Date Original
1849-1877
Description
This diary of Reverend W.W. Stevenson contains a news clipping, "The Substance of a Discourse, Delivered by Rev. W.W. Stevenson, January 6, 1849, at the funeral of the Hon. Ambrose H. Sevier, Late United States Senator from Arkansas, and Minister to Mexico from the United States," and two diary entries.
Biographical/Historical Note
William Wilson Stevenson was born January 29, 1797, in the Pendelton District, South Carolina, to Mr. and Mrs. James Graham. Stevenson came to Batesville, Arkansas, in 1811 with his mother and step-father. He became an ordained preacher in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1821, he married Ruana Trimble, and they had two children, James and John C. After Ruana died, he married Maria Toncray Watkins (1793-1874), widow of Isaac Watkins, on March 29, 1831. They had two children, Maria Jane, who died as an infant, and Robert Watkins. When the Antiquarian and Historical Society of the State of Arkansas was founded in 1837, Stevenson was made one of its three vice-presidents. In 1842, he became president of the society and wrote several articles that appeared in the Arkansas Gazette. In 1839, he was elected as State Commissioner for Public Buildings. He served on the Board of Visitors for the Far West Seminary in Washington County. In 1849, the Little Rock and California Association was founded during the excitement of the California Gold Rush as a pack mule company, and Stevenson was hired as a geologist. He, along with his sons James and John C., headed to California in search of gold. He never returned to Arkansas and died in California in 1888.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas; California; South Carolina
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.018.004
Resource Type
Text
Collection
W.W. Stevenson diary, SMC.018.004
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
W.W. Stevenson diary, 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
