Creator: Territorial Governor (RG 2).

Collection Summary: Executive Journals for each administration of territorial government in which the proceedings of territorial governance were recorded.  The journals are composed largely of copies of outgoing correspondence with a small amount of incoming correspondence also recorded, but many other kinds of items have also been entered: 
•    Addresses to the General Assembly (Legislature),
•    Commissions and appointments of governors (by the U.S. President),
•    Ordinances and resolutions,
•    Pardons and remissions of sentences,
•    Proclamations and circulars,
•    Bills of exchange,
•    Elections directives,
•    Passports and/or certifications for travel and business,
•    Orders to the militia; transcripts and accounts of court martials, returns of military units,
•    Commissions, appointments and licensees (usually attorneys) with some revocations of commissions as well.
The documents recorded in these journals cover the entire range of territorial affairs with particular emphasis on military concerns (such as Indian unrest and the War of 1812), county governments (appointments to office, elections), and legal matters (appointed times and places for holding court sessions, pardons and remissions of sentences). A calendar of documents for governors other than Winthrop Sargent and W.C.C. Claiborne is available, listing the page number in the Journal where the document may be found - please see separate finding aid.  Correspondence for Winthrop Sargent and the early years of the administration of W.C.C. Claiborne has been transcribed and may be found cataloged in the MDAH Library as Mississippi Territorial Archives, 1798-1803 (Call No. 976.2/R79m/T, v.1). The Claiborne journals have been transcribed and published in six volumes (MDAH Call No. 976.2/C52o, vols. 1-6).  Note that W.C.C. Claiborne was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1804, and almost all of the Claiborne materials pertain to Louisiana affairs conducted from his post in New Orleans.  

Access Restrictions: Most of the original journals are restricted due to age and fragility. Microfilm copies and printed transcripts are available as listed.

Date(s): 1798-1817.

Volume: 5.00 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

1798 (May 21) – 1801 (Apr. 3): Winthrop Sargent

Transcript:

976.2/R79m/T, v.1

-----or-----

MF #36933

1801 (Jul 10) - 1803 (Mar 27): W.C.C. Claiborne

B1-R033-B4-S4-00090

Transcript:

976.2/R79m/T, v. 1

-----or-----

MF #5282

1805 (May 14) – 1810 (Aug. 24): Robert Williams, T.H. Williams, Mead, Holmes (MF #4585)

· May 14, 1805 – Apr. 21, 1806: Robert Williams (pages 1-117)

· April 24, 1806 - June 2, 1806: T.H. Williams (pages 118-121)

· June 6, 1806 – Jan. 26, 1807: Cowles Mead (pages 122-191)

· Jan. 28, 1807 – Mar. 3, 1809: Robert Williams (pages 192-342)

· March 4, 1809 – July 1, 1809: T.H. Williams (pages 342-355)

· July 3, 1809 – Aug. 24, 1810: David Holmes (pages 356-464/end)

B2-R106-B9-S3-000101

1810 (Jul 03) – 1814 (Apr. 14): Holmes, Daingerfield (acting gov.) (MF #5125) [Note: The 1st pages of this journal are copies of the last pages in Box 101, therefore, the overlap in dates]

· July 3, 1810 – Oct. 3, 1811: David Holmes (pages 1-140)

· Oct. 6, 1811 – June 15, 1812: Henry Daingerfield (pages 141-173)

· June 15, 1812 – Apr. 14, 1814: David Holmes (pages 173-445/end)

B2-R106-B9-S2-00086

1814 (Apr. 14) – 1817 (Aug. 22): Holmes, Ware

· Apr. 14, 1814 – Aug. 9, 1815: David Holmes (pages 1-204)

· Aug. 12, 1815 – Apr. 10, 1816: Nathaniel Ware (pages 205-230)

· July 18, 1816 – Aug. 22, 1817: David Holmes (pages 230-318/end)

B1-R033-B4-S4-00651

Claiborne as Administrator of Louisiana Territory

· “Proceedings of the temporary government of Louisiana” -- Dec. 20, 1803, to Oct. 1, 1804

· Official appointment as governor of Louisiana Territory -- October 2, 1804 

· All Claiborne journals have been transcribed  -   MDAH Library Call No. 976.2/C52o

1803 (Nov 18) - 1804 (Oct 01): W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5282)                                                         (Note: This journal may be a reference journal created from the originals in Boxes 91 and 93)

B2-R107-B4-S1-00095

1803 (Nov 19) - 1804 (Apr 03): W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #919)                                                           (Note: This journal may be an original from which copies were made – See Box 95)

B1-R033-B4-S4-00091

1804 (Apr 19) - 1804 (Aug 01): W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5282)                                                          (Note: This journal may be an original from which copies were made – See Box 95)

B1-R033-B4-S4-00093

1805 (May 04) - 1806 (Feb 13): W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5282)

B1-R033-B4-S4-17045

1806 (Mar 17) - 1807 (Feb 20): W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5194)

B2-R091-B8-S3-19487

1808 (Aug 08) - 1809 (Jun 03), indexed: W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5194)

B1-R033-B4-S4-00096

1809 (Jul-Aug), few pages only: W.C.C. Claiborne (MF #5282)                                             (Note: These few pages are bound at the end of this journal, and do not follow rest of journal entries chronologically)

B1-R033-B4-S4-00093

1811 (Jan 05) - 1811 (Dec 31), indexed: W.C.C. Claiborne

B1-R033-B4-S4-00097

(Transcript available)

1812 (Aug) - 1814 (Nov 29): W.C.C. Claiborne                                                                          (Note: This journal has sporadic entries, i.e., is not an entire chronological account; although dates overlap with other journals, entries are not necessarily duplicated)

B1-R033-B4-S5-19340

(Transcript available)

1812 (Jan 01) - 1813 (Jun 21), indexed: W.C.C. Claiborne 

B1-R033-B4-S4-00098

(Transcript available)

1814 (Oct 21) - 1816 (Jul 22), indexed: W.C.C. Claiborne 

B2-R106-B9-S2-00099

(Transcript available)