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Cruikshank family papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-0379

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the correspondence of this Alabama family, centered in Talladega and Birmingham. Family members included Marcus Henderson Cruikshank (1826-1881), editor of the "Alabama Reporter," mayor of Talladega, and a member of the Confederate House of Representatives, and George Marcus Cruikshank (1852-?), editor of several Alabama newspapers.

Dates

  • 1848-1909

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

The Cruikshank family was active in the political and newspaper arenas in the Talladega and Birmingham, Alabama.

Marcus Henderson Cruikshank (12 December 1826–10 October 1881) was a Confederate States of America politician who served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War. He was born in Autauga County, Alabama. He later served as the mayor of Talladega, Alabama. From 1864 to 1865, he was the representative from Alabama's fourth district in the Second Confederate Congress.

George Marcus Cruikshank (15 March 1857–15 September 1936) was an American educator, newspaper editor and historian. He was born in Versailles, Kentucky, but was raised in Talladega, Alabama. He completed his studies there and remained to teach in the Talladega County schools and the Alabama School for the Blind. In 1883, Cruikshank moved to Birmingham as editor of the "Birmingham Chronicle". He married in 1887 and, three years later, moved to Washington D. C. as superintendent of the folding room of the House of Representatives, where all congressional mail was delivered. He resigned in 1893 to accept his appointment as Postmaster of Birmingham. When his four year term concluded, he returned to newspapers as editor of the "Birmingham Ledger," which he cultivated into one of the larger newspapers in the South. The "Ledger" was acquired by "The Birmingham News" in 1920. He and his wife had two children, Mary and Marcus. Cruikshank died in 1936 and is buried at Grand Bay Cemetery in Mobile County

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Overview

Correspondence of an Alabama family, centered in Talladega and Birmingham

Provenance

Gift of Frank Boykin Antique Shop, 1970

General

To provide faster access to our materials, this finding aid was published without formal and final review. Email us at archives@ua.edu if you find mistakes or have suggestions to make this finding aid more useful for your research.

Processed by

unknown, 2008; updated by Martha Bace, 2013
Title
Guied to the Cruikshank family papers
Status
Completed
Date
February 2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513