Date Original
1875-1890
Description
This collection consists of correspondence to Annie M. Rector Copeland, dated from 1875 to 1890. The letters were written by family members, including her husband, father, brothers, and daughter. A letter to Annie Copeland from her brother, John Rector, dated February 21, 1877, speaks of his attendance at the wedding of Lottie Andrews Stevens [Charlotte Stephens], Little Rock’s first black teacher.
Biographical/Historical Note
Annie M. Rector was born in July 1855, the daughter of W.A. (William) Rector of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Martha Hinston, who died in 1858. W.A. Rector was born a slave of Chester Ashley, United States Senator from Arkansas, 1844-1848. During Reconstruction, W.A. Rector was elected city collector, city marshal, and constable. He was also a member of the famed Ashley Band of Little Rock. Annie married William L. Copeland on October 22, 1874, in Pulaski County. Copeland, a lawyer, was born 1845 in Oberlin, Ohio, and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He also served in the Arkansas Legislature from 1873-1875, representing Crittenden County. The family moved back to Little Rock at the end of his legislative career. Copeland worked for the postal service before becoming a Little Rock policeman. He died in the line of duty on December 30, 1885, from wounds received in an attempt to apprehend a convict. Annie Rector Copeland died on May 12, 1915, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She is buried with members of the Rector family in fraternal Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000541
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Rector-Copeland family papers, MS.000541
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Rector-Copeland family 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
