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Family Correspondence
To clear the air, the Hancock County Historical Society is privileged to have transcripts of a series of letters written within the family of Andrew, Jr. These cover a period of 1857 to 1860, and are the basis for some of the conclusions that follow. They have come to us courtesy of the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee.
The first such letter is dated March 26, 1857, from Clifton Plantation. It was written by Andrew Jr.?s son Samuel, age 20, to his mother, Sarah. It describes three locations, the first being referred to as the Dannial [sic] place, which will later be shown to be Clifton, a plantation of 640 acres on Mulatto Bayou. The second so described was the Mitchell place, and the third was the Russ Place.
In the body of the letter, Samuel was contemplating his parents coming down to his area, and counseled his mother that she would not like the Daniell place, and there was not too much to say for Mitchell. The Russ place, however, ?is a very prettie one, the house is a very good size the rooms are I think too small they are very little half more than half as large as our place.? He also mentioned pretty flowers and fruit trees and tall cotton, and told of a marsh of 200 acres.
The latter site was intended to become the residence of Samuel?s parents, who would be moving from Nashville.
In the same letter, Samuel related that he had been advised by Col. Clayboum [sic] to record two deeds. 4 One was from James Mitchell and the other ?by a Mr. Russ.?
At this juncture, one must wonder about the sources of Andrew Jr.?s wealth. These questions cannot be answered from the letters. Hopefully, therefore, the reader must indulge this writer in a search for answers, and they lie, fortunately, in the history books. In addition, a full understanding predates the letters.
There is much background information available about the finances of the former general and president, as well as relevant history regarding his adopted son. For purposes of clarity and brevity, a quote from one of the Jackson biographers is in order: ?Within ten years of Jackson?s death his son was close to $100,000 in debt. The state of Tennessee in 1856 purchased the Hermitage and 500 acres of adjoining land for $50,000, $2,000 of which was withheld for rent for a two-year period.?5
And so we have a clue. One year before the first letter, Andrew Jr. and his family were caused to leave the Hermitage, and to establish a new home. Evidently, Andrew Jr. felt no compunction causing him to apply the cash to the debt, and with money at his disposal, he began to buy in Hancock County, Mississippi.
4	This was Col. JFH Claiborne, who owned Laurel Wood, the plantation adjacent to Clifton. The same Claiborne eventually became know as the ?historian of Mississippi.?
5	Linda B. Galloway, Andrew Jackson, Jr. , pp. 74-75
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