Dates: 1814-1866; 1973.

Biography:

William McWillie, Jr.

William McWillie, Jr., was born in Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina, on May 7, 1842. He was the eldest son of future Mississippi governor William McWillie and Catherine Morris Anderson McWillie. The McWillie family moved to northeastern Madison County, Mississippi, and established Kirkwood Plantation about 1845. At the age of nineteen, McWillie married sixteen-year-old Sallie Tucker (b. June 17, 1844), daughter of former Mississippi governor Tilghman Tucker, on May 31, 1861. Three days later, McWillie departed with Company G, Captain Adam McWillies Camden Rifles, to join the Eighteenth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, in Corinth, Alcorn County. McWillie was promoted to the rank of captain a year later. He also served as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson. McWillie remained on active duty until the end of the war, returning to Kirkwood Plantation after his parole.

The McWillies had several children, including Catherine Anderson (b. July 10, 1862), Sallie Tucker (b. September 25, 1865), William (b. February 17, 1867), Anne Mitchell (b. January 2, 1870), Tilghman Tucker (b. April 6, 1872), and Lucy Anderson (b. June 30, 1879). McWillie and his wife moved to Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, about 1904. He first worked as secretary of the Board of Control and later for the Building and Loan Association of Jackson. William McWillie, Jr., died on September 2, 1922, and was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson. Sallie Tucker McWillie died on July 4, 1932, and was also interred at Greenwood Cemetery.

 

Scope and Content Note:

This accretion to the McWillie family papers consists of original correspondence and photocopied typescripts of correspondence, slave rolls, and other family papers. 

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: Correspondence. 1861-1866; n.d. 5 folders.

The correspondence primarily consists of complete and partial letters written from William McWillie, Jr., to his wife, Sallie, between 1861 and 1864. The letters describe life as a member of the Camden Rifles, Eighteenth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, during the Civil War. Topics include troop movements around Fredericksburg and Manassas, Virginia. News of friends and acquaintances, as well as personal observations on the war and military strategies are included. 

The remainder of the correspondence consists of letters from Catherine Morris Anderson McWillie from Kirkwood Plantation, Madison County, Mississippi, to her son, William, while he was serving in the Confederate army. The letters were written between 1861 and 1863, and they offer news of family and friends and details about domestic activities such as making cheese, jelly, and clothing for the McWillie family and also for Confederate soldiers. 

An 1866 letter from Silas M. Tucker, brother of Sallie Tucker McWillie, discusses the settlement of the estate of their father, Tilghman Tucker, who died in 1859. There are also photocopied typescripts of each letter in this series. Four empty envelopes, two addressed to William McWillie, Jr., at Manassas, Virginia, and two addressed to Mrs. William McWillie, Jr., at Kirkwood, Mississippi, are included.

Box 1, folders 1-5

 

Series 2: Slave Rolls. 1858-1860. 1 folder.

Of particular interest are two original 1858 slave rolls for the McWillie family plantations, Madison Place in Madison County, and Senaasha (or Seneasha) Place in Attala County. Each roll lists the first name and age of each enslaved person, the number of pounds of bacon allotted to each enslaved person, and whether or not an enslaved person is a "hand." Notes concerning births and deaths of enslaved persons are also recorded from 1858 to 1860.

Box 1, folder 6

 

Series 3: Family Papers. 1814-1973; n.d. 7 folders.

The family papers consist of a handwritten manuscript entitled "A Condensed History or Sketch of My Grandmother Catherine Anderson McWillie," and partial photocopied typescript of it, by Sallie McWillie Harris, daughter of William McWillie, Jr. The manuscript discusses the history of the McWillie family and describes a May Day party held at Kirkwood Plantation around 1872. Included are a typewritten tribute to William McWillie, Jr., and photocopies of muster-roll cards of William McWillie, Jr., and his brother, Adam McWillie. Also included are two textbooks, one on military tactics, which belonged to William McWillie, Jr., and the other on experimental chemistry, which belonged to William McWillie, Sr.

Box 1, folders 7-13

 

Box List:

Box 1, folders 1-5: correspondence, 1861-1866.

Box 1, folder 6: slave rolls, 1858-1860.
Box 1, folders 7-13: family papers, 1814-1973; n.d.