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Z 1849.000 S
POSTLETHWAITE FAMILY PAPERS
1836-1932

Biography/History:

Born in 1813, Alexander James Postlethwaite was the son of Henry and Elizabeth Postlethwaite, who moved from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to Natchez, Mississippi, in the early nineteenth century. Alexander James Postlethwaite was also the nephew of Samuel Postlethwaite, who built the Natchez mansion, Clifton. Postlethwaite�s father and uncle later died of yellow fever in 1823 and 1825, respectively.

Alexander James Postlethwaite became a wealthy dry-goods merchant and importer in Natchez. He later married Mary Elizabeth Browder (1821-1900) in 1851. The Postlethwaites had five children: Elizabeth (1851-1943); Susan Henderson (1853-1919); Alexander James, Jr. (1856-1941); Frederick Browder (b. 1858); and Duncan (1861-1933). Alexander James Postlethwaite, Sr., died of typhoid fever in 1866.

Duncan Postlethwaite married Blanche Delmar Weiner (d. 1914) in 1903. The Postlethwaites had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on July 28, 1904. She was a graduate of the University of Michigan. Postlethwaite later lived at 28 Homochitto Street in Natchez where she was a local historian and genealogical researcher. She died on July 3, 1988, and was interred in the Natchez City Cemetery.

Scope and Content:

This collection primarily consists of the personal and business correspondence of various members of the Postlethwaite family of Natchez, Mississippi, from 1838 to 1927. The personal correspondence mostly pertains to family matters. However, in one undated letter a yellow fever epidemic and quarantine in Natchez is described. The majority the business correspondence in the collection is addressed to Alexander James Postlethwaite and concerns his dry goods company. The collection also contains legal papers such as powers of attorney and promissory notes and financial records such as invoices, receipts, and canceled checks.

Series Identification:

1. Correspondence (Incoming and Outgoing). 1838-1840; 1849-1850; 1855; 1857; 1859-1861; 1863-1873; 1875-1877; 1879-1880; 1885; 1890-1896; 1900-1901; 1908; 1911; 1915-1917; 1920; 1924; 1927; n.d. 103 items.

   This series contains both the personal and business correspondence of various members of the Postlethwaite family. The personal letters, many of which are addressed to Mary Elizabeth (Lise) Postlethwaite, deal almost exclusively with family matters. However, one undated letter does describe a yellow fever epidemic and quarantine in Natchez and calls the time "a season of death." Also of interest are two letters from Alexander (Aleck) James Postlethwaite written to Mary Elizabeth (Lise) Browder dated June 28 and 30, 1849, that describe a voyage up the Mississippi River on the steamboat Magnolia. There is little business-related correspondence in the collection, and the majority of it is addressed to Alexander James Postlethwaite. In one letter dated July 18, 1862, Postlethwaite was asked by the Kohlsaat Brothers, Importers, New York City, to settle his claim with their company. In another letter dated December 14, 1866, the rental of a family-owned lot was discussed.

2. Legal Papers. 1836; 1840; 1857. 4 items.

   This series contains an unsigned copy of a power of attorney of Elizabeth Mary Postlethwaite dated 1836; a promissory note dated August 18, 1840, concerning the sale of a city lot in Natchez, the contracting parties being William A. Britton and George M. Koontz and William I. Key; and two promissory notes dated July 4, 1857, in the amounts of six hundred dollars and one thousand dollars respectively, payable to Elizabeth Mary Postlethwaite and signed by Alexander James Postlethwaite.

3. Financial Papers. 1859-1861; 1896-1899; n.d. 49 items.

   This series consists of invoices and receipts; tax receipts; and canceled checks. The series has been further subdivided as follows.

   • Invoices and receipts: 1853; 1856; 1859-1860; 1896-1899; n.d.
   • Tax receipts: 1859; 1861.
   • Canceled checks: 1859-1861.

4. Miscellany. 1837; 1858; 1860-1861; 1892; 1912; 1932; undated. 37 items.

   This series contains a variety of miscellaneous items, including a personal account of a visit to Geneva, New York, written by Mary Elizabeth Browder and dated 1837; students� "Reward of Merit" certificates dated 1858; a Natchez drayage license dated 1861; a printed flyer dated February 1892, announcing the business association of Alexander James Postlethwaite and H. F. Byrne with the W. J. Hogan Company; crayon drawings by Mary Elizabeth Postlethwaite dated 1912; a business card labeled "A. J. Postlethwaite, Tourist Guide" dated 1932; an unfinished short story by Mary Elizabeth Postlethwaite, undated; and various handwritten notes.