Hooper-Word Family Papers (Z/2357)

Collection Details:

Collection Name and Number: Hooper-Word Family Papers (Z/2357).
Creator/Collector: Thomas Foster Hooper; Elmira Word Hooper; and others.
Date(s): 1848; 1860-1864; 1866; 1880; 1882; 1884; 1892; 1894; 1908; 1958; 1972; 1983; 1992-1994; 2011; n.d.
Size: 3.33 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Processed by: MDAH intern Jonathan Puckett, 2018.
Provenance: Gift of Ragnild M. Bairnsfather of Winchester, Massachusetts, on January 4, 2018; Z/U/2018.002.
Repository: Archives & Records Services Division, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

Rights and Access:

Access restrictions: Collection is open for research. Originals in box 16 are restricted due to fragility; reference photocopies in boxes 5, 6, and 15 must be used instead.

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: Hooper-Word Family Papers (Z/2357), Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

Biography:

Thomas Foster “Tom” Hooper

Thomas Foster Hooper was born October 29, 1834, in DeKalb County, Georgia, the second son of Charles Jefferson Hooper and Jane Byrd Word Hooper. Thomas married Elmira Jane Word in June of 1860, the daughter of Colonel Samuel Word and Frances Elizabeth Pittman. The Hooper-Word families were interconnected prior to their marriage, and Elmira was both a second and a third cousin of Thomas Hooper.

A merchant specializing in dry goods, Thomas resided in Rome, Georgia until late 1861, when he and Elmira moved to Oak Grove Plantation in the northwestern section of Monroe County, Mississippi. Prior to the Civil War, Thomas made frequent business trips to places like Charleston and New York City, and his letters highlight both life in the field and the economic factors that affected his occupation. When the war began, Thomas joined Georgia's “Berry Infantry,” which was mustered into the 29th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry as Company D on October 1, 1861. He was granted leave in April 1862, at the birth of his first and only child with Elmira, Cora Lee Hooper. As a 2nd Lieutenant and later a 1st Lieutenant, Thomas was stationed at Savannah, Georgia; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, among other places. He also went to Mississippi during the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863, though he did not take part in the siege. Thomas was captured near Marietta, Georgia, on June 19, 1864, and sent to Johnson's Island prison near Sandusky, Ohio. He was released on October 6, 1864, and sent to Fort Monroe. Records indicate that he was back with the 29th Regiment when it surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina, in April of 1865.  

Following Elmira Hooper's death on September 24, 1864, Thomas remarried her sister, Mary Emma Word, on March 28, 1866, and they had six children: Samuel Word Hooper, Mila Byrd Hooper Ranson, Anna Lucile Hooper Beard Bender, Morgia Lee Hooper Shropshire, Charles John Hooper, and William Word Hooper. Thomas remained active in the civic affairs of Monroe County until his death in Selma, Alabama, on September 30, 1884. He was buried at the Samuel Word Family Cemetery in Monroe County, Mississippi.

Elmira Jane “Mila” Word Hooper

Elmira Word Hooper was born September 30, 1840, in Monroe County, Mississippi, a daughter of Colonel Samuel Word and Frances Elizabeth Pittman. Elmira's siblings were William Baker Word, Frances Henningham “Fanny” Word Hill, Nancy Pittman Word Baker, Margaret “Maggie” Word Baker, Morgia Reynolds Word Lee, Mary Emma Word Hooper, and Samuella “Ella” Word Crawford.

Spending the majority of her life in Monroe County, Mississippi, Elmira married Thomas Foster Hooper in June 1860, and she gave birth to Cora Lee Hooper April 15, 1862. While Thomas fought with the 29th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Mila experienced the home front of the war. Caring for her elderly mother and father, Mila also allowed sick soldiers to stay in her home. Her letters detail the mechanisms of the Southern plantation (namely, Oak Grove Plantation), emphasizing the Hooper-Word Family's relationships with both community leaders and enslaved persons.

Mila and Cora were subjected to frequent illnesses, and many of the former's correspondence with Thomas expresses the diseases that were rampant in the Civil War era. After contracting one such sickness, Mila died September 24, 1864, while Thomas was a Prisoner of War at Johnson's Island. She is buried beside Thomas Foster Hooper at the Samuel Word Family Cemetery in Monroe County, Mississippi.

William Baker “Baker” Word

William Baker Word was born February 20, 1835, a son of Colonel Samuel Word and Frances Elizabeth Pittman. Captain Word fought with the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, mostly with Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Granted leave from service in 1863, Baker married Anna Maria Baker on March 3, 1863.

Baker joined the Van Dorn Reserves in March of 1861, and when the company was ordered to Corinth it became Company L of the 11th Mississippi Infantry. The company took part in the battles of Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, South Anna, and Cold Harbor. William Baker Word survived a bullet to the brain during the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 2, 1864, and he continued living until his death on November 25, 1926. After Anna died in 1872, he remarried her sister, Keturah Jane Baker. William Baker Word had seven children, and he is buried at the Samuel Word Family Cemetery in Monroe County, Mississippi.

Mary Emma Word Hooper

Mary Emma Word was born January 27, 1846, a daughter of Colonel Samuel Word and Frances Elizabeth Pittman. According to a letter written by Mila on February 26, 1863, Emma attended school at Aberdeen, Mississippi, and Emma's own correspondence indicates that she was involved in providing supplies to the Confederate States Army, fostering relationships with individual soldiers, and attending social functions like picnics.

The collection contains Emma's correspondence with Sidney S. “Sid” Johnson, a Captain in the 3rd Texas Cavalry, which was stationed in Mississippi. Among Sidney's comrades were Captain James Williamson Lee—the future husband of Emma's sister, Morgia Word—and a Captain Word that was related to the family. Although Sidney professes his love for Emma in his letter dated June 9, 1863, their courtship ultimately failed. In their correspondence, Thomas and Mila also discussed matching Mary Emma Word with a suitable partner, attempting to pair her with a member of the Baker family as well as John D. Cameron, one of Thomas' friends. After Mila's death in 1864, however, Mary Emma Word married Thomas Foster Hooper on March 28, 1866.

Emma died May 7, 1883, and she is buried beside Thomas at the Samuel Word Family Cemetery in Monroe County, Mississippi.

Morgia Reynolds Word Lee

Morgia Word was born May 6, 1843, a daughter of Colonel Samuel Word and Frances Elizabeth Pittman.

According to a letter from Mila to Thomas dated February 26, 1863, Morgia was in a relationship with Joe Hill, the brother of Dr. Jesse Hill who married another Word sister, Fanny. Joe served with Thomas F. Hooper in the 29th Georgia Regiment; however, Morgia “[saw] some one she [liked a] little better – his name Captain Lee – from Texas.” The collection contains correspondence between Morgia and Captain James Williamson Lee, and the couple married August 20, 1863.

Morgia's relationship is often referenced in Mila and Thomas' letters, emphasizing that the Word sisters maintained close relationships. When James W. Lee had an affair with a enslaved woman named Manerva, Thomas and Mila discuss the implications on their own relationship in letters dated May 5 and May 7, 1864.

Like Thomas, James Lee remained active in the civic community of Monroe County, frequenting political conventions and acting as a postmaster. James and Morgia Lee had one son, Sidney Word Lee, who became the founder of the Buffalo Rock Company and of Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale. Morgia died in 1936 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Alabama. James died December 22, 1916, and he is also buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

Cora Lee Hooper Stoddard Little

Cora Lee Hooper was born April 15, 1862, in Monroe County, Mississippi, the only child of Thomas Foster Hooper and his first wife, Elmira Jane Word. She married Almon Ogden Stoddard December 6, 1882, and after his death in 1905 she married the Rev. Archibald Alexander Little on October 8, 1908. There were no children from either marriage.

Almon was born and raised in Selma, Alabama, and he and Cora resided here for most or all of their marriage; furthermore, Thomas Foster Hooper died in Selma in 1884, presumably with the A. O. Stoddard family. After Almon's death, Cora remarried to the Rev. Archibald Little, a Presbyterian minister, and they were residing in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1920 and 1930.

Cora died in 1944, and she is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama.
 

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains letters between members of the Hooper-Word family, largely consisting of the correspondence between Thomas Foster Hooper and his wife, Elmira “Mila” Word Hooper, when Thomas served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. The collection also includes correspondence between Thomas Hooper's children, as well as from other family members. Genealogical research files, which include Civil War newspaper clippings that concern the family, accentuate the relationships between the collection's main actors. Of interest are Thomas Foster Hooper's Civil War letters, which contain descriptions of camp life and conditions; economic problems resulting from the war; the campaigns at Fort Sumter, Manassas, Williamsburg, and Vicksburg; life in the field in 1863-1864; and life as a Prisoner of War at Johnson's Island prison near Sandusky, Ohio. Of particular interest to the field of African American history are descriptions of the lives and relationships of enslaved persons with their enslavers on the Hooper-Word plantation. Mila's letters highlight the structure of the Southern plantation, as well as discuss relationships between the Hooper-Word family members and their enslaved persons.

Series Identification:

Series 1: Thomas Foster Hooper and Elmira Word Hooper Letters, 1860-1864; n.d. 
This series contains letters between Thomas Foster Hooper and his wife, Elmira “Mila” Word Hooper, during the former's service in the Confederate States Army in the Civil War. Letters between Thomas and his army companions, such as John D. Cameron, are also included in this series, as are letters between Mary Emma Word and a suitor, Sidney S. Johnson, and Morgia Reynolds Word and James Williamson Lee. The courtships of Mila's sisters are referenced in the correspondence between Thomas and Mila, emphasizing the close relationships between members of the Hooper-Word families.

The letters between Thomas and Mila (box 1) discuss life before the war, when Thomas and Mila were residing in Rome, Georgia. The letters discuss Thomas' business trips to Kingston and Charleston, and he describes the growing tensions in South Carolina at Fort Sumter prior to the first shots of the war on April 12, 1861. Mila discusses the home front, highlighting speeches, barbecues, and celebrations that occurred in Rome, Georgia. Between May-July, Thomas and Mila moved to Oak Grove Plantation in Monroe County, Mississippi, where Colonel Samuel Word and his wife, Frances Elizabeth Pittman Word, were already residing. Other topics include the Confederacy's economy; the Hooper-Word family's subscription of crops to the Confederate States; Jefferson Davis' proclamation of April 17, 1861; and the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on July 21, 1861.

Thomas and Mila's letters (box 2) detail Thomas' first months in the Confederate States Army. In his letter dated September 18, 1861, Thomas indicates that he has left Atlanta for Camp Davis in Griffin, Georgia. After Thomas receives gifts from a young lady at a social function to improve soldier morale, Mila becomes upset; however, her letter of September 21 also mentions her pregnancy. The letter dated October 1 from Dr. Jesse W. Hill, a brother-in-law of Thomas and Mila, discusses Mila's pregnancy as well as highlights news from the war.  By September 30, Thomas is leaving for Savannah, Georgia, where the Berry Infantry is mustered into the 29th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry on October 1, 1861. Thomas becomes a 2nd Lieutenant, and he is promoted to 1st Lieutenant in November. Other topics include descriptions of camp life and African American servants possessed by Confederate officers (which will include Thomas and his brother-in-law, William Baker Word).

Late in 1861, the letters (boxes 3-4) discuss the Confederate and Union positions at Savannah, Georgia, including the postponement of a Confederate advance on Tybee Island because of a lack of naval power. By December 27, Thomas is stationed at Camp Wilson in Savannah.

Thomas and Mila discuss camp illnesses, class politics, and becoming parents in early 1862 (box 4). Thomas' description of a camp sickness called “the itch” causes Mila to suggest several remedies, mentioning that the family overseer, Mr. Williams, has also had    “the itch.” Remedies include carrying sulphur in one’s pocket and taking a mixture of red precipitate, turpentine, and butter. Thomas also discusses class differences between the Confederate planter officers and the private ranks, mentions that Union forces are approaching, and doubts his readiness to be a father. Mila emphasizes trouble in her sister Fanny's marriage, when Dr. Jesse Hill conducts an affair with one of his enslaved women.

Continuing their correspondence (box 5), Mila discusses the capture of Fort Donelson in her letter of February 19, as well as family news regarding the welfares of Charles W. Hooper (Thomas' brother), and William Baker Word. Mila notes the Confederate Army's struggle to find manpower, and she mentions the Siege of Corinth in her letter dated May 12. Thomas relocated to Camp Tatnall in February, and he gets a furlough to be home for the birth of his first child, Cora Lee Hooper, on April 15, 1862. The letter he sent to Captain E. W. Hull on April 11 asks for an extension of his furlough, as Mila is still “ill.” After he returns to Savannah, Thomas' regiment has relocated to Camp Causten's Bluff near the city, and he mentions that the CSS Georgia is being constructed with funds raised by local women.

Thomas and Mila's correspondence (box 6) highlights continued tensions at Corinth, as well as notes the use of reconnaissance balloons by Union forces. Mila reveals that there are seven sick soldiers living with the family, and Union forces are within six miles of Okolona, Monroe County, Mississippi, by June 2. While Mila cares both for sick soldiers and a sick child, she emphasizes that there are a large number of deserters in the Confederacy and lashes out against “the powers that be” in her letter dated June 10. Thomas notes inflation within the Confederate economy, stating in his letter of May 31 that goods are overpriced. Likewise, he hires a servant.

Although Thomas has criticized speculators for causing inflation, his letter from early July suggests that he will invest in rice (box 7). Both Thomas and Mila continue to be subjected to sicknesses, and their letters (box 7) discuss slavery, Thomas' acquirement of the enslaved man Dick from Colonel Samuel Word, inflation, and the Hooper family's growing inability to find new clothing and paper goods. Other topics include food shortages and the Richmond Bread Riots of April 1863, the death of Nancy Word Baker's husband in August, and Thomas' friendship with the D. L. Taylor family of Savannah.

When Thomas spends time sick at the Pulaski House, a Savannah hotel owned by the D. L. Taylor family, Mila becomes jealous of Mrs. D. L. Taylor and writes a letter to her in October (box 8). Other topics include slavery, the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on August 28-30, 1862, and Thomas and Mila's health. There is a break in correspondence between September 16, 1862, and October 24, 1862, as Thomas gained another furlough to return home.

In their letters of late 1862 (box 9), Thomas and Mila continue to worry about each other's health. After Mila suggests that she should come to Savannah to be with Thomas after he is stationed at Camp Young, her relatives convince her it is safer to stay at home. Thomas develops an association with Dick, the enslaved man given to him by Colonel Samuel Word, and the letters discuss Dick's family at Oak Grove, although no letters between Dick and his wife, Aunt Hannah, are in this collection (see Mila's letter from January 27, 1863). Referencing Dick's health and often hinting at his feelings, Thomas and Mila provide some information on him as well as their other enslaved persons like Manerva who worked in the house. Other topics include the Second Battle of Corinth (October 3-4, 1862), the Emancipation Proclamation, the causes of the war, and the close proximity of Union forces to Oak Grove Plantation following the Battle of Corinth. In his letter of December 17, 1862, Thomas notes that his regiment has been transferred to North Carolina, though he remained in Savannah because of an illness.

After the fall of Okolona to Union forces, the Hooper-Word family members on the home front prepare by hiding their valuables, and Mila arms herself with a pistol and a knife (box 10). Mila worries about keeping the family's enslaved persons in check, and she includes points of interest regarding the names and positions of slaves on Oak Grove Plantation. Thomas remains in Savannah, and his regiment is ordered back in early January 1863. By this point, Union forces are no longer threatening family members at home, and Mila begins to focus more on household management. On January 20, 1863, Thomas' regiment returns to North Carolina, and he is stationed at Wilmington. Even so, they are transferred back to Camp Young in Savannah by February 10, 1863. Other topics include fears against potential enslaved person revolts, the bombardment of Fort McAllister, servants possessed by Confederate officers, and desertion.

Most of Thomas and Mila's correspondence from 1863 fits into one box (box 11). In March 1863, Mila discusses her sister Morgia's growing relationship with James Williamson Lee, and she asks Thomas to prevaricate to Morgia's paramour, Joe Hill, who is serving with him. Thomas emphasizes the damages that speculators have wrought on the Confederate economy, while also intending to speculate himself. Between April 15, 1863, and May 20, 1864, letters from Mila have not survived; however, Thomas' letters indicate an increase in the pace of the war for his regiment. On April 17, 1863, Thomas writes from in the field at Morris Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. The regiment is here only briefly, and by April 25 Thomas has been transferred to the Coosawhatchie River south of Charleston. In the months of May and June, Thomas discusses his limited involvement in the Vicksburg campaign, where he is stationed outside of the city during the siege. This collection has a gap in letters from Thomas between June and November 1863; however, these letters are located in The Wartime Correspondence of Thomas Foster Hooper and Elmira Word Hooper, which is cited at the end of this finding aid.

Thomas and Mila's correspondence (box 12) shows that Thomas has returned from furlough at some point in late 1863 or early 1864, and he is now stationed near Dalton, Georgia. Topics include inflation rates, the execution of deserters, and a “sham fight” put on for the public. Mila and Thomas discuss the relationship between Morgia R. Word and her new husband, James Lee, after Lee has an affair with a slave named Manerva. Thomas describes his first major battle, the Battle of Resaca (May 13-15, 1864), although he was sent to a hospital in Griffin, Georgia, in late May 1864.

The last letters contained in this collection between Thomas and Mila (box 13) highlight Thomas' capture as a Prisoner of War. Letters from John Cameron and J. H. Sanford recount the details of Thomas' capture, and Thomas writes one letter from Johnson's Island prison near Sandusky, Ohio. This box also contains unmatched envelopes, as well as two letter fragments.

Boxes 1 -13
Box 16, folders 1-2 (restricted; see reference photocopies)

Series 2: Hooper Children's Letters, 1880-1894; n.d. 
This series contains letters written to and from the children of Thomas Foster Hooper. Folders 1-8 highlight the courtship of Almon Ogden Stoddard and Cora Lee Hooper, the only child of Thomas and Elmira Word Hooper. Four letters from 1884 (folders 9-12) are from Thomas to his children, and they are written just prior to his death on September 30, 1884. Folders 13-16 contain correspondence between Cora Hooper Stoddard and her brother-in-law, Edward Calhoun Beard, as well as letters to and from Anna Hooper Beard.

This series does not contain as much information regarding contemporary socio-political affairs as do the letters between Thomas and Mila Hooper; however, they contain musings about various social functions in the 1880s as well as information on the relationships between Hooper-Word family members.

Box 14, folders 1-16

Series 3: Other Correspondents' Letters, 1848; 1861; 1866; n.d. 
This series contains four letters between members of the Hooper-Word family, discussing various topics. An 1848 letter from C. C. Gewin to Colonel Samuel Word (folder 17) discusses a land dispute between the two landowners, providing details of the Monroe County estate prior to the Civil War. A letter from an unknown soldier stationed at Bowling Green, Kentucky (folder 18) to “a friend” emphasizes the young soldier's patriotism and willingness to fight for the Southern cause. It discusses specifics regarding the soldier's regiment, including the resignation of a chaplain. The third letter (folder 19) is a love poem “for Miss Annie” from an unsigned suitor. The fourth letter (folder 20) is between Adelia Evelyn Word and Mary Emma Word. Adelia, Emma's cousin, expresses her thanks for a bouquet of flowers that Mary Emma sent to “Ed,” who was sick at the time of writing. The letter is undated.

Box 14, folders 17-20

Series 4: Genealogical Research Files, ca. 1860S, 1908; 1958; 1972; 1983; 1992-1994; 2011; n.d. 
This series contains genealogical files related to the Hooper-Word families, including publications, correspondence between family genealogists, copied pages from family Bibles, Civil War muster rolls, and Civil War newspaper clippings that either mention or were written by family members like Thomas Foster Hooper, who served as a war correspondent for Floyd County, Georgia. The series also includes a chronological list of most of the collection's letters that was compiled by Robert Bairnsfather in 2011.

Box 15
Box 16, folder 3 (restricted; see reference photocopies)

Box List:

Box 1, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, August 28, 1860.
Box 1, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, September 18, 1860.
Box 1, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila, September 20, 1860.
Box 1, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, March 04, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, March 06, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, March 07, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, March 08, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 8: Thomas to Mila, March 09, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 9: Thomas to Mila, March 10, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, March 10, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 11: Mila to Thomas, April 18, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, May 10, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 13: Thomas to Mila, July 20, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, July 21, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, July 22, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 16: Mila to Thomas, July 23, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 17: Mila to Thomas, July 24, 1861.
Box 1, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, July 24, 1861.

Box 2, Folder 1: Mila to Thomas, July 26, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, July 31, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila, September 18, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, September 19, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, September 21, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, September 21, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 7: Mila to Thomas, September 24, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 8: Thomas to Mila, September 25, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 9: Thomas to Mila, September 27, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, September 27, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, September 30, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 12: Dr. Jesse W. Hill to Thomas, with note from Mila, October 01, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 13: Thomas to Mila, October 13, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, October 18, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, October 21, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 16: Mila to Thomas, October 21 and 23, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 17: Thomas to Mila, October 24, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 18: Mila to Thomas, October 25, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 19: Thomas to Mila, October 30, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 20: Mila to Thomas, November 02, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 21: Thomas to Mila, November 05, 1861.
Box 2, Folder 22: Mila to Thomas, November 08, 1861.

Box 3, Folder 1: Mila to John Cameron, November 09, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, November 14, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila – last page missing, November 16, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, November 16, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 5: Mila to Thomas, November 19, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 6: Thomas to Mila, November 21, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, November 25, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 8: Thomas to Mila, November 28, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 9: Mila to Thomas, November 28, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, December 02, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, December 04, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, December 07, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 13: A. F. Sullivan to Thomas, December 11, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, December 12, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 15: Morgia Word to Thomas, December 13, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 16: Mila and sister, Samuella “Ella” Word, to Thomas, December 15, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 17: Thomas to Samuel Word, December 19, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 18: Mila to Thomas, December 18 and 19, 1861.
Box 3, Folder 19: F. E. Word (Frances Elizabeth Pittman Word) and Mila to Thomas, December 22, 1861.

Box 4, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, December 27, 1861.
Box 4, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, December 31, 1861 and January 01, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 3: Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, January 01, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 4: Thomas to Mila, January 03, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, January 04, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, January 05, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, January 06, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 8: Mary Emma Word to Messrs. Peters and Lagrones, January 08, 1862; Messrs. Peters and Lagrones to Mary Emma Word, August 09, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 9: Mila to Thomas, January 08, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, January 12 and 19, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, January 18 and 19, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 12: Mila to Thomas, January 23, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 13: Mila to Thomas, January 26 and 27, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, January 29, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 15: Mila to Thomas, January 29 and 30, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 16: Thomas to Mila, February 02, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 17: Thomas to Mila, February 06, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 18: Mila to Thomas, February 07, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 19: Thomas to Mila, February 08, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 20: Mila to Thomas, February 09, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 21: Thomas to Mila, February 09, 1862.
Box 4, Folder 22: Mila to Thomas, February 13, 1862.

Box 5, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, February 14, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, February 16, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 3: Mila to Thomas, February 16 and 17, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, February 19, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, February 21, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 6: Thomas to Mila, February 23, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 7: Mila to Thomas, February 24, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, February 26, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 9: Thomas to Mila, March 02, 1862 (reference photocopies).
Box 5, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, March 02 and 03, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, March 06, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 12: Mila to Thomas, March 09, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 13: Thomas to Mila, March 09, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, March 11, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, March 16, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 16: Colonel T. W. Alexander to Thomas, March 21, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 17: Thomas to Captain E. W. Hull, April 11, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, May 01, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 19: Morgia Word to Thomas, May 03, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 20: Mila to Thomas, May 07, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 21: Thomas to Mila, May 08, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 22: Thomas to Mila, May 11, 1862.
Box 5, Folder 23: Mila to Thomas, May 12, 1862.

Box 6, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, May 13, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, May 18, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila, May 23, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, May 25, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, May 29, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, May 30, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, May 31, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 8: Thomas to Mila, June 02, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 9: Mila to Thomas, June 08, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, June 10, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, June 12, 1862 (reference photocopies).
Box 6, Folder 12: Mila and Cora Hooper to Thomas, June 13, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 13: Mila to Thomas, June 14, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, June 17, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, June 18, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 16: Thomas to Mila, June 24, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 17: Captain Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, June 27, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, June 29, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 19: James Williamson Lee to Morgia Word, July 02, 1862.
Box 6, Folder 20: Thomas to Mila, July 05, 1862.

Box 7, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, July 07, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, July 13, 1862.
Folder 3: Mila and Cora Hooper to Thomas, July 15, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 4: Thomas to Mila, July 17, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 5: Mila to Thomas, July 20, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, July 24, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, July 26, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, July 28, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 9: D. L. Taylor to Thomas, August 1862.
Box 7, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, August 01, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 11: Mila to Thomas, August 03, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila (fragment), August 03, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 13: Mila to Thomas, August 07, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, August 10, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, August 11, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 16: Captain Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, August 12, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 17: Thomas to Mila, August 17, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 18: Mila to Thomas, August 19, 1862.
Box 7, Folder 19: Mila to Thomas, August 22, 1862.

Box 8, Folder 1: James Williamson Lee to Morgia R. Word, August 23, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, August 23, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila, August 26, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, August 26 and 27, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 5: Mila to Thomas, August 30, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 6: Thomas to Mila, September 02, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 7: Morgia R. Word and Mila to Thomas, September 03, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, September 8 and 9, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 9: Thomas to Mila (fragment; match not found), September 09, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, September 09, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 11: Mila to Thomas, September 11, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, September 12, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 13: Thomas to Mila, September 14, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, September 16, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 15: Captain Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, September 24, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 16: Captain Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, October 20, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 17: Mila to Thomas, October 24, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, October 27, 1862.
Box 8, Folder 19: Mila to Mrs. D. L. Taylor (draft), October 27, 1862.

Box 9, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, October 30, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, November 04, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 3: Mila to Thomas, November 15-18, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 4: James Williamson Lee to Morgia R. Word, November 17, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, November 18, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 6: Morgia R. Word to Thomas, November 23, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, November 23, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, November 23, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 9: Mila to Thomas, November 28, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, November 29, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, November 30, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 12: Mila to Thomas, December 02 and 03, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 13: Mila to Thomas, December 07, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, December 10, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 15: Mila to Thomas, December 13, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 16: Thomas to Mila, December 13, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 17: Mila to Thomas, December 16, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, December 17, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 19: Thomas to Mila, December 18, 1862.
Box 9, Folder 20: Mila to Thomas, December 18, 1862.

Box 10, Folder 1: Mila to Thomas, December 21, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, December 24, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 3: Mila to Thomas, December 24, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, December 26, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, December 30, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, December 31, 1862.
Box 10, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, January 12, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, January 13, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 9: Thomas to Mila, January 18, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, January 18, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 11: Mila to Thomas, January 18, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, January 23, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 13: Mila to Thomas, January 27 and 29, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, February 01, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 15: Mila to Thomas, February 08, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 16: Mila to Thomas, February 11, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 17: Mila to Thomas, February 15, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 18: Mila to Thomas, February 19, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 19: Mila to Thomas, February 23, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 20: Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, February 26, 1863.
Box 10, Folder 21: Mila to Thomas, February 26, 1863.

Box 11, Folder 1: Captain James Williamson Lee to Morgia R. Word, March 01, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, March 02, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 3: Mila to Thomas, March 08, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 4: Mila to Thomas, March 11, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 5: Jennie Hooper Ware to Mila, March 15, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, March 18, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 7: Mila to Thomas, March 22, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 8: Mila to Thomas, April 15, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 9: James Williamson Lee to Morgia R. Word, April 16, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, April 17, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila (telegram), May 11, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, May 12, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 13: Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, June 09, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 14: James Williamson Lee to Morgia R. Word, June 11, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 15: Mary Emma Word to Sidney S. Johnson, July 14, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 16: Thomas to Mila, September 30, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 17: Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, October 28, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, November 05, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 19: Frances Elizabeth Pittman Word to Mary Emma Word and Samuella “Ella” Box 11, Word, December 18, 1863.
Box 11, Folder 20: Morgia Word Lee to Mary Emma Word and Samuella “Ella” Word, December 21, 1863.

Box 12, Folder 1: Captain H. D. Twyvan to Thomas, January 11, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 2: Cousin Atien Noel to Mary Emma Word, February 15, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 3: Thomas to Mila, March 20, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 4: Thomas to Mila, March 25, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 5: Thomas to Mila, April 04, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 6: Thomas to Mila, April 10, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 7: Thomas to Mila, April 26, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 8: Thomas to Mila, April 29, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 9: John W. Hamm to James Williamson Lee, April 30, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila, May 02, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 11: H. Davenport to Mila, May 02, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 12: Thomas to Mila, May 05, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 13: Thomas to Mila, May 07, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 14: Thomas to Mila, May 09, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 15: Thomas to Mila, May 11 and 13, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 16: H. Davenport to Mary Emma Word, May 20, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 17: Mila to Thomas, May 20, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 18: Thomas to Mila, May 21, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 19: Mila to Thomas, May 24 and 25, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 20: Thomas to Mila, May 25, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 21: Thomas to Mila, May 31, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 22: Sidney S. Johnson to Mary Emma Word, June 01, 1864.
Box 12, Folder 23: Mila to Thomas, June 03, 1864.

Box 13, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, June 06 and 07, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 2: Mila to Thomas, June 11, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 3: Mila to Thomas, June 18, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 4: John D. Cameron to Mila, June 24, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 5: John D. Cameron to Mila, written on the back of an envelope, June 24, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 6: Mila to Thomas, June 25, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 7: J. H. Sanford to Mila, June 25, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 8: J. L. Hill to Mila (cousins), June 27, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 9: J. J. Hooper to Mila, July 17, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 10: Mila to Thomas, August 14, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 11: Thomas to Mila, September 15, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 12: Adelia Evelyn Word and Robert Campbell Word to Mila, October 06, 1864.
Box 13, Folder 13: Unknown to Mila, fragment, July 31, Unknown year.
Box 13, Folder 14: Mila to Thomas, fragment, n.d.
Box 13, Folder 15: Unmatched envelopes, circa 1860-1864.

Box 14, Folder 1: Almon Ogden Stoddard to Cora Lee Hooper, October 10, 1880.
Box 14, Folder 2: Cora Lee Hooper to Almon Ogden Stoddard, circa 1882.
Box 14, Folder 3: Almon Ogden Stoddard to Cora Lee Hooper, March 25, 1882.
Box 14, Folder 4: Cora Lee Hooper to Almon Ogden Stoddard, May 26, 1882.
Box 14, Folder 5: Almon Ogden Stoddard to Cora Lee Hooper, June 28, 1882.
Box 14, Folder 6: Almon Ogden Stoddard to Cora Lee Hooper, July 04, 1882.
Box 14, Folder 7: Cora Lee Hooper to Almon Ogden Stoddard, August 28, circa 1882.
Box 14, Folder 8: Almon Ogden Stoddard to Cora Lee Hooper, September 01, 1882.
Box 14, Folder 9: Thomas to Anna Lucile Hooper Beard, January 05, 1884.
Box 14, Folder 10: Thomas to Mila Byrd Hooper Ranson, May 07, 1884.
Box 14, Folder 11: Thomas to Samuel Word Hooper, June 24, 1884.
Box 14, Folder 12: Thomas to Cora Lee Hooper Stoddard Little, August 22, 1884.
Box 14, Folder 13: J. Caiy to Anna Lucile Hooper, October 14, 1892.
Box 14, Folder 14: Cora Hooper Stoddard to Edward Calhoun Beard, November 10, 1892.
Box 14, Folder 15: Anna Lucile Hooper to Edward Calhoun Beard, May 14, 1894.
Box 14, Folder 16: Cora Lee Hooper, “A Woman's Answer,” a poem copied by the request of Professor M. E. Bacon, n.d.
Box 14, Folder 17: C. C. Gewin to Samuel Word, January 16, 1848.
Box 14, Folder 18: “Dear Friend,” a letter from a Confederate soldier at Bowling Green, November 20, 1861.
Box 14, Folder 19: Poem for Miss Annie, November 28, 1866.
Box 14, Folder 20: Adelia Evelyn Word to Mary Emma Word, n.d.

Box 15, Folder 1: Hooper Genealogy, Compiled by Charles Henry Pope and Thomas Hooper, 1908.
Box 15, Folder 2: Hooper Genealogy – A Southern Branch, Volume 1, by Flora Hooper Collier, 1958.
Box 15, Folder 3: Hooper Genealogy – A Southern Branch, Volume 2, by Flora Hooper Collier, 1972.
Box 15, Folder 4: Word Family Genealogy Packet from Jarman Word to Ann Lambert, 1983, and to Robert Bairnsfather, probably 1990s, Part One.
Box 15, Folder 5: Word Family Genealogy Packet from Jarman Word, Part Two.
Box 15, Folder 6: Correspondence to and from June Rayfield Welch, 1992-1993.
Box 15, Folder 7: Diagram charts for use with Hooper Notes of June Rayfield Welch, August 02, 1992.
Box 15, Folder 8: Copies of the Samuel Word Family Bible.
Box 15, Folder 9: Confederate Records—Word, Hooper (muster roll photocopies).
Box 15, Folder 10: Civil War Newspaper Items and list of books of Boston Athenaeum, May-July, 1994.
Box 15, Folder 11: Civil War Newspaper Clippings that mention the Hooper-Word family, ca. 1860s (reference photocopies).
Box 15, Folder 12: Chronological list of letters, June 09, 2011.

Box 16, Folder 1: Thomas to Mila, March 02, 1862 (restricted originals).
Box 16, Folder 2: Thomas to Mila, June 12, 1862 (restricted originals).
Box 16, Folder 3: Civil War Newspaper Clippings that mention the Hooper-Word family, ca. 1860s (restricted originals).