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Correspondence and papers, 1824-1982

Manuscript Collection 457

• Information about William Wilson
• Information about the Collection
• Contents of the Collection

INFORMATION ABOUT WILLIAM WILSON

William Wilson (1807-1886) was a prominent landowner and stock raiser in the Prairie Grove area of Washington County, Arkansas.  Wilson, a Georgia native, came to Arkansas in the late 1830s, settling first in Pulaski County, and then moving to Washington County around 1855.  Wilson and his wife, Eliza, acquired over 2,000 acres near the present-day town of Prairie Grove, and began building a home for their large family.  The Wilsons had thirteen children: Benjamin, Ann, William Augustus, Eliza, John, Emily, Anthony, Mary, William, Harriet, Albert, Andrew, and George.  Not all lived to adulthood and nine died before the end of the Civil War.  Around 1859, construction began on the Wilson farm of a large home William planned to name "Excelsior."  The Civil War interfered with its completion, and for a time the place was occupied by Unionist refugees organized into a cooperative colony under the command of Captain William Rutherford, First Arkansas Home Guard Militia.  Two of Wilson's sons, Andrew and Albert, served in the Confederate Army, while another, William, enlisted on the northern side.  After the end of the war, William Wilson returned to Washington County from an unknown location and filed suit to regain possession of his farm.  In the latter decades of the nineteenth century, Excelsior farm was run by Albert and Andrew Wilson.  Andrew married Nannie McCulloch in 1889, and their four children included Rollans M. Wilson, the donor of the collection.  William Wilson had at least four brothers and sisters, one of whom figures prominently in the collection's correspondence:  John Wilson, who lived in Homer, Louisiana.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLECTION

Correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and photographs pertaining to the William Wilson family were donated to Special Collections by Rollans M. Wilson, of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, on February 12 and April 8, 1983.

Significant correspondents include Alfred McIlroy Wilson, Augustus H. Garland, Samuel P. Pittman, Jesse Turner, and Wilson family relatives in Texas.

Many of the documents in this collection were published by Walter J. Lemke in a booklet titled The William Wilson Records (Fayetteville: Washington County Historical Society, 1960). In 1981 some of the same materials were loaned to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Archives and Special Collections for photocopying and arrangement, all of which were returned.

A number of documents, particularly those from the Civil War years, are not found in the collection, but they are included in the 1960 Lemke publication--and the dearth of materials dating between 1861-1865 reflects these losses.

Prepared by Kim Allen Scott, Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas, in September 1988.

CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION (2 linear feet)

The William Wilson papers have been arranged in eight series according to document type.  Since most of Wilson's correspondence was closely tied to his business interests, the criterion for separating correspondence from financial records is based entirely on the contents of the document.  If a letter contains nothing more than a memorandum for payment, it has been placed with the financial records, but if more information is included, such as personal comments, references to a third party,  or specific instructions for activity other than payment, it has been retained under correspondence.  A complete outline of series and subseries follows.

Series 1. Correspondence, 1842-1982.  (Box 1)

Series 2. Memorandum Books, ca. 1850-1880s.  (Box 2)

Series 3. Literary Productions, ca. 1860-1970s.  (Box 2)

Series 4. Legal Documents, 1824-1938.  (Box 2)

               Subseries 1.  Real Estate Tax Receipts, 1824-1914.
               Subseries 2.  Poll Tax Receipts, 1876-1912.
               Subseries 3.  Mortgages and Deeds, 1824-1908.
               Subseries 4.  Contracts, 1824-1938.
               Subseries 5.  Miscellaneous Legal Documents, 1865-1930.

Series 5. Financial Records, 1853-1959, n.d.  (Box 3)

Series 6. Maps and Drawings, n.d.  (Box 4)

Series 7. Printed Materials, 1856-1957.  (Box 4)

Series 8. Photographs, ca. 1860s-1980s.  (Box 4)

Series 1.  Correspondence, 1842-1982 (Box 1)

Letters written or received by William Wilson, Eliza Wilson, Albert Wilson, Andrew Wilson, Rollans Wilson, and other members of the Wilson family.  Many of the letters are business related and contain instructions for payment or collection of money and other property.  In general, letters containing nothing more than a memorandum for payment have been placed in Series 5, Financial Records, while those retained with the Correspondence contain more information, such as personal comments, references to a third party, or specific instructions for activity other than payment.  All letters have been arranged chronologically.

Box 1

  1. Correspondence, 1842-1859.
  2. Correspondence, 1860-1869.
  3. Correspondence, 1870-1872.
  4. Correspondence, 1873.
  5. Correspondence, 1874.
  6. Correspondence, 1875.
  7. Correspondence, 1876-1877.
  8. Correspondence, 1878.
  9. Correspondence, 1879.
  10. Correspondence, 1880.
  11. Correspondence, 1881.
  12. Correspondence, 1882-1886.
  13. Correspondence, 1887-1888.
  14. Correspondence, 1889-1892.
  15. Correspondence, 1893-1896.
  16. Correspondence, 1897-1898.
  17. Correspondence, 1899-1902.
  18. Correspondence, 1903-1911.
  19. Correspondence, 1918-1982.
  20. Correspondence, no date.

Series 2.   Memorandum Books, ca. 1850-1880s (Box 2)

Four bound memorandum books with diary entries, financial memos, breeding records, labor records, and miscellaneous information kept by unidentified members of the William Wilson family. The pages are all unnumbered and occasionally entries are made upside down as if the author purposely decided to open the volume backwards and change the entire reason for keeping the book, such as changing from a diary to a recipe book.  None of the books appear to have been kept with any regularity and, as a result, inclusive dates are only approximated.  Some of the "diary" entries in books 2 and 3 refer to activities in Washington County by Federal and Confederate troops, but the authenticity of any particular entry is difficult to substantiate. Book 4 contains mostly financial entries, along with some contractual agreements for sharecroppers and other temporary laborers.

Box 2

  1. Memorandum book, ca. 1850-1854.
  2. Memorandum book, ca. 1862-1863.
  3. Memorandum book, ca. 1862-1863.
  4. Memorandum book, ca. 1880s.

Series 3.  Literary Productions, ca. 1860-1970s (Box 2)

Genealogy notes, research notes, and a manuscript reminiscence by an unidentified member of the Wilson family.  Materials in folder 5 are primarily genealogy charts and notations, some apparently made by William Wilson himself, and others by his descendants, particularly Rollans Wilson.  Folder 6 contains research notes on the collection and essays on aging written by Rollans Wilson, circa 1970.  "Memories of a 400 Mile Trip Through Texas," an unsigned forty-page manuscript reminiscence, circa 1880s, is in folder 7.

Box 2 (cont.)

  5. Genealogy notes.
  6. Research notes and essays.
  7. "Memories of a 400 Mile Trip."

Legal documents arranged chronologically in five subseries.

Subseries 1.  Real estate tax receipts, 1824-1914.

Tax receipts made out to William Wilson, Andrew Wilson, Albert Wilson, or Eliza Wilson for property owned in Washington, Crawford, and Pulaski counties, Arkansas.

Box 2

  8.  1824-1870.
  9. 1871-1879.
  10. 1880-1889.
  11. 1890-1899.
  12. 1900-1914.

Subseries 2. Poll tax receipts, 1876-1912.

Poll tax receipts made out to Andrew and Albert Wilson from the Washington County, Arkansas, Collector's Office.

Box 2 (cont.)

  13. Poll tax receipts.

Subseries 3. Mortgages and deeds, 1824-1908.

Mortgages, indentures, and deeds pertaining to the purchase and sale of real estate in Arkansas by the William Wilson family.

Box 2 (cont.)

  14. 1824-1839.
  15. 1853-1858.
  16. 1860-1885.
  17. 1895-1908.

Subseries 4.  Contracts, 1824-1938.

Contracts for the sale of property other than real estate, such as slaves and livestock; rental agreements for real estate and easement privileges; retainer agreement for attorney Alfred M. Wilson of Fayetteville, Arkansas; warranty for a wagon; burial insurance policy; all pertain to the William Wilson family.

Box 2 (cont.)

  18. Contracts.

Subseries 5. Miscellaneous legal documents, 1865-1930.

Muster out roll for Private William Wilson, Company K, Second Arkansas Cavalry (Union), 1865; pardon issued to William Wilson by President Andrew Johnson, 1866; legal property descriptions and surveys not directly related to any mortgage, deed, or indenture; affidavits and statements; Washington County road work documents.  The muster out roll and pardon have been removed to Manuscript Collections Oversize Box 5.

Box 2 (cont.)

  19. Miscellaneous legal documents.

Series 5.  Financial Records, 1853-1959, n.d. (Box 3)

Orders for payment, canceled checks, bank statements, mortgage payment coupons, ledger statements, and merchant account statements, all pertaining to the William Wilson family.  Most of the pre-Civil War documents are in a brief correspondence format, with a simple memorandum for payment signed by William Wilson. Postwar documents include the widest variety of document types and pertain mostly to Andrew, Albert, and Rollans Wilson.  This series has been chronologically arranged.

Box 3

  1. 1853-1855.
  2.  1856-1857.
  3. 1858-1868.
  4. 1870-1879.
  5. 1880-1889.
  6. 1890-1891.
  7. 1892.
  8. 1893.
  9. 1894.
  10. 1895-1896.
  11. 1897.
  12. 1898-1899.
  13. 1900-1903.
  14. 1904-1906.
  15. 1907-1909.
  16. 1910.
  17. 1911-1913.
  18. 1916-1919.
  19. 1920-1959.
  20. No date.

Series 6.  Maps and Drawings, n.d. (Box 4)

Township plat map for parcels located in Pulaski County, Arkansas; township plat map for parcels in an unidentified location; hand-drawn map of the William Wilson farm showing positions of various buildings, probably drawn by Rollans Wilson; hand-drawn architectural sketch of an unidentified building; plan for a cesspool drawn in ink.  The plat maps have been placed in Manuscript Collections Oversize Box 5.

Box 4

  1. Maps and drawings.

Series 7.  Printed Materials, 1856-1957 (Box 4)

Newspaper clippings and miscellaneous printed materials pertaining to, or collected by, members of the William Wilson family, arranged by subject.  Folders 2-8 are twentieth-century newspaper clippings collected by Rollans and Caswell Wilson.  Clippings in folder 2 pertain directly to the Wilson family.  Those in folders 3 and 4 deal with Arkansas and Kansas history.  Clippings in folders 5-8 pertain to a variety of subjects of interest to Rollans Wilson, and many bear marginal notations made by Rollans.  Printed materials in folder 9 include a funeral invitation for Benjamin Wilson, 1856; promotional literature for the Arkansas Gazette, circa 1870s; advertising literature and tickets for the Louisiana State Lottery, 1886; wedding invitation for Fayetteville claims agent George W.M. Reed, 1905; brochure for the Arkansas State Bank, 1908; roster booklet for a Masonic lodge among soldiers in the American Expeditionary Force stationed at Romorantin, France, 1919, which includes Rollans M. Wilson and other Arkansans; literature pertaining to the proposed Prairie Grove Battlefield Park, 1957; patent medicine advertisements and business cards.

Box 4 (cont.)

  2. Wilson family.
  3. Historical clippings.
  4. Historical clippings.
  5. General interest clippings.
  6. General interest clippings.
  7. General interest clippings.
  8. General interest clippings.
  9. Printed materials.

Photographs 1-33 are of the William Wilson family, from the first to the fourth generation.  Unless otherwise indicated, all are formal studio portraits.  Photographs 34-41 are views of the William Wilson house and property.  Photographs 42-45 are views of the Prairie Grove area.  Photographs 46-66 are primarily family friends and miscellaneous snapshots which were identified after a personal interview with Rollans and Caswell Wilson on September 20, 1988.

Box 4 (cont.)

 Folder 10.  Photographs 1-11.

1. William Wilson, ca. 1880.
2. William Wilson, ca. 1880s. (Carte de visite print of photograph 1).
3. [Albert Wilson], tintype, ca. 1870s.
4. [Albert Wilson], tintype, ca. 1880s.
5. Eugina Wilson, tintype, ca. 1870s.
6. Andrew Jackson Wilson, ca. 1870s.  (2 copies).
7. Andrew Jackson Wilson, ca. 1870s.
8. Moses Rollans, tintype, ca. 1860s.
9. Wilson family, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor group portrait taken against a wood frame building. Back row, left to right: James A., Andrew J., Rollans M., and Newton C. Wilson.  Front row, left to right: Vera, James W., Nancy Naomi, Mary K., Jerry C., and Faye J. Wilson.  Identification on verso.
10. Rollans M. Wilson, ca. 1918.  Photographic post card, probably taken in France, of Rollans wearing his AEF uniform.
11. Rollans M. Wilson, ca. 1918.  Photographic post card, probably taken in France, of Rollans in uniform mounted on a horse.

Folder 11. Photographs 12-20.

12. Carrie Allen, ca. 1890s.  "Hired girl at William Wilsons" written on verso.
13. Rollans M. Wilson, 1892.
14. Newton Caswell Wilson, 1907.
15. Newton Caswell Wilson, ca. 1917.
16. Newton Caswell, Faye J., and Jerry Wilson,   ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot.
17. Julian, Rollans, and Jim Wilson, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor extreme close-up.
18. Newton Caswell Wilson and "Pinch," North Dakota, ca. 1917.  Informal outdoor snapshot of two men doing laundry by hand in a rowboat.  "Me and Pinch doing our washing. The kid hauls grain," written on verso.
19. Faye Janette Wilson, ca. 1920s.  "Daughter of N.C. Wilson," written on verso.
20. Faye Janette and Coretta Wilson, ca. 1920s.

Folder 12. Photographs 21-30.

21. James William Wilson family, ca. 1940s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of family posed in front of a frame building.  Left to right: Emma Fidler, James William Wilson, Vera Fidler Wilson, Thomas A. Wilson.  Identification written on verso.
22. James William Wilson II and Gregory Scott Wilson.  "Great great grandsons of William Wilson," written on verso.
23. Thomas Andrew Wilson.  "Great great grandson of William Wilson," written on verso.
24. Jack Pyeatt Wilson, Jr., ca. 1948.  "Born 11/9/46.  Killed in Viet Nam 2/2/68.  Great great grandson of William Wilson," written on verso.
25. William Albert Miller, Jr.  "Great great grandson of William Wilson," written on verso.
26. Kari Wilson Bell.  "Great great granddaughter of William Wilson," written on verso.
27. Rollans Joel Wilson.  "Great grandnephew of Rollans M. Wilson," written on verso.
28. Rollans Joel Wilson.  "Age 6 yrs," written on verso.
29. Rollans Joel Wilson.  "Age 7" written on verso.
30. Rollans Joel Wilson.  "Age 8" written on verso.

Folder 13. Photographs 31-41.

31. Rollans Joel Wilson.  "Age 13 yrs," written on verso.
32. Grace A. Wilson, ca. 1980s. Informal outdoor polaroid snapshot of woman posed by fruit tree.  "2 wife of A.J. Wilson, Jr.," written on top border.
33. Rollans M. Wilson, ca. 1980s.  Informal indoor polaroid snapshot.
34. William Wilson house, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, 1894.  Mid-distance view of the Wilson house with family members posed outside.  Upper porch: hired girl [Carrie Allen?]  Lower porch, left to right: Eliza Wilson, Albert Wilson, hired hand.  Foreground by trees, left to right: Andrew Wilson, Rollans Wilson, Earle Cunningham, Nannie Wilson.  Identification typed on separate sheet of paper included with photograph.
35. William Wilson house, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, 1928.  Long-distance view.
36. Log cabin on the William Wilson farm, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, 1928.  Mid-distance view.
37. William Wilson house, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, ca. 1930s.  Close-up view taken from a side angle.  Two unidentified men on porch and a child standing in foreground.
38. William Wilson tombstone.  Advertising photograph from an unidentified monument company.  "Sample of William Wilson's tombstone. 14 x 14. Marked the whole lot on the Wilson property at Prairie Grove," written on verso.
39. Hay cutting on the Wilson farm, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor close-up view of two unidentified men on a steel-wheeled "Farmall" tractor cutting hay.
40. Hay cutting on the Wilson farm, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, ca. 1920s.  Mid-distance view similar to photograph #39.
41. Hayfield, Wilson farm, Prairie Grove, Arkansas, ca. 1920.  Long-distance view of an unidentified man baling hay in an open field.

Folder 14. Photographs 42-51.

42. Prairie Grove School, March 23, 1908.  Photographic postal card with an informal outdoor group portrait of children lined up in front of a brick building.  Identification of the school and date on verso.
43. Reunion Picnic, Prairie Grove battlefield, ca. 1890s.  Informal outdoor snapshot with horse-drawn wagons in foreground and a crowd of well-dressed people standing beneath large shade trees in the background.
44. Neighbor's picnic on the Lockey place, northeast of Prairie Grove, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of people posed around food spread on a blanket on the ground.  Identification on verso.
45. Men's Club, over the bank at Prairie Grove, ca. 1920s.  Informal indoor snapshot of four men gathered around a pool table.
46. Fred Clippinger, Kansas City, Missouri, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a man standing next to an automobile.
47. Norda Clippinger and friend, Kansas City, Missouri, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of two children seated on a rock retaining wall.
48. W.W. Woody, Corvalis, Oregon, September 1, 1924.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a man holding a stringer of fish.
49. Dulsa Slaughter, ca. 1930s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a young woman standing under shade trees.
50. Mr. and Mrs. Dale Allen, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a couple seated on a wooden bench.
51. Mary Beth and Charles Cunningham, ca. 1930s.    Informal outdoor snapshot of two children.

Folder 15. Photographs 52-66.

52. Jim Woodruff, ca. 1930s.
53. Letha Adams (Mrs. Austin Morton).  "Rollans old girlfriend" written on verso.
54. Roy Fidler and Glenn, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a man holding a baby.
55. Picnic group, Logan's cave near Siloam Springs, Arkansas, ca. 1920s.  Informal outdoor group portrait.  Left to right: Robert Large, unidentified, Clementine Handly, [?] Greathouse, John McCormick, Temple Cardwell, unidentified, Rollans Wilson, Fay Daring.  Unidentified boy in foreground in front of Fay Daring. "Elma Jean" written on verso.
56. Picnic group near Siloam Springs, Arkansas, ca. 1920s.  Three men and a woman standing in front of a scarecrow while holding watermelons.  Rollans Wilson on far left, Clementine Handly on far right.  Others unidentified.
57. Fay Daring and friend, [War Eagle Mill, Arkansas?], ca. 1920s.  Two young ladies in swimming attire posing in front of a creek.  Mill building visible in background.  Daring on left.
58. Rollans Wilson, Watson Woody, and an unidentified man, ca. 1942.  Photographic post card showing  three men posing with shotguns against the chimney of a frame house with hunting dogs in foreground.  Left to right: unidentified, Rollans Wilson, Watson Woody.
59. Vera and Billy Wilson, ca. 1930s.  Informal outdoor snapshot of a woman and child standing by a grapevine.  Frame residential buildings visible in background.
60. Rollans Wilson, French Mediterranean coast, 1919.  Informal outdoor snapshot of Rollans in uniform, sitting on a beach with his arm around an unidentified woman and child.  Large masonry buildings and palm trees visible in background.
61. Rollans Wilson, French Mediterranean coast, 1919.  Informal outdoor snapshot of Rollans in uniform and on a beach bending over to touch the surf.
62. Jim Woodruff residence, 8th Avenue, Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Mid-distance view of a white frame residence with immature shade trees in the front yard.  Identification on verso.
63. Span of four mules in harness, location unknown, ca. early 20th century.
64. Columbus, Nebraska, 1928.  Outdoor snapshot of main street taken by Newton Caswell Wilson while on a trip to the northwest.
65. [Student strike at the University of Arkansas, 1919?]  Informal outdoor snapshot of a group of people walking in a column down a pathway.  Image obscured badly and identification written on verso.
66. Rebecca Jane Rollans, ca. 1850s.  Ambrotype.