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Size | 12.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 10000 items) |
Abstract | Anne Cameron Collins, daughter of Paul Carrington Cameron (1808-1891) and Anne (Ruffin) Cameron (d. 1897), of Hillsborough, N.C.; wife of George Pumpelly Collins (1835-1903), plantation manager in Tunica County, Miss. Personal and family letters received by Anne (Cameron) Collins of Hillsborough, N.C., especially from her husband, George P. Collins, while he was away from home managing plantations in Tunica County, Miss., and as a businessman in Durham, N.C., from the late 1870s through the late 1890s. There are also many letters from the Collins's seven children, including Annie Cameron (Collins) Wall (1862-1942), Rebecca Anderson (Collins) Wood (1864-1921), George William Kent Collins (1869-1946), Henrietta Page Collins (1870-1955), Mary Arthur (Collins) Woods (1872-1952), Alice Ruffin (Collins) Mebane (1874-1958), and Paul Cameron Collins (1877-1961); and correspondence with Cameron and Collins relatives, including Bennehan Cameron (1854-1925), Mildred Coles Cameron (1820-1881), and Arthur Collins. Also included are letters from friends, including Carrie Sargent of Bryn Mawr, Pa. There are only two items prior to 1865. The correspondence deals primarily with family concerns and includes letters from children attending St. Mary's School, 1870-1882 and late 1880s, and the Raleigh Male Academy, 1883-1884, both in Raleigh, N.C., and the University of North Carolina, 1897, and also provides information concerning George P. Collins's business affairs and economic and social conditions in Mississippi during Reconstruction. |
Creator | Collins, Anne Cameron, 1842-1915. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
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.
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Anne Ruffin Cameron (1842-1915) was the daughter of Paul Carrington Cameron (1808-1891) and Anne (Ruffin) Cameron (d. 1897). Her maternal grandfather was Thomas Ruffin, chief justice of North Carolina, and her paternal grandfather was Duncan Cameron (1777-1853). Born 16 July 1842, she married George Pumpelly Collins (1835-1903), Major, CSA, on 20 December 1860. George P. Collins came from the Chowan and Washington County area of North Carolina. He had business and property interests in Tunica County, Miss., for a decade or two after the Civil War, and spent considerable time in Mississippi from 1865 to the late 1870s. Later, he became engaged in various business enterprises in Durham, N.C. George and Anne Collins made their home in Hillsborough, N.C., and seven of their children lived to maturity:
Annie Cameron Collins (1862-1942) married William Lewis Wall of Durham, N.C., on 16 November 1892, and had three children: George Collins Wall, Sarah Wallace Wall, and Rebecca Bennehan Wall.
Rebecca Anderson Collins (1864-1921) married Frank Wood of Edenton, N.C., on 11 November 1886, and had three children: Frank, Jr. (died as a child), George C. Wood (b. 1890), and Rebecca (Wood) Drane.
Mary Arthur Collins (1866-1871).
George William Kent Collins (1869-1946), unmarried, was a University of North Carolina alumnus and became a civil engineer.
Henrietta Page Collins (1870-1955), unmarried.
Mary Arthur Collins (1872-1952) married Frank Wood after the death of her sister Rebecca, and had no children.
Alice Ruffin Collins (1874-1958) married Frank Carter Mebane on 20 December 1900, and was mother of Frank Mebane Jr., and Alice Mebane.
Paul Cameron Collins (1877-1961) married Mary McNeill on 12 January 1910, and was the father of Elizabeth Hyman Collins and Mary Strange Collins.
The above information about the children is mainly from Alice R. R. Rouse, The Reads and Their Relatives. Biographical sketches, including family data of Duncan Cameron and Paul C. Cameron are in Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas, 19th Century, Vol. II (1892). Birth and death dates were added by the earlier donor, Elizabeth H. Collins.
Back to TopFamily letters and other papers, mostly letters received by Anne Cameron Collins of Hillsborough, N.C., from her daughters and her sisters between 1876 and 1900. Also included are a few letters to or from George P. Collins and others and a few financial papers. The papers are arranged chronologically.
Back to TopThe only items dated earlier than 1865, are a letter dated 20 July 1849, from George P. Collins at Somerset Place to his cousin, and a poem copied for Anne Cameron on the day before her wedding on 19 December 1860, by A.K.R. (her grandmother Ruffin).
Beginning in April 1865, a large portion of this collection consists of letters to Anne Collins from her husband at times when he was away on business or for other reasons. The various locations of Major Collins include: Greensboro, N.C., April 1865, while he was serving in the Confederate Army at Gen. Johnston's headquarters following the end of hostilities; several locations in northeastern North Carolina, later in 1865, when Collins was trying to redeem family property in the Edenton area; Tunica County, Miss., at or near Othello (with mail addressed to the care of cotton factors or merchants at Memphis). Collins went to Mississippi in late 1865, apparently to manage the plantation holdings of his father-in-law Paul C. Cameron (see letters of 30 December 1871, and 6 January 1872), although Collins's continued concern with Mississippi affairs indicates that he, too, may have had interests there. Anne and some of the children joined George Collins from time to time in Mississippi, but apparently conditions there were not good and the family spent much of each year in Hillsborough, while George Collins remained in Mississippi. Collins's letters to his wife from Mississippi are filled with enlightening information about conditions there during Reconstruction (see letter of 6 January 1872).
In the late 1870s, George Collins gave up permanent residence at the Mississippi plantation and returned to North Carolina. Correspondence suggests that he may have helped to manage the Cameron plantation at Fairntosh (presently Durham County), and that he later became engaged in business ventures in Durham. His wife remained in Hillsborough much of this time, and George returned to Mississippi on plantation business as late as 1888.
Other correspondence includes occasional letters from George P. Collins to Paul C. Cameron in regard to Mississippi affairs; letters to George P. and Anne Collins from their children, and members of Anne's family, especially Duncan Cameron, and Paul C. Cameron and his wife.
Correspondence from the children begins in the early 1870s, when their parents are in Mississippi, and continues as they leave home to attend school. The children's earlier school years seem to have been in Hillsborough at the school of the Misses Nash and Kollock, or at Miss Alice Heartt's school. Rebecca and Anne Collins started at St. Mary's School in Raleigh, N.C., beginning in 1878, apparently living at the home of Mrs. George W. Mordecai (their mother's aunt Margaret). Rebecca and possibly Anne continued at St. Mary's until 1882. According to the report cards included with these papers, Paul and George Collins attended Raleigh Male Academy, 1883-1884. George Collins began studying at the University of North Carolina in 1886. Henrietta Collins attended St. Mary's in 1887. The only one of the girls not to go directly to St. Mary's was Alice R. Collins, who attended St. Hilda's School in Morristown, N. J. in 1892. Letters from the children continue as they marry and resettle. There are a few letters to the children from friends and relatives.
Other letters, scattered throughout the collection, are from Carrie B. Sargent (wife of Dr. Gorham P. Sargent) at Bryn Mawr, Pa.-the first letter being written from Philadelphia, 3 August 1865. There is also correspondence from Mrs. Josiah (Sally) Collins and other Collins in-laws including Mary Collins, Arthur Collins, and George Collins's mother; various Cameron cousins and relatives; and from Anne Collins to her children and husband.
Although the correspondence in this group of papers deals mainly with family concerns, it also includes some business letters and offers information on contemporary events such as Reconstruction in Mississippi, and the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston (3 letters written from Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., 22-30 April 1865).
The papers also include report cards showing the grades of the Collins children, receipts for merchandise sales, and various clippings.
Folder 1-15
Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15 |
1849-June 1872Includes letter from George Collins to Annie Cameron Collins in which he describes conditions in Mississippi after Reconstruction, and the disdain for the “free negroes” in the city. |
Image Folder PF-3838/1 |
Photographs, 1868Includes portraits of Duncan Cameron and three others in uniform of North Carolina military academy; George P. Collins; unidentified children of George P. Collns and Annie C. Collins; and two unidentified men, one of whom may be George P. Collins. |
Folder 16-30
Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30 |
July 1872-June 1877 |
Folder 31-45
Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45 |
July 1877-1879 |
Folder 46-60
Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60 |
1880-June 1883 |
Folder 61-75
Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75 |
July 1883-April 1886 |
Folder 76-90
Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90 |
May 1886-June 1887 |
Folder 91-105
Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105 |
July 1887-August 1888 |
Folder 106-120
Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120 |
September 1888-November 1889 |
Folder 121-135
Folder 121Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135 |
December 1889-1890 |
Folder 136-150
Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150 |
1891-January 1892 |
Folder 151-166
Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165Folder 166 |
February-December 1892 |
Folder 167-180
Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172Folder 173Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180 |
January-July 1893 |
Folder 181-195
Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195 |
August 1893-June 1894 |
Folder 196-206
Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206 |
July 1894-December 1995 |
After 1895, Anne Cameron Collins continued to live in Hillsborough, but visited in Edenton, Raleigh, and Durham, N.C.; New Brighton, Staten Island, and New York City; Savannah, Ga.; and Alabama.
The letters written during this time period are mostly to Anne Collins from her seven scattered children, and concern family matters, particularly illnesses, travels, marriages, births, and deaths. Her daughter, Alice, married Frank C. Mebane in 1900, and moved to New York. Paul was a student at the University of North Carolina during 1897-1898. Letters from George, another son, reveal his trying out different jobs in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and California. Children were born during this period to daughters, Annie Wall, Rebecca Wood, and Alice Mebane. Anne Collins's mother, Anne Ruffin Cameron, died in May 1897, and her husband, George P. Collins, died in August 1903. There are also letters from relatives, namely her brother Bennehan Cameron and his wife Sallie, sister Mildred Cameron, and brother-in-law Arthur Collins. Letters from friends and a few business letters concerning the farm property of the Collins and Cameron families are scattered throughout.
There is an unexplained gap in the papers from September 1904 through 1906.
Folder 207-210
Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210 |
January 1996-January 1897 |
Folder 211-225
Folder 211Folder 212Folder 213Folder 214Folder 215Folder 216Folder 217Folder 218Folder 219Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224Folder 225 |
February 1897-January 1898 |
Folder 226-240
Folder 226Folder 227Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240 |
February 1898-July 1899 |
Folder 241-255
Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243Folder 244Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249Folder 250Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255 |
August 1899-October 1900 |
Folder 256-271
Folder 256Folder 257Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271 |
November 1900-1901 |
Folder 272-286
Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286 |
1901-November 1902 |
Folder 287-301
Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294Folder 295Folder 296Folder 297Folder 298Folder 299Folder 300Folder 301 |
December 1902-May 1903 |
Folder 302-316
Folder 302Folder 303Folder 304Folder 305Folder 306Folder 307Folder 308Folder 309Folder 310Folder 311Folder 312Folder 313Folder 314Folder 315Folder 316 |
June-November 1903 |
Folder 317-331
Folder 317Folder 318Folder 319Folder 320Folder 321Folder 322Folder 323Folder 324Folder 325Folder 326Folder 327Folder 328Folder 329Folder 330Folder 331 |
December 1903-May 1904 |
Folder 332-345
Folder 332Folder 333Folder 334Folder 335Folder 336Folder 337Folder 338Folder 339Folder 340Folder 341Folder 342Folder 343Folder 344Folder 345 |
June 1904-June 1909 |
Folder 346-357
Folder 346Folder 347Folder 348Folder 349Folder 350Folder 351Folder 352Folder 353Folder 354Folder 355Folder 356Folder 357 |
July-October 1909 and miscellaneous |