Series 488: Territorial Administration Papers. 1769-1817; n.d.
Creator: Territorial Governor (RG 2).
Collection Summary: A very comprehensive collection of loose papers pertaining to all aspects of the administration of the Mississippi Territory. Many of the papers pertain to the workings of the territorial government (i.e., the duties of the governor, the legislature, the military and the courts as well as early county governments and individuals’ affairs), and touch upon most of the important themes in the government: Indian relationships and lands; adjacent U.S. territories, particularly Louisiana; allegiance to the United States and duty to its service; safe travel and trade for citizens. Among these papers are: messages to the Legislature from the Governor; proclamations, circulars and publications of the Governor; Reports of Legislative Council proceedings, resolutions, bills; Reports of the Auditor and Treasurer; Court papers (affidavits, depositions, petitions for reconsideration or leniency); Petitions; Reports of county affairs; Commissions, Appointments, Resignations, Oaths; Military Orders, Lists of Enrolled Men; and U.S. Government directives and correspondence. Most of the correspondence is incoming, that is, addressed to the governor. However, there is some outgoing correspondence, particularly regarding appointments and messages to the Legislature. A calendar of documents is available which lists the items (each with a unique document number) in rough chronological order. The dates shown below are for the dates of the items within each box, not the dates of a particular administration. There are a number of undated items – these have been approximately dated in that they are assigned to a particular governor’s administration. Please note that the undated items are not listed as such in the series listing below, with the understanding that there are some such items in each governor’s administration. The document numbering is fairly consistent, with “a,” “b,” and so forth usually denoting a relationship between items; however, this is not always the case. These files have been scanned and are available on-line through the “Link to Electronic Resource” in the online catalog record.
Access Restrictions: Original records in this series are restricted due to age and/or fragility.
Date(s): 1769-1817; n.d.
Volume: 20.00 Cubic Feet.
Finding Aid Created By: Colby Cox in March 2025.
Related Materials: TBD.
Record Group History: The Territorial Governor of Mississippi was the figure selected by the U.S. Congress to be the leading political figure of the Mississippi Territory. The Office of the Territorial Governor was created on April 7, 1798 when the creation of the Mississippi Territory was authorized. The Territorial Governor initially had full power over the creation of legislation until a general assembly was formed to represent the state in May of 1800. The Territorial Governor additionally served as the commander-in-chief of the Mississippi militia and was given authority over affairs with native peoples. The office was abolished once Mississippi became a full state in 1817.
- Collection Inventory:
Box Content Box Number
1769: Sargent Administration 00089 1788-1801: Sargent Administration 00089 1788-1801: Sargent Administration 16623 1801-1801: Steele Administration, acting for W. Sargent 16623 1801-1801: Steele Administration, acting for W. Sargent 00089 1801-1802: Claiborne Administration 00089 1801-1802: Claiborne Administration 16623 1803-1803: Claiborne Administration 16630 1803-1803: Claiborne Administration 16618 1803-1803: Claiborne Administration 00100 1803-1805: West Administration, acting for W.C.C. Claiborne 16687 1803-1805: West Administration, acting for W.C.C. Claiborne 00102 1803-1805: West Administration, acting for W.C.C. Claiborne 16697 1805-1806: Williams (Robert) Administration 16697 1805-1806: Williams (Robert) Administration 16722 1805-1806: Williams (Robert) Administration 00103 1805-1806: Williams (Robert) Administration 16735 1805-1807: Claiborne Administration of Orleans Territory 00100 1805-1807: Claiborne Administration of Orleans Territory 16618 1806-1806: Williams (T.H.) Administration, acting for Robert Williams 00105 1806-1806: Williams (T.H.) Administration, acting for Robert Williams 16745 1806-1807: Mead Administration, acting for Robert Williams 16745 1806-1807: Mead Administration, acting for Robert Williams 00105 1807-1809: Williams (Robert) Administration 16749 1807-1809: Williams (Robert) Administration 00106 1807-1809: Williams (Robert) Administration 16794 1807-1809: Williams (Robert) Administration 16772 1809-1810: Holmes Administration 16772 1809-1810: Holmes Administration 00107 1809-1810: Holmes Administration 19581 1809-1810: Holmes Administration 19569 1811-1811: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 19669 1811-1811: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 00108 1811-1811: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 19581 1811-1811: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 19741 1811-1811: Holmes Administration 16772 1811-1811: Holmes Administration 00108 1811-1811: Holmes Administration 19669 1811-1811: Holmes Administration (this item restricted, use photocopy) 19668 1812-1812: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 07143 1812-1812: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 00109 1812-1812: Daingerfield Administration, acting for David Holmes 19581 1812-1813: Holmes Administration 19581 1812-1813: Holmes Administration 16772 1812-1813: Holmes Administration 00109 1812-1813: Holmes Administration 07143 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 07163 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 07161 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 00110 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 07162 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 00111 1813-1813: Holmes Administration 07160 1814-1814: Holmes Administration 07162 1814-1814: Holmes Administration 00112 1814-1814: Holmes Administration 07171 1815-1815: Holmes Administration 07161 1815-1815: Holmes Administration 00113 1815-1815: Holmes Administration 07172 1815-1815: Ware Administration, acting for David Holmes 07161 1816-1816: Holmes Administration 15526 1816-1816: Holmes Administration 00114 1816-1816: Ware Administration, acting for David Holmes 00114 1816-1816: Ware Administration, acting for David Holmes 15499 1816-1816: Ware Administration, acting for David Holmes 15526 1817-1817: Holmes Administration 00115 1817-1817: Holmes Administration 17011