Scope and Content Note
The papers of Joseph Desha (1768-1848) and John R. Desha (1804-1878) span the years 1773-1871, with the bulk of the material dating between 1800 and 1855. The collection consists of correspondence, indentures, contracts, deeds, wills, surveyors' notes, bills and receipts, and newspapers. Some correspondence and legal records, primarily of Joseph Desha, have been bound in two volumes.
The papers illustrate the activities of a soldier-politician in Kentucky in the early nineteenth century and of his physician son. The correspondence covers the subjects of military affairs during the War of 1812, including the fall of Washington, D.C., and the conduct of William Henry Harrison, Kentucky politics, and national politics, notably the 1816 presidential election. Other topics include descriptions of South American cities, and agricultural and economic affairs in Arkansas. The receipts contain many slavery bills of sale.
Prominent correspondents include William Henry Harrison, John C. Calhoun, Amos Kendall, Joel R. Poinsett, and Richard M. Johnson.