Dates: 1840-1847.

Biography:

William A. Denton

William A. Denton was born in Goochland County, Virginia, on August 13, 1818. He moved to Holmes County, Mississippi, around 1840. Denton married a widow, Mary Carter Ammons, on March 15, 1841. Some of his wifes children, including Jonathan A., Martha, and Francy E. Ammons, lived with the couple in Eulogy, Holmes County, where they engaged in farming. The Dentons raised six other children, including Sara, Albert, Susan, Josephine, and John Denton. William A. Denton continued to live and farm in Eulogy until his death on October 24, 1898. He was interred in Wheeling Cemetery in Holmes County.

 
Scope and Content Note:

This collection consists of a diary kept by William A. Denton of Eulogy, Holmes County, Mississippi, from 1840 to 1847. The diary contains Dentons personal reflections on such varied topics as the condition of the United States mail system, the duties of an American citizen, and materials he has read. Also recorded are the amounts of cotton picked by his children and slaves and biographical sketches of various Revolutionary War heroes. Of particular interest are birth, marriage, and death records kept not only for Dentons children and stepchildren, but also for his slaves.

 
Series Identification:

Series 1: Diary. 1840-1847. 1 folder.