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Collection Number: 03838

Collection Title: Anne Cameron Collins Papers, 1849-1909

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 12.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 10000 items)
Abstract Anne Cameron Collins, daughter of Paul Carrington Cameron (1808-1891) and Anne (Ruffin) Cameron (d. 1897), of Hillsborough, N.C.; wife of George Pumpelly Collins (1835-1903), plantation manager in Tunica County, Miss. Personal and family letters received by Anne (Cameron) Collins of Hillsborough, N.C., especially from her husband, George P. Collins, while he was away from home managing plantations in Tunica County, Miss., and as a businessman in Durham, N.C., from the late 1870s through the late 1890s. There are also many letters from the Collins's seven children, including Annie Cameron (Collins) Wall (1862-1942), Rebecca Anderson (Collins) Wood (1864-1921), George William Kent Collins (1869-1946), Henrietta Page Collins (1870-1955), Mary Arthur (Collins) Woods (1872-1952), Alice Ruffin (Collins) Mebane (1874-1958), and Paul Cameron Collins (1877-1961); and correspondence with Cameron and Collins relatives, including Bennehan Cameron (1854-1925), Mildred Coles Cameron (1820-1881), and Arthur Collins. Also included are letters from friends, including Carrie Sargent of Bryn Mawr, Pa. There are only two items prior to 1865. The correspondence deals primarily with family concerns and includes letters from children attending St. Mary's School, 1870-1882 and late 1880s, and the Raleigh Male Academy, 1883-1884, both in Raleigh, N.C., and the University of North Carolina, 1897, and also provides information concerning George P. Collins's business affairs and economic and social conditions in Mississippi during Reconstruction.
Creator Collins, Anne Cameron, 1842-1915.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Anne Cameron Collins papers #3838, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Elizabeth H. Collins, of Hillsborough, N.C., in March 1973, and from John Sykes III of Baton Rouge, La., in May 1997.
Gift of John Sykes III, cousin of original donor Elizabeth H. Collins, of Baton Rouge, La., on 28 May 1997.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: SHC Staff, 1997

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Anne Ruffin Cameron (1842-1915) was the daughter of Paul Carrington Cameron (1808-1891) and Anne (Ruffin) Cameron (d. 1897). Her maternal grandfather was Thomas Ruffin, chief justice of North Carolina, and her paternal grandfather was Duncan Cameron (1777-1853). Born 16 July 1842, she married George Pumpelly Collins (1835-1903), Major, CSA, on 20 December 1860. George P. Collins came from the Chowan and Washington County area of North Carolina. He had business and property interests in Tunica County, Miss., for a decade or two after the Civil War, and spent considerable time in Mississippi from 1865 to the late 1870s. Later, he became engaged in various business enterprises in Durham, N.C. George and Anne Collins made their home in Hillsborough, N.C., and seven of their children lived to maturity:

Annie Cameron Collins (1862-1942) married William Lewis Wall of Durham, N.C., on 16 November 1892, and had three children: George Collins Wall, Sarah Wallace Wall, and Rebecca Bennehan Wall.

Rebecca Anderson Collins (1864-1921) married Frank Wood of Edenton, N.C., on 11 November 1886, and had three children: Frank, Jr. (died as a child), George C. Wood (b. 1890), and Rebecca (Wood) Drane.

Mary Arthur Collins (1866-1871).

George William Kent Collins (1869-1946), unmarried, was a University of North Carolina alumnus and became a civil engineer.

Henrietta Page Collins (1870-1955), unmarried.

Mary Arthur Collins (1872-1952) married Frank Wood after the death of her sister Rebecca, and had no children.

Alice Ruffin Collins (1874-1958) married Frank Carter Mebane on 20 December 1900, and was mother of Frank Mebane Jr., and Alice Mebane.

Paul Cameron Collins (1877-1961) married Mary McNeill on 12 January 1910, and was the father of Elizabeth Hyman Collins and Mary Strange Collins.

The above information about the children is mainly from Alice R. R. Rouse, The Reads and Their Relatives. Biographical sketches, including family data of Duncan Cameron and Paul C. Cameron are in Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas, 19th Century, Vol. II (1892). Birth and death dates were added by the earlier donor, Elizabeth H. Collins.

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Family letters and other papers, mostly letters received by Anne Cameron Collins of Hillsborough, N.C., from her daughters and her sisters between 1876 and 1900. Also included are a few letters to or from George P. Collins and others and a few financial papers. The papers are arranged chronologically.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1849-1895.

The only items dated earlier than 1865, are a letter dated 20 July 1849, from George P. Collins at Somerset Place to his cousin, and a poem copied for Anne Cameron on the day before her wedding on 19 December 1860, by A.K.R. (her grandmother Ruffin).

Beginning in April 1865, a large portion of this collection consists of letters to Anne Collins from her husband at times when he was away on business or for other reasons. The various locations of Major Collins include: Greensboro, N.C., April 1865, while he was serving in the Confederate Army at Gen. Johnston's headquarters following the end of hostilities; several locations in northeastern North Carolina, later in 1865, when Collins was trying to redeem family property in the Edenton area; Tunica County, Miss., at or near Othello (with mail addressed to the care of cotton factors or merchants at Memphis). Collins went to Mississippi in late 1865, apparently to manage the plantation holdings of his father-in-law Paul C. Cameron (see letters of 30 December 1871, and 6 January 1872), although Collins's continued concern with Mississippi affairs indicates that he, too, may have had interests there. Anne and some of the children joined George Collins from time to time in Mississippi, but apparently conditions there were not good and the family spent much of each year in Hillsborough, while George Collins remained in Mississippi. Collins's letters to his wife from Mississippi are filled with enlightening information about conditions there during Reconstruction (see letter of 6 January 1872).

In the late 1870s, George Collins gave up permanent residence at the Mississippi plantation and returned to North Carolina. Correspondence suggests that he may have helped to manage the Cameron plantation at Fairntosh (presently Durham County), and that he later became engaged in business ventures in Durham. His wife remained in Hillsborough much of this time, and George returned to Mississippi on plantation business as late as 1888.

Other correspondence includes occasional letters from George P. Collins to Paul C. Cameron in regard to Mississippi affairs; letters to George P. and Anne Collins from their children, and members of Anne's family, especially Duncan Cameron, and Paul C. Cameron and his wife.

Correspondence from the children begins in the early 1870s, when their parents are in Mississippi, and continues as they leave home to attend school. The children's earlier school years seem to have been in Hillsborough at the school of the Misses Nash and Kollock, or at Miss Alice Heartt's school. Rebecca and Anne Collins started at St. Mary's School in Raleigh, N.C., beginning in 1878, apparently living at the home of Mrs. George W. Mordecai (their mother's aunt Margaret). Rebecca and possibly Anne continued at St. Mary's until 1882. According to the report cards included with these papers, Paul and George Collins attended Raleigh Male Academy, 1883-1884. George Collins began studying at the University of North Carolina in 1886. Henrietta Collins attended St. Mary's in 1887. The only one of the girls not to go directly to St. Mary's was Alice R. Collins, who attended St. Hilda's School in Morristown, N. J. in 1892. Letters from the children continue as they marry and resettle. There are a few letters to the children from friends and relatives.

Other letters, scattered throughout the collection, are from Carrie B. Sargent (wife of Dr. Gorham P. Sargent) at Bryn Mawr, Pa.-the first letter being written from Philadelphia, 3 August 1865. There is also correspondence from Mrs. Josiah (Sally) Collins and other Collins in-laws including Mary Collins, Arthur Collins, and George Collins's mother; various Cameron cousins and relatives; and from Anne Collins to her children and husband.

Although the correspondence in this group of papers deals mainly with family concerns, it also includes some business letters and offers information on contemporary events such as Reconstruction in Mississippi, and the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston (3 letters written from Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., 22-30 April 1865).

The papers also include report cards showing the grades of the Collins children, receipts for merchandise sales, and various clippings.

Folder 1-15

Folder 1

Folder 2

Folder 3

Folder 4

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Folder 11

Folder 12

Folder 13

Folder 14

Folder 15

1849-June 1872

Includes letter from George Collins to Annie Cameron Collins in which he describes conditions in Mississippi after Reconstruction, and the disdain for the “free negroes” in the city.

Image Folder PF-3838/1

Photographs, 1868

Includes portraits of Duncan Cameron and three others in uniform of North Carolina military academy; George P. Collins; unidentified children of George P. Collns and Annie C. Collins; and two unidentified men, one of whom may be George P. Collins.

Folder 16-30

Folder 16

Folder 17

Folder 18

Folder 19

Folder 20

Folder 21

Folder 22

Folder 23

Folder 24

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Folder 28

Folder 29

Folder 30

July 1872-June 1877

Folder 31-45

Folder 31

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

Folder 36

Folder 37

Folder 38

Folder 39

Folder 40

Folder 41

Folder 42

Folder 43

Folder 44

Folder 45

July 1877-1879

Folder 46-60

Folder 46

Folder 47

Folder 48

Folder 49

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

Folder 53

Folder 54

Folder 55

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Folder 59

Folder 60

1880-June 1883

Folder 61-75

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

Folder 64

Folder 65

Folder 66

Folder 67

Folder 68

Folder 69

Folder 70

Folder 71

Folder 72

Folder 73

Folder 74

Folder 75

July 1883-April 1886

Folder 76-90

Folder 76

Folder 77

Folder 78

Folder 79

Folder 80

Folder 81

Folder 82

Folder 83

Folder 84

Folder 85

Folder 86

Folder 87

Folder 88

Folder 89

Folder 90

May 1886-June 1887

Folder 91-105

Folder 91

Folder 92

Folder 93

Folder 94

Folder 95

Folder 96

Folder 97

Folder 98

Folder 99

Folder 100

Folder 101

Folder 102

Folder 103

Folder 104

Folder 105

July 1887-August 1888

Folder 106-120

Folder 106

Folder 107

Folder 108

Folder 109

Folder 110

Folder 111

Folder 112

Folder 113

Folder 114

Folder 115

Folder 116

Folder 117

Folder 118

Folder 119

Folder 120

September 1888-November 1889

Folder 121-135

Folder 121

Folder 122

Folder 123

Folder 124

Folder 125

Folder 126

Folder 127

Folder 128

Folder 129

Folder 130

Folder 131

Folder 132

Folder 133

Folder 134

Folder 135

December 1889-1890

Folder 136-150

Folder 136

Folder 137

Folder 138

Folder 139

Folder 140

Folder 141

Folder 142

Folder 143

Folder 144

Folder 145

Folder 146

Folder 147

Folder 148

Folder 149

Folder 150

1891-January 1892

Folder 151-166

Folder 151

Folder 152

Folder 153

Folder 154

Folder 155

Folder 156

Folder 157

Folder 158

Folder 159

Folder 160

Folder 161

Folder 162

Folder 163

Folder 164

Folder 165

Folder 166

February-December 1892

Folder 167-180

Folder 167

Folder 168

Folder 169

Folder 170

Folder 171

Folder 172

Folder 173

Folder 174

Folder 175

Folder 176

Folder 177

Folder 178

Folder 179

Folder 180

January-July 1893

Folder 181-195

Folder 181

Folder 182

Folder 183

Folder 184

Folder 185

Folder 186

Folder 187

Folder 188

Folder 189

Folder 190

Folder 191

Folder 192

Folder 193

Folder 194

Folder 195

August 1893-June 1894

Folder 196-206

Folder 196

Folder 197

Folder 198

Folder 199

Folder 200

Folder 201

Folder 202

Folder 203

Folder 204

Folder 205

Folder 206

July 1894-December 1995

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1896-1909.

After 1895, Anne Cameron Collins continued to live in Hillsborough, but visited in Edenton, Raleigh, and Durham, N.C.; New Brighton, Staten Island, and New York City; Savannah, Ga.; and Alabama.

The letters written during this time period are mostly to Anne Collins from her seven scattered children, and concern family matters, particularly illnesses, travels, marriages, births, and deaths. Her daughter, Alice, married Frank C. Mebane in 1900, and moved to New York. Paul was a student at the University of North Carolina during 1897-1898. Letters from George, another son, reveal his trying out different jobs in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and California. Children were born during this period to daughters, Annie Wall, Rebecca Wood, and Alice Mebane. Anne Collins's mother, Anne Ruffin Cameron, died in May 1897, and her husband, George P. Collins, died in August 1903. There are also letters from relatives, namely her brother Bennehan Cameron and his wife Sallie, sister Mildred Cameron, and brother-in-law Arthur Collins. Letters from friends and a few business letters concerning the farm property of the Collins and Cameron families are scattered throughout.

There is an unexplained gap in the papers from September 1904 through 1906.

Folder 207-210

Folder 207

Folder 208

Folder 209

Folder 210

January 1996-January 1897

Folder 211-225

Folder 211

Folder 212

Folder 213

Folder 214

Folder 215

Folder 216

Folder 217

Folder 218

Folder 219

Folder 220

Folder 221

Folder 222

Folder 223

Folder 224

Folder 225

February 1897-January 1898

Folder 226-240

Folder 226

Folder 227

Folder 228

Folder 229

Folder 230

Folder 231

Folder 232

Folder 233

Folder 234

Folder 235

Folder 236

Folder 237

Folder 238

Folder 239

Folder 240

February 1898-July 1899

Folder 241-255

Folder 241

Folder 242

Folder 243

Folder 244

Folder 245

Folder 246

Folder 247

Folder 248

Folder 249

Folder 250

Folder 251

Folder 252

Folder 253

Folder 254

Folder 255

August 1899-October 1900

Folder 256-271

Folder 256

Folder 257

Folder 258

Folder 259

Folder 260

Folder 261

Folder 262

Folder 263

Folder 264

Folder 265

Folder 266

Folder 267

Folder 268

Folder 269

Folder 270

Folder 271

November 1900-1901

Folder 272-286

Folder 272

Folder 273

Folder 274

Folder 275

Folder 276

Folder 277

Folder 278

Folder 279

Folder 280

Folder 281

Folder 282

Folder 283

Folder 284

Folder 285

Folder 286

1901-November 1902

Folder 287-301

Folder 287

Folder 288

Folder 289

Folder 290

Folder 291

Folder 292

Folder 293

Folder 294

Folder 295

Folder 296

Folder 297

Folder 298

Folder 299

Folder 300

Folder 301

December 1902-May 1903

Folder 302-316

Folder 302

Folder 303

Folder 304

Folder 305

Folder 306

Folder 307

Folder 308

Folder 309

Folder 310

Folder 311

Folder 312

Folder 313

Folder 314

Folder 315

Folder 316

June-November 1903

Folder 317-331

Folder 317

Folder 318

Folder 319

Folder 320

Folder 321

Folder 322

Folder 323

Folder 324

Folder 325

Folder 326

Folder 327

Folder 328

Folder 329

Folder 330

Folder 331

December 1903-May 1904

Folder 332-345

Folder 332

Folder 333

Folder 334

Folder 335

Folder 336

Folder 337

Folder 338

Folder 339

Folder 340

Folder 341

Folder 342

Folder 343

Folder 344

Folder 345

June 1904-June 1909

Folder 346-357

Folder 346

Folder 347

Folder 348

Folder 349

Folder 350

Folder 351

Folder 352

Folder 353

Folder 354

Folder 355

Folder 356

Folder 357

July-October 1909 and miscellaneous

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse ADDITION OF MAY 1997 (Acc. 97071)

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