Guide to
the Evans Memorial Library Manuscript Collection
The Manuscript Collection
Types of documents in the manuscript collection range from
personal correspondence, journals, diaries, and letters to
business ledgers, government records and newspaper clippings.
Comprehensive dates for the manuscript collection are from
1813 - the present. Among the many organizations and institutions
represented by various collections are:
- Churches
- Clubs and lodges
- City and county governments
- Courts
- Legal firms
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- Post office
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Plantations
- Fairs
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Several collections mention or contain letters of prominent
citizens such as:
- Mississippi state and federal legislators, including
Reuben Davis
- Soldiers in wars dating from the Mexican War to
World War II
- Physicians
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- Druggists
- Merchants
- Photographers
- W.A. Evans, Public Health pioneer
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The primary significance of the Manuscript Collections is
the comprehensiveness of the historical record these collections
provide for Aberdeen and Monroe County and the subjects it
covers that have importance beyond local history. These subjects
include:
- Slavery
- The Antebellum South
- The settlement of northeast Mississippi
- Steamboats
- Agriculture
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- The Civil War
- Reconstruction
- The history of medicine
- World Wars I&II
- The Grange
- The Mexican War
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Access:
Intellectual access to the Manuscript Collections is currently
possible through an item-by-item search of the four volume
finding aid. Retrieval of items listed in the finding aid
is not always possible due to the age of the finding aid and
loss due to theft. The Library is currently involved in creating
a Guide to the Collections to improve access to these materials.
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