Series 2. Business records.

The Liberty C. Abbott family papers contain the records of the Abbott family, including a large amount of correspondence, much of it with family and friends but there are political and business letters also. In addition, there are records of Liberty Abbott’s business activities, including Clifton Plantation, Abbott and Howard, Holmes County, as well as Thompson and McClure of Schlater, Leflore County. There are also some legal documents, diaries, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, advertisements, and photographs.

The papers are divided into six series. The first is the Correspondence series. This includes letters to and from Liberty and Maria Abbott, their daughter Birdie Abbott Jones Gearhart, and Liberty’s brother, F. Marion Abbott. The correspondence is primarily with family and friends but also includes letters to Liberty Abbott with political content from Blanche K. Bruce and James Hill among others.

The second group of materials, the Business Records series, contains correspondence, receipts, advertisements and other materials related to the business activities of Liberty Abbott until his death in 1894, and of his wife, daughter and brother thereafter. The series also includes receipts and other materials related to Clifton Plantation, and day books and ledgers from Abbott and Howard. There are eight financial record books from the timber firm of Thompson and McClure, Schlater, Leflore County.

The third series, Legal Documents, comprises documents related to Liberty and Maria Abbott and Clifton Plantation. These include Maria’s divorce decree, Liberty and Maria’s marriage certificate, and Liberty’s will, commission as a cavalry officer and his appointments as judge and alderman. The Clifton Plantation documents include eight deeds of trust.

The fourth series, Diaries, includes the diaries and related materials of Liberty Abbott and his father, Harry Abbott.

The fifth group is the Newspaper Clippings series and consists of clippings about Liberty Abbott and his family and friends in Mississippi, Pennsylvania and New York. There are also a number of clippings of poems, unusual events, and advice on farming and domestic activities including recipes.

The last group of materials is the Miscellaneous series. It includes family memorabilia such as cards, programs, announcements and notes. There are also some publications, including a book of poetry, an 1864 ‘phreno-chart’ of Liberty Abbott, and number of souvenir booklets from the 1893 and 1904 World Expositions. In addition, there are Liberty Abbott fraternal organization materials such as death notices and account statements, a railroad timetable and telephone tariff book, and various advertisements and solicitations from mail-order companies. The series contains some photographs of the Abbott family, including an ambrotype that may be an early picture of Liberty Abbott and an Abbott tombstone.