25 February 1868: letters from James T. Harrison in Mississippi to Regina Blewett Harrison who was away on visits, giving news of his activities, the family, and mentioning the ill effects of the new "Military Bill" passed by Congress.
1 February 1869: letter from Thomas G. Blewett in Columbus, Miss., to Regina Harrison Lee, giving her advice on farming activities.
11 November 1877: letter from J. C. Pemberton to Stephen Dill Lee discussing a military council they participated in on 14 May 1863 and speaking of the hard times endured by his family.
17 July 1878: letter from Stephen Dill Lee in Columbus, Miss., to Regina Harrison Lee, concerning a political controversy in which he was involved.
24 September 1896: typed copy of an article from the Charleston News and Courier about the Earle family of South Carolina.
| Folder 10 |
Papers, 1866-1896 |