Chiefly business letters to Richard Bennehan, with some business and personal letters of Duncan Cameron. Richard Bennehan corresponded frequently with his factor Ebenezer Stott of Petersburg, Va., during these years. There are also occasional letters from other merchants, as well as from Bennehan's friends, William Richardson Davie, Jesse Benton, and Samuel Ashe.

Throughout these years there are numerous letters between Richard Bennehan and his son Thomas who was studying at the University of North Carolina. There are also letters between Thomas Bennehan and his sister Rebecca, who remained at home. These letters both provide information about student life in the early days of the University, and suggest the character of the Bennehans' family ties.

Letters written to Duncan Cameron are from members of his family in Virginia, and from clients and associates. There are letters from Duncan Cameron's father John Cameron, his brothers John and William, and his sisters Jean and Anna, all of whom lived in Lunenberg, Va. Duncan Cameron's sister, Mary Read Anderson, and her husband Daniel Anderson of Petersburg, Va., were frequent correspondents, as was Duncan Cameron's uncle Ewen Cameron of Franklin, Tenn. Among Duncan Cameron's other correspondents are William Richardson Davie, Archibald D. Murphey, James Turner, John Hogg, John Lenox, and Richard Henderson.

Some scattered correspondence between Frederick Nash, who was Cameron's cousin, and Nash's mother Mary Witherspoon is included. During this period Frederick Nash attended Princeton University and wrote to his mother in New Bern, N.C.

For further documentation of Duncan Cameron's legal practice see Series 3 and Subseries 6.10.

Chiefly letters to Richard Bennehan and Duncan Cameron, with some letters to Thomas Bennehan and Rebecca Bennehan Cameron. Included are drafts or copies of some of Duncan Cameron's outgoing letters.

Richard Bennehan's correspondents include his factors in Petersburg, Va., particularly Ebenezer Stott, and his friends and associates William Richardson Davie, Robert Williams, Joseph Caldwell, and Richard Henderson. There are no letters from Bennehan's Virginia relatives except for his nephew William Bennehan, who moved to North Carolina in the 1790s and worked at the Stagville Store and then at the store at Fishdam Ford until his death in 1806. There are several letters from members of the Amis family of Halifax and Northampton counties, N.C. The letters mostly pertain to breeding horses, which was of particular interest to the Amises because they owned Sir Archie, a stud horse who had been a star racing thoroughbred.

After Richard's daughter Rebecca married Duncan Cameron in 1803, there are many letters to Richard Bennehan from Cameron. Beginning in 1806, these letters document the lucrative partnership between Duncan Cameron and Richard and Thomas Bennehan, which combined their lands and stores into a thriving business.

Duncan Cameron's correspondents included clients from his legal practice, and friends, especially William Richardson Davie, James Webb, Joseph Gales, Archibald Murphey, and Willie P. Mangum. Cameron's family in Virginia were regular correspondents. There are many letters from his father John Cameron of Lunenberg, Va., and from his sisters Mary Read Anderson and Jean Syme of Petersburg, Va. These letters document Duncan Cameron's support of his younger brothers William and John Cameron who were sent to the University of North Carolina by Duncan and then employed by him in Hillsborough, N.C., as clerks in his law office and clerks in the store in Hillsborough run by Cameron's step nephew George Anderson. There are also letters regularly from Richard Bennehan and Thomas Bennehan.

In 1800 and 1801, there are letters from Thomas Bennehan to his parents and to sister Rebecca written while Thomas was at the University of North Carolina. Throughout the decade there are letters to Thomas Bennehan from his cousin Thomas Gale Amis who was an orphan and had been sent to the University with his cousin by Richard Bennehan. After Thomas Amis's graduation, he worked on merchant ships in the West Indies. According to Jean Anderson in her book Piedmont Plantation, Amis may have been sent away because he was in love with Rebecca. His letters to Thomas Bennehan richly describe Guadeloupe, Santo Domingo, and other Caribbean ports, and his perceptions of slavery and the slave rebellion in the West Indies.

Chiefly letters to Duncan Cameron from members of his family, business partners, clients, factors, and friends. There are a few of Duncan Cameron's outgoing letters to members of his family and scattered manuscript copies of outgoing business letters. Some correspondence of Richard Bennehan, Thomas Bennehan, and Rebecca Bennehan Cameron is also included. In addition, there are scattered letters to Duncan Cameron's cousin Frederick Nash from clients, letters to Nash's wife Mary from her sisters, and some correspondence between brothers Samuel and George W. Mordecai.

Duncan Cameron's most frequent correspondents during this period were his siblings, Mary Read Anderson of Petersburg, Va., William Cameron of Petersburg, John Adams Cameron of Fayetteville, N.C., and Jean Syme of Petersburg. Mary Read Anderson, always a diligent correspondent, wrote even more often during this period because her husband Daniel Anderson died, making Duncan Cameron the executor of his will and the guardian of his sons, William and Walker Anderson.

William Cameron and Samuel Snow, who were Duncan Cameron's partners in a mercantile business in Petersburg, wrote frequently to Duncan Cameron, keeping him abreast of market conditions. John Adams Cameron, who depended on his brother for financial aid after a debilitating wound in the War of 1812, was a frequent correspondent.

Duncan Cameron's brother Thomas Cameron of Pa., and his parents John and Mary Owen Cameron of Lunenberg, Va., wrote to Duncan occasionally. There are several letters from Duncan Cameron's cousin, or perhaps uncle, Ewen Cameron of Franklin, Tenn. Beginning in 1818, there are occasional letters from Duncan Cameron's nephew Walker Anderson who was attending The University of North Carolina. There are also several letters from Frederick Nash.

Rebecca Bennehan Cameron also received letters from Duncan's family. In 1817 and 1818, she also received regular letters from her daughter Mary Anne Cameron who attended Mordecai Female Seminary in Warrenton, N.C. Notes from Mary Anne's teachers about her deportment and scholastic progress often appear on the backs of Mary Anne's letters.

Duncan Cameron's legal practice and subsequent appointment to a Superior Court judgeship frequently took him away from home to county courts across North Carolina. There are many letters from Rebecca to Duncan during these absences keeping Duncan informed about the health of the family. Richard and Thomas Bennehan also wrote to Duncan when he was away, consulting with him about business matters involving their partnership.

Very little of Richard and Thomas Bennehan's correspondence is preserved for this period. There are a few letters exchanged between the two when one was away on business, or when, in 1813, Richard was taking a water cure in Warm Springs, Va. Richard Bennehan's nephew Richard Bennehan wrote occasionally from Richmond County, Va. Several members of the Amis family wrote to Bennehan, mostly concerning horse breeding, especially about the famous stud horse and thoroughbred racer Sir Archie. Thomas Bennehan and Rebecca Bennehan Cameron received some letters from their cousins Frances Goodwin Smith and Mary Phillips.

In addition to Duncan Cameron's voluminous family correspondence, there is also substantial correspondence dealing with his legal practice and his various business partnerships. There are many letters from mercantile businesses on the eastern seaboard that employed Cameron as lawyer primarily to collect debts on their behalf. There are also letters from merchants/factors from whom Duncan Cameron bought goods to stock stores he owned and to whom he supplied tobacco and wheat grown on the Bennehan Cameron lands or that he had accepted as payment at the Bennehan Cameron stores. The most frequent merchant correspondents for this period are Rogers and Winthrop of New York, Ebenezer Stott of Petersburg, Roger Lamberth of New York, Pattison Hartshorne of Philadelphia, McEwen, Hale, and Davidson of Philadelphia, John MacMillian of Fayetteville, John Hogg of Wilmington, N.C., Edward Lyde of New York, Robert Walker of Petersburg, W. Haxell of Petersburg, John Thompkins of Richmond, and John and James Dunlop of England. There are also letters from Sam Yarborough who ran the Stagville Store and from Sam Dickins, a plantation overseer.

There are also many letters from other clients for whom Duncan Cameron did legal work as well as from other lawyers with whom Cameron worked. Extensive correspondence concerns the settlement of the estate of Absolum Tatum of Nashville, Tenn. Cameron worked on this case with Abram Maury, a Nashville lawyer, and Samuel Goodwin, comptroller general of North Carolina.

Duncan Cameron was extensively involved in the establishment of the State Bank of North Carolina during this period. He corresponded regularly with bank officers and the officers of other North Carolina banks. Among his correspondents were William Polk, William H. Haywood, John Haywood, William Boylan, Peter Browne, and J. W. Wright.

Various North Carolina senators and representatives in the United States Congress wrote to Duncan Cameron periodically informing him of legislation dealing with trade, and giving him news about the embargo, the War of 1812, and the Treaty of Paris. There are letters to Cameron from a number of individuals in Washington including James Turner, Archibald McBryde, William Gaston, James Culpepper, and Richard Stanford.

During this period, Duncan Cameron was a representative in the North Carolina House of Commons and Senate. In 1819, when he became a senator, he became chairman of the influential Internal Improvement Committee originally led by Cameron's friend Archibald Murphey. Correspondence from this period, especially letters from Archibald Murphey, documents Cameron's involvement in state politics.

From 1814 to 1816, when Cameron served as a major general in the North Carolina Militia, he received letters from Robert Williams, the adjutant general, dealing with militia matters. Other correspondents include Richard Henderson, Paul Carrington, James Webb, John Devereaux, Thomas B. Littlejohn, Walter Alves, W. G. Grove, William Norwood, and Thomas Ruffin.

For more information on the State Bank of North Carolina, see Subseries 5.2. For more documentation relating to Duncan Cameron's service in the Militia see Subseries 5.3. For more material relating to Duncan Cameron's legal practice, see Series 3 and Subseries 6.10. For documentation of the Bennehans' and Camerons' financial relationships with their factors, see Subseries 2.1 and 2.9. For further documentation of Duncan Cameron's participation in the Committee for Internal Improvement, see Subseries 5.8.

Chiefly business and family letters written to Duncan Cameron, and some letters addressed to Richard Bennehan and to Thomas Bennehan. A few letters to Rebecca Bennehan Cameron and her daughter Mary Anne Cameron from family members are included. Correspondence between George W. Mordecai and his sister Mrs. Lazarus of Wilmington, N.C., is also included.

Duncan Cameron's siblings Mary Read Anderson, Jean Syme, John Adams Cameron, William Cameron, and Thomas Cameron wrote to him frequently, communicating family news and asking his advice. There are occasional letters from Cameron's mother Anne Owen Cameron, his uncle or cousin Ewen Cameron of Franklin, Tenn., his step nephew George Anderson, his nephew Walker Anderson, and his nephew William Anderson while he was attending the University of North Carolina from 1822 to 1826.

There are letters from Duncan Cameron's son Paul Cameron to Paul's sister Mary Anne and to his parents from the various schools he attended, including the University of North Carolina from which he was expelled in 1824, and Partridge's Academy (1825 and 1826). Included are letters from Paul's instructors concerning his progress in school and his deportment. There are letters from John Rudd who ran a school in Elizabethtown, Conn., and from Captain Partridge about the progress of Paul's brother Thomas who also attended school. Thomas was probably mentally retarded.

Duncan Cameron's involvement in the Episcopal Church is well documented. He received regular correspondence from General Theological Seminary in New York on whose board of trustees he served. He corresponded with Bishop John Ravenscroft about various church matters. Ravenscroft and Cameron were also involved in business dealings together. Cameron was also a vice president of the American Bible Society and the American Sunday School Society during the 1820s and received regular correspondence from the two organizations.

During this period Duncan Cameron was involved in the State Bank of North Carolina. He corresponded with J. W. Wright of the Bank of Cape Fear, Samuel Haywood of the Bank of New Bern, William H. Haywood and Peter Browne of the State Bank, and John Brockenbrough and William Dandridge of the Bank of Virginia.

The Bennehans and Camerons corresponded with many merchants who served as their commission merchants and for whom Duncan Cameron collected debts. Among these merchant firms are Ebenezer Stott of Petersburg, Va., Robert Hamilton of Petersburg, James Davidson of Petersburg, Charles C. Watson of Philadelphia, Hamilton and Donaldson of New York, Duncan Thompson of Fayetteville, N.C., and John Taylor of Wilmington.

Other frequent correspondents of Duncan Cameron, Richard Bennehan, and Thomas Bennehan from the 1820s include Thomas Ruffin, Archibald Murphey, Richard Henderson, Dr. James Webb, Walter Alves, William Polk, William Boylan, Thomas B. Littlejohn, Joseph Gales, James Mebane, Joseph B. Skinner, William Norwood, Joseph Caldwell, Elisha Mitchell, Charles Manley, Samuel Yarborough, Thomas Devereaux, John Hogg, James Latta, Samuel Snow, and Dr. Lenco Mitchell. There is a letter in 1823 from Henry Clay recommending a Virginia lawyer to work in North Carolina.

For more documentation of the Bennehans' and Camerons' dealings with their factors, see Subseries 2.1. For more information on the schooling of the Cameron children see Subseries 4.3, 5.1, and 6.12. For further documentation of Duncan Cameron's involvement in the State Bank of North Carolina, see Subseries 5.2.

Chiefly business and family letters written to Duncan Cameron. There are some letters addressed to Thomas Bennehan. A few letters to Rebecca Bennehan Cameron and her daughter Mary Anne Cameron from family members are included. Correspondence between George W. Mordecai and his sister Mrs. Lazarus of Wilmington, N.C., is also included.

There are many letters from Duncan Cameron's siblings Mary Read Anderson, Jean Syme, John Adams Cameron, William Cameron, and Thomas Cameron who wrote to him frequently communicating family news and asking his advice. There are occasional letters from Cameron's uncle or cousin Ewen Cameron of Franklin, Tenn., his step nephew George Anderson, and his nephews Walker Anderson and William Anderson.

There are letters from Duncan Cameron's son Paul Cameron at Washington College (now Trinity College) in Hartford, Conn., from 1826 until Paul's graduation in 1829. Included are letters from Paul's instructors concerning his progress in school and his deportment. There are letters from Captain Partridge about the progress of Paul's brother Thomas (apparently mentally retarded) who attended Partridge's school.

Duncan Cameron's involvement in the Episcopal Church during the late 1820s is well documented. Correspondents include Bishop John Ravenscroft, Bishop Brownell, Rev. William Mercer Green, and Rev. Richard Mason. Duncan Cameron received regular correspondence from General Theological Seminary in New York on whose board of trustees he served. He was also a vice president of the American Bible Society and the American Sunday School Society throughout the 1820s and received regular correspondence from the two organizations.

In the late 1820s, Duncan Cameron became more deeply involved in the State Bank of North Carolina, and in 1829 he was made president of the bank. He corresponded frequently with other officers and stockholders in the State Bank, as well as with officials of other banks in North Carolina and Virginia. Correspondents included William Haywood, William Boylan, John Haywood, and Peter Browne of the State Bank. Cameron also corresponded with J. W. Wright of the Bank of Cape Fear, Samuel Haywood of the Bank of New Bern, and John Brockenbrough and William Dandridge of the Bank of Virginia.

Duncan Cameron and Thomas Bennehan corresponded with many merchants who served as their commission merchants and for whom Duncan Cameron collected debts. Among these merchant firms are Ebenezer Stott of Petersburg, Va., Thomas and Robert Dunn of Petersburg, Robert Hamilton of Petersburg, James Davidson of Petersburg, Charles C. Watson of Philadelphia, Hamilton and Donaldson of New York, Duncan Thompson of Fayetteville, N.C., John Huske of Fayetteville, and John Taylor of Wilmington.

Other frequent correspondents of Duncan Cameron, from 1826 to 1829, include Thomas Ruffin, William H. Haywood, Jr., Archibald Murphey, Richard Henderson, Dr. James Webb, Walter Alves, William Polk, William Boylan, John Haywood, Thomas B. Littlejohn, John Buford, Samuel Ashe, Joseph Gales, Dr. Joseph Umstead, W. P. Mangum, William Cain, James Mebane, William Kirkland, Joseph B. Skinner, John Hawkins, Gavin Hogg, William Norwood, Joseph Caldwell, Elisha Mitchell, Charles Manley, Samuel Yarborough, and Dr. Lenco Mitchell. There is a letter from Henry Clay in 1827, referring to an earlier recommendation he made in 1823.

For more documentation of the dealings of Thomas Bennehan and Duncan Cameron with their factors, see Subseries 2.1. For more information on the schooling of the Cameron children, see Subseries 4.3, 5.1, and 6.12. For further documentation of Duncan Cameron's involvement in the State Bank of North Carolina, see Subseries 5.2.

Chiefly letters to Duncan Cameron from business associates, friends, and family. There are also some letters to Thomas Bennehan, some letters to Paul Cameron, some to Anne Ruffin Cameron, and letters to other Cameron women from aunts, cousins, and their governess Mary McLean Bryant.

Duncan Cameron's sisters and brother Mary Read Anderson and Jean Syme of Petersburg, Va., and John Adams Cameron of Fayetteville, N.C., wrote to Duncan often. John Adams Cameron also wrote from Vera Cruz, Mexico, where he was serving as United States consul. William and Walker Anderson, Duncan Cameron's nephews, also wrote to him frequently. During this period, Rebecca Bennehan Cameron and her daughters received frequent letters from Mary Read Anderson, Jean Syme, and many cousins relating family news. Included are a few of Paul Cameron's letters to Anne Ruffin Cameron before they married in 1832 and some of their correspondence after they married. There are letters to Anne Ruffin Cameron from her relatives, including Thomas Ruffin, Alice Ruffin, Catherine Roulhac, J. G. Roulhac, and members of the Kirkland family.

Family letters particularly document the following topics: Anne Ruffin Cameron's stillborn children in 1835 and 1836; Paul Cameron's dissatisfaction with law, his resignation from the bar, and his move to Fairntosh in 1837; Duncan Cameron's permanent move to Raleigh, N.C., in 1836; Duncan Cameron's daughters' struggles with tuberculosis and family trips made to various springs in search of a cure for the disease; the trip south to Charleston, S.C., and Florida in 1839 to try to cure Anne Owen Cameron; and, finally, the deaths of four of Duncan Cameron's daughters from tuberculosis.

During the 1830s Duncan Cameron was deeply involved in the Bank of the State of North Carolina. He was made president of the institution in 1834, prompting his move to Raleigh in 1836. He frequently corresponded with the officers, stockholders, and board members of the State Bank as well as with officers of other banks in North Carolina and Virginia. Among his correspondents were Charles Dewey, George Mordecai, Peter Browne, and E. P. Guion of the State Bank, Samuel Haywood of the Bank of New Bern, S. W. Wright of the Bank of Cape Fear, and an officer of the Bank of Virginia.

Duncan Cameron continued his active involvement in the Episcopal Church in North Carolina during the 1830s. His purchase of the defunct Episcopal Boys School of Raleigh, in 1833, is documented, as is the School's metamorphosis into Saint Mary's School for Girls in 1837. He continued to serve on the Board of the General Theological Seminary in New York and as vice president of the American Bible Society, receiving regular letters from these organizations. In 1831, his service as a lay delegate to the North Carolina Diocesan Convention is documented. During the 1830s, Cameron corresponded with Rev. William Mercer Green, Bishop Levi Silliman Ives, and Rev. George Freeman.

Throughout this period the plantation holdings of the Bennehans and Camerons continued to grow. There are many letters from the family's factors, particularly Keven and Hamilton of Petersburg, John Huske of Fayetteville, Hamilton and Company of New York, and Charles Watson of Philadelphia. There are letters from the millers and overseers whom the family employed to manage the slaves and operate the sawmills and grist mills on the rivers that ran across their land. These letters as well as the family letters document details about slavery, agriculture, the Stagville Store, and the post office at Stagville.

Other frequent correspondents of the Camerons and Bennehans include Dr. James Webb, Gavin Hogg, William Gaston, John Devereaux, Archibald Murphey, John D. Hawkins, W. P. Mangum, James Mebane, Joseph Gales, Thomas Littlejohn, William H. Haywood, William Boylan, William A. Graham, and John Kirkland.

For further information on banks, see Subseries 5.2. For documentation of the sale of the Episcopal Boys School in Raleigh to Duncan Cameron, in 1833, see Subseries 2.1. For other documentation of the family's involvement in the Episcopal Church, see Subseries 5.4. For documentation of the financial transactions between the Camerons and Bennehans and their factors see Subseries 2.1.

Chiefly business and family letters to Duncan Cameron, correspondence between Duncan Cameron and Paul Cameron, and letters from relatives to Anne Ruffin Cameron, Margaret Bain Cameron, and Mildred Coles Cameron.

In the 1840s, Duncan Cameron continued to correspond regularly with his sisters, Mary Read Anderson (until her death in 1844) and Jean Syme (until her death in 1846). Duncan Cameron also received regular correspondence from his nephews William Anderson of Wilmington, N.C., and Walker Anderson of Pensacola, Fla.

There are some letters addressed to Thomas Bennehan until his death in 1847. The Cameron women corresponded extensively with their extended family. Among their correspondents were Eliza Cameron, Anna Cameron, Frances Cameron, Mary Edmunds, Eliza Nash Anderson, Anna M., Kirkland, Alice Ruffin, Mary Jones, Emma Cameron, Molly Gale, and Isabelle Cameron. Margaret Cameron and Mildred Cameron also kept in regular contact with their old governess Mary McLean Bryant.

Duncan Cameron continued to be president of the Bank of the State of North Carolina throughout the 1840s until his resignation in 1849. He corresponded frequently with Charles Dewey and others in the banking community.

Duncan Cameron continued to serve on the Board of Trustees of General Theological Seminary in New York in the 1840s. He received letters from Rev. William Mercer Green, Bishop Otey, Rev. Richard Mason of Christ Church in Raleigh, N.C., and Rev. Aldert Smedes. There are several letters reflecting Cameron's presidency of the North Carolina Bible Society and involvement in the Scotch Relief Committee.

Paul Cameron and Thomas Bennehan managed the plantations in the 1840s. Their primary factors were Andrew Keven and Brothers of Petersburg, Va., and John Huske of Fayetteville, N.C. Paul Cameron's trips to Mississippi and Alabama in 1844 are documented. There are regular letters from Charles Lewellyn, the overseer on Paul Cameron's plantation in Greene County, Ala. There are also letters from the overseers of plantations in North Carolina including, William Piper, William Hams, and James Colman. In 1847, there is correspondence about a slave named Milton who ran away from the Greene County Plantation and was eventually apprehended. There are also two letters written from Liberia by Virgil Bennehan, Thomas Bennehan's mulatto slave who was freed in Thomas Bennehan's will.

Other frequent correspondents include William Cain, David L. Swain, Hugh Waddell, John Devereaux, William Norwood, C. P. Mallet, William A. Graham, Cad Jones, William Polk, George Haywood, W. P. Mangum, Dr. James Webb, George Badger, Joseph B. Skinner, and William Boylan.

See Subseries 2.1 for documentation of the financial dealings between Paul Cameron and his factors. See Subseries 5.2 for more information on banking.

Letters written to Duncan Cameron, Paul Cameron, and Margaret Bain Cameron. The family correspondence from this period documents the following: the death of Duncan Cameron in 1853, the marriage of Margaret Bain Cameron to George Mordecai in 1853; the mysterious and devastating illness suffered by Mildred and the long trip to Philadelphia by Margaret and Mildred to try a new doctor for Mildred; malaria epidemics at Fairntosh; and Paul Cameron's growing interest in purchasing land in the deep south and his subsequent purchase of land in Greene County, Ala.

Although Duncan Cameron relinquished the presidency of the Bank of the State of North Carolina in 1849, he continued to correspond regularly with officers of the bank until he was close to death in 1853. There are frequent letters from George W. Mordecai, the bank's new president, and letters from Charles Dewey, the secretary of the bank. There are also letters from various family members written to Duncan Cameron.

There are many letters to Paul Cameron from his commission merchants, Andrew Kevan of Petersburg, Va.; C. J. Haigh and Son of Fayetteville, N.C.; and Tartt, Stewart and Co. of Mobile, Ala. There are also letters from John Webster, overseer of the plantation in Greene County.

There are letters to Paul Cameron documenting his growing interest in building railroads in North Carolina, eventually leading to his signing a contract to build a section of the North Carolina Railroad.

Among Paul Cameron's frequent correspondents are David L. Swain, Cad Jones, William A. Graham, Charles Phillips, Joseph Wright, V. F. Caldwell, Charles Manly, J. W. Norwood, William Mercer Green, George Freeman, Ken Rayner, and Charles Fisher.

Paul and Margaret Cameron wrote to each other frequently and also corresponded with many other relatives including John W. Cameron, Walker Anderson, W. H. Ruffin, J. B. G. Roulhac, Lizzie Jones, Mary Edmunds, Fanny Roulhac, William Anderson, Robert Walker Anderson, Rowena Hines, Susan Hines, Thomas Ruffin, Sr., Mary Lucas, Anna Kirkland, Eliza Thompson, Margaret Devereux, and Ellen Mordecai. Margaret, called "Maggie," also received letters from Adelaide Montmollin and Louise DeEnde who were friends Margaret made while caring for Millie in Philadelphia; Mary McLean Bryant, who had been the Camerons' governess when Margaret and Mildred were young; and Charlotte Rice, Thomas Bennehan's housekeeper.

Chiefly family letters written to Paul Cameron and Margaret Cameron Mordecai. The family correspondence from this period documents the following: the continuing illness suffered by Mildred and several trips to Philadelphia and New York made by Margaret and Mildred to try new doctors and climates for Mildred; Anne and Paul Cameron's move to Hillsborough, N.C.; malaria epidemics at Fairntosh which finally prompted the move to town; and Paul Cameron's trips to his plantations in the deep South. A few document farm operations in the wartime economy.

Much of the family correspondence consists of letters between Paul and Margaret "Maggie" (Cameron) Mordecai, who wrote to each other frequently. There are also many letters from relatives of the Camerons, to whom Margaret wrote regularly, including Mollie Gales, Seaton Gales, John W. Cameron, Walker Anderson, W. H. Ruffin, J. B. G. Roulhac, Lizzie Jones, Mary Edmunds, Fanny Roulhac, William Anderson, Robert Walker Anderson, Rowena Hines, Susan Hines, Thomas Ruffin, Sr., Mary Lucas, Anna Kirkland, Maria Nash, Eliza Thompson, Isabelle Cameron, Margaret Devereux, Emma Mordecai, Ellen Mordecai, Catherine Roulhac, and Jane Ruffin. Margaret also continued to receive letters from Adelaide Montmollin and Louise DeEnde who were her friends in Philadelphia. There are also frequent letters from Mary McLean Bryant, who was the Cameron girls' old governess. During this period, there are letters received by Anne Ruffin Cameron from her Ruffin relatives. Also, there are letters between Anne Ruffin Cameron and her husband Paul, when he was away on trips.

Paul Cameron's investments in agriculture are reflected in the many letters from his commission merchants, who sold the products of the Cameron plantations overseas and in urban markets. The major merchants Cameron patronized were Andrew Kevan of Petersburg, Va.; C. J. Haigh and Son of Fayetteville, N.C.; Tartt, Stewart and Co. of Mobile, Ala.; and Rowland and Bro. of Norfolk, Va. There are also letters from John Webster, overseer of the plantation in Greene County, Ala., and, after 1857, from Wilson Oberry, who replaced him. Letters from William Lamb, overseer of the plantation in Tunica County, Miss., are included, as are letters from William and Samuel Piper, who were the overseers at Fairntosh.

Although Paul Cameron's vast land holdings were his first priority, he did contract to build a section of the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) in the 1850s. There are letters dealing with the contract and other railroad business, particularly letters from Charles Fisher, an official of the NCRR. There are also some letters documenting Cameron's election to one term in the State Senate in 1856.

Paul Cameron's correspondents included David L. Swain, Cad Jones, William A. Graham, Charles Phillips, Joseph Wright, V. F. Caldwell, Charles Manly, J. W. Norwood, Rev. William Mercer Green, Rev. George Freeman, and Ken Rayner.

Chiefly family letters written to Paul Cameron and his sister Margaret Mordecai, called "Maggie." Some of Paul Cameron's correspondence with his wife Anne Ruffin Cameron is included.

From 1860 to 1861, there are numerous letters to Paul Cameron from his factors, friends, and business associates. However, during the Civil War, there is very little of Paul Cameron's correspondence. According to historian R.D.W. Connor, Anne Ruffin Cameron and Bennehan Cameron burned many of Paul Cameron's papers in order to protect him when he requested a pardon from the Union government for his support of the Confederacy. The remaining family letters do provide some documentation of the family's response to the war.

Prior to the war, there are business letters written to Paul Cameron concerning his plantations and the North Carolina Railroad of which he was president in 1861. Paul Cameron's letters from his factors are numerous. Among the factors are Tartt, Stewart, and Company in Mobile, Ala.; Battle, Nobel, and Company in New Orleans, La.; Andrew Keven and Brothers in Norfolk, Va.; Rowland and Brothers in Norfolk; and E. M. Apperson and Company in Memphis, Tenn. Paul Cameron also corresponded with his out of state overseers, William Lamb in Mississippi and Wilson Oberry in Alabama.

Other correspondents of Paul Cameron include Peter Hairston, Charles Pettigrew, William Halliburton, J. W. Norwood, Worth Daniel, Thomas Bragg, Hugh Waddell, William A. Graham, Bishop James Otey, Rev. William Mercer Green, Charles Dewey, David L. Swain, Kemp P. Battle, Charles Fisher, Rev. George Patterson, and Thomas Webb.

During the war, the bulk of the letters deal with domestic topics. There are letters from Paul and Anne Cameron's sons Duncan Cameron and Bennehan Cameron written from the schools they attended. There are also letters from their teachers and headmasters about the boys' deportment and academic progress. Duncan Cameron's several attempts to run away are documented. Some of George Mordecai's personal and business correspondence is also scattered among the Cameron family letters.

Margaret Cameron Mordecai (Maggie) continued her prolific correspondence with her extended family throughout the Civil War. Her invalid sister Mildred lived with the Mordecais during this period. Margaret also continued to receive letters from her friends in Philadelphia, Adelaide Montmollin and Louise DeEnde. Margaret corresponded with Emma Mordecai, Laurine Mordecai, Mary Jones, Phebe Hawks, Rebecca Anderson, Mary Lucas, and Robert Walker Anderson. In addition there are letters to Anne Ruffin Cameron from members of the Ruffin family, including Catherine Roulhac, and Thomas Ruffin, Jr.

For more documentation of the schooling of Paul and Anne Ruffin Cameron's children, see Subseries 4.3 and 5.1. For documentation of Paul Cameron's service to the Confederacy, see Subseries 5.3. See Subseries 2.9 for Confederate Bonds. See Subseries 2.1 for documentation of financial transactions between Paul Cameron and his factors.

Chiefly family letters written to Paul Cameron and his sister Margaret Mordecai, called "Maggie." Some of Paul Cameron's correspondence with his wife Anne Ruffin Cameron is included. There are also business letters written to Paul Cameron concerning his plantations and the North Carolina Railroad and other railroads in the state. Some of George Mordecai's personal and business correspondence is also scattered among the Cameron family letters.

After the Civil War, the correspondence relating to the management of the Camerons' vast land holdings changes. There are letters describing the aftermath of emancipation, including the looting of Fairntosh by former slaves and the Cameron's response to the chaotic circumstances. After emancipation Paul Cameron relinquished much of the direct control of his plantations to tenant farmers. Although he maintained contact with his antebellum factors Tartt, Stewart, and Company in Mobile, Ala., Battle, Nobel, and Company in New Orleans, La., Andrew Keven and Brothers in Norfolk, Va., and E. M. Apperson and Company in Memphis, Tenn., Cameron did not have as many agricultural products to sell as he did before the war.

Paul Cameron remained involved in the North Carolina Railroad after the Civil War, and began to become interested in investing in mills and other industrial ventures. His correspondents during these years included Peter Hairston, Charles Pettigrew, William Halliburton, J. W. Norwood, Worth Daniel, Thomas Bragg, Hugh Waddell, William A. Graham, Bishop James Otey, Rev. William Mercer Green, Charles Dewey, David L. Swain, Kemp P. Battle, Charles Fisher, Rev. George Patterson, and Thomas Webb.

During these years there are letters to Paul and Anne Cameron from their sons Duncan Cameron and Bennehan Cameron who were at school. There are also letters from their teachers and headmasters about the boys' deportment and academic progress. There are frequent letters from Paul and Anne Ruffin Cameron's daughter Anne Cameron Collins (Annie), her husband George P. Collins, who moved to Tunica County, Miss., to run Paul Cameron's plantation there after the Civil War. There are also letters from another daughter, Rebecca Cameron Graham, and her husband John Graham.

Margaret Cameron Mordecai (Maggie) continued to care for her invalid sister Mildred. There are frequent exchanges between Paul Cameron and Margaret Mordecai about the health of Mildred, as well as other family business. Margaret continued to receive letters from her friends in Philadelphia, Adelaide Montmollin and Louise DeEnde. Margaret corresponded frequently with members of her extended family including, Emma Mordecai, Laurine Mordecai, Mary Jones, Phebe Hawks, Rebecca Anderson, Mary Lucas, and Robert Walker Anderson. Anne Ruffin Cameron's letters from the Ruffin and Roulhac families are also included.

For more documentation about the schooling of Paul and Anne Ruffin Cameron's children, see Subseries 4.3 and 5.1. See Subseries 2.1 for documentation of financial transactions between Paul Cameron and his factors.

Chiefly family letters, particularly correspondence between Paul Cameron and his sister Margaret Mordecai ("Maggie"), between Paul Cameron and his wife Anne, and between Paul and Anne Cameron and their children. Also included are some letters to Paul Cameron from friends and business associates.

Family letters document the death of George Mordecai in 1871, Mildred Coles Cameron's declining health, the marriages of Paul Cameron's children, Margaret Mordecai's trip to Philadelphia for the centennial celebration in 1876, and Margaret Mordecai's involvement with Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, N.C.

Letters to Paul Cameron document his continued support of the North Carolina Railroad Company, other railroad companies, local banks, and local cotton manufacturing companies. Also well documented is Paul Cameron's leadership in the effort to reopen and rebuild the University of North Carolina which had closed during Reconstruction and fallen into disrepair. There are frequent letters from Kemp P. Battle, president of the University of North Carolina, and from Cornelia Phillips Spencer, Cameron's longtime friend and booster of the University. Paul Cameron also corresponded regularly with George W. Patterson, an Episcopal minister and family friend.

Paul Cameron continued to correspond with his factors, Andrew Keven in Petersburg, Va., and Rawland Brothers in Norfolk, Va., but the letters are much sparser than in past decades. There are letters from tenants and overseers, including, J. G. Piper, Samuel Rogers, and Wilson Oberry.

Paul Cameron's frequent correspondents include Bishop Thomas Atkinson, William A. Graham, Aldert Smedes, J. W. Norwood, Kemp P. Battle, John Kerr, George W. Thompson, Joseph B. Cheshire, John Devereaux, George Winston, William Mercer Green, Charles Dewey, and Cornelia Spencer.

Chiefly letters to Anne Cameron from her children and grandchildren. Anne Cameron also received occasional letters from Kemp P. Battle, Cornelia Phillips Spencer, and George W. Patterson. The bulk of the letters to her, however, are from family members concerning domestic matters.

Letters written to Bennehan Cameron, Paul C. Graham, and John W. Graham from lawyers and banks relating to the settlement of Paul C. Cameron's estate. From 1898 to 1914, the letters are written to Bennehan. A letter, dated 17 August 1901, deals extensively with Bennehan Square in Raleigh, N.C. After 1914, the letters are to Paul C. Graham and John W. Graham.

Records of income and expenses of Richard and Thomas Bennehan, their business partners William Johnston and Thomas Amis, Duncan and Paul Cameron, Margaret Mordecai, Mildred C. Cameron, and several wards supported by the Camerons. Shipping invoices, bills and receipts, various kinds of lists (for slaves (note undated folders 2044 and 2045 as well as dated), debts, tools, crops, livestock), household and store inventories, financial statements, and checks are among the types of accounts included.

The information contained on a single bill or receipt often combines personal and household expenses with plantation, store, legal, or other business expenses, demonstrating the fluidity with which the Camerons perceived their financial affairs: the private world and the world of business are not always clearly distinct in the Cameron accounts. Furthermore, different business interests are often mingled as well.

The accounts originate from diverse locations including Raleigh and Hillsborough, N.C.; New York and Philadelphia; Norfolk and Petersburg, Va.; Mobile, Ala.; and Memphis, Tenn. Some accounts span several years and are filed according to the date the account was settled or the date of the last entry.

These accounts document a myriad of services rendered or employed, and goods purchased or sold by the Camerons. Included are bills for textiles and clothing; food, liquor, and spices; tools for agriculture and carpentry; sewing and medical instruments; guns and ammunition; building supplies; household furnishings; plants and animals; music and musical instruments; books and subscriptions for newspapers and periodicals; travel expenses; tuition and school supplies; club memberships; medicines; land purchases and sales; personal items such as jewelry, eyeglasses, combs, and postage; and tombstones and coffins. Services documented include those offered by the Cameron Family such as horse breeding and Duncan Cameron's legal services, as well as services commissioned by the Camerons weaving, sewing, ditching, gardening, hauling, plastering, painting, building repairing (agricultural equipment, household furnishings, buildings), surveying, and slave hiring. Included are bills from doctors, midwives, merchants, factors, carpenters, coppersmiths, tailors, blacksmiths, seamstresses, cabinetmakers, undertakers, stonemasons, overseers, wheelwrights, jewelers, shoemakers, and many others.

Some topics of special interest which are documented by accounts include the capture of two deserters by Richard Bennehan, who was relieved of military service for this act (June 1781); subscription receipts for the Episcopal Schools of North Carolina in 1837 and subsequent bills for building and repairs at Saint Mary's seminary; beginning in the mid 1840s, receipts and slave lists showing expenses for the establishment of a plantation in Greene County, Ala.; in the early 1850s, several bills for labor and supplies used to build the North Carolina Railroad; and material concerning the University of North Carolina.

See Subseries 6.2-6.7. for account books. See Subseries 2.6 for accounts relating to the settlement of the estates of the Cameron family.