"…that on October 1st, 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis rejected his generals’ request for 20,000 additional troops to invade Maryland?"
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William P. Preston Collection, 1799-1913, MS 978
William P. Preston Collection, 1799-1913
Maryland Historical Society
(Text converted and initial EAD tagging
provided by Apex Data Services, March 1999.)
William P. Preston Collection, 1799-1913 Contact Information:
Maryland Historical Society
Manuscripts Department
Maryland Historical Society Library
201 West Monument Street
Baltimore MD 21201-4674
410.685.3750
Fax: 410.385.2105
library@mdhs.org
www.mdhs.org
Descriptive Summary
William P. Preston Collection, 1799-1913
MS 978
Maryland Historical Society
Baltimore MD 21201-4674
Scope and Content Note
The William P. Preston Collection contains primarily three groups of material: papers of William P. Preston, prominant Baltimore criminal lawyer; correspondence of his wife Margaret Smith Preston; and correspondence as well as other material related to their daughter May Preston McNeal. The items pertaining to William P. Preston are nearly all connected with his legal practice. Included are accounts, bills, and receipts associated with insolvancy and debt collection cases; case notes; court petitions; city tax assessments; sworn statements and depositions; deeds, wills, indentures, mortgages; and warrents. Preston specialized in criminal law and his papers deal with cases of debt collection, murder, assault, and robbery. Other types of legal activity such as divorce proceedings, estate management, libel and slander are also evident. Several separate legal cases are grouped together within the collection, such as the A.H. Simmons Estate activities (1850's), the Bank of Maryland Failure (1834-35), Barnum vs Barnum (1867), State vs Thomas Hibbetts (1870), State vs Clark and Cullen (1870), State vs Peter Corrie (No Date) and the Stewart Murder trial (1838). Preston's legal correspondence deals with the full range of his activities, but is primarily related to his clients request for assistence and communications with other lawyers. Preston appears to have been a devoted husband and father, as witnessed by his many letters to his wife Margaret and daughter May. Margaret corresponded heavily with him and also her daughter. May's letters to Preston are scattered in this collection but are well represented in MS 711. The May Preston McNeal material consists mostly of correspondence with her mother, much of it while May was away at St. Joseph's College, a Catholic girl's boarding school in Baltimore. The family correspondence as a whole is for the most part made up of trivial observations and family news. Occasional references are made to current political events and less often, the civil war. Margaret, while a young, unmarried girl living near Gettysburg Pa., received numerous letters from would-be suitors as well as from a priest and a nun whom she knew concerning religious matters. Other material in the collection includes a body of incoming correspondence addressed to Elizabeth Woodbury (1840's); a small number of items relating to Joshua Vansant McNeal, May's husband; a sizeable group of poetry written by Margaret Smith Preston's pre-marriage admirers and by various family members; an assortment of essays written on various subjects by William P. Preston; some records of St. John's German Catholic Church (1799-1841); papers relating to Henry F. and Philip C. Friese, Baltimore lawyers; documents associated with the Preston farm Pleasant Plains in Baltimore county. Also included in the collection are scrapbooks of William P. Preston relating to his political interests, most particularly his opposition to the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850's. Note: See MS 711 and 1861 for additional material relating to the Preston Family. Also MS 1835
Container List
Note: unless otherwise stated, all materials are sorted chronologically. Box 1 1 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1810-1820's 2-7 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1830's 8 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages 1830's 9 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Stewart Murder Trial 1838 10-13 William P. Preston, Bank of Md. Failure 1834-1835 14-22 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1840's Box 2 23-48 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1840's Box 3 49-71 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1840's Box 4 72-81 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages 1840's 82 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Maritime 1840's 83 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-P.B. Benson and Schooner Lion 1840's 84-90 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1850's Box 5 91-97 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1850's 98-100 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages 1850's 101-106 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-A.H. Simmons Estate 1850's 107-110 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1860's Box 6 111-118 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1860's 119 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages 1860's 120 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Barnum vs Barnum, 1867 121-124 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1870's 125 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages 1870's 126 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-State vs Thomas Hibbetts 1870 127 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-State vs Clark and Cullen 1870 128 William P. Preston, Legal Papers 1880's 129-132 William P. Preston, Legal Papers No Date Box 7 133-143 William P. Preston, Legal Papers No Date 144 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Petition re: State Constitution No Date 145-152 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-State vs Peter Corrie No Date 153 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Hugh Gelston vs Mary Ann Frazier and Others No Date 154 William P. Preston, Legal Papers-Court Speech No Date Box 8 155 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal 1830's 156-164 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal 1840's 165-166 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal 1850's 167 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal 1860's 168 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal 1870's 169 Miscellaneous Correspondence, Legal No Date 170 Miscellaneous Correspondence Personal 1808-1870 171 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1830's 172-175 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1840's Box 9 176-184 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1840's 185-193 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1850's 194-196 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1860's 197-198 William P. Preston, Correspondence Received 1870's Box 10 199 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent 1840's 200 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent 1850's 201 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent 1860's 202 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent 1870's 203-204 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1860's 205 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1840's 206-209 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1850's 210-212 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1860's 213 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1870's 214 William P. Preston, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee No Date 215 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Addressee 1840's 216-219 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Addressee 1850's 220 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Addressee 1860's 221 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Addressee 1870's 222 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Sddressee No Date See also MS 1835 Box 11 223-230 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1830's 231 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1840's 232-233 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1850's 234-235 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1860's 236 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1870's 237-238 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received 1880's 239-241 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Received No Date Box 12 242 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1850's 243-245 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1860's 246-248 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1880's 249 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1890's 250 Margaret Smith Preston, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee No Date 251-252 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1860's 253-263 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1870-1890 Box 13 264-267 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence Sent-Margaret Smith Preston Addressee 1870-1890 268-269 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence Sent-William P. Preston Addressee 1850-1880 270-271 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence Received 1850-1913 272 May Preston McNeal, Correspondence with C.S. Abell 1859-1863 273 May Preston McNeal, Essays and Notes ca. 1890's 274 May Preston McNeal, St. Joseph's Academy ca. 1860's 275-277 Joshua Vansant McNeal, Correspondence Sent-May Preston McNeal Addressee 1870-1890 278 Joshua Vansant McNeal, Correspondence Received 1870-1880 279 Elizabeth Woodbury Correspondence Received 1840's 280-284 Preston Family, Poetry 1830-1880 Box 14 285 A Journal of Six Days [by William P. Preston?] 1833 286 William P. Preston, Discourse Delivered before the Maryland Institute 1862--Arranged by pagination 287 William P. Preston, Clippings and Notes regarding State vs Edward Deems 1868 288 William P. Preston, Essay Baltimore and its Reminiscences 1869 289-293 William P. Preston, Drafts of Eulogy on Father James Dolan 1870--Arranged by pagination 295-295 William P. Preston, Notes on History and Politics No Date 296 William P. Preston, List of Properties Owned No Date 297 William P. Preston, Petition for the Creation of a Lyceum of Culture in Baltimore No Date 298 William P. Preston, Essay On the Suspension of Habeas Corpus in South Carolina No Date 299 William P. Preston, Essay History of the BandO Railroad No Date 300 William P. Preston, Speech Our Catholic Female Schools No Date 301 William P. Preston, Essay The Death of Archbishop Spaulding No Date 302 William P. Preston, Essay President Lincoln No Date 303 William P. Preston, Essay History of the Maryland Institute 304 William P. Preston, Essay Andrew Jackson No Date 305 William P. Preston, Essay On Murder No Date 306-308 Preston Family, Miscellaneous Items ca. 1860-1880 309-310 St. Johns German Catholic Church of Baltimore, Records ca. 1799-1841 Box 15 1 William P. Preston Letter book 1856-1857 2 Receipts of Expenses on Farm Known as Pleasant Plains 1852-1864 3 Agricultural Transactions and Expenses on Elm Grove Farm Owned by Philip R.J. Friese No Date Box 16 4 William P. Preston Letter Book 1828-1830 5 William P. Preston Pocket Ledger No Date 6 William P. Preston Pocket Ledger No Date 7 William P. Preston, Notes in the case of W. Stewart 1838 8 Proceedings of the Moot Court of the Friday Evening Club 1833 9 William P. Preston Ledger 1835 10 William P. Preston, Hillen Road Company document copies No Date 11 William P. Preston Letter Book 1831-1834 12 William P. Preston Bank Book 13 James Lawson Pocket Ledger 14 William P. Preston Private Cash Accounts 15 Joseph Southard Accounts No Date 16 Willaim P. Preston Pocket Ledger 1832-1849 17 William P. Preston Address Book No Date 18 William P. Preston Diary 1863 Box 17 19 William P. Preston Pocket Ledger 20 Robert Wickham Graduation Book (Yale) 1828 21 William P. Preston Diary 1849 22 William P. Preston Diary 1853 23 William P. Preston Diary 1854 24 William P. Preston Diary 1860 25 William P. Preston Diary 1869 26 William P. Preston, Notes on the 1834 Bank of Maryland Failure 27 William P. Preston Scrapbook on the Know-Nothing Party 1848-1875 28 William P. Preston Scrapbook regarding his political activities, 1835-1857 29 William P. Preston, Notes on State of Maryland vs Solomon T. Wilson 30 William P. Preston, Notes on State of Maryland vs John T. Patterson 31 William P. Preston, School Composition Book 1829 32 May Preston McNeal, Spelling Rules and Diary 1865-66 Note: Box 17 also contains 3 Folders of oversize material; see oversize File for land plots
