Marmaduke, Meredith Miles (1791-1864), Papers, 1823-1886 (C1021)
.6 linear feet; also available on 1 roll of microfilm
MICROFILM
INTRODUCTION
Correspondence and miscellaneous personal and business papers of a Saline County, Missouri, farmer, businessman, lieutenant governor, and governor of Missouri.
DONOR INFORMATION
The State Historical Society of Missouri purchased the Meredith Miles Marmaduke Papers from S. J. Cantwell in
March and June 1933. Additional portions of the papers were purchased from Lillian S. Harrison of Marshall, Missouri, in June 1937.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Meredith Miles Marmaduke was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on August 28, 1791. He was educated in the public schools, and at twenty-two years of age, was commissioned as colonel of the regiment that was raised in his county in the War of 1812. Returning to Virginia after the war, he was appointed United States marshal for the eastern
district of Virginia, served for several years in that office, and was subsequently elected clerk of the circuit court. He immigrated to Missouri for his health, was engaged in the Santa Fe trade for six years in Howard County, and then settled near Arrow Rock, where he became a successful farmer.
In 1826 Marmaduke married Lavinia Sappington, the daughter of Dr. John Sappington, a prominent pioneer physician of Saline County, and for a brief time became a partner in his father-in-law's enterprises. Sappington was famous for his use of quinine to treat malaria fevers.
A Democrat, Marmaduke served as Saline County surveyor and county judge, was elected lieutenant governor of
Missouri in 1840, assuming the duties of governor when Governor Thomas Reynolds committed suicide in 1844. Marmaduke was a member of the 1845 Missouri Constitutional Convention and in 1854, became president of the State Agricultural Society and of the district fair association.
During the Civil War Marmaduke was a fierce Union supporter. One son, Confederate General John Sappington Marmaduke, was Missouri's 25th governor (1885-1887) and another, Henry Hungerford Marmaduke, served as a gunner in the Confederate navy aboard the ironclad Merrimac. The Marmadukes had ten children, two of whom died in battle during the Civil War.
Marmaduke died March 26, 1864 and is buried at Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site near Arrow Rock, Missouri.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The papers are arranged chronologically and correspondence and business records are not separated. The papers comprise business accounts, receipts, market reports, and advertisements; family, personal and business correspondence; land sales, surveys and records; maps; memoranda; limited family material; and an account book dated 1830-1831 kept by Marmaduke and Dr. John Sappington when they owned a store in Jonesboro, Missouri.
Business records comprise the bulk of the collection and include bills of lading, invoices and IOUs, ledger sheets, loans, and receipts. There is limited material on the sale and purchase of slaves both in Virginia and Missouri. The business records focus primarily on the Marmaduke farm near Arrow Rock and on the various Marmaduke family enterprises. Correspondence between Marmaduke and his agents includes crop and market reports, commodities prices, and general agricultural conditions in Missouri. The agents traveled in the Mississippi River basin and there are
limited descriptions of agricultural conditions in other states where the family conducted business; and to a lesser extent, attempts to collect monies owed from the Sappington Fever Pill business. Of particular note is an 1841 advertisement touting the pedigree, race record, and progeny accomplishments of the thoroughbred stallion Tranby imported from England.
The limited political correspondence provides insight into national and Missouri state politics of the 1840s and includes discussion of the administration of President James Knox Polk, the political careers of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton and Henry Clay of Kentucky, the annexation of Texas and the subsequent Mexican American
War of 1845-1848, and the Missouri Constitution Convention of 1845. Letters from Senator Thomas Hart Benton,
George Champlain Sibley, and James Sidney Rollins are included.
There are some legal documents, which provide insight into the practical administration of Saline County,
Missouri, politics and government in the 1840s. These documents include deeds, depositions, estate papers, land
surveys and transfers, maps, partnership agreements, political appointments, and tax records.
The correspondence between Marmaduke and his family in Virginia focuses primarily on family news and
social conditions of the era and includes correspondence from the related Belfield, Dozier, Harrison, Hungerford, Porter, McClanahan, and Walker families. Of interest is the 1853 cadet appointment to West Point for Marmaduke's son, John Sappington Marmaduke.
Scattered throughout the papers are nineteenth century maps of Africa (1848), Europe (1843 and 1847), Great
Britain (1839), South America (1847), the United States (1847), and the West Indies (1848).
FOLDER LIST
| f. 1 | n.d. |
| f. 2 | 1823 May 20-1824 February 28 |
| f. 3 | 1824 May 6-1827 September 20 |
| f. 4 | 1827 November 20-1829 June 6 |
| f. 5 | 1829 June 14-1830 February 18 |
| f. 6 | 1830 February 23-26 |
| f. 7 | 1831 April 21-1834 February 3 |
| f. 8 | 1834 February 14-1835 March 26, Miscellaneous accounts |
| f. 9 | 1835 March 27-April 22, Miscellaneous accounts, |
| f. 10 | 1835 May 11-1837 March 13 |
| f. 11 | 1837 November 14-1839 March 24 |
| f. 12 | 1839 May 4-1840 July 29 |
| f. 13 | 1840-1841 |
| f. 14 | 1842 January 30-1843 April 21 |
| f. 15 | 1843 April 25-1844 August 12 |
| f. 16 | 1844-1846 |
| f. 17 | 1846 November 17-1847 April 13 |
| f. 18 | 1848-1851 |
| f. 19 | 1852 January 15-1854 June 10 |
| f. 20 | 1854 June 15-1856 March 31 |
| f. 21 | 1856 April 24-1884 June 2 |
| f. 22 | 1884-1886, William Harrison papers |
| f. 23 | 1830-1831, Account Book |
INDEX TERMS
These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.
| Index Terms | Location |
| Account book | f. 23 |
| Advertisements | f. 1, 13 |
| Agriculture, 1820s-Missouri | f. 5 |
| Agriculture, 1840s-Missouri | f. 17 |
| Agriculture, 1850s | f. 18-20 |
| Becknell, George F. | f. 18 |
| Becknell, William | f. 13 |
| Belfield family | f. 20 |
| Benton, Thomas Hart (1782-1858) | f. 1, 16 |
| Berry, Conklin M. | f. 15 |
| Bills of lading, 1820s | f. 5 |
| Bills of lading, 1830s | f. 6 |
| Bills of lading, 1840s | f. 17 |
| Boon, H.L. | f. 15 |
| Brown, William | f. 1 |
| Burch, Thomas C. | f. 4, 5 |
| Business records, 1820s | f. 1-5 |
| Business records, 1830s | f. 6-12, 23 |
| Business records, 1840s | f. 12-18 |
| Business records, 1850s | f. 18-21 |
| Business records, 1880s | f. 21, 22 |
| Chambers, Benjamin | f. 7 |
| Clay, Henry (1777-1852) | f. 17 |
| Dawson, A.B. | f. 14 |
| Deeds, 1830s | f. 11 |
| Depositions, 1820s | f. 4 |
| Depositions, 1830s | f. 1, 7, 10 |
| Depositions, 1840s | f. 18 |
| Dozier family | f. 7 |
| English, James L. | f. 14 |
| Estate management, 1880s | f. 22 |
| Ewing, N. C. | f. 16 |
| Foster, T. L. | f. 14 |
| Grisham, John R. | f. 4 |
| Hall, Sylvester | f. 12 |
| Hardeman, John Locke (1809-1858) | f. 20 |
| Hardeman, Thomas | f. 1 |
| Harris, Nathan | f. 6, 11, 12 |
| Harrison, William | f. 21, 22 |
| Haynie, Flemington | f. 14 |
| Heathman, James | f. 12 |
| Hemp-Prices, 1850s | f. 19, 20 |
| Hogan, George M. | f. 17 |
| Horse breeding, 1840s-Missouri | f. 13 |
| Hungerford family | f. 2, 4, 6, 20 |
| Invoices, 1820s | f. 4, 5 |
| Invoices, 1830s | f. 5-12 |
| Invoices, 1840s | f. 12-18 |
| Invoices, 1850s | f. 18-20 |
| Jackson, Claiborne Fox (1806-1862) | f. 17 |
| Jackson, John P. | f. 18 |
| Keyte, James | f. 1, 5 |
| Keyte, Thomas James | f. 1 |
| Land records, 1820s | f. 4 |
| Land records, 1830s | f. 6, 11, 12 |
| Land records, 1840s | f. 13, 15, 16 |
| Land records, 1850s | f. 20 |
| Land surveys, 1820s | f. 4 |
| Land surveys, 1830s | f. 6 |
| Legal documents, 1820s | f. 4, 5 |
| Legal documents, 1830s | f. 6-12 |
| Legal documents, 1840s | f. 13-16, 18 |
| Legal documents, 1880s | f. 21, 22 |
| Loans, 1840s | f. 17 |
| Loans, 1850s | f. 19, 20 |
| Long, J.W. | f. 15 |
| Lowry, John | f. 17 |
| Lynch, John | f. 22 |
| Maps, 1830s | f. 11 |
| Maps, 1840s | f. 14, 17, 18 |
| Maps, Africa, 1840s | f. 18 |
| Maps, Europe, 1840s | f. 17 |
| Maps, South America, 1840s | f. 17 |
| Maps, United States, 1840s | f. 17 |
| Maps, West Indies, 1840s | f. 18 |
| Marmaduke family | f. 2, 11, 19, 21,22 |
| Marmaduke, Meredith Miles (1791-1864) | f. 1-21 |
| Marvin, Asa C. | f. 19 |
| McCandliss, Wilson | f. 1 |
| McClanahan family | f. 3, 10 |
| McHenry, John | f. 14 |
| McNutt, Robert | f. 14 |
| Medicine, 1830s-Missouri | f. 1, 10 |
| Medicine, 1840s-Missouri | f. 15 |
| Mexican War | f. 17 |
| Miller, Jonathan G. | f. 19 |
| Missouri State Agricultural Society | f. 19, 20 |
| Missouri, 1820s | f. 5 |
| Missouri, 1840s-Politics and government | f. 13, 16, 17 |
| Missouri, 1850s-Politics and government | f. 19 |
| Missouri, Cooper County | f. 22 |
| Missouri, Jonesboro | f. 23 |
| Missouri, Marshall | f. 21, 22 |
| Missouri, Saline County | f. 11 |
| Monroe, William | f. 16 |
| Ork, Allen | f. 6 |
| Parsons, Isaac | f. 16 |
| Payne family | f. 2 |
| Pearson, Alonzo | f. 4 |
| Peery, William | f. 14 |
| Penn, George | f. 1, 14-17, 19 |
| Phelps, John S. (1814-1886) | f. 16 |
| Pitts, George R. | f. 11 |
| Polk, James Knox (1795-1849) | f. 16, 17 |
| Porter family | f. 2, 15 |
| Poultry farming-Missouri, 1850s | f. 20 |
| Quisenberry, Jackson | f. 10 |
| Rayburn, Samuel S. | f. 13 |
| Receipts, 1820s | f. 1-5 |
| Receipts, 1830s | f. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 |
| Receipts, 1840s | f. 12-18 |
| Receipts, 1850s | f. 18-22 |
| Receipts, 1880s | f. 21, 22 |
| Reynolds, Thomas | f. 15 |
| Ringo, Peter | f. 11 |
| Rollins, James Sidney (1812-1888) | f. 20 |
| Salisbury, Lucius | f. 20 |
| Sappington family | f. 4, 7, 8 |
| Sappington, Erasmus D. | f. 1, 4, 6, 8-11, 14, 16, 19 |
| Sappington, John (1776-1856) | f. 1, 3, 10, 11, 14-16, 18-20, 23 |
| Sibley, George Champlain (1782-1863) | f. 4 |
| Slavery, 1820s-Missouri | f. 2 |
| Slavery, 1830s-Virginia | f. 7 |
| Slaves-Purchase and sales records-Missouri | f. 2 |
| Smith, G. R. | f. 15 |
| Stafford, Stephen | f. 19 |
| Stephens, Joseph L. | f. 19 |
| Superintendent of Indian Affairs | f. 13 |
| Tax records, 1830s | f. 10, 12 |
| Texas, 1830s | f. 10 |
| Thompkins, Blaine | f. 16 |
| Trigg, William H. | f. 19 |
| Tymony, Francis | f. 12, 14, 17, 18 |
| U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York | f. 20 |
| United States, 1840s-Politics and government | f. 17 |
| Walker family | f. 6 |
| Watson, James L. | f. 17 |
| Willson, James | f. 14 |
| Wilson, W. A. | f. 11 |
| Yancey, David | f. 13 |
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