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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.
Size | 27.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5,500 items) |
Abstract | The site known as Dockery Farms (also Dockery Plantation), located on Highway 8 between Cleveland and Ruleville, Sunflower County, Miss., is the historic center of a large family enterprise that included: cotton and rice farming and other agricultural interests; oil and gas exploration and production; fishing; shipping; and other businesses. The Dockery family's land holdings have included properties in Arkansas, Louisiana, and possibly other southern states. The main farm was founded in 1895 by William Alfred Dockery (1865-1936), who operated the farm until his death. Afterwards his son, Joe Rice Dockery (1906-1982), took over the farm and related businesses, managing them until his death. Dockery Farms is an important historical site for the study of Delta blues music and culture. One-time residents (working as tenant or itinerant farmers) at Dockery include blues musicians Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Pops Staples, and others. Currently, the property is an historic site and tourist destination for scholars and music enthusiasts. The Dockery Farms property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Today the site operates in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Delta State University, and other academic and cultural institutions. Records document the operation of Dockery Farms and related businesses of the Dockery family of Sunflower County, Miss., as well as the personal and financial activities of family members. Materials were chiefly created by Joe Rice Dockery and his wife Keith Dockery McLean. |
Creator | Dockery (Family : Sunflower County, Miss.) |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Encoded by: Amanda Loeb, August 2015
Made available for onsite use by Jackie Dean, July 2016
Papers have not been fully arranged, described, or rehoused. However, they are available for onsite use.
Back to TopThe 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.
Papers have not been fully arranged, described, or rehoused. However, they are available for onsite use.
Box 1 |
Family papers, circa 1901-1938Includes letters from Joe Rice Dockery and his sister to their father William Alfred Dockery written while they were children, medical report on William Alfred Dockery's death from Johns Hopkins Hospital, William Alfred Dockery obituaries, and other items. |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5554/1 |
William Alfred Dockery papers, 1918-1940sIncludes account pages, 1918-1919; last will and testament and related correspondence, circa 1920s-1940s. |
Box 1 |
"Miscellaneous Personals," circa 1929-1942Scattered letters to William Alfred Dockery and Joe Rice Dockery. |
"Azara, Early Log," circa 1934 |
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Appellee brief, Frank E. Everett v. Joe Rice Dockery |
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Box 1-2
Box 1Box 2 |
Dockery Plantations Burial Association contracts, 1948-1963 |
Oversize Volume SV-5554/1 |
Census and lease records for tenants, 1950-1963 |
Oversize Volume SV-5554/2 |
Cotton book, 1951 |
Oversize Volume SV-5554/3 |
Cotton book, 1952 |
Oversize Volume SV-5554/4 |
Cotton book, 1955 |
Oversize Volume SV-5554/5 |
Cotton book, 1956 |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5554/2-3
OPF-5554/2OPF-5554/3 |
Cotton ledger pages, 1955 |
Box 3 |
Cotton tickets, 1957 |
Box 4 |
Cotton tickets, 1957-1958 |
Daily crop ledger, 1958-1963 |
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Box 5 |
Employment sheets for tenants, 1960 |
Box 6-10
Box 6Box 7Box 8Box 9Box 10 |
Annual reports prepared by CPA for Joe Rice Dockery, Keith Dockery McLean, and Sunflower Enterprises, 1933-1975 |
Image Folder PF-5554/1 |
Various photographsPrimarily 20th century snapshots, mainly unidentified. |
Image Folder PF-5554/2 |
Photographs of the Azara and other yachts |
Box 11-19
Box 11Box 12Box 13Box 14Box 15Box 16Box 17Box 18Box 19 |
Personal and business files, circa 1940s-1990sFiles maintained by Joe Rice Dockery and his wife Keith Dockery McLean document the operation of Dockery Farms and related businesses of the Dockery family as well as the personal and financial activities of family members. File topics include the Azara (Joe Rice Dockery's yacht), Chevaliers du Tastevin, Chi Phi Fraternity, Memphis Cotton Carnival Association, Mississippi Rice Council, Mississippi Rice Promotions Board, Mississipians for Educational Broadcasting, Mississipi Institute for Arts and Letters, New Orleans Commodities Exchange, and The Webb School. There is a significant amount of Keith Dockery McLean correspondence. Other family papers are scattered throughout the files. For the most part, files have been maintained in the order that they were received at the repository. At the repository, unfoldered materials were grouped into files labeled "Loose Papers." Personal and business-related files are co-mingled in these files and, in many cases, similar materials have not been brought together. Researchers may wish to check each box to ensure they have found all relevant materials. |
Box 20 |
Tax returns for agricultural employees, 1967-1969Because of the presence of Social Security Numbers for the tenant farmers, these materials have been CLOSED by the repository until 2044. Prior to these dates, researchers may gain access to redacted versions of the closed documents. The redaction process will remove personally identifying information, and the costs associated with redaction will be paid by the requesting researcher. Please be advised that the redaction process can be lengthy, and depending on the volume and complexity of the documents, redaction may take a few weeks or even a few months to complete. Should you require access to these documents, please contact Research and Instructional Services staff as early in your research process as possible. |