Peninah W. Thomas family papers, 1821-1959, bulk 1847-1880

Summary

Creator:
Clinch, Batavia Thomas, Thomas, Stevens, Saffold, Mary Thomas, Thomas, Peninah W., DuBose, Robert Toombs, 1859-1929, DuBose, Jeannie Stovall, and Hull, Ella Thomas
Date:
1821-1959, bulk 1847-1880
Extent:
5.3 Linear Feet (13 document boxes, 1 oversized folder A)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Peninah W. Thomas family papers. MS 1738. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of papers of Peninah W. Thomas and the Thomas family of Athens (Ga.) from 1821-1959. The papers include correspondence, bills and receipts, account books, legal documents, and sermons (1890s) written by Robert Toombs DuBose. The bills and receipts (1821-1910) contain several receipts for wages paid by Peninah W. Thomas to freedmen. The account books (1834-1845) contain bank accounts of Stevens Thomas and lists of accounts and purchases.

The correspondence includes letters (1838-1870) between Peninah W. Thomas and her daughters Ella (Hull), Batavia (Clinch), and Mary (Saffold). The letters mainly contain news of family or friends and social events, but of particular interest are letters from Batavia living in Connecticut during the Civil War. The letters discuss the fall of Ft. Sumter and northerners' inability to understand southern attitudes. Also included are letters from Thomas Reynolds and John Shannon discussing plantation management, the cotton market, and other details of Thomas' business interests. From 1870-1941 letters are between Jennie Stovall (DuBose) and Robert Toombs DuBose, mostly personal but also containing some information on Georgia land sales, his ministry, and service in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Biographical / historical:

Peninah Walton Thomas, widow of Stevens Thomas (d. 1837), children include daughters Ella who married Henry Hull, Batavia who married Charles Clinch, Mary who married Thomas Saffold; and sons Robert and Stevens.

Arrangement:

Arranged by record type.

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

Peninah W. Thomas family papers. MS 1738. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.