1812-1983 General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church P.O. Box 127, Madison, NJ 07940 4/20/2004
Thomas C. Nixon Papers 1812-1983 1.11 cu. feet gcah.rg.4191 The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved. Biographical Note Thomas C. Nixon (1793-1872), American minister, was born on October 22, 1793 in the Kershaw District of South Carolina. While he was still young, he and his family moved to Tennessee and settled on Duck River in Maury County. His parents were both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his father was a local preacher. In 1810 Nixon joined the Church at Mount Pisgah. He was licensed to preach and admitted on trial to the Tennessee Conference on November 1, 1812. In 1813, Nixon was appointed to the Cumberland District and his charge was Somerset. In 1814, he was ordained Deacon by Bishop Asbury and appointed to the Illinois District and charged with New Madrid. Nixon traveled for three years in the Tennessee Conference before being appointed to the Wilkinson Circuit in the Mississippi Territory in the Fall of 1815. In that same year he was appointed to both the Holston District and the Wilkinson District. In 1816, Nixon united with eight other ministers and formed the first legal Conference ever held in Mississippi. During this Conference, he become the first person to be ordained elder by Bishop Richard R. Roberts. During this year, Nixon was appointed to the Mississippi District and the Wilkinson charge. He preached extensively in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama over the next three years. He maintained his appointment in 1817 at Wilkinson, followed by Attakapas charge with the charge of Amite in 1819. In 1819, Nixon was appointed to Alabama. In 1821, Nixon is recorded as having been appointed Cahawba. He is also listed as being the presiding elder at this time. Nixon isn't mentioned in the journals after 1819 until his expulsion in 1823. According to Nixon's own journal, it was at this point that he was suspended from his official office in the church. No reason is given. Nixon's writings reflect a great deal of sorrow after this point in his life. Though Nixon is not mentioned in the conference journals during these years, it is known that he was married to Elizabeth Rawles on May 9, 1824. The couple had twelve children before Elizabeth died during the birth of her twelfth child on May 3, 1846. During this period, Nixon and his family settled on a farm in Hinds County, Mississippi, where he lived the rest of his life. Nixon's journal indicates that his plantation cultivated mainly corn and cotton and maintained a large number of slaves. Nixon is not mentioned in the conference journals until his re-admission to the Mississippi Conference in Page 1
1832. He located again in 1837 for health reasons. On November 17, 1847 Nixon married Cynthia Dean. In November 1866, Nixon was again readmitted to the Mississippi Conference. In this same year he was appointed to Crystal Springs. His remaining three years of service were at Cayuga. In 1871 Nixon retired. Nixon died in Raymond Mississippi on March 4, 1872. Scope Note This collection contains Thomas C. Nixon's personal journals, beginning in 1815 and continuing through 1872. The journals reflect Nixon's daily activities including personal and business relationships, preaching, and his plantation, among other topics. The journals reflect Nixon's character, and detail not only his preaching activities, but his emotional reactions to being suspended from his position in the church in 1923, and slavery. The early journals discuss a great deal about his position as a dedicated circuit rider while his later journals reflect a more somber discussion of his life as a plantation owner. The collection also contains notebooks, loose journal pages, sermon notes, financial records, and clippings. There is also a photocopied collection of material related to the Nixon family's history, which contains correspondences, photographs, journals, notebooks, and sermons material along with family records. Arrangement Material has been arranged in the following manner. SERIES: GENERAL. SERIES: JOURNALS. SERIES: NOTES AND FINANCIAL RECORDS. Restrictions on Use Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required. Preferred Citation When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Thomas C. Nixon Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor. Subject Terms Subject Names - Personal Addams, John Asbury, Francis Roberts (Bishop). Subject Topics Circuit riders Civil War. Funeral service Genealogy Page 2
Ministry Religion Sermons Slavery Subject Geographic Mississippi. Tennessee Genre Clippings Correspondence Financial records Genealogies. Journals Licenses Marriage records Notebooks Photographs Occupations Circuit Rider Minister. Table of Contents General... 4 Journals... 4 Notes and Financial Records... 5 Page 3
Container List General 1552-5-1:25 Correspondences 1858 1552-5-1:26 Thomas Nixon's Preaching License 1824 1552-5-1:27 Clippings Undated 1552-5-1:28 Obituary for Samuel L.L. Scott 1864 1552-5-2:28 Correspondences (Photocopies) 1858 1552-5-2:29 Clippings (Photocopies) 1896 1552-5-2:30 Obituary for Samuel L.L. Scott (Photocopies) 1864 1552-5-2:32 Family Records (Photocopies) 1812-1930 1552-5-2:33 Correspondences (Photocopies) 1861-1980 1552-5-2:34 Photographs (Photocopies) 1909-1941 Journals 1552-5-1:1 October 9 - February 4 1815-1816 1552-5-1:2 February 5 - August 17 1816 1552-5-1:3 August 18 - November 1 1816 1552-5-1:4 November 2 - May 9 1816-1817 1552-5-1:5 May 10 - August 19 1817 1552-5-1:6 August 20 - January 20 1817-1818 1552-5-1:7 January 20 - April 24 1818 1552-5-1:8 August10 - November 11 1821 1552-5-1:9 October 1821 1552-5-1:10 April 21 - September 22 1822 1552-5-1:11 September 28 - May 10 1823-1824 1552-5-1:12 Fragmented Journals 1842-1857 1552-5-1:13 Fragmented Journals 1857 1552-5-1:14 April 18 - May 28 1859 1552-5-1:15 May 29, 1859 - June 7, 1861 and April 12, 1865 - July 3, 1867 1859-1867 1552-5-1:16 June 7 - February 1865 1861-1865 1552-5-1:17 Inserted page from September 1 1864 1552-5-1:18 July 4 - May 7 1867-1870 1552-5-1:19 May 8 - February 8 1870-1872 1552-5-1:20 Loose pages inserted before May 3 1867 1552-5-1:21 Loose Journal Pages 1858 1552-5-2:1 October 9 - February 4 (Photocopies) 1815-1816 1552-5-2:2 February 5 - August 17 (Photocopies) 1816 1552-5-2:3 August 18 - November 1 (Photocopies) 1816 1552-5-2:4 November 2 - May 9 (Photocopies) 1816-1817 1552-5-2:5 May 10 - August 19 (Photocopies) 1817 1552-5-2:6 August 20 - January 20 (Photocopies) 1817-1818 1552-5-2:7 January 20 - April 24 (Photocopies) 1818 1552-5-2:8 August 10 - November 11 (Photocopies) 1821 1552-5-2:9 October (Photocopies) 1821 1552-5-2:10 April 21 - September 22 (Photocopies) 1822 1552-5-2:11 September 28 - May 10 (Photocopies) 1823-1824 1552-5-2:12 Fragmented Journal (Photocopies) 1842-1857 1552-5-2:13 Fragmented Journals (Photocopies) 1857 1552-5-2:14 Fragmented Journals (Photocopies) 1858-1859 1552-5-2:15 April 18 - June 9 (Photocopies) 1858 1552-5-2:16 May 29, 1859 - June 7, 1861 and April 12, 1865 - November 28, 1886 1859-1886 (Photocopies) 1552-5-2:17 June 7 - December 24 (Photocopies) 1861-1863 1552-5-2:18 Inserted page from September 1 (Photocopies) 1864 Page 4
1552-5-2:19 January 1 - February 22 (Photocopies) 1864-1865 1552-5-2:20 Fragmented Journal Entries (Photocopies) 1866-1869 1552-5-2:21 July 4 - May 7 (Photocopies) 1867-1870 1552-5-2:22 May 8 - February 8 (Photocopies) 1870-1872 1552-5-2:23 Loose pages inserted before May 3 (Photocopies) 1867 1552-5-2:24 Loose Journal Pages (Photocopies) 1858 Notes and Financial Records 1552-5-1:22 Notebook 1851-1857 1552-5-1:23 Financial Records 1850-1869 1552-5-1:24 Sermon Notes 1867 1552-5-2:25 Notebook (Photocopies) 1851-1857 1552-5-2:26 Financial Records (Photocopies) 1850-1859 1552-5-2:27 Sermon Notes (Photocopies) 1867 Page 5