Collection Details:

Collection Name and Number: Robert and James Gordon Diaries (Z/0001)
Creator/Collector: Robert Gordon; James Gordon.
Date(s): 1851-1876.
Size: 0.30 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Processed by: MDAH staff, 1973; Bill Hanna, 1980; Laura Heller, 2023.
Provenance: Gift of unknown donor before April 1973; Z/0001.
Repository: Archives & Records Services Division, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

Rights and Access:

Access restrictions: Collection is open for research.

Publication rights: Copyright assigned to the MDAH. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to Reference Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the MDAH as the owner of the physical items and as the owner of the copyright in items created by the donor. Although the copyright was transferred by the donor, the respective creator may still hold copyright in some items in the collection. For further information, contact Reference Services.

Copyright Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Preferred citation: Robert and James Gordon Diaries (Z/0001), Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

Related Materials:
Digital Archives: Lochinvar Photograph Album (PI/HH/1984.0001), MDAH.
Subject Files: James Gordon; Lochinvar, MDAH.
 

Biography:

Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon was born in Scotland and moved to Pontotoc County in 1834 as a land speculator. He built "Lochinvar" near Pontotoc in 1836. Gordon was present at the signing of the Treaty of Pontotoc and signed the document as a witness. He also is the founder of the town of Aberdeen in Monroe County. Gordon was one of the largest landholders in north Mississippi and had an estate valued at over one and a half million dollars before the Civil War. He died in 1866. 

James Gordon

James Gordon, son of Robert and Mary Elizabeth Gordon, was born on December 6, 1833, in Monroe County. He was a planter, writer, and member of the state legislature in 1857-1878, 1886, 1904-1908, and completed the term of Anselm J. McLaurin in the United States Senate for two months in 19091910. During the Civil War, James Gordon, after returning from England as an agent for the Confederacy and being captured upon his return, escaped to Canada. While there he met John Wilkes Booth and for a brief period after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, a reward was offered for his capture. Charges were dropped and he returned to "Lochinvar." He eventually lost "Lochinvar" due to bad investments. He died on November 28, 1912.

 

Scope and Content Note:

The diaries of Robert Gordon cover the years 1851, 1853 and 1857. As a rule, the daily entries are brief and contain an account of the main activity of the day. Many of the entries give weather for the day and many note receipts and disbursements. The 1851 volume contains an account of an extended visit to Europe. The 1857 diary (in two volumes) contains a list of slaves, their ages and value (in front of the second volume of 1857). Included in the collection are typescripts of the Robert Gordon diaries. The diaries of James Gordon cover the years 1873 and 1876. The brief daily entries refer to the main activity of the day. Included in the collection of diaries are the amnesty oaths (1865) for Robert and James Gordon.

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: Diaries of Robert Gordon (original and typescripts).

This series consists of the four diaries of Robert Gordon recording the years 1851, 1853 and 1857. As a rule, the daily entries are brief and contain an account of the main activity of the day as a plantation owner of Lochinvar. Many of the entries give weather for the day and many note receipts and disbursements. The 1851 volume contains an account of an extended visit to Europe. The 1857 diary, divided into two volumes, contains a list of enslaved persons, their ages, and purchase value; this information is located in the front of the second volume of 1857. Included in the series are typescripts for each year of the Robert Gordon diaries.

Series 2: Diaries of James Gordon (original).

This series consists of the two diaries of James Gordon concerning the years 1873 and 1876. The brief daily entries refer to the main activity of the day on the Lochinvar Plantation in Chickasaw and Pontotoc counties.

Series 3: Oaths of allegiance.

Included in the collection of diaries are two amnesty oaths dated September 8, 1865, one for Robert Gordon and one for James Gordon. These pardons were issues by President Andrew Johnson’s administration.