Z 1879.000 The Elms Papers

Z 1879.000 S
THE ELMS PAPERS

The earliest portion of the town residence currently known as the Elms was built in Natchez, Mississippi, on an eleven-acre tract that John Henderson purchased from William Barland in 1804. A native of Scotland, Henderson had settled in the Natchez District in 1787, and he was the author of the first book to be published in Natchez. Henderson later advertised the Elms for sale in the Natchez Chronicle on April 30, 1810. It was purchased by Lewis Evans, first sheriff of the Mississippi Territory. After the death of his wife, Sarah, on May 13, 1815, Evans sold the property to Samuel Postlethwaite in 1818. A small tract of land adjoining the Elms and situated on the corner of Homochitto and Pine streets was later conveyed by Postlethwaite to the Female Charitable Society for use as an orphanage. Before moving to Clifton, his newly constructed mansion near the Natchez bluffs, Postlethwaite deeded the Elms to his son-in-law and daughter, the Reverend George and Matilda Rose Postlethwaite Potts. The Potts family lived at the Elms, which they called the Manse, for several years, but after being called to a Presbyterian church in New York, Dr. Potts sold the Elms to Joseph Sessions in 1835. Cornelia Sessions Baynton inherited the Elms after the death of her father. In 1849, she sold the Elms to David Stanton, who was a native of Ireland. David Stantons wealthy brother, Frederick, built Belfast (Stanton Hall) in Natchez in 1857.

Constructed in the Federal style, the Elms was originally a two-and-a-half-story brick house with two rooms per floor. The first significant renovations at the Elms were completed around 1815. The rear two-story gallery was enclosed, and two-story galleries now encircled the front and sides of the newly enlarged house. The grounds of the Elms featured a brick conservatory that was built around 1830. However, it was destroyed by a severe tornado that ravaged much of Natchez in 1840, and its remaining three arches were planted with ivy to resemble ruins.

David Stanton completed the last significant renovations at the Elms in the 1850s. He added a two-story wing in the Greek Revival style, and the former front porch was enclosed to form an entrance hall with a curved, cast-iron staircase and doorways with colored-glass sidelights. Stanton also built a Greek Revival-style billiard hall on the grounds. After the renovations were completed, the Elms faced what was then Pine Street, rather than Washington Street.

Mosley John Posey Drake acquired the Elms in 1869, and his descendants, including members of the Drake, Cassell, Kellogg, and Carpenter families, have lived there ever since. The current owner of the Elms is Alma Cassell Kellogg Carpenter, who is the great-granddaughter of Drake. The Elms has often been featured on Pilgrimage Garden Club tours of historic antebellum homes in Natchez.

Mosley John Posey Drake was originally from Missouri. He was married to Caroline Agee Drake of St. Louis. They had two daughters, Alma M. and Caroline Love Drake. M. J. P. Drake was a close friend and business partner of Love S. Cornwell. They were engaged in a variety of business ventures and mercantile enterprises in Missouri prior to the Civil War and in Louisiana and Mississippi after the war. Drake moved his family to Natchez, Mississippi, where he purchased the Elms in 1869. He died on July 19, 1899, and Caroline Agee Drake died on March 17, 1901.

Albert Gallatin Cassell was born on August 1, 1845. Cassell married his first wife, Sallie Sutherland, in 1873. She died without issue on December 13, 1883. Cassell married his second wife, Caroline Love Drake, on July 17, 1886. Formerly of Lexington, Kentucky, Cassell was a Vicksburg, Mississippi, druggist and merchant. The Cassells had three daughters, Alma Stratton, Caroline Drake, and Lizzie Etheline. Following the death of their mother on December 21, 1894, the three Cassell girls were sent to live with their aunt, Alma M. Drake, at the Elms in Natchez. Lizzie Etheline Cassell died of diphtheria on November 4, 1896, and Caroline Drake Cassell died of pneumonia on February 28, 1902. Cassell married his third wife, Mammie Chapman, in 1901. She gave birth to a son, Duncan Gallatin Cassell, after the death of her husband on August 20, 1902. John Cassell, the brother of Albert Gallatin Cassell, became the legal guardian of Alma Stratton Cassell after her fathers death in 1902.

Joseph Bentley Kellogg served in the medical detachment of the Forty-seventh Engineers, United States Army, during World War I. He was later vice-president of the City Bank and Trust Company of Natchez, Mississippi. In 1917, he married Alma Stratton Cassell, who had attended Campbell-Hagerman College in Lexington, Kentucky, and the couple lived at the Elms. The Kelloggs had one daughter, Alma Cassell. Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg was a longtime member of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, and her home was often on tour during the annual Natchez Pilgrimage.

Alma Cassell Kellogg was born in Natchez on June 13, 1927. She attended Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority. Kellogg was queen of the Natchez Pilgrimage in 1946. She married James M. Cain in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, on January 10, 1947, and they had a daughter, Cassell. After divorcing Cain, she married Nathaniel Leslie Carpenter of Natchez on February 10, 1951. The Carpenters lived at Dunleith in Natchez, and they had three children, Alma, Esther, and Leslie. The Carpenters divorced in the 1970s, and Alma Kellogg Carpenter returned to the Elms. She has been active in the Pilgrimage Garden Club and the Pilgrimage Historical Association, and she has been a supporter of the Historic Natchez Foundation. Carpenter has also been an advocate for historic preservation in Natchez and Adams County. She has been involved in the preservation of Longwood, the unfinished octagonal villa that was designed and built for planter Haller Nutt by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan on the eve of the Civil War.

Love S. Cornwell and his wife, Martha, were originally from Missouri. They had several children, including Benjamin, Edward, Love S., Jr., and Mary (Mollie) Jane. Cornwell apparently moved to the Natchez area at about the same time as the Drake family in the late 1860s.

John Polk Campbell was a lawyer and judge, who at various times lived in Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. He married Mary Jane Cornwell, and they had two children, Mattie and McGregor (Mack) P. Judge Campbell and his wife both died during the 1860s. The orphaned Campbell children were cared for by their grandfather, Love S. Cornwell, who also lived at the Elms sometime after 1869, and by Alma M. Drake and Carrie Love Drake Cassell.

The Elms Papers include business and personal correspondence; legal and financial records; account books; academic, artistic, and literary papers; recipes and medicinal remedies; genealogical records; religious materials; fraternal and social papers; photographs and postcards; advertising materials; scrapbooks; printed materials; publications; and newspapers. Accumulating in the attic of the Elms for more than a century, the collection is a treasure-trove of mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth-century historical source material for Natchez and Adams County and for Vicksburg and Warren County in Mississippi. Its diverse array of archival materials, ephemera, and memorabilia reflects the business interests and personal activities of members of the Stanton, Drake, Cassell, Kellogg, and Carpenter families who have lived at the Elms since the 1850s.

The business correspondence of Mosley John Posey Drake concerns his varied commercial interests in Missouri before the Civil War and in Louisiana and Mississippi after the war. The personal papers of various male and female members of the Drake, Agee, Cornwell, and Campbell families also reflect the social life of Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and of cities and towns in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, and Tennessee.

The business correspondence of Albert Gallatin Cassell reflects his career as a druggist and merchant in Vicksburg. The personal correspondence of various male and female members of the Cassell and Drake families also reflects social life at the Elms or in Natchez and Vicksburg generally. The extensive correspondence of Alma M. Drake documents her integral role as a caregiver for members of the Cassell and Drake families and her life in Natchez during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The personal correspondence of Joseph B. Kellogg and Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg regards their college days, courtship, marriage, and social life in Natchez during the early twentieth century. The correspondence of their daughter, Alma Cassell Kellogg, concerns her academic and social life at Hollins College or the University of Mississippi during and immediately after World War II.

The legal records primarily relate to the law practice of Love S. Cornwell in the Natchez, Mississippi, and Vidalia, Louisiana, area after the Civil War. There are also scattered legal records concerning various members of the Agee, Campbell, Cassell, Cornwell, and Drake families.

The financial records, which include invoices and receipts for goods or services, pertain to the Natchez and Vicksburg companies or individuals that conducted business with various members of the Drake, Cassell, and Kellogg families. Other records concern the finances of the Natchez Garden Club or the Pilgrimage Garden Club in the 1930s or 1940s.

The account books primarily relate to the various business enterprises of Mosley John Posey Drake or Love S. Cornwell. There are also account books of David Stanton and Joseph Bentley Kellogg.

The academic, artistic, and literary papers include a variety of materials that appear to have been created or accumulated as a result of the educational activities of various members of the Cassell, Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg families. Of interest are the papers of Caroline Love Drake, who taught school in Satartia, Mississippi, prior to her marriage to Albert Gallatin Cassell.

The recipes for various foods and beverages are handwritten or clipped from magazines and newspapers. The medicinal remedies are for ailments such as dropsy or rheumatism.

The genealogical records document names and relationships or birth, marriage, and death dates of various members of the Agee, Campbell, Carpenter, Cassell, and Drake families. There is also a June 4, 1923, certificate issued to Agnes Z. Carpenter by the Order of the Crown of America.

The religious materials contain items such as Bible-study cards, church-membership rolls, collection-plate envelopes, printed catechisms, religious magazines, and Sunday-school catalogs, flyers, and crafts. There are also letters from various Natchez churches.

The fraternal papers include handwritten and printed materials concerning the activities of various Campbell, Cornwell, or Drake family members in the Knights Templar and Masonic orders. Chapters and commanderies in Mississippi and Missouri are represented.

The social papers primarily consist of various cards, invitations, or notices that members of the Cassell, Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg families would have received in conjunction with social engagements or funerals, especially in Natchez. There is also a large group of Christmas cards.

The photographs include ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes, as well as cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and stereograph cards, which depict members of the Agee, Cassell, Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg families; their classmates and friends; and historical figures. Of interest are nineteenth-century photographs of lawn tennis and other outdoor activities at the Elms or of other homes and buildings in Natchez. There are numerous postcards, some depicting early twentieth-century views of Jackson, Natchez, Vicksburg, and other Mississippi cities, as well as out-of-state and foreign locations.

The advertising materials contain examples of many different kinds of late-nineteenth-century promotional items that were apparently displayed or distributed in the drug and mercantile businesses that were owned by Albert Gallatin Cassell. They are representative of patent medicine, popular culture, and society, especially in the South. Of particular interest are the almanacs and calendars advertising various Natchez firms or the Vicksburg businesses of Albert Gallatin Cassell. The residents of the Elms also saved many types of advertising materials. They provide examples of the array of goods, products, and services available to persons living in Natchez during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The scrapbooks were created by members of the Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg families. Of interest are two scrapbooks on Natchez churches and mansions and a scrapbook assembled by Alma M. Drake in 1892.

The published materials include an assortment of ephemera, memorabilia, and printed works accumulated by residents of the Elms. Of interest are issues of Agees Bee, a magazine devoted to Agee family genealogy, news, and religious matters; a catalog from Stanton College in Natchez; newspapers from Jefferson Military College and Natchez High School; and clippings and programs from the premiere of the 1939 motion picture, Gone with the Wind. There are also issues of the Master Detective (1933), a magazine that contains articles on Glenwood (Goat Castle) residents Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery, who were initially implicated in and later cleared of the murder of Jennie Surget Merrill, who lived nearby at Glenburnie in Natchez.

1. Correspondence. 19 boxes.

   1.1 Correspondence (Mosley John Posey Drake). 1841-1897; n.d.

This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Mosley John Posey Drake with his wife, Caroline Agee Drake, and his friend and business partner, Love S. Cornwell. Drake discusses family life and business matters, and he refers to buying or selling parcels of land, suggesting that Drake and Cornwell may have been engaged in some form of real-estate speculation. His letters also indicate that Drake and Cornwell owned a mercantile store and livery stable in New Orleans, Louisiana. Drake also mentions a yellow-fever epidemic in New Orleans that affected Mattie Cornwell and himself. There is a certificate exempting Drake from service in the Missouri militia because of his age, and there is also one folder of business correspondence of Drake.

Box 1: correspondence (personal), 1841-1897; n.d.
Box 1: correspondence (business; military), 1855-1896; n.d.

1.2. Correspondence (Caroline Agee Drake). 1857-1904; n.d.

This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Caroline Agee Drake with husband Mosley John Posey Drake, daughter Caroline Love Drake Cassell, and friend Love S. Cornwell. She often discusses family life and financial matters. Drake also chronicles the meeting of the Drake and Cornwell families in Missouri and their subsequent migration to the Deep South. She assisted Love S. Cornwell in bringing up his children and grandchildren after the death of his wife, Martha, in 1856 and the death of his daughter, Mary Jane Cornwell Campbell, in 1867. There is also one folder of business correspondence of Drake.Box 2: correspondence (personal), 1857-1892; n.d.
Box 2: correspondence (business), 1892-1904; n.d. 1.3. Correspondence (Alma M. Drake). 1868-1917; n.d.This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Alma M. Drake. Her letters provide details of family and social life at the Elms and in Natchez generally. There are over eighteen hundred letters from Cassell and Drake family members and friends.

Caroline Love Drake wrote to Alma M. Drake concerning her life as a companion and teacher in Satartia, Mississippi, and her many beaux prior to her marriage to Albert Gallatin Cassell. After her marriage, she wrote to Drake describing her new home in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

John Cassell, brother of Albert Gallatin Cassell and legal guardian of Alma Stratton Cassell, often received letters from Alma M. Drake concerning the custody and financial support of Alma Stratton Cassell, who was living at the Elms after the death of her mother, Caroline Love Drake Cassell.Alma M. Drake received many letters from Robert Love and Stella Love Wathem. In later life, Drake would also decline a marriage proposal from Robert Love.M. White, a female physician and friend of Alma M. Drake, wrote many letters of introduction to men whom she considered worthy of corresponding with Drake. Therefore, many of the letters Drake received were from potential suitors. During her lifetime, Drake corresponded with many male friends throughout the United States and abroad, including at least five soldiers who wrote to her from Europe during World War I.Boxes 3-5: correspondence (personal), 1868-1917; n.d.
Box 5: correspondence (business), 1891-1910; n.d. 1.4. Correspondence (Caroline Love Drake Cassell). 1867-1915; n.d.This series consists of the personal and business correspondence to Caroline Love Drake Cassell from husband Albert Gallatin Cassell and sister Alma M. Drake. There are also letters from Cassells beaux prior to her marriage to Albert Gallatin Cassell.In her early letters, Caroline Love Drake Cassell describes living in Satartia, Mississippi, where she worked as a teacher and companion to Mrs. Kling in 1884 and 1885. Her letters also detail her move to Natchez and her courtship with and marriage to Albert Gallatin Cassell in July of 1886.The correspondence of Caroline Love Drake Cassell with Albert Gallatin Cassell includes references to Vicksburg social news, the threat of yellow fever, and the salutary effect of visiting the natural mineral springs at Coopers Well near Raymond, Mississippi.The letters Caroline Love Drake Cassell received from Alma M. Drake reflect Natchez family and social life. Drake discusses such topics as the latest fashions, family pets, and temperance movement politics. Of interest is a letter from a soldier stationed in the Arizona Territory that discusses Native Americans living there. There is also one folder of business correspondence of Caroline Love Drake Cassell.Boxes 6-7: correspondence (personal), 1867-1902; n.d.
Box 7: correspondence (business), 1890-1915 1.5. Correspondence (Albert Gallatin Cassell). 1861-1902; n.d.This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Albert Gallatin Cassell. The letters from his wife, Caroline Love Drake Cassell, concern their courtship and married life. The letters from his siblings focus on family life and business matters. In an 1861 letter, Albert Gallatin Cassell discusses the cotton industry and advises his brother, John, not to join the army. Other letters illustrate Albert Gallatin Cassells position on the issue of secession. There are two folders of business correspondence of Albert Gallatin Cassell.Boxes 8-9: correspondence (personal), 1861-1902; n.d.
Box 9: correspondence (business), 1884-1900; n.d. 1.6. Correspondence (Sallie Sutherland Cassell). 1873-1883; n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Sallie Sutherland Cassell that was received prior to and after her marriage to Albert Gallatin Cassell, including letters from relatives and friends.Box 10 1.7. Correspondence (Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg). 1895-1944; n.d.This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg. Included are letters from Albert Gallatin Cassell, Duncan Cassell, John Cassell, Mammie Chapman Cassell, Alma M. Drake, and Viley McFerran.Albert Gallatin Cassell and Mammie Chapman Cassell wrote several letters to Kellogg when she was a child. Mammie Chapman Cassell wrote several letters for Albert Gallatin Cassell prior to his death. Alma M. Drakes letters to Kellogg primarily concern Natchez social news.While attending Campbell-Hagerman College in Lexington, Kentucky, Kellogg frequently corresponded with Viley McFerran. There are numerous letters regarding their courtship, engagement, and breakup. Included are one folder of business correspondence and one folder of correspondence with the Remington Typewriter Company.Boxes 11-13: correspondence (personal), 1895-1944; n.d.
Box 13: correspondence (business), 1909-1944 1.8. Correspondence (Daughters of the American Revolution). 1912-1933; n.d.This series consists of the correspondence of Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg concerning Daughters of the American Revolution meetings and membership, brochures and pamphlets, and related genealogical materials.Box 13 1.9. Correspondence (Joseph Bentley Kellogg). 1904-1944; n.d.This series consists of the personal and business correspondence of Joseph Bentley Kellogg that was received from his wife, Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg, and from siblings and friends. Many letters reflect Kelloggs college academic and social life and that of some of his friends at other schools. There is also one folder of business correspondence of Kellogg.Box 14: correspondence (personal), 1904-1933; n.d.
Box 14: correspondence (business), 1907-1944 1.10. Correspondence (Alma Cassell Kellogg Carpenter). 1942-1945; n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Alma Cassell Kellogg Carpenter that was received from family members, friends, and eligible young men. Many letters are from soldiers who were stationed overseas during World War II.Box 15 1.11. Correspondence (Leslia Courtenay). 1880-1887; n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Leslia (also Lesley / Leslie) Courtenay, who had lived in Holden, Missouri, before moving to Natchez, Mississippi. There are several folders of letters addressed to Courtenay in Natchez from acquaintances Edwin H. Brooks, James Guthrie, and William Starkey. There is also one folder of letters addressed to W. L. Jones from Courtenay, who was still living in Natchez.Box 16 1.12. Correspondence (Love S. Cornwell). 1831-1888; n.d.This series consists of the personal, business, and military correspondence of Love S. Cornwell. Included are personal letters from Cornwell and Drake family members and their friends. There are many business letters relating to mercantile stores, livery stables, land speculation, the Concordia Eagle, and other business ventures in which Cornwell was involved. A certificate exempting Cornwell from duty in the Missouri militia and several of his military passes are present. There are letters from Cornwells son, Edward, who was killed in the Civil War on August 10, 1862, along with letters from Cornwells other children.Box 17: correspondence (personal), 1831-1888; n.d.
Box 17: correspondence (business; military), 1861-1888; n.d. 1.13. Correspondence (Martha S. Cornwell). 1846.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Martha S. Cornwell.Box 18 1.14. Correspondence (Mary Jane Cornwell Campbell). 1840-1867. n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Mary (Mollie) Jane Cornwell Campbell. There are several letters from eligible young men, including one named Will, who also sent her Valentines Day cards. Included are letters from Campbells father discussing her life, children, and finances.Box 17 1.15. Correspondence (John Polk Campbell). 1845-1863; n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of John Polk Campbell.Box 18 1.16. Correspondence (McGregor P. Campbell). 1867-1879; n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of McGregor (Mack) P. Campbell, which mainly concerns his education. Other letters reflect the day-to-day activities of various correspondents.Box 18 1.17. Correspondence (Mattie Campbell). n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Mattie Campbell.Box 18 1.18. Correspondence (Love S. Cornwell, Jr.). 1867-1883.This series consists of the personal correspondence of Love S. Cornwell, Jr.Box 17 1.19. Correspondence (C. L. Cornwell). 1881-1883.This series consists of the personal correspondence ofC. L. Cornwell.Box 18 1.20. Correspondence (J. C. Cornwell). 1870.This series consists of the personal correspondence of J. C. Cornwell.Box 18 1.21. Correspondence (Mary Coombs Cornwell). n.d.This series consists of the personal correspondence ofMary Coombs Cornwell.Box 18 1.22. Correspondence (Miscellaneous Personal and Business). 1851-1947; n.d.This series consists of miscellaneous personal and business correspondence.Box 15 1.23. Envelopes (Empty). 1879-1966; n.d.This series consists of empty envelopes that are arranged alphabetically by name of addressee.Box 19
2. Legal Records. 1844-1917; n.d. 2 boxes.
This series consists of legal records from Adams County, Mississippi, Concordia Parish, Louisiana, and elsewhere, including court documents, land patents, and similar items related to the Agee, Campbell, Cassell, Cornwell, and Drake families. Most of the legal records are associated with the law practice of Love S. Cornwell.Box 20: legal records (Caroline Agee Drake), 1871-1897; n.d.
Box 20: legal records (Love S. Cornwell), 1844-1887; n.d.
Box 20: legal records (Alma M. Drake), 1905
Box 20: legal records (Mosley John Posey Drake), 1850-1883; n.d.
Box 20: township maps (Cornwell; miscellaneous), 1894; n.d.Box 21: legal records (Agee family), 1883
Box 21: legal records (John Polk Campbell), 1845-1869
Box 21: legal records (Cassell family), 1881-1917
Box 21: legal records (multiple family members), 1851-1883; n.d.
Box 21: legal records (miscellaneous), 1844-1888; n.d.
Box 21: land patent, 1854
3. Financial Records. 4 boxes. 3.1. Pilgrimage Garden Club Records. 1930-1942; n.d. 2 boxes.
This series consists of records of the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez, Mississippi, including correspondence, insurance policies, a ledger, bank statements, canceled checks, spring pilgrimage brochures and pamphlets, and newsclippings of club members activities.Box 22: correspondence, 1932-1941; n.d.
Box 22: insurance policies, 1937-1938
Box 22: bank statements, canceled checks, etc., 1930-1939; n.d.
Box 22: brochures and pamphlets, 1931-1942
Box 22: newsclippings (photocopies), 1931-1938; n.d.Box 23: ledger, 1932-1936 3.2. Receipts. 1826-1942; n.d. 2 boxes.This series consists of alphabetically arranged receipts from many individuals and businesses of the Natchez, Mississippi, area.Box 24: receipts (Baker and McDowell--A. M. Ford), 1837-1940; n.d.
Box 25: receipts (Hogan and Boyle--William Wilson; miscellaneous), 1826-1942; n.d.
4. Account Books. 1824-1934; n.d. 24 boxes.
This series consists of a variety of account, bank, cash, day, expense, and memorandum books documenting the enterprises of Love S. Cornwell, Mosley John Posey Drake, and their families and business partners. Included are accounts for cotton and lumber, a blacksmith shop, a mercantile store, and a livery stable. There are subscription account books for the newspapers, Concordia Eagle, edited by Love S. Cornwell, and Concordia Intelligencer, both of Vidalia, Louisiana. Account books of Joseph Bentley Kellogg and David Stanton are also included.Boxes 26-49
5. Academic, Artistic, and Literary Papers. ca. 1824-1945; n.d. 5 boxes.
This series consists of artwork, essays, lecture notes, notebooks, poetry, report cards, teaching materials, and miscellaneous items created or collected by members of the Cassell, Cornwell, and Drake families. Many of these items apparently resulted from the educational activities of family members. Included are correspondence of Leslia Courtenay with the Central Educational Bureau; a Natchez Public Schools report-card booklet of Alma M. Drake; a lecture notebook and teaching materials of Caroline Love Drake Cassell; and correspondence of Alma Stratton Cassell Kellogg concerning the education of her daughter, Alma. There are also academic papers pertaining to Alma Cassell Kellogg Carpenter. A notebook used for recording jokes, stamp collecting, and writing exercises by Chester H. Chamberlin of New Orleans, Louisiana, is included.Box 50, folders 1-2 (1878-1884; n.d.)
Box 51, folders 1-8 (1857-1888; n.d.)
Box 52, folders 1-3 (n.d.)
Box 53, folders 1-21 (ca. 1824-1945; n.d.)
Box 54, folders 1-6 (1871-1899; n.d.)
6. Recipes and Medicinal Remedies. 1915; n.d. 5 folders.
This series consists of food and beverage recipes or medicinal remedies. The food and beverage recipes are handwritten or clipped from newspapers. Two small handwritten recipe notebooks and menu suggestions for lunch and dinner are included. There are medicinal remedies for dropsy and rheumatism, as well as a short article on the benefits of household ammonia.Box 55, folders 1-5
7. Genealogical Records. 1915; 1923; n.d. 2 folders.
This series consists of scattered genealogical records of the Campbell, Carpenter, Cassell, and Drake families, which document names and relationships and birth, marriage, and death dates of individuals. There is a June 4, 1923, certificate issued to Agnes Z. Carpenter by the Order of the Crown of America.Box 56, folder 1 (1915)
Box 114, folder 1 (1923)
8. Religious Materials. 1872-1949; n.d. 12 folders.
This series consists of items such as Bible-study cards; church-membership rolls; collection-plate envelopes; printed catechisms; religious magazines; and Sunday-school catalogs, flyers, and crafts. There are also letters from various churches in Natchez.Box 77, folders 33-34 (1880-1896; n.d.)
Box 97, folders 14-22 (1872-1949; n.d.)
Box 111, folder 5 (1894)
9. Fraternal Papers. 1854-1919; n.d. 3 folders.
This series consists of handwritten and printed materials concerning the Knights Templar and Masonic orders, which reflect the activities of chapters and commanderies in Mississippi and Missouri. Fraternal activities of Campbell, Cornwell, and Drake family members are also documented. A folder of Knights Templar materials contains two Easter greeting cards listing members such as Joseph Bentley Kellogg. A folder of Masonic materials contains a list of Kansas officers that was sent to John Polk Campbell of Westport, Missouri; papers concerning Love S. Cornwell, who was active in Mississippi Masonic activities and a former grand master of a Missouri lodge; and a receipt and a summons of Mosley John Posey Drake issued by Harmony Lodge No. 1, Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons, of Natchez, Mississippi. Other documents include a circular, a deed of trust for a Lexington, Missouri, lodge, invitations, and letters of demission. There is also an undated, anonymous essay on Masonic history and a building-dedication speech. An issue of The Freemason: A Masonic Monthly Journal is also present.Box 56, folders 2-3 (1854-1919; n.d.)
Box 106, folder 1 (1869)
10. Social Papers. 1838-1966; n.d. 4 boxes.
This series consists of materials reflecting the social activities and connections of the successive families who have lived at the Elms in Natchez. There are calling cards; death notices and obituaries; and invitations to graduation exercises, social functions, and weddings that were received by Cassell, Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg family members. Souvenirs of social events, such as bridge-tally cards, dance cards (some with attached pencils), and gift tags are also present. Of particular interest are Christmas and other holiday-greeting cards, some of which are especially delicate or ornate and date from around 1900. The holiday-greeting cards are arranged by type and then chronologically.Box 56, folders 4-20 (1838-1944; n.d.)
Box 57, folders 1-6 (1882-1945; n.d.)
Box 58, folders 1-29 (1857-1966; n.d.)
Box 111, folder 1 (n.d.)
11. Photographs and Postcards. 1876-1947; n.d. 8 boxes.
This series includes photographs, images removed from a photograph album, photographic postcards, and postcards. The photographs include ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes, as well as cabinet cards and stereograph cards, which depict members of the Agee, Cassell, Cornwell, Drake, and Kellogg families; their friends and classmates; and historical figures. There are images of lawn tennis and other outdoor activities at the Elms and images of other homes and buildings in Natchez. Negatives of some photographs are included. There are numerous postcards; some depict early twentieth-century views of Jackson, Natchez, Vicksburg, and other Mississippi cities, as well as out-of-state and foreign locations. Some postcards date from World Wars I and II. Other postcards were issued in a series or to illustrate various subjects. These include a postcard from the Knights of Pythias; promotional postcards from Natchez businesses; postcards depicting people or animals, humorous or romantic themes, minorities, women, and miscellaneous scenes; and postcards conveying best wishes or holiday greetings.Box 59, folders 1-14: photographs (1876-1943; n.d.)
Box 60, folders 1-9b: photographs (n.d.)
Box 61: fragile photographic formats (n.d.) (restricted)
Box 62: nitrate negatives (n.d.) (restricted)
Box 63: postcards (1900-1947; n.d.) (520 items)
Box 64, folders 1-6: postcards (1903-1944; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 1 (n.d.)
Box 112, folders 1-6 (1946-1947; n.d.)
12. Advertising Materials.
This series consists of a wide variety of advertising materials that are organized into the following subseries: almanacs, beauty products, building supplies, business supplies, calendars, clothing, cookbooks, farm supplies, food and beverage or tobacco products, home products, medicine, childrens paper dolls and trading cards, popular culture, seed catalogs, shadowboxes, special formats, trading cards, transportation, and duplicates. Of particular interest are the almanacs and calendars advertising the Cassell family businesses in Vicksburg and various businesses in Natchez. 12.1. Trading Cards. 1888; n.d. 1 box.This subseries consists of trading cards from Dukes Cigarettes and Dukes Mixture Smoking Tobacco. Subjects of the trading cards include Civil War generals, costumes and fancy dress, gymnastic exercises, "The Terrors of America," and yacht colors of the world, as well as several miscellaneous cards.Box 65: 203 items (restricted)

12.2. Shadowboxes. n.d. 1 box.

This subseries consists of three handmade shadowboxes depicting a cow, peacock, and rooster, all of which advertise Baileys dry-goods store.

Box 66: 3 items (restricted)

12.3. Home Products. ca. 1876-1936; n.d. 25 folders.This subseries consists of advertisements for various home products by two Natchez dry-goods merchants, L. D. Aldrich and E. W. Wilson. Items advertised include bathtubs, lamps, laundry soaps, lawn mowers, silverware, stoves, and water pumps. Also included are a booklet published by the Ladies Home Journal, catalogs from Montgomery Ward and Company, and a flyer from Sears, Roebuck, and Company. Of particular interest are fabric and wallpaper samples.Box 67, folders 1-20 (ca. 1876-1936; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 2 (1878; n.d.)
Box 108, folder 5 (1869; n.d.)
Box 110, folder 5 (n.d.)
Box 114, folder 11 (1896; n.d.)
Box 116, folder 1 (n.d.) 12.4 Almanacs. 1869-1938; n.d. 29 folders.This subseries consists of almanacs that were used by various merchants to advertise their goods, products, or services. Most of the advertisements are for medicinal remedies. Several Natchez druggists are represented, including A. T Bowie, R. Lee Byrnes, F. A. Dicks, George W. Healy, J. J. Murphy, and H. F. West. The Natchez Drug Company and the Vicksburg firms of Albert Gallatin Cassell and Hardaway and Cassell are also represented.Box 68, folders 1-29 12.5. Calendars. 1865-1940; n.d. 28 folders.This subseries consists of advertising calendars from several Natchez businesses, including Gus B. Grover, Frank M. Henderson, Louis Kastor, L. A. Morest, A. Trimble, and M. M. Ullman and Company. The Vicksburg drugstore of Albert Gallatin Cassell is also represented. There are also advertising calendars from Colgate and Company and Esquire magazine.Box 69, folders 1-5 (1883-1914; n.d.)
Box 70, folders 1-5 (1865-1917; n.d.)
Box 71, folders 1-2 (1895-1940)
Box 108, folders 1-4 (n.d.)
Box 115, folders 1-9 (1902-1903)
Box 117, folders 4-6 (1901-1903) 12.6. Clothing. 1863-1916; n.d. 49 folders; 3 items.This subseries consists of advertising materials for clothing, footwear, accessories, and related items such as dress patterns, fabric dyes, fashion catalogs and magazines, sewing machines and needles, and spools of thread. Natchez merchants L. A. Benoist, Hogan and Boyle, and the Natchez Drug Company are represented.Box 72, folders 1-32 (1863-1916; n.d.)
Box 82: 3 items (n.d.)
Box 105, folders 4-5 (n.d.)
Box 108, folders 1; 5 (1869-1902; n.d.)
Box 109, folders 1; 3-6 (ca. 1889; n.d.)
Box 110, folders 1; 3; 9 (1883-1905; n.d.)
Box 114, folders 10-12 (1896-1902; n.d.)
Box 116, folders 3-4 (n.d.)
Box 117, folders 11-12 (n.d.) 12.7. Food and Beverage or Tobacco Products. 1884-1935; n.d. 33 folders; 2 items.This subseries consists of advertisements for various food and beverage or tobacco products. The foods advertised include Armours beef extract (beef bouillon), Jell-o® gelatin, Mellins baby food, Rumfords baking powder, and assorted candies and chocolates. The beverages advertised include Chase and Sandborns coffee and tea and Coca-Cola. The tobacco products advertised include Drummond, Old North State, and Seal of North Carolinia brands.Box 73, folders 1-29 (1884-1935; n.d.)
Box 82: 1 item (ca. 1882)
Box 107, folder 3 (n.d.)
Box 109, folders 2 and 7 (n.d.)
Box 116, folder 5 (1902)
Box 119: 1 item (n.d.) (restricted)

12.8. Cookbooks. 1873-1936; n.d. 14 folders.

This subseries consists of several cookbooks from the Armour, Gold Medal Flour, Jell-o®, Richelieu Foods, and Rumford Baking Powder companies.Box 74, folders 1-14 (1873-1936; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 5 (n.d.) 12.9. Medicine. 1856-1908; n.d. 153 folders; 1 item.This subseries consists of advertisements for various medicinal remedies and patent medicines. Several Natchez druggists are represented, including W. K. Bunning, R. Lee Byrnes, F. A. Dicks, H. F. West, and J. L. Young. The Natchez Drug Company and the Vicksburg firms of Albert Gallatin Cassell and Hardaway and Cassell are also represented.Box 75, folders 1-109 (1856-1908; n.d.)
Box 76, folders 1-21 (1885-1905; n.d.)
Box 82: 1 item (ca. 1892)
Box 105, folders 1-3; 6 (n.d.)
Box 108, folder 5 (1869; n.d.)
Box 110, folders 6; 8; 11 (n.d.)
Box 114, folders 2-7 (n.d.)
Box 115, folder 1 (1901)
Box 116, folders 1; 6-9 (n.d.)
Box 118, folder 7 (1883; n.d.) 12.10. Beauty Products. 1883-1899; n.d. 7 folders; 1 item.This subseries consists of advertisements for a variety of beauty products. Among the brand names represented are Dr. Hebras Viola Cream and Skin Soap, Hagans Magnolia Balm, and Pozzonis Medicated Face Powder.Box 76, folders 22-27 (1883-1899; n.d.)
Box 82: 1 item (n.d.)
Box 107, folder 8 (ca. 1899) 12.11. Popular Culture. 1870-1947. 37 folders.This subseries consists of the following categories: entertainment, fairs and expositions, lectures and recitals, recreation, theatre, and travel and tourism. The entertainment category includes advertisements for games and puzzles, musical instruments, and sound recordings. The fairs and expositions category includes advertisements and brochures for various international expositions and state and regional fairs. The lectures and recitals category includes programs from various lectures and recitals. The recreation category includes brochures and catalogs for bicycles, girls camps, and roller skates, and booklets on the care of horses and on selecting and caring for a puppy. The theatre category includes playbills and programs from operas and plays that were presented in Natchez-area theatres. The travel and tourism category includes brochures or maps for various hotels, railroads, and tourist sites.Box 77, folders 1-32 (1870-1947; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 6 (n.d.)
Box 110, folder 11 (n.d.)
Box 118, folders 2; 6-7 (1883; n.d.) 12.12. Childrens Paper Dolls or Trading Cards. 1893-1895; n.d. 9 folders.This subseries contains childrens paper dolls or trading cards that were produced by various manufacturers as advertisements for their products.Box 78, folders 1-8 (1893-1895; n.d.)
Box 118, folder 7 (n.d.) 12.13. Building Supplies. 1884-1940; n.d. 9 folders.This subseries consists of advertisements for building supplies such as lumber, ornamental iron railing, paint, roofing, and wire fencing. Of particular interest are paint-chip samples from Albert Gallatin Cassell and other merchants.Box 76, folders 28-34 (1884-1940; n.d.)
Box 114, folders 8-9 (n.d.) 12.14. Farm Supplies. ca. 1870-1900; n.d. 7 folders.This subseries consists of advertisements for items such as livestock feed, pesticides, petroleum products, plows, and veterinary medicines. Of particular interest is a printing block that advertises "Leffels Improved Iron Wind Engine."Box 76, folders 35-41 (ca. 1870-1900; n.d.)
Box 38: 1 item (n.d.)
Box 114, folders 12 and 13 (1884; n.d.)
Box 116, folder 2 (n.d.)
Box 118, folder 7 (1883; n.d.) 12.15. Seed Catalogs. 1878-1915. 38 folders.This subseries consists of seed catalogs from the W. Atlee Burpee, John Lewis Childs, D. M. Ferry, Stark Brothers, and Vaughan companies. Included are various flyers advertising plants and seeds, as well as illustrations from seed catalogs. Two advertising posters from D. M. Ferry and Company and seed cards from the Natchez Drug Company are also included. There are three catalogs and a business card of W. H. Cassell and a business card of H. F. Cassell, both of whom were from Canton, Mississippi.Box 67, folders 21-36 (1878-1915; n.d.)
Box 79, folders 1-22 (1893-1894)
Oversize folder 1 (1894; n.d.) 12.16. Transportation. 1878-1942; n.d. 9 folders.This subseries consists of advertisements for manufacturers of carriages, wagons, and automobiles.Box 76, folders 42-44 (1878-1942; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 4 (n.d.)
Box 108, folders 3-4 (1903)
Box 110, folders 2; 11 (1884-1937; n.d.)
Box 118; folder 6 (n.d.) 12.17. Business Supplies. 1877-1937; n.d. 18 folders.This subseries consists of advertisements for services offered by banks, insurance companies, and law firms or items such as stationery and typewriters.Box 76, folders 45-55 (1877-1937; n.d.)
Box 107, folder 7 (n.d.)
Box 108, folder 6 (n.d.)
Box 110, folders 4; 7 (1890; n.d.)
Box 117, folder 8 (1886)
Box 118, folders 4-5 (1901-1903) 12.18. Special Formats. 1886-1898; n.d. 50 folders.This subseries consists of advertising-related blotters, bookmarks, business cards, "currency," displays, and labels. The blotters are mainly from Natchez insurance agents P. A. Barker, E. G. DeLap, T. N. Henderson, H. S. Mayer, and S. D. Stockman. There are also blotters from the Arlington Chemical Company Liquid Peptonoids, Frederick Stearns and Company, Henry Tetlow Perfumes, Natchez Printing and Stationery Company, T. Fitzwilliam and Company, and Tom L. Ketchings Printing Company. A bookmark contains an advertisement for Colgates Cashmere Bouquet Soap. There are business cards from several Natchez or Vicksburg merchants or professionals, including L. D. Allen, Charles A. Bessac, Albert Gallatin Cassell, E. L. Hall, Hardaway and Cassell, and James W. Morgan. The "currency" promotes Egyptian Hair Coloring, Mexican Mustang Liniment, The Original Great Southern Dollar Store, and two Natchez businesses, W. B. Briel and Polkinghorne and Lawrence. There are displays for Dr. Harters Iron Tonic and Tappans Dust of Roses. The displays also include Christmas greetings from merchants L. A. Benoist and Hogan and Boyle of Natchez. The labels include color illustrations that were clipped from various boxes and cans.Box 76, folders 56-78 (n.d.)
Box 80, folders 1-12 (1886-1898; n.d.)
Box 81, folders 1-15 (1894-1897; n.d.) 12.19. Duplicate Originals. 1889-1898; n.d. 34 folders.This subseries consists of duplicates of original materials found throughout the advertising series.Box 83, folders 1-5 (n.d.)
Box 84, folders 1-29 (1889-1898; n.d.)
13. Scrapbooks. 1892-1948; n.d. 9 boxes
.This series consists of scrapbooks assembled by members of the Drake, Cornwell, and Kellogg families, including Alma M. Drake and Alma Cassell Kellogg Carpenter. Several of the scrapbooks were created from old account books. The scrapbooks contain poetry, stories, illustrations, household hints, and newsclippings. Of particular interest are two scrapbooks on Natchez churches and mansions and an 1892 scrapbook assembled by Alma M. Drake that contained cards advertising or illustrating a variety of products.Boxes 85-93 (90 is restricted)
14. Printed Materials. 14.1. Agee Family. 1895; n.d. 16 folders
.This subseries consists of sixteen issues of Agees Bee, a magazine, published by J. W. Agee of Windsor, Missouri. The magazine is devoted to Agee family genealogy, news, and religious matters.Box 94, folders 1-16 14.2. Booklets. 1859-1947; n.d. 1 folder.This subseries consists of a study guide for The Book of Knowledge; a biography of Mrs. Jane H. Long, "The Mother of Texas"; a copy of a speech given by John Hickman; two copies of an article on river hydraulics; a Boy Scouts publication entitled A Message to Garcia; and a transcript of the National Broadcasting Companys Town Meeting radio program entitled "What Kind of Peace Must We Have?"Box 95, folder 1 14.3. Catalogs. ca. 1874-1900. 3 folders.This subseries consists of catalogs of newspaper clip-art and title lists from the Kellogg Publishing and World Manufacturing companies.Box 95, folders 2-4 14.4. Childrens Literature, Toys, and Games. ca. 1895-1896; n.d. 3 folders.This subseries consists of an edition of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, various storybooks, and handmade paper boats and paper dolls.Box 95, folders 5-7 14.5. Christmas Decoration. ca. 1900. 1 folder.This subseries consists of a German three-dimensional paper Santa Claus dating from around 1900.Box 113, folder 1 14.6. Entertainment. ca. 1939; n.d. 3 folders.This subseries consists of risqué caricatures and cartoons; images of pin-up girls; and Gone with the Wind film memorabilia clipped from various magazines. There is also a program from Gone with the Wind.Box 95, folders 8-10 14.7. Government / Utility Publications. 1877-1889; n.d. 1 folder.This subseries consists of a booklet describing various aspects of the Natchez Water Association; a newsletter from the Southern Telephone and Telegraph Company; and a brief biography of French explorer Henri de Tonty published by the Mississippi Power and Light Company. Also included are a report entitled "Committee of Experts on the Action of Former School Boards of the Parish of Concordia" and a reply card from the Pacific Wireless Telegraph Company.Box 95, folder 11 14.8. Illustrations (People or Animals). 1844-1939; n.d. 13 folders. 1 item.This subseries consists of black-and-white or color illustrations of people or animals that were taken from books, magazines, or newspapers.Box 38: 1 item (n.d.)
Box 95, folders 12-14 (ca. 1884; n.d.)
Box 96, folder 1 (1844; n.d.)
Box 106, folder 2 (1939; n.d.)
Box 111, folder 2 (1881)
Box 114, folder 11 (1896; n.d.)
Box 116, folders 3; 7 (n.d.)
Box 117, folder 9-10 (1898-1934)
Box 118, folder 1 (1882; n.d.)
Oversize folder 2 (n.d.) 14.9. Illustrations (Places or Things). 1884-1939; n.d. 15 folders.This subseries contains black-and-white or color illustrations of places or things that were taken from books, magazines, or newspapers.Box 96, folders 2-4 (n.d.)
Box 106, folders 2-4 (1893-1939; n.d.)
Box 110, folder 2 (1884-1937; n.d.)
Box 114, folder 11 (1896; n.d.)
Box 116, folders 1-3 (n.d.)
Box 117, folder 9-10 (1898-1934)
Box 118, folder 2 (n.d.)
Oversize folder 2 (n.d.) 14.10. Insurance. 1894; n.d. 1 folder.This subseries consists of two insurance-related booklets from E. G. DeLap and Company of Natchez. The first is entitled "The Underwriters Policy of Fire Insurance," and the second is entitled "Hints to Merchants and Clerks."Box 96, folder 5 14.11. Magazines. 1866-1942; n.d. 15 folders.This subseries consists of miscellaneous nineteenth- and twentieth-century magazines. Titles include American Legion, The Bubble, The Cottage Hearth, The Mississippi Banker, Puck, and Puck on Wheels.Box 96, folders 6-18 (1866-1942; n.d.)
Box 110, folder 9 (1883-1905; n.d.)
Box 111, folder 3 (1890) 14.12. Miscellaneous. 1880-1940; n.d. 4 folders.This subseries consists of miscellaneous booklets and pamphlets. Titles include "They Found it in Natchez" and "Memorial Day in France: What French Children Think About the United States of America."Box 96, folders 19-22 (1880-1940; n.d.)
Box 110, folder 10 (1884; n.d.) 14.13. Monuments. n.d. 1 folder.This subseries consists of a brochure of monument designer J. S. Clark and Company and a pamphlet entitled "The Spirit of the American Doughboy," which concerns a design for a World War I monument.Box 96, folder 23 14.14. Publishing Companies. 1883-1937; n.d. 4 folders.This subseries consists of letters and printing samples from various publishing companies.Box 96, folder 24-25 (1883-1937; n.d.)
Box 108, folder 7 (n.d.)
Box 110, folder 11 (n.d.) 14.15. Schools and Colleges. 1836-1947; n.d. 13 folders.This subseries consists of brochures, catalogs, and student directories from various schools and colleges.Box 97, folders 1-12 (1836-1947; n.d.)
Box 111, folder 4 (ca. 1884) 14.16. Social Clubs/Organizations. 1913-1937; n.d. 1 folder.This subseries consists of a card from the Natchez Cotillion Club, a menu from the Prentiss Stag Club, and a program from a Sigma Iota Chi convention.Box 97, folder 13 14.17. Song and Verse. 1875-1939; n.d. 13 folders.This subseries consists of a variety of piano books, sheet music, and song lyrics.Box 98, folders 1-13
15. Publications. ca. 1835-1933. 4 boxes.
This series consists of various publications that were accumulated by successive generations of residents of the Elms. Several works are inscribed by or to members of the Campbell, Cornwell, and Drake families. Included are a souvenir from the 1904 Worlds Fair and Louisiana Purchase Exposition; 1935 issues of The Master Detective concerning the Goat Castle affair in Natchez; a catalog from Stanton College in Natchez; two volumes of The Masonic Signet and Literary Mirror; and several works created for use in Sunday-school class.Box 99, folders 1-2 (1835-1933)
Box 100, items 1-6 (ca. 1860-1905; n.d.)
Box 101, items 1-2 (1851-1852)
Box 102, item 1 (ca. 1892)
16. Newspapers and Other Serial Publications. 1859-1944; n.d. 2 boxes.
This series consists of newspapers and other serial publications that were collected by successive generations of residents of the Elms. Topics include fashion, homemaking, and literature. There are newspapers from Jefferson Military College and Natchez High School, as well as several newspapers from towns in Kansas and Missouri.Box 103, folders 1-19 (1865-1944; n.d.)
Box 104, folders 1-5 (1859-1941)

• Boxes 1-10
• Boxes 11-20
• Boxes 21-30
• Boxes 31-40
• Boxes 41-50
• Boxes 51-60
• Boxes 61-70
• Boxes 71-80
• Boxes 81-90
• Boxes 91-100
• Boxes 101-110
• Boxes 111-119
• Drawer 1-2