Henry Hawkins (d. 1815) was a Philadelphia merchant. The collection is a letter book containing handwritten copies of letters sent 1807-1815 by Henry Hawkins. There are also letters, 1816-1824, by Hawkins's son George, also of Philadelphia, Pa., and an index of correspondents. Letters are to persons in Tennessee, Georgia, and elsewhere concerning the estate of John B. Evans (d. 1805). The estate was comprised of extensive land holdings, plantations, and lead and iron mines in Tennessee, as well as land holdings in Georgia. Most of Henry Hawkins's early letters are to attorneys and intermediaries inquiring as to the progress of collecting debts owed to the estate. Other letters deal with payment of taxes on the estate's land holdings, the sale of farm equipment and King's notes owned by the estate, and attempts to prevent settlers from inhabiting the estate's land. Throughout, Henry Hawkins expressed a desire to bring the settlement of the estate to a close. George Hawkins's letters are similar in subject, although more focused on debt collecting. In some letters, George Hawkins expressed suspicions that some intermediaries entrusted with the sale of estate properties had used the profits for their own personal use. Correspondents include attorneys Charles H. Porter, marshal of the United States for the Eastern district of Tennessee, and John McCampbell, both entrusted with the administration of the estate's properties in Tennessee. Other correspondents from Tennessee include attorneys Jenkin Whiteside and Joseph Anderson, both of whom later became United States Senators. Correspondents from other areas include James A. Bayard (1767-1815), United States Senator from Delaware; Samuel Hughes of Hagerstown, Md.; Josiah Collins of Edenton, N.C.; James Murren of Augusta, Ga.; and Joseph Anthony of New Orleans, La. Intermediaries and others mentioned in the letters include General James Winchester, Samuel Jackson, and Colonel Alexander Outlaw.
