Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Thomas D. Merrick Papers, MS.000087

Thomas D. Merrick was born on 23 May, 1814, in Hampden County, Massachusetts. He co-owned a business named Allen and Merrick in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1838, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, the following year. On January 17, 1841, he married Anna M. Adams of Kentucky at the Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. They had seven children: George, Annie, Ellie, Mollie, Lillian, Dwight, and Thomas. Thomas died at age ten.

Merrick became a prominent member of the Little Rock business community, as a merchant and cotton broker. In 1855 Merrick entered into a business partnership with John Wassell, after which their business flourished. Merrick was also involved in city politics, serving on the board of aldermen, as fire chief for a number of years, and as mayor from 1854 to 1855. He was involved in Freemasonry, holding the position of Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas in 1845.

He saw active service during the Civil War. On February 6, 1861, Merrick delivered an ultimatum to Captain James Totten of the United States Arsenal at Little Rock, demanding the surrender of the federal troops. Merrick also raised a regiment of Confederate Arkansas Militia, holding the rank of Colonel of Infantry at Camp Conway, near Springfield, Arkansas. Merrick died in his home in Little Rock on March 18, 1866.

This collection contains correspondence, receipts, financial papers, contracts, reports, and memoranda of Thomas D. Merrick, pertaining to his business as a Little Rock merchant, to his activities in the Masonic lodge, and to the education of his children.

• Correspondence
  
  • 1. 1844 March 1: H.G. Turner, Van Buren, Arkansas, to McKnight and Parks
  • 2. 1846 December 31: McKnight and Parks Company, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 3. 1851 February 28: W.M. Scott, Benton, to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 4. 1852 July 7: James Timms, Little Rock, to T.D. Merrick
  • 5. 1852 August 23: From John A. Beal, Conway
  • 6. 1856 November 19: Pike and Cummins, Little Rock, to T.D. Merrick
  • 7. 1856 December 29: Judge Daniel Ringo, Little Rock, to E. Cummins
  • 8. 1860 April 24: S.H. Bradshaw, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Doctor R.L. Dodge
  • 9. Undated: T.D. Merrick to Doctor R.L. Dodge
  • 10. Undated: Captain Albert Pike to Michael Gaymon
  • 11. Undated: I.O.U., George Watkins to John Wassell
• Masonic lodge materials
  
  • 12. 1856 February 25: Receipt, Thomas Penington and Son to Albert Pike
  • 13. 1858 October 22: Receipt, Masonic Grand Lodge, Little Rock, to B. Murray
  • 14. 1861 May 28: Letter, A.G. Moffat, Washburn, Barry county, Missouri, to T.D. Merrick
  • 15. 1865 August 26: Letter, request to form new chapter, Springfield, Conway county, Arkansas, to high priest of Grand Chapter
  • 16. 1865 October 20: Annual report, Crescent Lodge #142, S.J. Millard
  • 17. 1865 November 6: Annual communication of Grand Lodge of Colorado
  • 18. 1865 November 8: Letter, L.E. Barber to T.D. Merrick
  • 19. 1865 November 18: Returns of Wooten Lodge #145, Joseph Price
  • 20. 1865 November 30: Returns of Washita Lodge #116, J. Hosea Callaway
  • 21. 1865 December 7: Returns of Evening Star Lodge #54, J.M. Miller
  • 22. 1865 November: Returns of Hamburg Lodge #61, S.M. Miles
  • 23. Undated: Receipt, T.D. Merrick to Albert Pike
  • 24. Undated: Returns of Grinstead Travelling Lodge, H.W. McCallum
  • 25. Undated: Returns of Stony Point Lodge
• Quartermasters' commissary reports
  
  • 26. 1861 May 17: Fort Smith, Arkansas
  • 27. 1861 July 31: Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 28. 1861 August 3: Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 29. 1861: Envelope, "Confederate Quartermaster and Commissary Recipes"
• Receipts
  
  • 30. 1808 April 30: I.O.U., Benjamin Pruitt to William Langsdale, Indiana
  • 31. 1839 September 14: Allen and Merrick to G. Simpson
  • 32. 1842 March 21: Scott and White Company to W.K. English
  • 33. 1842 March 21: McKnight and Parks Company to W.K. English
  • 34. 1842 March 21: McKnight and Parks Company to W.K. English
  • 35. 1842 August 5: John McClain to T.D. Merrick
  • 36. 1842 August 5: N.H. Badgett to T.D. Merrick
  • 37. 1843 March 10: Thomas Thorn to T.D. Merrick
  • 38. 1844 December 15: C.P. Bertrand to T.D. Merrick
  • 39. 1845 March 5: Abel Brown to Mr. Thurber
  • 40. 1845 November 24: T.D. Merrick to P. Sunn
  • 41. 1848 June 21: T.D. Merrick to M. Killian
  • 42. 1848 September 7: Joseph Fenno and T.D. Merrick to James Lawson
  • 43. 1849 October 18: E. Timms to James Simpson
  • 44. 1850 February 6: T.D. Merrick to F.W. and P. Trapnall
  • 45. 1851 June 30: T.D. Merrick to Worthing and Curry
  • 46. 1852 May 29: T.D. Merrick to F.W. Trapnall
  • 47. 1852 July 8: T.D. Merrick to F.W. Trapnall
  • 48. 1852 December 4: Merrick and Fenno to George Waring
  • 49. 1853 January 7: J.J. Wright to A.M. Wallace
  • 50. 1853 September 21: T.D. Merrick to James Linden
  • 51. 1853 December 8: Honorable D. Ringo to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 52. 1855 May 4: Merrick and Wassell to W.R. Smith
  • 53. 1855 September 21: William Brown, Jr., to Albert Pike
  • 54. 1855 September 28: Merrick and Wassell to W.R. Smith
  • 55. 1855 November 29: T.D. Merrick and Company to John Martin
  • 56. 1856 March 12: Merrick and Wassell to William Wair
  • 57. 1856 September 14: J.T. Keet to George Austen
  • 58. 1856 November 20: T.D. Merrick to Joseph Fenno
  • 59. 1857 February 20: W.R. Bridges to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 60. 1857 February 28: T.D. Merrick and Company to L.J. Smith
  • 61. 1857 May 16: Pike and Cummins to John Martin
  • 62. 1857 May 23: T.D. Merrick and Company to Benjamin Danley
  • 63. 1857 May 29: T.D. Merrick and Company to Branum and Somers
  • 64. 1857 June 11: Merrick and Wassell to M. Hanby
  • 65. 1858 November 12: Albert Pike to John Nolins
  • 66. 1859 March 21: Thomas Barrett to John Wassell
  • 67. 1859 April 2: M.H. Cook to T.M. Conway
  • 68. 1859 August 19: T.D. Merrick to E. Duvall
  • 69. 1859 October 1: T.D. Merrick to William B. Johnson
  • 70. 1859 October 5: T.D. Merrick to Thomas Fletcher
  • 71. 1860 January 28: Merrick and Wassell to J.I.McAlmont
  • 72. 1860 February 8: T.D. Merrick to W.B. Johnson
  • 74. 1861 August 27: T.D. Merrick to C.H. Boggess
  • 73. 1862 April 25: T.D. Merrick to A.J. Foster
  • 75. Undated: T.D. Merrick to P. Bertrand
  • 76. Undated: Merrick and Wassell to S.W. Brown
• Financial and accounting records
  
  • 77. 1852 January-November: Bill, T.D. Merrick to P.P. Burton
  • 78. 1853 July 16: Bill, T.D. Merrick and Company to Evan Hanes
  • 79. 1856 July 26: Bill, L.W. Brown and Company to Merrick and Wassell
  • 80. 1857 January 23: Bill, Thomas [?] St. Francis to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 81. 1857 September 23: Cash memorandum of John Wassell
  • 82. 1858 March 20: Bill, Merrick and Wassell to R.S. Dodge
  • 83. 1859 September 7: Bill, George and Robins to Merrick and Wassell
  • 84. 1860 May: "Judgments, May term, 1860"
  • 85. 1860 October: Bill, T.D. Merricks to John P. Gorst
  • 86. Undated: Statement of settlement, George and Robins
  • 87. Undated: Bill, William Dedmans to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 88. Undated: "Mem. Pike's note," 180 dollars
  • 89. Undated: "B.Q. and D.H. Avery account sales"
  • 90. Undated: Revenue, sale of Morrison's store
  • 91. Undated: Cash memorandum
  • 92. Undated: Memorandum of debts due Merrick and Wassell
  • 93. Undated: Merrick and Wassell, convertible assets
  • 94. Undated: Memorandum of amounts due, Merrick and Wassell
  • 95. Undated: John Wassell, cash settlements
  • 96. Undated: Memorandum of accounts, Merrick and Wassell
  • 97. Undated: John Wassell, debits and credits
  • 98. Undated: Account memorandum
  • 99. Undated: Colonel Fowler, account memorandum
  • 100. Undated: "Cash to [?] of Pellican"
• Notes and agreements
  
  • 101. 1842 November 12: Agreement, McKnight and Parks, and Packett and Gregg
  • 102. 1842 November 14: Note, James Neal to T.D. Merrick
  • 103. 1844 April 10: Note, I.M. Phillips to T.D. Merrick
  • 104. 1845 February 12: Note, T.D. Merrick to Joseph Fenno
  • 105. 1845 June 11: Note, Samuel Shoemaker to T.D. Merrick
  • 106. 1845 August 6: Note, Isaac Browning to T.D. Merrick
  • 107. 1845 December 27: Note, John Smith to T.D. Merrick
  • 108. 1846 June 29: Note, James Carson to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 109. 1848 June 22: Note, B.F. Dooley to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 110. 1848 August 22: Note, Isaac Browning to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 111. 1848 November 7: Note, A.D. Moulton to Robert A. Matthews
  • 112. 1850 March 21: Note, Thomas Champlin to T.D. Merrick
  • 113. 1850 June 27: Memorandum, gold bullion amounts, United States Mints
  • 114. 1850 December 25: Note, J.B. Morgan to T.D. Merrick
  • 115. 1851 October 17: Note, Thomas F. Casey to Jack Miles
  • 116. 1852 January 9: Note, William Hunnicutt to E.L. Malone
  • 117. 1852 February 25: Note, T.D. Merrick to Joseph Fenno
  • 118. 1852 May 5: Note, Garner V. Wallace to Alfred Hyde
  • 119. 1852 May 12: Note, John H. Mimms to T.D. Merrick
  • 120. 1852 October 19: Note, George Benedict to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 121. 1852 October 31: Note, Ash and Moulton to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 122. 1853 February 9: Note, T.D. Merrick to E.H. English
  • 123. 1853 February 14: Note, James Blackwell to A.D. Rice
  • 124. 1853 July 7: Agreement, T.D. Merrick and A. George
  • 125. 1853 September 4: Note, William Burnboro to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 126. 1853 November 4: Note, William E. van Meter to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 127. 1853 November 25: Note, Allen Reeves to T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 128. 1853 December 5: Note, Richard L. Allen to T.D. Merrick
  • 129. 1854 April 8: Note, J.J. Cowan to T.D. Merrick
  • 130. 1854 October 8: Note, T.D. Merrick to P.N. Burton
  • 131. 1855 March 28: Note, Benjamin Murphy to T.D. Merrick
  • 132. 1855 August 1: Note, Joseph Whylie to T.D. Merrick
  • 133. 1856 March 7: Note, A. Stovall to T.D. Merrick
  • 134. 1856 May 21: Agreement, John Wassell and Gordon N. Peay
  • 135. 1856 June 21: Bill, M. Henry and T.D. Merrick and Company
  • 136. 1857 June 22: "Danley's Communication"
  • 137. 1857 June 22: Note, T.D. Merrick to T.H. White
  • 138. 1857 August 15: Note, T.D. Merrick to James Timms
  • 139. 1857 November 13: Note, Johnny Biggs to T.D. Merrick
  • 140. 1858 April 30: Freight price quote from the steamer, "Arkansas"
  • 141. 1859 January 31: Note, T.D. Merrick to Joseph Fenno
  • 142. 1859 February 10: Note, William G.S. [?] to J.G. Right
  • 143. 1859 June 15: Note, Merrick and Wassell to George Adams
  • 144. 1859 June 15: Note, Merrick and Wassell to George Adams
  • 145. 1855-1858: List, personal and business transactions
• Bills of lading
  
  • 146. 1843 January 7: T.D. Merrick
  • 147. 1861 May 20: Steamer, "Countess"
• Tax documents
  
  • 148.1853 September 30: Railroad tax payment receipt, Merrick and Wassell
  • 149. 1857 March 27: County and state tax receipt, T.D. Merrick
  • 150. 1858 December 31: City tax receipt, T.D. Merrick
  • 151. 1859 July 19: All taxes paid receipt, Thomas D. Merrick
  • 152. 1859 September 14: City tax receipt, T.D. Merrick
  • 153. 1860 March 31: City tax receipt, Merrick and Wassell
  • 154. 1862 December 6: City tax receipt, T.D. Merrick
  • 155. 1859: Miscellaneous tax receipts
• Legal documents
  
  • 156. 1848 September 30: Bill of sale, slave woman
  • 157. 1853 May 16: Article of agreement on ferry privileges, J.C. Martin, Joseph Ashley, and John W. Moreland
  • 158. 1853 September 22: T.D. Merrick versus J.F. Green
  • 159. 1854 March 8: Peek Sims and Company versus Merrick and J.M. Gould and Company versus Merrick
  • 160. 1858 November 6: Merrick and Wassell versus William Garner
  • 161. 1859 September 5: W.B. Johnston versus T.D. Merrick
  • 162. 1859 December 31: Brugman and Company versus T.D. Merrick
  • 163. 1859 December 31: Brugman and Company versus Merrick and Wassell
  • 164. Undated: Bill, Chancery Court fees, Pulaski County, T.D. Merrick and Company
• Pencil memoranda
  
  • 165. 1852 July 29: Interest payment schedule
  • 166. 1854 March 1: Balance
  • 167. 1859 January 26: Draft list
  • 168. 1859 August 30: Merchandise in R.A. Graham versus T.D. Merrick
  • 169. 1860 March 17: Bill of steamer, "LIghtfoot"
  • 170. Undated: Debtor list
  • 171. Undated: "Wassel, 17 dollars"
  • 172. Undated: "20 for Stoubaugh [?]"
  • 173. Undated: Wassell state and county tax
  • 174. Undated: Transaction memoranda
• Miscellaneous
  
  • 175. 1866: Catalog, State Female College near Memphis, Tennessee
  • 176. Undated: Recipe

New Online Digital Collection - Tales from the Vault: Celebrating 110 Years

In commemoration of the 110^th anniversary of the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives, the agency is releasing a new online digital collection on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, titled, “Tales from the Vault: Celebrating 110 Years.” The new collection will be made up of 110 favorite items from the AHC archives picked by agency staff.

Items chosen include minutes from the very first Arkansas History Commission meeting in 1905, music memorabilia, World War I archival material, Civil War artifacts, photographs and ambrotypes as well as a variety of other documents and letters.  The online digital collection, which joins 11 other already existing online collections, can be viewed at http://ahc.digital-ar.org/.

The Arkansas History Commission, located in Little Rock, is the official state archives of Arkansas and maintains the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world. 

The AHC Celebrates 110 Years

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives.  The Arkansas History Commission was created during the 1905 session of the Arkansas General Assembly for the purpose of collecting and preserving Arkansas’s significant wealth of historic material.

In celebration of this milestone, the History Commission will host an open house and anniversary commemoration on Monday, April 27 from 10 a.m. until noon.  Members of the general public are invited to visit the research room at 1 Capitol Mall, view some of the state’s most significant historical documents, including Arkansas’s original state constitutions, preview an exhibit on the agency’s history, and meet the staff to learn more about how the History Commission has been a vital part of preserving Arkansas history for well over a century.  

The Arkansas History Commission is located at 1 Capitol Mall on the second floor of the Multi Agency Complex Building behind the Arkansas State Capitol building. 

For more information, please call 682-6900 or email state.archives@arkansas.gov.

Beginning Genealogy workshop

Beginning Genealogy: Climbing the First Branches of Your Family Tree

The Arkansas History Commission and State Archives and the Arkansas Genealogical Society will be hosting a beginning genealogy workshop on Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in Room 171 at the State Capitol. The workshop’s theme, “Beginning Genealogy: Climbing the First Branches of Your Family Tree,” will focus on methods for beginning genealogy and will feature presentations on researching land records and church records as well as a session on the identification and documentation of photographs. Speakers will include Russell Baker, editor of the Arkansas Family Historian, and members of the Arkansas History Commission staff.

The seminar is free but registration is required. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. Registration is limited and the deadline for registration will be Tuesday, April 28.

The Arkansas History Commission and State Archives, located in Little Rock, is the official state archives of Arkansas and maintains the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world. The Arkansas Genealogical Society, founded in 1962, is dedicated to preserving and sharing Arkansas genealogical material.

For more information about the symposium or to register, contact us at workshop@agsgenealogy.org.

April Digitization Clinics

In commemoration of the 110^th anniversary of the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives, the agency will host digitization clinics each Friday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in its conference room.

For the April digitization clinics, AHC staff invites the general public to bring in material appropriate for scanning on flatbed scanners or for photographing, such as documents, maps or photographs. AHC archivists will scan and save to CDs copies of scanned material for the public.  Members of the general public who choose to take advantage of this free scanning service will be asked to share the digital copies with the History Commission for research, exhibits and publication.  

“The digitization clinic is a modern twist on the way the History Commission built its collections from the beginning,” said Commission Director Dr. Lisa Speer. “Through the years, our collections have grown thanks to the foresight of historically minded citizens across Arkansas and the U.S. We still like receiving donations of historical manuscripts and records, but we recognize that not everyone is ready to donate their family papers and memorabilia. This digitization clinic provides them with an option to share the content, while maintaining the originals during their lifetime.”

The Arkansas History Commission was created during the 1905 session of the Arkansas General Assembly for the purpose of collecting and preserving Arkansas’s significant wealth of historic material. 

For additional information on the Arkansas History Commission and these clinics, please phone 501-682-6900 or email state.archives@arkansas.gov.

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Pfauser-Walker Papers, MS.000191

Olive Walker (1899 April 16-1984 July 19), daughter of Alexander W. and Sallie J. Walker of Osceola, Arkansas, married Joseph F. Pfauser (1896 March 1-1977 March 20) of Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 16, 1917. The couple had two children: Virginia E. (1918 July 20-1984 February 17) and Francis William "Billy" (born 1920 October 13). Through the years, Joseph Pfauser worked at a variety of jobs, including serving as a machinist with Missouri Pacific Railroad, as a Fuller Brush salesman, and as an insurance salesman for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. He operated a grocery store at Sixteenth and Jones in Little Rock and held other positions in retail businesses.

This collection contains correspondence and other material pertaining to the life of Olive Walker Pfauser. The older items belonged to the Walker family of Osceola, Arkansas, while the more recent documents describe Olive Pfauser's life in Little Rock, Arkansas.

 Finding aid:

• Personal correspondence
  
  • 1. 1882-1899 (Box 1)
  • 2. 1900-1911
  • 3. 1915
  • 4. 1916 January
  • 5. 1916 February
  • 6. 1916 March
  • 7. 1916 April
  • 8. 1916 May
  • 9. 1916 June (Box 2)
  • 10. 1916 July
  • 11. 1916 August
  • 12. 1916 September
  • 13. 1916 October
  • 14. 1916 November
  • 15. 1916 December
  • 16. 1917 January (Box 3)
  • 17. 1917 February
  • 18. 1917 March
  • 19. 1917 April
  • 20. 1917 May
  • 21. 1917 June
  • 22. 1917 July
  • 23. 1917 August (Box 4)
  • 24. 1917 September
  • 25. 1917 October
  • 26. 1917 November
  • 27. 1917 December
  • 28. 1918 January (Box 5)
  • 29. 1918 February
  • 30. 1918 March
  • 31. 1918 April
  • 32. 1918 May
  • 33. 1918 June
  • 34. 1918 July
  • 35. 1918 September
  • 36. 1918 October-December
  • 37. 1919
  • 38. 1920
  • 39. 1921
  • 40. 1922
  • 41. 1923
  • 42. 1924 (Box 6)
  • 43. 1925
  • 44. 1926
  • 45. 1927
  • 46. 1928
  • 47. 1929
  • 48. 1930
  • 49. 1931
  • 50. 1932
  • 51. 1933 (Box 7)
  • 52. 1934
  • 53. 1935
  • 54. 1936
  • 55. 1938
  • 56. 1939
  • 57. 1940
  • 58. 1943
  • 59. 1944-1955
  • 60. 1956-1967
  • 61. Undated
• Personal, miscellaneous
  
  • 62. Joseph F. Pfauser military records, 1918
  • 63. Pfauser family death certificates and funeral records, 1977 and 1984
  • 64. Postcards (Box 8)
  • 65. Postcards
  • 66. Christmas cards
  • 67. Christmas cards
  • 68. Miscellaneous greeting cards
• Legal/Financial
  
  • 69. Deeds, bills of sale, other, 1873-1951 (Box 9)
  • 70. Poll tax receipts, 1901-1921
  • 71. Tax receipts, 1873-1890
  • 72. Tax receipts, 1891-1910
  • 73. Tax receipts, 1911-1920
  • 74. Tax receipts, 1921-1930
  • 75. Tax receipts, 1931-1937
  • 76. Tax receipts (Oklahoma property), 1912-1932
  • 77. Ledger, "Building Checks," 1907-1911
  • 78. Receipts, invoices, 1894-1937
  • 79. Receipts, purchase of Oklahoma property, 1910-1913
• Other
  
  • 80. Religious activities
  • 81. Education
  • 82. Poems and songs (Box 10)
  • 83. Poems and songs
  • 84. Poetry scrapbook, in "Maury's Physical Geography"
  • 85. R.A. Belcher, 1917-1921
  • 86. Miscellaneous
  • 87. Miscellaneous
  • 88. Certificates and diplomas, 1911-1931 (Box 11)
  • 89. Calendars, 1929 (from Blue Ribbon Shoe Shop, Little Rock)
  • 90. Newspapers and clippings (including fragments of "Osceola Times," 1926 January 8 and 1943 February 26; and "The Guardian," 1952 May 30)
  • 91. Book: "The Boy's Cubbook," Boy Scouts of America, 1930
• Scrapbooks
  
  • 92. 1900-1912 (Osceola) (Box 12)
  • 93. 1912-1913 (Osceola)

March Issue of the Arkansas Archivist Newsletter

The Arkansas Archivist newsletter for the month of March is out!  Below are a few examples of what you'll find in this month's issue.  To see the full issue, please click here:  March Issue of the Arkansas Archivist

AHC Unveils New Women’s History Guide

Most of us know that Arkansas has had a long and unique history. Many people don’t always realize that Arkansas women, in particular, have had an equally unique and compelling past. They have, in fact, been political ground breakers and leaders in breaking the glass ceiling in the fight for equal rights.

The AHC Celebrates the Legacy of a Female Arkansan

This month we celebrate the role that women have played in the history of Arkansas. Arkansas has had many examples of women who have been leaders in important social and political movements. In fact, Arkansas had one of the first female mayors, Maud Duncan, in the United States.

Treasures from the Attic

Each month, the AHC highlights an archival document, photograph or an artifact from the personal collection of an AHC staff member. This month we feature a butter press owned by Archival Technician John Freshour.

Black History Commission News

February was a very busy month for African American History Coordinator Tatyana Oyinloye and the Black History Commission of Arkansas as we were traveling the state promoting African American history. Since February was Black History Month, we were in great demand.