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Thompson Family Collection (MC 226) - Columbus State University

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Archives and Special Collections

Thompson Family Collection (MC 226)

Biographical Note

James M. Thompson was born about 1845 and died on February 3, 1894 in Columbus, Georgia. Henderson, Vol. IV, p. 956 gives the Civil War record of James M. Thompson, in Co. C, 46th Georgia Infantry Regiment out of Muscogee County. His widow, Elizabeth (Lizzy) Amanda Parkman Thompson (1844-1922), applied for a Confederate widow's pension in 1910.

According to the 1850 census, the Thompson family was living in Columbus at household no. 509. The family included Margaret A. Thompson, 29, born in SC, Malvina C., aged 8, born in Georgia and James M, aged 5, also born in Georgia, and William H. Thompson, 17, a carpenter, born in Florida.

In the 1870 City Directory for Columbus James M. Thompson, age 25, was working in a cotton mill and living with his wife Elizabeth 25, and children Hattie T., aged 3 and Clifton M., aged 3/12 months) old. James' mother, Margaret A. Younger aged 48, was also in Columbus with her daughter, Malvina C. Johnson, aged 25, and her son Eddy, aged 2.

In the 1880 census, Thompson was across the river living in Brownville, Alabama, the mill village that became the northern part of present-day Phenix City, then located in Lee County, Alabama. He was listed as James T. Thompson 35, working in cotton mill, wife Amanda E, and children Hattie T, Clifton M., aged 11, Charles E. aged 8, Elizabeth M., aged 5, and James W., aged 2. James' mother Margaret was listed in Columbus in 1880 as M E Younger, 59, living with daughter N. C. Johnson 37, and grandson J. E. Johnson, 12.

Scope and Content

The bulk of these letters appear to be between James M. Thompson and his mother, Mrs. Margaret A. Younger, of Columbus, Georgia, with several to the post-Civil War ones to his wife, Lizzie. Also included are scans of photographs, some identified, of family members, as well as of several steamships. The physical objects metioned below, such as the brown wallet, were returned to the family 1862-1937 5 CDs, 1 box (.3 l.f.)

Permission to Publish

Permission to publish material from the Thompson Family Collection must be obtained from the Columbus State University Archives at Columbus State University. Use of the following credit line for publication or exhibit is required: Thompson Family Collection (MC 226) Columbus State University Archives Columbus, Georgia

Provenance

This collection was loaned to the CSU archives in 2007 for arrangement and scanning. The originals have been returned to the family, but the scanned documents and photographs are on CDs and the letters and some other materials have been photocopied. The folder numbers below refer to the arrangement on the CDs and not to the photocopies, which are arranged by year in 6 physical folders, with the remaining photocopies in 5 other folders.

CDs, Box and Folder List

CD 1 - Folders 1-119

CD 2 - Folder 121-139

CD 3 - Folders 140 +

Series 1: Letters 1862-1871 from James M. Thompson

  • Folder 1 - Letters 1-5, March 14, 1862-March 24, 1862
  • Folder 2 - Letters 6-10, March 30, 1862-April12, 1862
  • Folder 3 - Letters 11-15, April 13, 1862-April 27, 1862
  • Folder 4 - Letters 16-20, April 29, 1862-May 6, 1862
  • Folder 5 - Letters 21-24, May 10, 1862-June 10, 1862
  • Folder 6 - Letters 25-29, June 12, 1862-July 2, 1862
  • Folder 7 - Letters 30-34, July 3, 1862-July 17, 1862
  • Folder 8 - Letters 37-39, July 26, 1862-August 8, 1862
  • Folder 9 - Letters 40-44, August 13, 1862 -August 29, 1862
  • Folder 10 - Letters 45-49, August 31, 1862-September 23, 1862
  • Folder 11 - Letters 50-54, September 13, 1862-Septerriber 25, 1862
  • Folder 12 - Letters 55-59 September 28, 1862-0ctober 19, 1862
  • Folder 13 - Letters 60-64 October 27, 1862-December 12, 1862
  • Folder 14 - Letters 65-69 December 16, 1862-January 2, 1863
  • Folder 15 - Letters 70-74 January 4, 1863-January 9, 1863
  • Folder 16 - Letters 75-79 January 25, 1863-February 12, 1863
  • Folder 17 - Letters 80-83.5 February 14, 1863-February 23, 1863
  • Folder 18 - Letters 85-89 March 5, 1863-April 5, 1863
  • Folder 19 - Letters 90-94 April 7, 1863-April 25, 1863
  • Folder 20 - Letters 95-98 April 28, 1863-June 1, 1863
  • Folder 21 - Letters 100-104 June 21, 1863-July 5, 1863
  • Folder 22 - Letters 105-109 July 11, 1863-August 16, 1863
  • Folder 23 - Letters 110-114 August 19, 1863-August 30, 1863
  • Folder 24 - Letters 115-119 September 2, 1863-September 24, 1863
  • Folder 25 - Letters 121-124 September 26, 1863-0ctober 9, 1863
  • Folder 26 - Letters 125-129 October 14, 1863-0ctober 29, 1863
  • Folder 27 - Letters 130-134 November 1, 1863-November 15, 1863
  • Folder 28 - Letters 135-139 November 17, 1863-March 6, 1864
  • Folder 29 - Letters 140-144 March 9, 1864-April 15, 1864
  • Folder 30 - Letters 145-149 April 22, 1864-May 13, 1864
  • Folder 31 - Letters 150-155 May 16, 1864-June 29, 1864
  • Folder 32 - Letters 156-160 July 6, 1864-July 25, 1864
  • Folder 33 - Letters 161-165 July28, 1864-April 1, 1865
  • Folder 34 -- Letters 166-169 April 2, 1865-April 25, 1865
  • Folder 35 - Letters from James Thompson to his wife 1865-1871
  • Folder 36 - Miscellaneous Letters and Notes

Series 2 - Photographs Folder 1 - Photographs of Hattie Tillman Thompson Johnson

  • Folder 2 - Photographs of Ernest Forest Johnson taken in 1937
  • Folder 3 - Photographs of Elizabeth Hazel Johnson Wynn
  • Folder 4 - Photographs of Various Thompson Family Members
  • Folder 5 - Photographs of Steamboats
  • Folder 6 - Three Postcards of Columbus

Series 3 - Newspapers

  • Folder 1 - Columbus Enquirer May 9 and May 10, 1885
  • Folder 2 - Newspaper Article on the Death of James Thompson, February 5, 1894
  • Folder 3 - Columbus Enquirer-Sun April 6, 1917, pages 1,2,7,8
  • Folder 4 - Columbus Ledger July 1, 1918, pages 5-8
  • Folder 5 - Atlanta Constitution August 11, 1918, pages 7-10
  • Folder 6 - Columbus Ledger August 16, 1918, pages 3-6
  • Folder 7 - Columbus Ledger August 18, 1918, pages 1-8
  • Folder 8 - Columbus Ledger August 19, 1918, pages 1-6
  • Folder 9 - Columbus Enquirer-Sun August 20, 1918, pages 1-6
  • Folder 10 - Columbus Ledger August 20, 1918, pages -4

Series 4 - Miscellaneous

  • Folder 1 - A Copy of the Marriage Record of James Thompson and Lizzie Parkman, April 12, 1866
  • Folder 2 - Memoriam to Edward Pryor Wagner, Killed Near Culpepper, Virginia, August 29, 1863
  • Folder 3 - Copy of Widow's Pension of Lizzie Parkman Thompson, September 19-20, 1910
  • Folder 4 - Genealogy Chart for Diana Elizabeth Dollar
  • Folder 5 - Miscellaneous Letters and Notes
  • Folder 6 - Billfold, Brown, Leather, Owner Unknown, Date Unknown

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