Manuscripts Department
The Library at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#2227
CAFFERY FAMILY PAPERS
Inventory
Abstract: The Caffery and Richardson families of Iberia
Parish, La. Prominent family members include Bethia
Liddell Richardson (d. 1852); her husband, Francis
DuBose Richardson (b. 1812), sugar planter at Bayside
Plantation on Bayou Teche, and state legislator;
their daughter, Bethia Richardson Caffery (fl.
1866-1907); and her husband, Donelson Caffery
(1835-1906), son of Donelson Caffery (fl. 1830s) and
Lydia Murphy Caffery McKerall (fl. 1835-1881), lawyer
in Franklin, La., sugar planter, Confederate soldier,
state legislator, and U.S. senator, 1892-1901.
Chiefly consist of personal correspondence among
Caffery and Richardson family members. Most of the
Richardson family papers are dated 1838 to 1852 and
cover topics such as sugar planting, purchases and
settlement of land, and family activities. The bulk of
the Caffery family papers fall between 1866 and 1906.
Their letters are chiefly about family activities, but
Donelson Caffery also wrote about politics in Louisiana
and Washington, D.C. There are a number of letters
written to Donelson, while he was a senator,
congratulating him on his stand on the gold standard,
two letters from Grover Cleveland, and letters
concerning Democratic Party matters. Letters from
later years deal chiefly with Donelson's efforts in the
face of financial difficulties, including work on his
sugar plantations and attempts at establishing oil
wells.
Index Terms: Bayside Plantation (La.).
Caffery family.
Caffery, Bethia Richardson, fl. 1866-1907.
Caffery, Donelson, 1835-1906.
Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
Democratic Party--Louisiana.
Family--Louisiana--Social life and customs--19th
century.
Family--Louisiana--Social life and customs--20th
century.
Franklin (La.)--Social life and customs--19th
century.
Franklin (La.)--Social life and customs.
Gold standard.
Iberia Parish (La.)--Social life and customs.
Lawyers--Louisiana.
Louisiana--Politics and government, 1865-1950.
McKerall, Lydia Murphy Caffery, fl. 1835-1881.
Oil wells--Louisiana.
Plantations--Louisiana.
Richardson family.
Richardson, Bethia Liddell, d. 1852.
Richardson, Francis DuBose.
Sugar growing--Louisiana.
Sugarcane industry--Louisiana.
United States. Congress. Senate.
Size: About 350 items. (0.5 linear feet)
Provenance: Received from Bethia Caffery and Colonel Charles
S. Caffery of St. Petersburg, Florida, and John
Caffery of Franklin, Louisiana, in 1925 and 1940.
Addition received from Don T. Caffery of Franklin,
Louisiana, in December 1957. Later additions
received from Bethia L. Caffery.
Access: No restrictions.
Related Collections: Bayside Plantation Records (#53)
Frank Liddell Richardson Papers (#631)
Francis DuBose Richardson Memoirs (#M-3010)
Processing Note: This inventory was adapted from an original
inventory prepared sometime prior to 1963, and
from a cover sheet prepared by E. Ragan in
March 1963.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers or
their descendants as stipulated by United States
copyright law.
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
The major figures in these papers are Donelson Caffery
(1835-1906), and his wife, Bethia Richardson Caffery (fl.
1866-1907).
Bethia was the daughter of Francis DuBose Richardson (b.
1812) and Bethia Liddell Richardson (d. 1852). The Richardsons
lived first near New Iberia and later at Bayside Plantation on
the Bayou Teche near Jeanerette in Iberia Parish. Francis was a
sugar planter and also served in the Louisiana state legislature
during the early 1850s.
The Richardsons' daughter, Bethia, married Donelson Caffery
in 1869. Caffery was the son of Donelson Caffery (fl. 1830s) and
Lydia Murphy Caffery (fl. 1835-1881). After the death of his
father, his mother married Watson McKerall. Donelson Caffery
attended school in Franklin, Louisiana, and St. Mary's College in
Baltimore. He later studied law in the office of Joseph W.
Walker and at Louisiana University in New Orleans. After
completing school he apparently began sugar planting on Bayou
Cypremont near the Gulf of Mexico.
Caffery joined the Crescent Rifles in New Orleans in January
1862. He was transferred to the 13th Louisiana Regiment and
fought in the battle of Shiloh. Later he was made lieutenant on
the staff of Brigadier General W.W. Walker and remained in that
position until the end of the war.
After the war Caffery began to practice law and continued in
sugar planting. He became involved in Louisiana politics and in
1879 was elected to the Louisiana state constitutional
convention. In 1892 he was elected to the state Senate and that
same year was appointed to the U.S. Senate when Randall L. Gibson
died. Two years later he was reelected and served until the
expiration of his term in 1901. As a senator, Caffery opposed
free silver and the war with Spain. He was active in the
formation of the National or "Gold" Democratic party and was
nominated as that party's candidate for president in 1900; he
declined in order to return home and resume the practise of law
and cultivation of his sugar plantation. He died in 1906.
The exact location and number of plantations owned by
Donelson Caffery is not known. However, it is believed he owned
at least two, Haifleigh and Bethia Plantation, both of which were
located in St. Mary's Parish near Franklin, Louisiana.
Genealogical information follows.
Judge Moses Liddell of Elmslie, near Woodville in Wilkinson
County, Mississippi. His children were
A.C. (Nancy) Griffin, widow, lived at home with her father.
Jane (Mrs. J.H.) Randolph, lived at Baywood, on Bayou Goula,
near Plaquemine.
Martha Gibson, lived at "Forest Home".
John, married Mary in 1841, lived when first married on the
Black River.
Bethia (d. 1852), married Francis D. Richardson (b. 1812),
lived near New Iberia and then near Jeanerette. Among her
children was Bethia, who married Donelson Caffery in 1869.
Lydia Murphy married Donelson Caffery and later married
Watson McKerall. Her children were:
Louisa Lou Chambers
Maria Drew, who lived at New Orleans.
Emma Caffery Thomson, who married Patrick Hardiman Thomson and
lived in Tennessee and many other places.
Donelson Caffery (1835-1906), who married Bethia Richardson in
1869.
The children of Donelson Caffery and Bethia Richardson Caffery
were:
Donelson, lawyer, Franklin, Louisiana.
Bethia
Gertrude (Mrs. Henry H.) Glassie, Washington, N.C.
John, in U.S. Navy, then oil business in Louisiana.
Frank, sugar planter in Louisiana.
Earl, sugar planter in Louisiana.
"Tide" or "Lide", a daughter.
Charles, Colonel, U.S. Army.
Edward, chiefly at school in this collection.
Liddell (Del), died young in 1901.
(See the sketch on Donelson Caffery by Eugene M. Violette in
the Dictionary of American Biography, pp. 402-403).
Collection Overview
This collection is divided into two series, papers of
Francis and Bethia Richardson, and papers of the Caffery family.
The first series is the smaller of the two and consists chiefly
of correspondence on personal and family affairs to Bethia
Richardson from her sisters, her father, and her husband.
The second series consists chiefly of personal
correspondence of Donelson Caffery, his wife, Bethia Richardson
Caffery, and their children between 1866 and 1906. Other
prominent correspondents during this period include Bethia's
father, Francis DuBose Richardson, and Donelson's sister, Emma
Caffery Thomson. A small amount of professional correspondence
relating to Donelson Caffery's term in the United States Senate
is also included.
The arrangement scheme is as follows:
Series 1. Papers of Francis and Bethia Richardson.
Series 2. Papers of the Caffery Family.
Series 2.1 1855-1859
Series 2.2 1866-1891
Series 2.3 1894-1900
Series 2.4 1901-1906
Series 2.5 1907-1925
Series 2.6 Undated.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Papers of Francis and Bethia Richardson
1838-1852. About 75 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters to Bethia Liddell Richardson, after her
marriage to Francis DuBose Richardson, from members of her family
about family activities and other personal matters. Bethia's
father, Judge Moses Liddell, lived at Elmslie, near Woodville, in
Wilkinson County, Mississippi, with his children. A few letters
to Francis Richardson, chiefly from Bethia, are also included.
Some of the correspondence deals with the management of the
Richardsons' sugar plantation. A chronological listing of some
of the letters follows below.
1838
28 November, to Bethia Liddell, in Woodville, Mississippi, from
Cousin Laura Ivor, postmarked Vicksburg, mentioning several
members of the family, their children, and various affairs.
1839
27 June, to Bethia at New Iberia, Attakapas, from her sister,
Nancy C. Griffin, about a duel in Woodville, Mississippi, which
led to a second duel and the death of two men.
22 July, to Bethia at New Iberia, from her sister, Jane Randolph,
at Baywood, about the possibility of settling on the Black River.
29 November, to Bethia at Woodville, Mississippi, from her
husband, telling of business affairs and a hard freeze which
injured the sugar.
1840
9 February, to Bethia from her sister, Nancy C. Griffin, at
Elmslie, and her father, Moses Liddell. Moses wrote of farm
affairs, articles for the Richardson place, shipping supplies on
the river, and finances.
During this period, Francis DuBose Richardson frequently
mentioned in his letters handling the property of the Weeks
estate, and going to "The Island" on business connected with it.
1841
12 May, to Bethia from Moses Liddell about helping the
Richardsons purchase land on the Grand River or elsewhere.
1 September, to Bethia from her sister, Jane Randolph, about
their brother John's marriage.
12 December, to Mary E. Bowman in Clinton, Louisiana from Bethia.
Mrs. Bowman was Bethia's sister-in-law.
14 March, to Bethia from her father about financial affairs,
crops, land purchases, and the advantages of raising sugar
instead of cotton.
21 July, to Mary C. Bowman from Bethia telling of a new church in
New Iberia and a visiting minister, the Reverend E. Porter, and
his great popularity. She also mentioned her difficulties with
her French neighbors.
Numerous other letters are about the settlement of land, crops,
sugar growing, climate, slaves, and children.
1850
3 February, to Bethia who was visiting her sister, Jane Randolph,
on the Bayou Goula, from her husband at the Louisiana state
legislature. He mentioned he was enclosing a letter from her
father who was looking after their affairs at Jeanerette during
their absence.
22 February, to Bethia from her father who was still at her home
in Jeanerette, giving a schedule of the Attakapas packets on
which she could return home.
1852
Correspondence between Francis, who was in Baton Rouge at the
state legislature, and Bethia at Bayside Plantation, near
Jeanerette, about the children, the plantation, his public life,
and her father.
14 April, an account of the death of Bethia Richardson.
Folder 1 1838-1839
2 1840
3 1841-1842
4 1843-1847
5 1850-1852
Series 2. Papers of the Caffery Family
1855-1925 and undated. About 275 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Papers chiefly centering around Donelson Caffery, his wife,
Bethia Richardson Caffery, and their children. Donelson Caffery
frequently wrote to his family when he was away in Franklin,
Louisiana, where he practiced law, and when he was away in
Washington, D.C., as a senator from Louisiana from 1892 to 1901.
His letters are chiefly personal and refer to finances, the
family, crops, plans for raising cattle, prospects for finding
oil on his lands, and selling his lands. There are a few letters
dealing with his professional life while he was in the U.S.
Senate. Other frequent correspondents in this series are Francis
DuBose Richardson, father of Bethia Richardson Caffery, and Emma
Caffery Thomson, sister of Donelson Caffery. Typed
transcriptions of some letters are filed following corresponding
originals.
Subseries 2.1 1855-1859
12 items.
One letter, 1855, from E.[Emma?] Caffery, and eleven
letters, most undated but probably from the late 1850s, from
Lydia Murphy McKerall, usually in Franklin, La., to her
daughter, Emma Caffery Thomson.
Topics are chiefly news of family members, including
Donelson, illnesses, and activities in the area. Lydia also
described the final illness and the death of her husband (14
Aug 57?), and complained about "indifferent" Negroes" (13
Sept. 1857) and about Mr. McKerall, her second husband, with
whom, she wrote, she would soon "urge a final settlement"
(11 Nov 57?).
Folder 6 1855-1859
Subseries 2.2 1866-1891
About 60 items.
Chiefly correspondence between Bethia and Donelson Caffery
before and after their marriage in 1869 about family matters
and personal activities. Some correspondence from Donelson
Caffery mentions political affairs in Louisiana. A
chronological listing of some of the letters follows.
1868
A letter, dated 23 August, to Bethia from her fiance,
Donelson, who was in Franklin, Louisiana. He mentioned his
activities in politics, and his efforts to prevent freed
slaves from gaining control of affairs.
1869
A letter, dated 30 January, to Frank Liddell Richardson from
his father, Francis DuBose Richardson, discussing Bethia's
approaching marriage on 18 February, requesting supplies for
refreshments be sent to him, and discussing financial
affairs.
A letter, dated 4 February, to Bethia from Donelson, about
their approaching wedding, people to be invited, etc. He
mentioned receiving her father's written permission for the
marriage.
1870
A letter, dated 28 May, to Emma Caffery Thomson from her
mother, Lydia McKerall, about Maria Caffery's marriage to
Judge Drew of New Orleans, a widower with three children.
She also mentioned Bethia and Donelson's new baby, Donelson
(III).
1875-1879
Frequent letters to Bethia from her father who was living
with several of his other daughters in various places in
Missouri and Louisiana.
1881
A letter, dated 18 October, to Bethia from her husband who
was writing from Franklin, and described the very critical
condition of his ill mother.
1888
A letter to Bethia from her husband who was in Franklin. He
spoke of organizing a branch of the "Law and Order
Association" at Pattersonville.
Folder 7 1866-1869
8 1870-1877
9 1879-1888
10 1890-1891
Subseries 2.3 1894-1900
About 70 items.
During these years Donelson Caffery was a U. S. senator
from Louisiana. He frequently spent time away from his
family in Washington and wrote letters to them. Some
professional correspondence is included, chiefly
congratulatory letters to Donelson on his stand in support
of the gold standard. A chronological discussion of some
items follows.
1894-1895
Letters from Donelson in Washington, D.C., to his family at
home in Louisiana, and some written to him on business and
political matters by various persons.
1895
A letter, dated 19 April, to Donelson from a friend in
Houston, Texas, inviting him to be his guest at a
Confederate reunion.
1896
Congratulatory and other letters to Donelson about his stand
in favor of the gold standard. Other letters to Donelson
are about business and political matters. Included are two
letters written by Grover Cleveland while he was president.
One, dated 23 August, is to Donelson describing a launch
which Cleveland was using over the summer. A second, dated
13 December, is to J.A. McCall of New York City, asking for
an introduction for Donelson, and rating his character
highly. There is some correspondence about a rumor that
Caffery had resigned from the Democratic party and a demand
by the Executive Committee of the Democratic party, Parish
of Natchitoches, that he resign, with a copy of Donelson's
reply.
1897
Letters to Gertrude Caffery from her aunt, Emma Caffery
Thomson.
1898
Letters about the death of Donelson's sister, Maria Caffery
Drew. Letters from Donelson in Washington to his children
in Louisiana
1899
Letters from Donelson in Washington to his daughter in
Louisiana telling her something of the political situation
in Washington and Louisiana, and mentioning his hopes for
selling out and leaving Louisiana. He also wrote news of
various children, cane crops, freezes, and general weather.
In another letter to his children, Donelson told them he
planned to retire from public life and return to his law
office, D. Caffery & Son, in Franklin, Louisiana, and to his
plantation, "Bethia". He wrote of his home, finances,
future hopes and plans, and the political situation,
especially in Louisiana. He mentioned "Cow Island"
frequently, as a possible place for raising cattle. It is
believed that "Cow Island" was a section of marsh land south
of Franklin.
Also included are letters from Francis D. Richardson,
Franklin, Louisiana, to his daughter, Bethia, and letters
from Emma Caffery Thomson to Bethia and her daughters. A
letter, dated 5 October, to Donelson from Edward Atkinson of
Boston, is about a mortgage sought by Donelson, and the
possible aid of Andrew Carnegie. Atkinson also mentioned
the possibility of Donelson finding oil on his land.
Folder 11 1894-1895
12 1896
13 1897-1898
14 1899
15 1900
Subseries 2.4 1901-1906
About 70 items.
Chiefly letters written by Bethia, Donelson, and other
members of their family after Donelson had left the Senate
and returned to Louisiana. The letters frequently deal with
Donelson's attempts to improve his financial affairs, and
particularly with the oil wells he was attempting to
establish. The series ends with the death of Donelson on 30
December 1906. A chronological discussion of some of the
documents follows.
1901
Letters from Donelson at home in Franklin, Louisiana, out of
the Senate, and planning to take up law practice. Sugar
prices were low, finances gloomy, and there was danger of
losing Bethia Plantation.
Also included are letters from Emma Caffery Thomson,
Charles, one of the Caffery sons who was at West Point, and
John, another Caffery son in the U.S. Navy. Some letters
mentioned Frank and Earl planting sugar, Bethia and "Lide"
(or "Tide") in and out of the home, and Gertrude in
Washington.
1904-1905
Included are letters about the possibilities of oil wells
succeeding. Donelson wrote of his desire to sell the sugar
plantation and business and leave Louisiana. He spoke of
the "Nona" mines as hopeful - apparently phosphate beds, and
his constant hopes of the oil wells producing. A letter,
dated 7 August 1905, expressed great alarm over yellow fever
in a nearby town. A letter, dated 21 September 1905, from
Donelson to his son, Charles, is about Donelson's work on
thePlaquemine Lock, influencing drainage in Louisiana, and
President Theodore Roosevelt and his attitude towards the
idea. Also included are letters showing Bethia to be a
Christian Scientist.
1906
During this year several different letterheads for oil
companies such as "Caffery and Martel, Dealers in Fuel Oil,"
and "The Houssiere-Latreille Oil Company," were used by
Donelson when writing. In July there is a letter from
Donelson to his daughters telling them of a big purchase in
lands where his sons and Martel were buying out others
including the plantation "Bethia". In December, there are
letters, chiefly to Charles, in the Philippines with the
U.S. Army, from Donelson about plans for property,
improvements on the house, a new boat being built, and a
camp on Cow's Island. Donelson also wrote about Gertrude's
approaching marriage to Henry H. Glassie of Washington,
D.C., on 28 January 1907. The final item in this subseries
is a clipping from the Daily Picayune, New Orleans, telling
of the death of Senator Donelson Caffery on 30 December.
Folder 16 1901-1902
17 1903
18 1904
19 1905
20 1906
Subseries 2.5 1907-1925
About 30 items.
This subseries contains continuing family letters between
Bethia and her children, and Emma Caffery Thomson, after the
death of Donelson Caffery. A chronological listing of some
of the items follows.
1907
Letters from Bethia Caffery to her sons and daughters
telling of home and family news.
1913-1919
Letters from Emma Caffery Thomson to her niece, Gertrude
Caffery Glassie, about family and neighborhood happenings.
1924
A typed letter, dated 24 June, to Gertrude giving the Civil
War record of her father, Donelson Caffery.
Folder 21 1907-1914
22 1916-1925
Subseries 2.6 Undated
About 30 items.
Undated letters and letter fragments of the Caffery
family. They are chiefly letters from Bethia Richardson
Caffery to her children, particularly to her son Charles.
Folder 23-24 Undated
Addition of May 1992 (Acc. 92061)
Size: About 30 items.
Date: 1990s.
Provenance: Gift of Bethia L. Caffery in May 1992.
Description: Typed transcriptions of Caffery family letters,
1882-1912 and 1961. Most letters were written by
Charles S. Caffery when he was a student at West
Point.
Processing Note: Transcriptions are being prepared by the
donor, who intends to add most of the
original letters to the Caffery Family Papers
upon completion of her project.
Addition of September 1992 (Acc. 92152)
Size: About 300 items.
Date: 1880s-1990s.
Provenance: Gift of Bethia L. Caffery in September 1992.
Description: Original Caffery family letters, some with typed
transcriptions, and typed transcriptions of
Caffery family letters that may already be filed
in the collection or are in private hands,
1880s-1990s. Also included are a few clippings,
notes, and writings all relating to family
history.
Processing Note: Unprocessed.
SHELF LIST
Box 1 Series 1 (folders 1-5)
Series 2 (folders 6-24)
Addition of May 1992 (folder 25)
Box 2 Addition of September 1992 (Acc. 92152)