Francis-Martin family papers, 1831-1973.

ArchivalResource

Francis-Martin Family. Francis-Martin family papers, 1831-1973.

Francis-Martin family papers, 1831-1973.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122381148

This collection documents the lives of four generations of an affluent Jacksonville, Ala., family from the Civil War to the 1930s. Of particular interest are papers relating to John Clark Francis' experiences in the 30th Alabama Infantry. The lives of the women are also featured prominently throughout the collection, particularly in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The genealogy subgroup, 1809-ca. 1970s, consists of two series: Francis-Martin family and Peter and Joshua Lanier Martin. The Francis-Martin family series contains notes from the late nineteenth century through the 1970s on the Francis and Martin families. The Peter and Joshua Lanier Martin series consists of genealogical information pertaining to these two prominent men, but the papers do not indicate that they were related to the John Thomas Martins of Jacksonville. The John Clark Francis subgroup, 1859-1864, is divided into four series: correspondence; education; essays and speeches; and military records. The correspondence series contains letters describing his experiences before and during the war. The education series contains two report cards from Florence Wesleyan University in Florence from the 1860-1861 school year. The essays and speeches series contains drafts of essays and speeches, some of which were written for school. The military records series contains general and special orders, reports, and memoranda created and received by John C. Francis as an officer in the 30th Alabama Infantry from 1862 until his death in May 1864. The correspondence subgroup contains the letters of the Francis and Martin families form 1842 to 1954. The bulk of the collection dates from 1857 to 1939. The Civil War letters describe the experiences of the six oldest boys as soldiers stationed in or near Manassas, Va.; Drainsville, Va.; Vicksburg, Miss.; Demopolis, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Atlanta, Ga. Later letters describe postbellum and early twentieth century everyday life in Ala., primarily Calhoun County, and in Ga. Topics include education, religion, social gatherings, and J.T.'s work as an attorney. Some letters record southerners' impressions of New York City in the late nineteenth century. Two letters from the 1870s are written by James C. Francis, Sr.'s, sister Susan Francis Porter and her son W.C. Porter describing their life in Brazil. The education subgroup, 1834-1934, contains a variety of materials including school play and concert programs, tuition bills, test questions, a composition book, a school newspaper, and University of Alabama commencement programs for 1932 and 1934. All essays and speeches are located in the poetry and prose subgroup whether they were obviously written for school or not. One speech was given by James C. Francis, Sr.'s brother-in-law, U.S. Senator Hopkins L. Turney of Tennessee, on the Compromise of 1850. In addition to speeches and essays, the poetry and prose subgroup, 1842-ca. early 1900s, includes poems, a play, and an unpublished novella by Willie Francis. The financial records subgroup, 1839-ca.1940s, contains receipts, bills, promissory notes, bank statements, transaction registers, and canceled checks. The journal, 1868-1869, consists of a few entries in late December 1868 and early 1869 by an unknown family member. The legal records subgroup, 1872-ca.1930s, contains contracts, a summary of U.S. Supreme Court decisions from October 1900, and notes on State v. William Lawson taken by either J.T. or Woodson Martin. The photograph subgroup, ca. 1850s-early 1900s, consists of two series: family and friends and "Special Southern Views." Many of the photos in the family and friends series are not identified. "Special Southern Views" photos are from a series of that name published by Russell Brothers of Anniston. The subjects are both African Americans and whites living in rural poverty around 1900. The scrapbook subgroup, 1874-ca.1890s, consists of a scrapbook of clippings compiled by Joseph Francis. The miscellaneous subgroup contains an assortment of items such as calling and business cards, recipes, homemade paper dolls, a portion of Peterson's Magazine from October 1872, postcards, World War II ration books, and Confederate and U.S. postage stamps. It also includes "The Confederate Souvenir" which was a pamphlet from the late nineteenth century commemorating Civil War events and prominent Confederates. The clippings subgroup, 1824-1965, consists of two series: photocopies and originals. The photocopies series, 1824-1965, consists of three subseries: family, Peter and Joshua Lanier Martin, and miscellaneous. The originals series, 1863-1965, contains original copies of newspapers found in the photocopies series, except for those which can be found on microfilm or in bound volumes at ADAH or those that only photocopies were donated with the collection. Some notable newspapers with clippings in this collection include the Fifth Division Diamond, the Pontanezan Duckboard, the Alabama Christian Advocate, the Bama Postmaster, the Jacksonville Republican, and the Jacksonville Record. The bound volumes subgroup, 1831-1925, includes a copy of the Dixie Cookbook, ca. 1883; Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence in 2 volumes, 1831; and One Hundred and One Best Songs, 1922. A listing of all the volumes is included in the finding aid at the repository. The maps subgroup, ca. 1860s and 1913 and n.d., consists of four maps: a color photocopy of an undated map of Tennessee; a black and white photocopy of a map of the battle of Bull Run on June 21, 1861 (original restricted); photocopy of a map of Calhoun County beat lines, ca. 1900 (original restricted); and two pages of topographical maps "Gettysburg-Antietam" drawn by the Engineer Department of the Army Service School, 1913.

4 cubic ft. (3 records center cartons and 1 oversize box)

Alabama Department of Archives and History