Bolton Family Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains mainly photographs and correspondence pertaining to the Bolton Family of Newton County, Mississippi. Of the thirty-six photographs in this collection, very few of them are labeled and only five are dated. However, most of the images are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The photographs are arranged by subject matter.
The correspondence is divided into two parts: post cards and letters. The post cards are arranged chronologically, and then by recipient. There are some blank post cards at the back of the collection. The letters are arranged by recipients. Only five of the letters have dates and addresses. A lengthy letter from M. Callaway brings I. L. Bolton up to date on the goings on in Georgia and with mutual friends. E. P. (Ella) Bolton received six of these letters from her daughters, Willa and Sara, consisting of information about their stay in Chautauqua, New York and Willa’s further travels to Niagara, Toronto and Cleveland. The seventh letter to Mrs. E. P. Bolton is a letter of condolence from Julius and Robs Crisler regarding the death of her son, Arthur Bolton.
This collection includes some postcards from Frank P. Bolton while he was in France. There is also some correspondence between Frank Bolton, Sid B. Brown and Willa Bolton about land that they homesteaded and the property taxes concerning it.
Following the correspondence, there are account records for I. L. Bolton from 1895 until 1904, and a September 28, 1894 contract with A. L. Bolton to teach school at White Public School for 70$ a month. A statement from the University of Georgia is also included. Issued in 1949, the statement says that I. L. Bolton received his Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. Completing the collection are two invitations to events at the University of Texas, a newspaper article, a poem, and a business card.
Dates
- Creation: 1849-1918
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
Isaac L. Bolton was born in January of 1826 in Alabama. He attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 1849 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. He married a lady by the name of Ella P., who was born in Georgia, January of 1843, and they had seven children over a span of twenty-six years. At some point, the family moved to Mississippi. The 1870 Mississippi Census records for Newton County state Isaac’s occupation as farmer and Ella’s as a housewife. According to that same census neither of them could read. However, this is erroneous, because Isaac had a college degree.
Isaac and Ella Bolton reared their children in Hickory (Newton County), Mississippi. The children were Elden A., Walter T., Charles A., Frank P., A. L., Willa, and Sallie G. Information about the children is sparse, but it is known that Frank P. Bolton worked for the Southern Express Company in 1918, and that A. L. Bolton became the principal at White Public School in 1894. Willa Bolton was a member of the original faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi (then Mississippi Normal College) in 1912, and served as head of the geography department until her retirement in 1958. After Willa retired, she moved to El Dorado, Arkansas to be with family. She died in Eldorado in 1962, and is interred there.
Extent
.25 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Sources
Arnold, Yvonne. “Who Was Miss Willa Bolton?” The Talon (Summer 2004), Pages 12 - 13.
Contents of the Collection
“Miss Willa Bolton dies in Arkansas,” Hattiesburg American. January 17, 1962, pages 1 - 4.
Newton County, Mississippi, Census Records: 1870, 1880, 1900.
Photograph Log
M140-2 Lady with a Top Knot 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated This lady has on a very elegant dress with a high neck. Her hair is parted down the middle, held in place with white hair pins. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-3 Lady with a Diamond Earring 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated This lady is wearing a dress with a wide collar and brocade trim. She appears to have a diamond stud earring in her left ear. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-4 Lady with Tall Hair 5 1/2 X 3 1/4 B&W Undated Lady in a white cotton blouse, covered in lacy ruffles and tucks. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-5 Two Women with Ties 3 5/8 X 2 1/2 B&W Undated Portrait of two young women wearing blouses with stiff white collars and ties. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-6 Couple 5 x 3 1/2 B&W Undated Formal Portrait of a man and a woman. The man is sitting and the woman is standing. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-7 Man with Dogs 5 1/2 X 3 1/4 B&W Undated This man is wearing a bowler hat. He has a puppy sitting on each of his knees. His gun is on the floor in front of him. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-8 Man with a Large Tie 5 1/4 X 4 B&W Dec. 11, 1899 The man is wearing a pin-striped suit. His tie is rather large and has white horizontal stripes. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-9 Man with Facial Hair 5 1/2 X 4 B&W 1888 This man has a beard and mustache. His beard has started to gray under his bottom lip. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-10 Man with Neck Scarf 3 1/2 X 2 1/4 B&W Undated This young man appears to be in his late teens. He is wearing a checkered neck scarf, tied in a bow. (Box 1, Folder 1)
M140-11 Man with White Tie 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated Studio portrait of a young man in formal attire. He has the start of a handle bar mustache. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-12 Man in Tight Coat 3 1/2 X 2 B&W Undated Formal portrait of a young man wearing his hair parted down the center. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-13 Boy Standing to the Right of a Bench 5 1/2 X 2 1/2 B&W Undated This young boy is wearing what appears to be the uniform of a military academy. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-14 Boy Standing to the Left of a Bench 5 1/2 X 2 1/2 B&W Undated This young boy is wearing what appears to be the uniform of a military academy. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-15 Waldo S. Brown 6 X 4 B&W Undated This photograph has been touched with red, yellow, blue, and green color. The subject is standing at the foot of a stair case, wearing a coat that seems to be too small for his body. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-16 Man with Shoestring Tie 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated Formal portrait of a young man with pomade in his hair. (Box 1, Folder 2)
M140-17 Women in Boat 3 1/4 X 3 1/4 B&W 1905 Three ladies sitting in a rowboat. Two of the ladies are in full view, but the third lady is half way out of the photograph. (Box 1, Folder 3)
M140-18 Women Posing in a Straight Line 3 1/2 X 7 B&W Undated Eight women standing in a line with their hands on each other's shoulders. A man is standing in the background watching them. (Box 1, Folder 4)
M140-19 Women Posing in a Semi-Circle 3 1/2 X 7 B&W Undated Eight young women wearing skirts and middy blouses, possibly on a school campus. (Box 1, Folder 3)
M140-20 Hickory Normal School Faculty 5 1/2 X 4 B&W 1900 This is a picture of the faculty at Hickory Normal School. Individuals in the photo are identified as Mr. C. L. (Chas. Lyon) Wood, Mr. J. M. Consley, Mr. J. L. Grundy, Miss Leonard, and Miss (Willa) Bolton. (Box 1, Folder 4)
M140-21 Harperville College Students 6 1/2 X 9 B&W June 20, 1888 A group of students at Harperville College in Scott County, Mississippi . (Box 1, Folder 3)
M140-22 Family Home 5 X 8 B&W Undated Large, two-story home, with seven people, two horses and two dogs posed on the porch and lawn. (Box 1, Folder 3)
M140-23 Baby Sitting on Fur Rug 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated The baby is wearing a white dress and black boots. (Box 1, Folder 4)
M140-24 Baby Wearing a Locket 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated The baby is seated on a wicker chair and has on a lacy white dress and a locket. Its hair is parted down the middle. (Box 1, Folder 4)
M140-25 Baby on a Tasseled Chair 5 1/2 X 4 B&W Undated The baby is wearing a white gown. Its mouth is open and it is looking towards the right. (Box 1, Folder 4)
M140-26 Laughing Child 5 1/4 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated The child has on a white hat, dress and tights, with black shoes. (Box 1, Folder 4)
Ml40-27 Male and Female in Rowboat 2 1/2 X 3 1/4 B&W Undated Both the male and the female are wearing white hats. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-28 Male and Female Looking at the Camera 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 B&W Undated The couple are standing outdoors, and the female is holding a pillow. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-29 People Standing on a Porch 2 1/4 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated A male and two females standing on the porch of a rather dilapidated house. One of the females is holding a pillow; the other is holding a sun hat. The male is wearing a hat and a tie. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-30 Four Males in Waterfall 4 1/2 X 2 1/4 B&W Undated Three of the males are climbing in the waterfall, and they are wearing bathing suits. The fourth male is standing on the rocks beside the waterfall, watching. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-31 Group Posing by Waterfall 4 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W Undated Three males and three females standing near a waterfall. A two-story house is in the background. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-32 Group Picnicking 2 1/4 X 4 1/2 B&W Undated Nine people enjo1/4ng a picnic in a tree-shaded setting. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-33 Males in a Boat 2 1/2 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated Four males in a rowboat on a lake. Three are standing, and one is reclining. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-34 Group by a Tree 2 1/4 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated Eleven people (three males and eight females) posed in front of a large tree. A house is in the background. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Ml40-35 Group in a Grassy Field 2 1/2 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated A group of four males and seven females posed in a field of tall grass. (Box 1, Folder 5)
M140-36 Group Wearing Hats 2 1/2 X 4 1/4 B&W Undated A group of two males and eight females in a wooded area. Most of the ladies are wearing large hats. (Box 1, Folder 5)
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Bolton Family Collection
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
