Z 2054.000 Cameron (Daniel C.) Letter

Z 2054.000
CAMERON (DANIEL C.) LETTER

Daniel C. Cameron, a native of North Carolina, moved from Alabama to Mississippi in the early 1830s with his wife, Elizabeth J. Donald Cameron, who was originally from South Carolina. Camerons brothers still living in Alabama included Hugh and John, while his brother, Allan, had also moved to Mississippi.

The Camerons daughter, Mary Jane, and their son, Simeon Alexander, were born in Alabama. Their other sons, Allen, Benjamin F., Hugh D., John A., and William D., were born in Mississippi. The Camerons settled in the community of Alamutcha, about twenty miles northeast of Meridian in Lauderdale County. Daniel Cameron began farming in the area, with two slaves to assist him. He also managed a dry-goods store, and he was one of the first county tax collectors. Cameron had acquired eight more slaves by 1848. His net worth was six thousand dollars by 1850. Camerons older children attended school, possibly at Alamutcha Academy, the second-oldest school in the county. Daniel Cameron died sometime before 1860, and his wife and sons managed the farm and dry-goods store.

Some of Camerons sons served in the Confederate army. Hugh D. and John A. Cameron both enlisted in Company E (Alamutcha Infantry), Thirteenth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, on March 23, 1861. Hugh Cameron attained the rank of captain early in the war. He fought in nearly all of the battles involving the Thirteenth Regiment. He was captured at Sailors Creek, Virginia, on April 6, 1865. John Cameron attained the rank of first lieutenant early in the war, but he was sick or wounded, and he missed several battles. He was captured at Berryville, Virginia, on September 3, 1864. Both brothers were sent to Johnsons Island, Ohio, and they were released within two days of each other in June of 1865. William D. Cameron served as a private in Company E, Forty-ninth Regiment, Alabama Infantry.

After returning from the war, William Cameron farmed with his family. He moved to Meridian to work as deputy chancery clerk of Lauderdale County in 1871. Cameron was elected as circuit clerk of Lauderdale County in 1875, and was reelected for a number of terms. He was active in church and civic affairs and in the Mississippi Democratic Party.

The two youngest sons, Allen and Benjamin Cameron, still ran the family farm, along with their mother, in 1870. Benjamin Cameron became a clerk in a general store in the town of Lauderdale. He later moved to Meridian where he became a senior partner of the Cameron and Sherman drugstore. Cameron began working as a life-insurance agent in 1887, eventually becoming statewide superintendent of agents for the Union Central Life Insurance Company. He was a member of the board of trustees of the state insane asylum at Meridian, and he was active in the Mississippi Democratic Party. Cameron was also deputy sheriff of Lauderdale County for several years, deputy circuit clerk of Lauderdale County, and president of the city council of Meridian.

Elizabeth J. Donald Cameron died on December 7, 1874. She and other family members are buried in the Salem Baptist Church cemetery that is located in the Alamutcha community.

This collection consists of a letter written by Daniel C. Cameron, Alamutcha, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, to his brother, Allan A. Cameron, Richland, Holmes County, Mississippi, on November 21, 1847. Cameron comments on the Mexican War, the recent Congressional elections, cotton and corn production and market prices, and various family members. Important figures discussed in the letter include Mexican War generals Winfield Scott, John Anthony Quitman, and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, and Judge (later Mississippi provisional governor) William L. Sharkey. Also mentioned are Camerons brothers, Hugh and John, and his neighbor, Dr. Jesse E. Trippe. Cameron also responds to an earlier letter regarding Allan Camerons hopes for marriage in the new settlement where he now lives.

1. Letter. 1847. 1 item.