TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary and Abstract
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Organization of the Papers
Restrictions
Online Catalog Terms
Administrative Information
Description of Series
Series 1. Correspondence,
1854-1867.
Series 2. Biographical Information,
1858, 1880, 1900.
Series 3. Photographs-No Dates
Series 4. Postal history documents, 1899, n.d.
Series 5. Miscellaneous Documents, n.d.
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Inventory of the Crawford Family Papers
1852-[bulk
1854-1867]-1900.
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Creator |
Crawford
Family. |
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Title |
Inventory of the Crawford
Family Papers: |
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Dates |
1852-[bulk 1854-1867]-1900. |
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Abstract |
The Crawford Family
papers are comprised of correspondence, photographs, documents, and postal
history relating to the family of Joel and George Walker Crawford of Columbia,
Hancock, and Early Counties, Georgia and later discusses travel to Texas. Other
correspondents include Charles, Martha, and Sara Crawford, and Eli Benton. The
letters also include information of a gift of 16 slaves from Joel Crawford to
his son Charles. The contents of the letters include advice and counsel on
establishing a legal office, travel, and business prospects. The collection
includes photos of Joel, Charles and Martha Crawford and cancelled stamps and
envelopes from Georgia and Florida. |
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Identification |
Area Studies MSS 00164 |
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Extent |
1.25 linear
ft. |
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Language |
English. |
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Repository |
Cushing Memorial Library College Station, TX 77843-5000 |
George Walker Crawford was the only Whig governor
of Georgia, 1843-1847. He began his term
November 8, 1843. Crawford was a Representative from
Georgia; born in Columbia Country, Ga.,
December 22, 1798; was graduated from Princeton College in
1820; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1822 and commenced practice in
Augusta, Ga.; attorney general of the State 1827-1831; member of the State
house of representatives 1837-1842; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Richard W. Habersham and
served from
January 7, 1843, to
March 3, 1843; Governor of Georgia 1843-1847; appointed
Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President Taylor and served from
March 8, 1849, to
July 23, 1850; presided over the State secession
convention in 1861; died on his estate,
"Bel Air," near Augusta, Ga., July 27,
1872; interment in Summerville Cemetery. Bio info from
Len G. Cleveland’s Ph. D. dissertation,
"George W. Crawford of Georgia,
1798-1872" listed on the Biographical Directory of the US
Congress website: http://bioguide.congress.gov/
Joel Crawford, a U.S. Congressman, 1817-1821 is
the brother of
George Walker Crawford. He served as
Representative from
Georgia; born in Columbia County, Ga.,
June 15, 1783; completed preparatory studies; studied law
at the Litchfield Law School; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in
Sparta in 1808; moved to Milledgeville, Ga., in 1811; served in the war against
the Creek Indians as second lieutenant and aide-de-camp to Brigadier General
Floyd in 1813 and 1814; resumed the practice of law in Milledgeville; member of
the State house of representatives 1814-1817; elected as a Republican to the
Fifteenth Congress and reelected to the Sixteenth Congress (
March 4, 1817-March 3, 1821); returned to Sparta, Hancock
County, in 1828; member of the State senate in 1827 and 1828; appointed a
commissioner to run the boundary line between Alabama and
Georgia in 1826; unsuccessful candidate for
Governor of
Georgia in 1828 and 1831; delegate to the
International Improvement Convention in 1831; elected in 1837 a State
commissioner to locate and construct the Western & Atlantic Railroad; died
near Blakely, Early County, Ga.,
April 5, 1858; interment in the family burying ground on
his plantation in Early County, Ga. Information available via the Biographical
Directory of the US Congress website: http://bioguide.congress.gov/
Joel Crawford was a slaveholder of over 100 slaves
in Hancock County, Georgia.
Charles P. Crawford, lawyer, Confederate officer;
son of
Joel Crawford.
Charles P. Crawford served in the Confederate Army
and entered the service of the State of
Georgia on the
July 6, 1861 in Company A Battalion 11 as fourth sergeant.
He was promoted to the rank of Captain of Company B Battalion 11 on
April 16, 1862.
Captain Crawford died at his home on Liberty
Street in Milledgeville,
Georgia, January 1900. According to the news
article "Captain Crawford was one of the best posted
lawyers of this section, and leaves a wife, one son and three daughters and
hosts of friends all over the state to mourn his death".
Martha "Mattie" Williamson
Crawford is the wife of
Charles P. Crawford.
Mrs. Martha Crawford was a daughter of Capt. W.T.
Williamson of Milledgeville. She was born at McIntosh Reserve, Coweta County,
Ga.,
January 8, 1836.
January 8,1855, she was married to
Mr. Charles P. Crawford. From 1855 to 1859 she
lived in Americus; from 1859 to 1863 in Lee County; from 1863 to 871 in
Florida, from 1871 to 1876 in Milledgeville,
Georgia.
Anna Ripley Orme, wife of Charles P. Crawford from
May 4, 1880 to his death January 1900. She was the
daughter of Richard M. Orme publisher of the Southern Recorder &
Milledgeville Mayor.
Sara Crawford is the daughter of
Joel Crawford and sister of
Charles P. Crawford.
Return to the Table of Contents
The collection comprises 27 autograph letters from various family
members, 3 autograph documents written by
Joel Crawford, additional unsigned correspondence,
4 vintage photographs and 5 black and white photographs, and 13 mailing
envelopes and a number of other address panels on the letters, some with quite
scarce postal stamps from small towns in
Georgia and
Florida. Short excerpts of some letters are
included in the description listing. The collection also includes biographical
information on the Crawford family, a photocopy of a marriage certificate for
Charles P. Crawford’s marriage to
Anna Ripley Orme and a page from the estate of
Joel P. Crawford, signed by his executors James
Buchanan and
Charles P. Crawford admitting it into record.
Postal history envelopes contained throughout the correspondence:
cancellation stamps from Fort Gaines (1855), Bainbridge (1855), Blakely (1855),
and Macon (1858),
Georgia, Orange Mills (1858),
Florida, and Richmond (1862),
Virginia. There are also five additional envelopes
undated from members of the Crawford family.
The collection is divided into three series: Series I. Correspondence,
1854-1867; Series II: Biographical Information, 1858, 1880, 1900; Series III.
Photographs, 1852, undated; Series IV. Postal History Documents, 1899, undated;
and Series V. Miscellaneous Documents, undated.
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Organization of the Papers |
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This collection is organized into 5 series: |
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1854-1867. |
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Series 2. Biographical Information, 1858, 1880, 1900. |
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Series 3. Photographs - No Dates. |
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Series 4. Postal History Documents, 1899, n.d. |
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Series 5. Miscellaneous Documents, n.d. |
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Access
No restrictions.
Usage Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog of Cushing Memorial Library. Researchers wishing to find related
materials should search the catalog under these index terms. |
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Names |
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Crawford, Joel Evans,
1783-1858 |
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Crawford, George Walker, 1798-1872 |
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Crawford, Martha Williamson |
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Crawford, Sara Crawford |
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Crawford, Charles Peter, 1831-1900 |
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Crawford, Anna Ripley Orme |
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Benton, Eli |
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Subjects |
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Slavery |
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Slaveholders |
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Lawyers |
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Business |
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Postage stamps |
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Envelopes (Stationery) |
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Places |
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Florida |
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Georgia |
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Texas |
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Virginia |
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Purchased from L&T Respess Books in January 2004.
Processed by Rebecca Hankins in
August 2004.
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Series 1. Correspondence,
1854-1867. |
| box-folder |
| 1/1 |
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George Walker Crawford offering advice to
his brother on the business prospects of his nephew
Charles P. Crawford, in an autograph letter,
signed from Bel-Air (his plantation near Augusta) to
Joel Crawford. 4 pages, approximately 600
words. "But in respect to these professional
partnerships I know that parents greatly desire that their sons should be
appointed with men of professional experience and reputation and it always
seemed to me like the method of breaking a young ox to the yoke," May 8, 1854. |
| box-folder |
| 1/2-13 |
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Joel Crawford offering advice on entering
the legal profession and conducting his business, in a series of 12 autograph
letters, signed from Blakely or Sparta,
Georgia, to his son
Charles P. Crawford. 33 pages, approximately
5500 words. "I advise you to buy no books nor
anything else but clothing & food, until you get known, and then
buy only what you want. Everything needed can be had in Georgia &
about on as good terms as it can be imported. Book stores are now
to be found in a dozen towns of this State, some of them large." The
letters concern possible locations for establishing an office, people to
associate with, the importance of frugality, the status of the economy, and
other issues of importance to a man in his 20s, just beginning his career. The
twelve letters are accompanied by four envelopes addressed by
Joel Crawford to his son.
May 16, 1954-February 25, 1858. |
| box-folder |
| 1/14 |
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Joel Crawford making a gift of 16 slaves to
his son
Charles P. Crawford, in an autograph
document, signed
22 February 1855, mentioning the slaves by name. 1
page, docketed on verso. Crawford's autograph appraisal for the slaves which
included two families, a husband, wife, and their four children, and another
husband and wife and their two children. |
| box-folder |
| 1/15 |
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Another autograph document by Crawford authorizing his
son to purchase seven or eight thousand dollars worth of land in
Texas.
October 2, 1857. |
| box-folder |
| 1/16 |
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Benton, Eli A. Expansively describing methods and routes of traveling from
Georgia to Texas, in an autograph letter, signed from Mount Zion,
Georgia, to
Joel Crawford. 6 pages, approximately 1500
words. Benton offers advice on traveling as Crawford's son Charles plans to
move west, being especially concerned about traveling with slaves; the final
two pages of the letter offer advice on evaluating land and suggest Eastern
Texas in the vicinity of the Red River as
the place to choose.
September 25, 1857. |
| box-folder |
| 1/17-24 |
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Charles P. Crawford informing his wife of
daily activities, in a series of eight autograph letters, signed from Blakely,
Americus, and Bainbridge,
Georgia, Orange Mills,
Florida, and Richmond,
Virginia, to his wife Mattie in
Milledgeville or Flat Pond, Lee County,
Georgia. 8vo, 4to and folio. 29 pages,
approximately 7500 words; accompanied by 5 mailing envelopes. In the first
four, antebellum letters, Crawford describes his activities traveling on the
court circuit, mostly in southern
Georgia, and describes at length in one, the
wonderful possibilities for a move to
Florida; the three Civil War letters recount
an illness in Richmond, news of fellow soldiers, plans for planting at home,
and, in the latest one, a wish to return to duty; the last letter, written in
1867, expresses a longing for former times, and bitterness toward the North.
April 21, 1855-November 21, 1867. |
| box-folder |
| 1/25 |
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Letter from
Charles P. Crawford to his daughter. This
unfinished letter is not signed or dated by Crawford nor is it addressed to any
daughter in particular. The letter expresses regrets about regarding his delay
in writing and talks of his weak health. He talks of missing her and wishes she
could come. He also talks about her noble qualities and great
capabilities. |
| box-folder |
| 1/26-28 |
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Crawford, Mattie informing her husband,
Charles P. Crawford about the state of her
health and the activities of their baby boy, in three autograph letters, signed
from Milledgeville. 8vo. 14 pages, approximately 1600 words. In the final
letter Mrs. Crawford mentions a July 4 visit to the state house,
"I don't think I ever saw so many persons at one time
before... 17 respectable size military companies on parade at one time, &
uniforms perfectly beautiful … we went to see & hear
Governor Johnson deliver an address, better than two hours long." August 19, 1856-July 4, 1857. |
| box-folder |
| 1/29 |
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Crawford, Sara sending news from the home
front, in an autograph letter, signed from Americus,
Georgia, to her brother
Charles P. Crawford. 4to. 4 pages,
approximately 700 words. "The war news today is good
compared with what we have had for several weeks... it is generally believed
that Sherman will invade Carolina & let Ga. rest for awhile." January 1, 1865. |
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Series 2. Biographical Information,
1858, 1880, 1900. |
| box-folder |
| 1/30 |
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Biographical information includes a news article
clipping on the death of
Charles Crawford, mistakenly listed as
Charles T. Crawford in the article, 1900; a short handwritten biography on the
Charles P. Crawford, undated; a photocopy of
a marriage certificate for Charles P. Crawford’s marriage to
Anna Ripley Orme - 1880; and a photocopy of
a page from the estate of
Joel P. Crawford, signed by his executor
James Buchanan admitting it into record, 1858. |
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Series 3. Photographs-No Dates |
| box-folder |
| 1/31 |
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Joel Crawford, a tintype (8 1/4 x 6 1/2
inches)-undated |
| box-folder |
| 1/32 |
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Charles P. Crawford-tintype (7 x 5
inches)-undated |
| box-folder |
| 1/33 |
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Charles P. Crawford-cabinet card (61/2 x 4
1/4 inches), which is mounted on the printed card: of photographer Edwards &
Son, Cabinet Studio Portraits, Atlanta, Ga., and rubber-stamped
on the verso, "C.P. Crawford, Milledgeville,
Ga."-undated |
| box-folder |
| 1/34 |
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Charles P. Crawford-carte-de-visite (4 x 2
1/2 inches) backmarked J.C. Elrod's Portrait Photograph and Artograph Gallery,
Louisville, Ky.-undated |
| box-folder |
| 1/35 |
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Five black and white (3 x 5 inches) prints of members of
the
Crawford family-
Charles P. Crawford as a young man, 1852;
two photos of
Charles P. Crawfordas an older man; one
photo of
Martha Williamson Crawford; and one photo of
Joel Evans Crawford. Each photograph is
identified on the back. |
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Series 4. Postal history documents, 1899, n.d. |
| box-folder |
| 1/36 |
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Two envelopes from Atlanta,
Georgia and one from unknown origin
addressed to
Charles P. Crawford. Additional writing on
the front of one envelope addressed to
Capt. C. P. Crawford states
"My precious Pet Abbis, for study &
usefulness - CPL." The verso of this envelope is stamped
Milledgeville, GA.
Sep 20, 1899. One envelope is stamped on the verso
Milledgeville, GA.
April 10, 1899 and written above this is St. John
Potomac "Sam." No return addresses are
included. |
| box-folder |
| 1/37 |
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Two envelopes from
Florida and
Georgia addressed to
Charles P. Crawford. No year or return
address included. |
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Series 5. Miscellaneous Documents, n.d. |
| box-folder |
| 1/38 |
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One page document titled "Agreement." Written in ink is a narrative about a
"patriot princess" but the story doesn't make
much sense. This story is not signed or dated. In the right hand corner at the
top of the document is a grocery listing with prices written in
pencil. |
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