Date Original
1810-1854
Description
Papers consist of letters, correspondence, deeds, title bonds, mortgages, assignments, releases, letterspatent, certificates, affidavits, contracts, leases, powers-of-attorney, statements-of-account, receipts, notices, lists, field notes, plats, memoranda, note-books, clippings, bill-of-sale, and other material dealing with Thompson's business and personal affairs, with the trading, training, and racing of horses, with the early history of the town of Van Buren and Crawford County, Arkansas, and especially with land speculations; material dating from Thompson's death largely pertains to the administration of his estate. Places to which the material relates include: Nashville and Davidson, Tennessee; Arkansas (Post), Batesville, Columbus, Ecore a Fabre, Fayetteville, Helena, Little Rock, Montgomery's Point, Spadra Bluff, Van Buren and Washington, Arkansas; Arkansas, Crawford, Johnson, Phillips, Pulaski, and Washington Counties, Arkansas; Fort Gibson, Indian Territory; Richmond and Lunenburg County, Virginia. Correspondents include: William Armstrong, William A.M. Brooks, Ethan Allen Brown, Sheperd Brown, August Pierre Choteau, John Drennen, Isaac Folsom, William McKandree Gwin, Henry R.W. Hill, D.G.W. Leavitt, James McKisick, John C. McLemore, Sterling Neblett, Frederick Notrebe, George W. Paschal, Albert Pike, John Ringgold, James A. Scott, Jesse Turner, George Claiborne Watkins, and James Whitcomb.
Biographical/Historical Note
David Akin (Aiken?) Thompson (b. April 4, 1796 - d, September 12, 1839), land dealer and speculator, was born near St. Georges, Delaware, and later settled at Nashville, Tennessee. On March 17, 1818, he married Lauretta Charlotte Deaderick at Jonesborough, Tennessee. Migrating to Arkansas in 1830, he engaged in the mercantile business in Little Rock, in Washington (Hempstead County), and in Columbus (Crawford County) in partnership with his brother-in-law, John Drennan. In 1836, Thompson and Drennen purchased the land claims of Daniel and Thomas Phillips, acquiring the land on which the town of Van Buren was founded. A land appraiser for the Real Estate Bank of the State of Arkansas from 1836, Thompson was extensively engaged in land speculation in the Territory and State of Arkansas and elsewhere in the Southwest, especially in buying bounty lands given Revolutionary War veterans. At one time, he is reported to have owned 150,000 acres distributed in 16 counties. His several other concerns included an active interest in horse-racing. At various times in partnership with Drennen and with John C. McLemore and William B. McClellan of Tennessee. He joined in 1837 with McLemore and with Sterling Neblett of Virginia in efforts to develop coal mines on lands he owned near Spadra Bluff, in Johnson County, Arkansas.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas; Tennessee; Indian Territory; Virginia
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000197
Resource Type
Text
Collection
David Thompson papers, MS.000197
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
David Thompson 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
