E. B. George to Lizzie George, August 8, 1883.

J. Z. and Elizabeth George papers Scope and Content:

This collection is composed of one box of correspondence from 1846 to 1899 with the majority of letters being written between 1892-1894 during which time J. Z. and his wife, Elizabeth Brooks or E. B. George, were in Washington as he served as a United States Senator representing the state of Mississippi. The collection also contains one receipt book and three scrapbooks of family news.

The correspondence contained in the collection is mostly written from E. B. George to her daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie”. A few letters in the collection are written by J. Z. to Lizzie and other recipients. A few other letters in the collection are written to or from individuals outside of the George family. The majority of the letters offer insight to a well-to-do political southern family in the late nineteenth century. The letters are full of family inquiries, gossip, accounts of minor illnesses, births, descriptions of their homes, and other aspects of their day to day lives. E. B. appears to be accustomed to her place in society as she frequently mentions in her letters disappointments she perceived, elite visitors she entertained, descriptions of new clothing, and a disconcerting number of new maids, cooks, and other domestic help. E. B. does provide detailed names and accounts of how she spent her time in Washington DC. Also of note are the details of how she treated minor illnesses, a surgery to remove a tumor from J. Z.’s tongue, and receiving ‘electricity’ and massage treatments after an illness left one side of her body weakened.

The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, handwritten notes and poetry, and articles. The two scrapbooks in the larger flat box are more sporadic and include articles that do not center on the George family. The scrapbook that is in the small clamshell box seems to focus more narrowly on J. Z. George’s career, life, and death.