Biography:

Susan Amanda Reynolds Hawkins James 

Susan Amanda Reynolds was born on November 9, 1845, in Cockrum, De Soto County, Mississippi. She was the second of four children of William Fluker and Elizabeth Frances Ward Reynolds. Reynolds had an older brother, Robert, and two younger sisters, Mary and Bettie. She spent much of her life as a teacher in De Soto County, Mississippi, Carroll Parish, Louisiana, and Ashley County, Arkansas.

Thomas Hawkins and Susan Amanda Reynolds were married in Arkansas on December 18, 1867, and the couple returned to Cockrum, Mississippi. Hawkins was arrested on July 24, 1868, and was incarcerated in Hernando, Mississippi, and then moved to Senatobia. Charged with horse thievery and murder, he was convicted and hanged in August of 1868.

Edward Clement James (b. August 13, 1826) and Susan Amanda Reynolds Hawkins were married on March 31, 1870. The couple had six children: Effie Celeste (b. March 17, 1871), Paul Percy (b. May 9, 1873), Mark Marvin (b. September 29, 1876), Guy Reynolds (b. March 6, 1879), Elizabeth Nannette (b. February 22, 1882), and Albert Sidney (b. August 22, 1885). Susan James was the fourth wife of Edward C. James. His three previous wives were the following: Eliza L. Crow James (b. December 20, 1829; d. November 28, 1848), Eunice F. Davis James (b. March 7, 1826; d. July 31, 1855), and Martha A. Hill James (b. March 15, 1840; d. November 12, 1867).

Edward James fathered eight children with his previous wives. The children of Eliza L. Crow James were Edward S. (b. March 18, 1847) and William H. (b. April 30, 1848). The children of Eunice Davis James were N. F. (b. February 8, 1851) and Frances Eudora (b. December 31, 1853). The children of Martha A. Hill James were Blanche Amelia (b. February 11, 1857), Francis Eudora (b. September 7, 1858), Mary L. (b. March 31, 1861), and Ed Linwood (b. January 26, 1864).

Edward C. James died on June 9, 1897. The date of Susan James's death is unknown.

 

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains the diaries of Susan Amanda Reynolds Hawkins James dating from April 1, 1861, to April 30, 1875. There is a photograph album that contains family tintypes and photographs, including a picture of Susan James with one of her grandchildren. There is also a letter from Mississippi governor A. H. Longino to James explaining the reasons why he is powerless to put an end to bootlegging in Sunflower County.

The diaries provide insights into the daily life of James, including details about her career as a teacher and her feelings following the hanging of her first husband.

This collection would be of interest to anyone researching the experiences of nineteenth-century Mississippi women.

 
Series Identification:

Series 1: Diaries. 1861-1875. 5 bound volumes.

Boxes 1-2

Series 2: Photographs. 1879-1885; n.d. 1 folder.

Box 2

Series 3: Correspondence. 1901. 1 folder.

Box 2