Series 320: State Auditor’s Administrative Correspondence. 1817-1930.
Collection Title: Series 320: State Auditor’s Administrative Correspondence. Auditor (RG 29)
Creator: Office of the State Auditor (RG 29)
Collection Summary: Files containing incoming and outgoing correspondence of the State Auditor from 1817-1930. The majority of the correspondence is concerned with subjects such as county tax collector's assessments, returns, and bonds, while other letters request of the auditor to issue warrants for payment of official's salaries or services rendered to the state. Outgoing correspondence for nine auditors is contained in letter books and identified as such in the box description. Some files of incoming correspondence contain scattered outgoing letters. The records are arranged chronologically by auditor.
Access Restrictions: None.
Date(s): 1817-1930.
Volume: 16.5 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Finding Aid Created By: Shaun Stalzer in February 2024
Record Group History: The Office of the State Auditor (RG 29) dates back to January 1805, when the Mississippi territorial legislature defined the major duties of the office as follows: “to examine, state, settle, and audit all accounts, claims, or demands arising under any laws or resolutions of the legislature; and to grant every authorized claimant a warrant on the treasurer making due entry and register of all his proceedings in a book to be kept for that purpose; and to carefully arrange, file, and preserve all accounts, receipts, vouchers, and papers touching the same.” When Mississippi became a state in 1817, the office of the auditor was enumerated as part of the executive branch in Article IV, Section 25, of the 1817 Constitution. The 1832 Constitution stipulated that the auditor was to be popularly elected to serve a two-year term, while the 1869 Constitution extended the term to four years. In the modern era, the state auditor is responsible for auditing state agencies, county governments, school districts, and higher educational institutions. The office also: conducts data audits for public schools and monitors state agencies' inventory, advises local governments on accounting matters in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and investigates misuse of public funds.
- Collection Inventory:
Box Content Box Number Girault: 1818-1819 3212 Richards: 1819-1821 3212 Runnels - outgoing: 1822-1828 3807 Runnels: 1822-1828 3212 Runnels: 1828-1829 3213 Mallory: 1825-1843 3214 Mallory: 1827-1829 3213 Hadley: 1830 3237 Saunders - outgoing: 1841-1841 3807 Saunders: 1836-1838 3214 Saunders: 1838-1839 3215 Saunders: 1840-1842 3216 Matthews - outgoing: 1842-1847 3807 Matthews: 1842-1842 3216 Matthews: 1843-1844 3217 Matthews: 1845-1845 3218 Matthews: 1846-1846 3219 Matthews: 1847-1847 3220 Swann (George) - outgoing: 1848-1848 3220 Swann (George) - outgoing: 1848-1851 3807 Swann (George): 1847-1848 3220 Swann (George): 1849-1850 3221 Swann (George): 1851-1851 3222 Russell: 1852-1852 3214 Russell: 1852-1852 3222 Russell: 1853-1853 3223 McAfee - outgoing: 1856-1858 3809 McAfee: 1854-1855 3224 McAfee: 1856-1857 3225 McAfee: 1858-1859 3226 McAfee: 1860-1860 3227 Burt: 1860-1861 3227 Gillespie: 1862-1865 29507 Swann (Thomas) - outgoing: 1868-1868 3809 Swann (Thomas): 1860-1860 3232 Swann (Thomas): 1865-1866 3228 Swann (Thomas): 1867-1868 3229 Swann (Thomas): 1867-1869 3232 Swann (Thomas): 1868-1868 3230 Swann (Thomas): 1869-1869 3231 Musgrove - outgoing: 1871-1872 3811 Musgrove - outgoing: 1873-1874 3813 Musgrove: 1870-1874 3233 Gibbs - outgoing: 1874-1875 3813 Gibbs: 1874-1875 3234 Gibbs: 1876-1877 3235 Gwin - outgoing: 1878-1880 3813 Gwin: 1878-1878 3235 Gwin: 1879-1880 3236 Gwin: 1881-1885 3237 Stone: 1886-1899 3238 Stone: 1895-1895 3815 Holder: 1896-1898 3237 Holder: 1896-1900 3815 Cole: 1902-1903 3237 Henry: 1905-1905 3237 Wilson: 1917-1918 3237 Miller: 1920-1920 3237 White: 1930-1930 3237