Manuscript Collection
Files
Download Finding Aid (337 KB)
Identifier
Accession 1731
Inclusive Dates
1858-2020
Restrictions
Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections
Collection Size
4.25 linear feet, 7000 pieces
Language
English;
Scope and Content Note
The Pettus Family Papers document the history, genealogy, landholdings, and daily life of multiple generations of the Pettus family, with roots in Indian Land, South Carolina, and branches extending throughout the southeastern United States and abroad. The collection spans the nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries and includes family histories, genealogical research, correspondence, legal and financial records, photographs, reminiscences, literary works, and artifacts. Together, these materials provide a comprehensive record of family relationships, agricultural and commercial enterprises, property ownership, and historical memory.
A significant portion of the collection is devoted to genealogical research and family history, including compiled genealogies, correspondence with researchers, photocopied historical sources, and published family histories tracing Pettus lineage in South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, the United Kingdom, and England. Materials also document connected families through marriage, such as the Allen, Cruse, Hall, Knox, Morrow, Rodgers, Perry, Sparks, and Wilson families. Family reunions, cemeteries, obituaries, and death certificates further support genealogical and biographical research.
The collection contains extensive documentation of land ownership, estates, and legal affairs, particularly for the branch of the family associated with Louise Pettus. These records include original and photocopied deeds, titles, wills, probate court documents, land surveys, tax records, loan receipts, and estate files. Agricultural and commercial activities are well represented through records and photographs of the Pettus family farm, the Pettus Cotton Gin, and the Pettus Store, including account ledgers, expenditure reports, lease agreements, manuals, and business-related correspondence.
Personal perspectives are preserved through reminiscences written by family members, especially Bessie Kathryn Rodgers Pettus, as well as broader family recollections created to preserve memories for future generations. Correspondence spanning much of the twentieth century—including letters, postcards, and later email printouts—illustrates family relationships, communication practices, and everyday concerns across decades.
Photographs, negatives, and contact sheets form a substantial visual component of the collection, documenting individual family members, reunions, businesses, cemeteries, travel, and local history. Many images are identified, while others remain unidentified, and several binders preserve original order and descriptive labels created by the family.
The collection also includes poems, essays, and publications written by Pettus family members, along with newspaper articles about the family, particularly those highlighting the work of Louise Pettus as a historian of South Carolina. Artifacts associated with the Pettus Store and cotton operations—such as signage, tools, containers, and equipment—provide tangible evidence of the family’s commercial and agricultural activities.
Overall, the Pettus Family Papers offer rich documentation of a multigenerational Southern family, illuminating themes of genealogy, land tenure, rural and small-town commerce, family memory, and regional history in South Carolina and beyond.
Provenance
The Pettus Family Papers were given as a gift to the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections by Paul Gettys in handling the estate of Lindsay Pettus.
Copyright
For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.
Finding Aid Citation
Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Pettus Family Papers - Accession 1731". Finding Aid 1571.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1571
LC Subject Headings
Pettus family; Pettus, Louise, 1926-2021; Pettus, Bessie Kathryn Rodgers, 1904-2001; Land tenure--South Carolina--Lancaster County; Farm life--South Carolina--Lancaster County; Cotton gins and ginning--South Carolina--Lancaster County; Indian Land (S.C.)--Biography; Lancaster County (S.C.)--Biography; Indian Land (S.C.)--History; Lancaster County (S.C.)--History