Series 2: Marion Yerger Clifton Correspondence

The Mayor Oliver Clifton and Family Papers arrived in subpar conditions. Most of the documents were in a brown paper bag that was wrapped in a dust-covered garbage bag. The majority of the papers in this collection are letters addressed to either Oliver Clifton (1847-1905) or other members of his family. The letters were stacked together in various piles and tied together by shoe strings. There did not appear to be any arrangement to the materials. Along with the letters that were tied together, there were also newspaper clippings, cigarette papers, concert programs, and other assorted items, such as a magazine and an undated pamphlet entitled The Social Side of Welch’s Grape Juice. Nothing in this collection relates to Clifton’s first term as mayor. Most of the letters from the 1870s are largely romantic in nature. From 1878 on, Clifton’s correspondence includes letters to and from his wife, other family members, and city officials. Much of Clifton’s financial records are bills from grocery stores, hotels, bourbon distilleries, or other entities that Clifton owed money. The collection is one cubic foot and spans 1870 to 1911.

Of Oliver and Marion Yerger Clifton’s six children, four appear in the collection. Two of the children have their own section within these papers. Marion Clifton (the only daughter in the family) appears in her mother's portion of the papers, and Francis Hamilton Clifton appears in the Percy Clifton series. Marion Yerger Clifton’s correspondence spans 1876 to 1911. Like Oliver, her earlier correspondence is mostly romantic. The later letters in Marion’s portion of the collection are communications between Marion and several of her children. Letters written by Percy Lee Clifton, Marian Clifton, and Chalmers Dancy Clifton all appear in this segment. The next section is Percy Clifton’s Report Cards, Correspondence and Financial Records, and dates from 1889 to 1911. The earliest documents are several of Percy’s report cards from the Jackson City Graded School. This portion also has letters written to Percy Clifton from friends, family members, and colleagues. Percy attended Millsaps College and practiced law in both Jackson and Biloxi. The only financial record in this section is Percy’s brother, Francis Hamilton Clifton’s, life insurance policy. Chalmers Clifton’s Correspondence begins in 1903 and ends in 1906. It mostly consists of letters between Chalmers and his mother, Marion Yerger Clifton. Throughout these three years, Chalmers attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he studied piano. He eventually attended Harvard, and the correspondence between he and his mother while in Boston is in Marion Clifton’s Correspondence. The last part of this series consists of random documents, like wedding invitations, newspapers, and a magazine from 1897 titled Brann’s Iconoclast.