Family papers obtained by the University of Mississippi from Byron De La Beckwith in 1962.

This collection contains no documents from the hand of Byron De La Beckwith III, but does offer a rich resource in understanding his family background and early childhood. Received in a largely disorganized state, the papers are primarily sorted by surname as either Beckwith or Yerger. The exceptions are a few pieces of correspondence by Sally Morgan Green, which -- because of her residence in California and close ties to the Beckwith family -- appear in the Yerger correspondence, and the pre-marital correspondence of Susie Yerger with Byron De La Beckwith, Jr. and others.

The preserved Beckwith correspondence, on the whole, occurs among family members: the Ohio branch of Beckwiths to Byron De La Beckwith, Sr.; Mary Oliver Bray Beckwith to her husband during his business trips; letters from Beckwith, Sr. to Beckwith, Jr.; and Susie Yerger's letters to her fiancé and then husband. Business correspondence occasionally appears in this mix as well, although documents and receipts are organized separately unless specifically found with a letter.

The Yerger correspondence is primarily of a business nature, with a smattering of personal letters and correspondence concerning Confederate commemorative efforts such as Confederate Veterans conventions. Separate from this correspondence are records specifically related to three of L.P. Yerger's clients - George Cary, a resident of New Orleans who apparently speculated in Mississippi Delta land between1870-1893; the estate of P.P. McLemore; and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Company which was essentially a branch line of the Illinois Central Railroad. In addition, Yerger was the executor of the estate of his brother-in-law Judge L.M. Southworth who had served on the bench in the Philippine Islands before succumbing to cancer in Baltimore, Maryland.

The miscellaneous items and clippings found in Box 7 derive from both the Beckwith and Yerger families or are indeterminate in origin.

Open.

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In 1962, Byron De La Beckwith III offered the University of Mississippi this collection of family papers. Together, the John L. Hebron Fund of the History Department and the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity provided the necessary purchase price of $500.