Date Original
1821-1905
Description
This collection contains military, personal, and financial papers of Americus V. Rieff, Joseph T. Harrison, and Chester Ashley. Some of the material relates to the Civil War.
Biographical/Historical Note
Americus V. Rieff was born in Nashville, Tennessee, July 1, 1830, and moved with his parents to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1836. He enlisted as a private in Captain Stephen B. Enyart's Independent Mounted Volunteer Company in the Mexican War at Fayetteville on June 9, 1847. He was discharged on June 23, 1848. After the Mexican War he studied architecture at the Ozark Institute. On December19, 1854, he married Mary Jane Spencer at Cane Hill, Arkansas. Prior to the Civil War, Rieff was a contractor and builder. He enlisted May 1, 1861, at the rank of captain and organized a company of 100 cavalrymen to expel Union forces from Cassville, Missouri. He also fought at the Battle of Oak Hills, also known as the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Americus V. Rieff died in Little Rock, Arkansas, March 24, 1914 .He was survived by his wife Mary Jane and seven children. Joseph T. Harrison was a county judge in Scott County, Arkansas, during the Civil War. Chester Ashley (1791-1848) served as one of the state's first United States senators. He was one of the wealthiest men in Arkansas during his lifetime and owned much of the land that Little Rock resides on. In 1844, he was elected to the United States Senate where he became chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1846. Senator Ashley died at Washington, District of Columbia, on April 29, 1848, at the age of 57.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas; Tennessee; Washington D.C.
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.014.017
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Rieff, Harrison, and Ashley papers, SMC.014.017
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Rieff, Harrison, and Ashley papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
