Personal Correspondence, Incoming

The Elisha Wolsey Peck papers include account books, personal and legal correspondence, election returns, invitations, meeting minutes, and receipts. These materials relate to Peck's family, finances, business, law practice, membership in the Rising Virtue Masonic Lodge, and service to Alabama during Reconstruction.

The material relating to the Reconstruction period is particularly significant, as Peck served as president of Alabama's Constitutional Convention of 1867 and was chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court 1867-1874. The papers include the text of the speech he gave to the Constitutional Convention in 1867 and 1868 election returns from various counties.

Rising Virtue Lodge material includes minutes of a meeting, resolutions, and an invitation.

The legal correspondence from 1843-1876 relate to clients Peck represented. They are arranged alphabetically by case name. There are also account books from the law firms of Ellis and Peck and Peck and Clark, ranging in date from 1830-1854.

One folder includes a notebook that belonged to David Lamb Peck. The notebook contains poetry, notes on the Bible, sketches, and computations. Another folder of miscellaneous items contains two unidentified books. One is a commonplace book containing poetry, notes on the Bible, and notes comparing prices of various goods. The second item consists of undated, unbound pages from an unidentified account book and contains itemized lists of goods.