Joseph and John R. Desha
A Register of Their Papers in the Library of Congress
Prepared by A. Goodrich
Revised by Donna Ellis
Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
2007
Contact information:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division,
2007
Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms007093
Latest revision: 2008 May
Title: Papers of Joseph and John
R. Desha
Span Dates: 1773-1871
Bulk Dates: (bulk 1800-1855)
ID No.: MSS18333
Creator:
Desha, Joseph,
1768-1842
Creator:
Desha, John R.,
1804-1878
Extent: 1,900
items;
5 containers;
1.6 linear feet
Language: Collection material in
English
Repository:
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Soldier and politician
(Joseph Desha) and physician (John R. Desha). Correspondence, contracts, land
records, wills, receipted bills, and newspapers dealing with the War of 1812,
Kentucky politics, and national affairs.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person
or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein.
Personal Names
Calhoun,
John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850--Correspondence.
Desha,
Joseph, 1768-1842.
Harrison,
William Henry, 1773-1841--Correspondence.
Harrison,
William Henry, 1773-1841.
Johnson,
Richard M. (Richard Mentor), 1781-1850--Correspondence.
Kendall,
Amos, 1789-1869--Correspondence.
Poinsett,
Joel Roberts, 1779-1851--Correspondence.
Organizations
United
States. Congress.
Subjects
Agriculture--Arkansas.
Deeds.
Medicine--Kentucky.
Presidents--United
States--Election--1816.
Slavery--United
States.
Surveys.
Wills.
Locations
Arkansas--Economic conditions.
Kentucky--Politics and government--1792-1865.
South
America--Description and travel.
United
States--History--War of 1812.
United
States--Politics and government--1783-1865.
Washington
(D.C.)--History--Capture by the British, 1814.
Related Names
Desha, John R.,
1804-1878. Papers of Joseph Desha and John R. Desha (1773-1871)
Occupations
Governors--Kentucky.
Physicians.
Representatives, U.S.
Congress--Kentucky.
Provenance:The papers of Joseph and John R. Desha were given to the Library of
Congress by Desha Breckinridge in 1921. Additional material was purchased
between 1929 and 1979.
Processing History:The papers of Joseph and John R. Desha were arranged and described in
1970. The collection was reprocessed and the finding aid revised in 2007.
Notice of the original gift was made in the
Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress, 1921.
Copyright Status:The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Joseph and John
R. Desha is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Preferred Citation:Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Joseph and John R. Desha Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Joseph Desha
| Date |
Event |
| 1768, Dec. 9 |
Born, Monroe County, Pa. |
| 1784-1789 |
Fought against Indians in Tennessee |
| 1789 |
Married Margaret Bledsoe |
| 1794-1795 |
Fought against Indians under Gen. Anthony Wayne and William
Henry Harrison
|
| 1797 |
Member, Kentucky House of Representatives, also served in
1799-1802
|
| 1802-1807 |
Member, Kentucky State Senate |
| 1806 |
Commissioned major general, Kentucky militia |
| 1807-1819 |
Member, United States House of Representatives |
| 1813 |
Fought at Battle of Thames River, Ontario, Canada |
| 1824-1828 |
Governor of Kentucky |
| 1842, Oct. 12 |
Died, Georgetown, Ky. |
John R. Desha
| Date |
Event |
| 1804, June 24 |
Born, Mason Co., Ky. |
| ca. 1821-ca. 1825 |
Attended Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky. |
| 1825-1878 |
Practiced medicine in Tennessee, Arkansas, and
Kentucky
|
| 1838 |
Married Mary Curry |
| 1878, July 27 |
Died, Georgetown, Ky. |
The papers of Joseph Desha (1768-1848) and John R. Desha (1804-1878)
span the years 1773-1871, with the bulk of the material dating between 1800 and
1855. The collection consists of correspondence, indentures, contracts, deeds,
wills, surveyors' notes, bills and receipts, and newspapers. Some
correspondence and legal records, primarily of Joseph Desha, have been bound in
two volumes.
The papers illustrate the activities of a soldier-politician in
Kentucky in the early nineteenth century and of his physician son. The
correspondence covers the subjects of military affairs during the War of 1812,
including the fall of Washington, D.C., and the conduct of William Henry
Harrison, Kentucky politics, and national politics, notably the 1816
presidential election. Other topics include descriptions of South American
cities, and agricultural and economic affairs in Arkansas. The receipts contain
many slavery bills of sale.
Prominent correspondents include William Henry Harrison, John C.
Calhoun, Amos Kendall, Joel R. Poinsett, and Richard M. Johnson.
The bound material is arranged chronologically. The unbound material
is arranged alphabetically by type of material and chronologically therein.
| Container |
Contents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| BOX 1
|
Bound |
|
| BOX 1
|
Vol. 1,
1783-1831
|
|
| BOX 2
|
Vol. 2,
1832-1850
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Unbound |
|
| BOX 3
|
Bills and receipts |
|
| BOX 3
|
Desha, John R.,
1825, 1836-1857, n.d.
|
|
(2
folders)
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Desha, Joseph |
|
| BOX 3
|
1795-1818
|
|
(5
folders)
|
|
| BOX 4
|
1819-1856, n.d.
|
|
(7
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Correspondence,
1794-1871, n.d.
|
|
(4
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Legal records,
1797-1855
|
|
(2
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Miscellany,
1773, 1841-1856, n.d.
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Newspapers,
1818, 1831-1835, 1855
|
|
(2
folders)
|
|
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