FINDING AID

AUBURN UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES

Guide to the John Peavy Wright Papers, RG 745


Listed by: Dieter C. Ullrich
Date: January 2003
Date Span:
1825-1970

Size:
7.0 cubic feet.

Number of Boxes:
3 records center boxes; 2 oversized folders; 3 document boxes; 2 ½ document boxes.

Type of material:
Family records and personal correspondence.

Physical condition:
Some records in poor condition others in fair but faded condition.

Arrangement:
Arranged by subject into series.

Historical or Biographical Sketch:
John Peavy Wright was born in Lee County, Alabama in October 1898. He was the son of William Thomas Wright and Susie Patillo Wright. He attended local rural schools and the Lee County High School. He received a B.S. degree from Alabama Polytechnic Institute and a Ph. D. in Political Science from Harvard University. His doctoral thesis was titled The Limited Quadrennial Session of Alabama and it was a study of the workings of the Alabama Legislature over the period 1901 to 1931. He was a candidate for the Alabama Legislature in 1934 and in 1950, but was unsuccessful in each attempt. He was interested in government at all levels, and sometimes took an active role in Auburn city affairs. History and genealogy were other interests and when he came in possession of his grandfather's papers as court appointed administrator of his estate in 1951, he began researching in earnest. His grandfather was William Wilmot Wright, and over a lifetime has collected family and personal documents in a trunk. Research in these papers resulted in 1969 in the publication of a book . As a result of his historical and genealogical inquiries, he developed correspondence with persons in various parts of the United States.

Scope and Content:
A major portion of the papers includes the documents from the family trunk, used in Peavy Wright's book. The balance of the papers were created by him, or gathered in research, or received from others via his research efforts. The papers are arranged into six series and one oversize folder. The series are: I. Land Deeds and Documents; II. Civil War Letters and Papers, Correspondence & Macon County School Papers; III. Business Records, Wright Family; IV. Bible, Account Books, Publications, and Miscellaneous Items; V. Voting Research Materials, Alabama 1900-1950; and VI. Personal Materials. The land deeds and Civil War documents are historically valuable for the wartime and pre war periods, and illustrate much personal in volvement by the individuals concerned. The business records give in sight into the various transactions including land, crops, slaves, taxes, supplies, dry goods, etc. The genealogical materials include information on the Wright, Nunn, Jackson, Tamplin, Matthews, and Penn families, as well as others. Papers of John Peavy Wright also include research material on Alabama state voting patterns (1900-1950); Auburn, Alabama Cemetery records; county maps; federal census records from Macon and Chambers County, Alabama; genealogical correspondence and notes (1956-1970); and miscellaneous materials collected by Peavy while a student at Harvard University.

Accession Number: 86-085
Item list:
Box 1

Box 2 Box 3 Box 4 Box 5

Accession Number: 86-106
Item list:
Box 1

Accession Number: 95-093
Item list:
Box 1

Accession Number: 96-102
Item list:
Box 1

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