The Treadwell family possessed a charter from Charles II and originally settled in North Caroline. Some members of the family moved to the Mississippi Territory when it was still considered the Choctaw Nation. They settled in northeastern Mississippi around Lamar and Davis Mills (now Michigan City) and some family members have remained until today.

The documents in the collection begin in 1798 and continue until 1942.

Eliza AllisonTreadwell is the heir of Robert Allison and the wife of Timmons Treadwell. Timmons Treadwell is a brother of R.D. Treadwell. T.L. Treadwell and Eliza Treadwell are the parents of W.L. Treadwell, B.D. Treadwell, A.B. Treadwell, Lucy Treadwell and Allie Treadwell. Allie Treadwell marries J.M. "Marvin" Aldrich; Lucy Treadwell marries E.Q. Withers. There is an extensive Treadwell/Aldrich family tree in box 20 and some genealogical materials in the twentieth-century correspondence and in the undated materials.

In the ante-bellum years of the collection, there are slave lists and valuations, correspondence about and by slaves, family correspondence, and many documents concerning land transactions. In addition, there are two folders of documents pertaining to the acquisition of a revolutionary war pension. One family member was an attorney so there are many different types of legal records.

Other family vocations include cotton farming, animal husbandry, ferry management, postal work, mercantile shopkeeping, and investing in real estate and railroads. There are several different examples of labor contracts in the collection.

Many of the children were educated. There is supporting documentation pertaining to secondary schools and universities throughout the south, beginning in the 1840's. The family was also instrumental in establishing Lamar Female Academy.

Some members of the family were interested in politics so there is political memorabilia in addition to commentaries in letters. There are civil war records including oaths of loyalty and correspondence discussing secession and other war-time events. There are also WWI letters from Ransom Aldrich to his parents.

More personal records such as invitations, programs, calling cards, business cards, compositions, poetry, and postcards are present in both the eighteenth and nineteenth century materials. Several examples are found in the box of undated materials, box 17.

The collection is housed in twenty boxes and is organized chronologically, except for boxes 16-20. Boxes 16 and 17 are undated materials. Box 18 contains leather wallets, book jackets, etc. Box 19 contains oversize materials and the chronological organization begins with 1799 and continues through 1927. Box 20 houses an undated family tree.

Business and commercial records follow the letters in each year of the inventory. These records include indentures, deeds, promissory notes, statements of accounts, account books, and all kinds of receipts (cotton, poll, and real property tax receipts, masonic and freight receipts, etc.).

Please note that there is a folder in the newspaper section cc which houses several oversize sheets re: the benton county fair 1929, 1930

See also typed transcriptions of selected letters in a separate inventory.

Open.

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Folder 1: Antebellum Broadsides
"Circular: To the Voters of the Eighth Judicial District" (Holly Springs, MS: October 23, 1837).
"Wilson Hall...The FA.L.S.ssion of this Institution will Commence September the 3d, 1860." (Early Grove, MS: 1860).

Folder 2: Antebellum Pamphlets
"Appendix to the Congressional Globe" (Washington, DC: December, 1845).
"Message of the Governor of Mississippi to the Senate and House of Representatives; January Session, 1846" (Jackson, MS: Price & Rohrer, State Printers, 1846).
"Report of the Joint Select Committee to examine the Report of the Committee appointed to inspect the Books of the Auditor, Treasurer and Executive Department" (c.1849) [3 copies].
J.W. Matthews, "Message. Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives" (January 7, 1850).
"Report of Wm. Clark, Treasurer, of the State of Mississippi." (1853).
"Increase of the Navy: Speech of Hon. Thos. S. Bocock, of Virginia" (c.1853).
H.S. Foote, "Governor's Message. Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives" (Jackson, MS: January 2, 1854).
"Inaugural Address of John J. McRae, Governor of Mississippi, Delivered January 10, 1854." (Jackson, MS: Barksdale & Jones, State Printer, January 10, 1854).
"Nebraska and Kansas: Speech of Mr. Millison, of Virginia, in the House of Representatives, March 23, 1854, Delivered in the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union." (Congressional Globe Office).

Folder 3: Reconstruction
"Headquarters 4th Military District, (Mississippi and Arkansas,) Vicksburg, Miss., April 15th, 1867, General Orders No. 5."

Folder 4: "Know Mississippi Better" Train"The 'Know Mississippi Better' Train, 1927 Tour, August 25 to September 10."
"Personnel and Important Information 'Know Mississippi Better' Train, 1927, Visiting 30 Cities in the United States, Third Annual Tour..." (Jackson, MS: Hederman Bros., 1927).

Folder 5: Benton County Free Fair
"Premium List of the Benton County Free Fair, Ashland, Miss., October 3 and 4, 1930..."
Folder 6: Cattle
"Mississippi Breeders Aberdeen-Angus at Auction, Greenwood, Mississippi, Monday, Nov. 9, 1942 (1:00 p.m.)."
"Aldrich Bros. Sale of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle, at the Farm near Michigan City, Mississippi, Thursday, November 4" (1943).

Processed by University of Mississippi Department Special Collections Staff . EAD encoded finding-aid begun September 2005.