urn:taro:utexas.cah.00050 A Guide to the James Campbell Wilkins Papers, 1801-1852 Dolph Briscoe Center for American History Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, March 2001. Finding aid written in English. July 18, 2002 Edited with XmetaL 2.0 by Kristy Sorensen, according to instructions in Editing TARO EAD XML Finding Aids with XMetaL. Tue Jul 22 15:26:32 CDT 2003 urn:taro:utexas.cah.00050 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). March 2005 Formatting revised by Evan Hocker Descriptive Summary Wilkins, James Campbell James Campbell Wilkins Papers 1801-1852 3 ft., 9 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin James Campbell Wilkins (1790? - 1849) was a Natchez, Mississippi cotton planter, merchant, cotton factor, financier, and banker. The collection includes correspondence, financial records, and legal documents that relate to the lives and careers of Wilkins, his family, and his business associates English. Organization

Organized into ten series.

 Arrangement

Arranged chronologically under name or subject.

 Biographical Note

Natchez, Mississippi, cotton planter, merchant, cotton factor, financier, and banker. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before 1790, he came to Adams County around 1805. He participated in the Battle of New Orleans, the last general assembly of the Mississippi Territory, and the constitutional convention for the new state. Between 1828 and 1835 he attempted an unsuccessful political career. He was associated prominently with four banks at Natchez (1824-1840), but lost most of his fortune in 1841 and died at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1849.

 Scope and Contents

Correspondence, Financial records, and legal documents relate to the lives and careers of Wilkins, his family, and business associates and concern the cotton trade; business of commission merchants in Natchez, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana; plantation life and economy; slavery; and the planter elite of the Natchez and Adams County area.

Included is material concerning James Campbell Wilkins's uncle, Charles Wilkins, Lexington, Kentucky, merchant and provisioner of the U. S. Army's work on the Natchez Trace road (1801-1807); James Campbell Wilkins's work as a commission merchant in Natchez; his partnership (1816-1834) with John Linton in New Orleans; his business as a planter; activities of individuals and families, including George Adams, Adam Lewis Bingaman, Stephen Duncan, Levin R. Marshall, and the Minor family; and the 1836 sale and transportation to the South of a group of 50 slaves.

Forms Part of Natchez Trace Collection.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Adams family. Butler family. Duncan, Stephen, 1787-1867. Linton, John, d. 1834. Marshall, Levin R., b. 1800. Minor family. Skinner, J.S. Wilkins, John, d. 1817? Wilkins, Charles. Wilkins, family. Subjects (Organizations) Coles Creek Plantation (Miss.) Wilkins and Linton Company (Natchez, Miss., and New Orleans, La.) Subjects Banks and banking--Mississippi. Commission merchants--Mississippi--Natchez. Commission merchants--Louisiana--New Orleans. Cotton--Mississippi. Depressions--1836-1837. Plantations--Mississippi. United States. Army--Supplies and stores. Places Adams County (Miss.)--History--Sources. Louisiana--New Orleans--Commerce. Mississippi--Adams County--Commerce. Mississippi--Economic conditions. Natchez (Miss.)--History--Sources. Natchez Trace. New Orleans (La.)--History--Sources. Cite as:

James Campbell Wilkins Papers, 1801-1852, Natchez Trace Collection, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Inventory 2E546 Legal documents related to debt 1816-1846 2.325/V33 1828 (oversize) 2E546 Politics and elections, 1829-1835 and undated Banking, 1820-1838 Planters and business enterprises of Natchez and Adams County area: George Adams Family, 1830-1843 and undated Adam Bingaman Family, 1813-1815, 1824-1838, and undated 2E547 Robert H. Bowmar Family 1829-1834 2.325/V33 1828-1833 (oversize) 2E547 John L. Buck, 1819 Thomas B. Butler Family, 1814-1831 Stephen Duncan Family, 1828-1841 and undated Richard G. Ellis, 1827-1829 Robert Field 1828-1832 and undated 2.325/V33 1831-1832 (oversize) 2E547 James and Charles B. Green Family, 1819-1831 Thomas Hinds, 1814-1831 Abraham Kinsey, 1829 Levin R. Marshall 1830-1842 2.325/V33 1833 (oversize) 2E547 Stephen and John Minor Family 1816-1852 and undated 2.325/V33 1829-1839 (oversize) 2E547 S. J. Noble, 1829 2E548 George Poindexter and William Burns, secretary, 1819-1834, 1846 James Railey, 1826-1829 R. C. and John H. Randolph Family, 1826-1829, 1840-1843, and undated John P. Smith, 1827-1829 Parke Walton, 1827-1829 James C. Williams, 1816-1819, 1828-1830 Miscellaneous planters and businesses 1810-1844 and undated 2E540 Wilkins family: Charles Wilkins, provisioner of U. S. troops building Natchez Trace 1801-1807 2.325/V32 1801-1803 (oversize) 2E540 Miscellaneous Wilkins materials 1801-1833 and undated 2.325/V32 1801-1823 and undated (oversize) 2E540 James C. Wilkins and Company 1813-1834 2.116/OD1223B 1825-1826 (oversize) 2E541 Wilkins and Linton Company 1816-October 1817 2E542 November 1817-December 15, 1824 2E543 December 18, 1824-June 1827 2.325/V32 1825-1827 (oversize) 2.116/OD1223B 1825-1826 (oversize) 2E544 July 1827-1833 2.325/V32 1827-1830 (oversize) 2E545 1834 and undated James Campbell Wilkins personal: General 1813-1849 and undated 2.325/V33 1835-1843 and undated (oversize) 2E545 Coles Creek Plantation, with Thomas Hall 1824-1846 and undated 2.325/V33 1836 (oversize) 2E546 Presleigh, Ridge, Point Look Out, and Funnagusha Plantations, 1828-1843 and undated Real estate and land 1811-1845 and undated 2.325/V33 1819-1824, 1836-1839 (oversize) 2.325/V33 1837 (oversize) 2E548 British cotton dealers, 1824-1843 J. S. Skinner, port master, Baltimore, Maryland, 1836-1837 and undated Miscellaneous materials 1819, 1829-1846, and undated 2.325/V33 1840 and undated (oversize)