University of
Oklahoma Libraries
Western
History Collections
J. J.
McAlester Collection
Back to Choctaw Nation
Collections Directory
James Jackson McAlester,
a leader in business and political circles in southeastern Oklahoma and the man
for whom the city of McAlester was named, was born in Arkansas in 1842. He moved to the Choctaw Nation at the age of
twenty-four, after securing a map showing coal outcrops in this area. He obtained a position with a firm of Indian
traders--Reynolds & Hannaford; later he bought Reynolds out, after
establishing a store at Bucklucksy, which is now known as North McAlester. Near the store he discovered coal outcrops
and secured the mining rights by marriage to Miss Rebecca Burney in August,
1872. For four years, from 1893 to
1897, he served by appointment as United States Marshal for the United States
Court having jurisdiction over matters within the Choctaw Nation. Politically, he was a member of the
Democratic party and on that ticket he was elected to the Corporation
Commission in 1907 and to the office of Lieutenant Governor for the term
beginning January 9, 1911. He died at
McAlester, Oklahoma, on September 22, 1922.
I. BUSINESS RECORDS
Contained
within this series are records relating to J. J. McAlester's business
interests. In particular these concern
his mercantile stores, but there is also some information on his mining
operations and rental properties. These
records span the years 1871 to 1952 with the majority being from the years 1885
to 1905. The major body is composed of
invoices, receipts, ledgers, cashbooks, daybooks, and inventory books. There is also some information regarding
taxes, wages, accounts, and statements.
Material in this series is found in boxes 1-15, 19-38, and in the
oversized books.
Box 1
Folder:
1.
Invoices: January - March, 1890
2.
Invoices: September, 1890
3.
Invoices: October, 1890
4.
Invoices: April - June (part 1), 1891
5.
Invoices: April - June (part 2), 1891
6.
Invoices: July - September (part 1),
1891
7.
Invoices: July - September (part 2),
1891
8.
Invoices: October - December (part 1),
1891
Box 2
Folder:
1.
Invoices: October - December (part 2),
1891
2.
Invoices: January, 1892
3.
Invoices: February, 1892
4.
Invoices: March, 1892
5.
Invoices: April - May, 1892
6.
Invoices: June, 1892
7.
Invoices: July, 1892
Box 3
Folder:
1.
Invoices: August, 1892
2.
Invoices: September, 1892
3.
Invoices: October - November, 1892
4.
Invoices: December, 1892
5.
Invoices: January, 1893
6.
Invoices: February - March, 1893
7.
Invoices: April, 1893
8.
Invoices: May - June, 1893
Box 4
Folder:
1.
Invoices: August, 1893
2.
Invoices: September, 1893
3. Invoices: October, 1893
4.
Invoices: January - March (part 1),
1894
5.
Invoices: January - March (part 2),
1894
6.
Invoices: April June (part 1), 1894
7.
Invoices: April - June (part 2), 1894
Box 5
Folder:
1.
Invoices: January - December, 1899
2.
Invoices: January - March, 1900
3.
Invoices: April - June, 1900
4.
Invoices: July - September, 1900
5.
Invoices: October - December, 1900
6.
Invoices: January - June, 1901
7.
Invoices: July - December, 1901
8.
Invoices: January - March, 1902
9.
Invoices: April - June, 1902
10.
Invoices: July - September, 1902
11.
Invoices: October, 1902
12.
Invoices: November, 1902
13.
Invoices: December, 1902
Box 6
Folder:
1.
Invoices: January March, 1919
2. Invoices: April June, 1919
3.
Invoices: November December, 1919
4.
Invoices: November December, 1920
5.
Invoices: January - March (part 1),
1921
6.
Invoices: January - March (part 2),
1921
7.
Invoices: January - March (part 3),
1921
8.
Invoices: April - May (part 1), 1921
Box 7
Folder:
1.
Invoices: April - May (part 2), 1921
2.
Invoices: January March, 1924
3.
Invoices: April June, 1924
4.
Invoices: July September, 1924
5.
Invoices: October December, 1924
6.
Invoices: July December, 1951
7.
Invoices: January, 1952
8.
Invoices: February, 1952
9.
Invoices: March, 1952
10.
Invoices: April, 1952
Box 8
Folder:
1.
Invoices: May, 1952
2.
Receipts (part 1), 1886
3.
Receipts (part 2), 1886
4.
Receipts, 1891
5. Receipts,
1892
6.
Cancelled checks: North End Mercantile
Co. (part 1), 1949-1952
7.
Cancelled checks: North End Mercantile
Co. (part 2), 1949-1952
8.
"Itemized Cash Account," n.d.
9.
Lists of Accounts, 1908, 1909, 1913
10.
Payroll lists of North End Mercantile Co. 1922
11.
Lists of numbers (unidentified)
12.
Property Assessment Lists, 1913, 1950-1951
Box 9
Folder:
1.
Sales tax reports of North End Mercantile, 1951-1952
2.
Tax Receipts, 1949-1951
3.
Employee income tax withholdings: North
End Mercantile Co., 1948-1951
4.
Copy of "New Intangibles Tax Law," 1939
5.
Letter from the IRS to North End Mercantile re: additional taxes due, 1939
6.
Bank account balance sheets of J.A. Barnett, 1897-1904
7.
S.H. Barnes and Co. re: delinquent
account, 1908
8.
Licenses, certificates, tax stamps, 1948-1952
9.
Statements for stores 1, 2, and 3, 1889
10.
Letter from Yukon Mills re:
indebtedness of North End Mercantile, 1952
11.
Information on Daniel Danahy for establishing credit, 1892
12.
Price lists from Star Mill and Elevator Co., 1938
13.
Notice from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission regarding employers
benefit wage ratio, 1948
14.
Estimate for the construction of a railroad.
15.
Receipts for rent: rents collected, 1906
16.
Receipts for the purchase of a mining lease, 1907; and one volume, bound letter
book containing receipts, invoices, and correspondence, 1897-98
Box 10
Two
volumes: bound letter books containing
receipts, 1888-1891; and invoices, etc., 1899-1901
Box 11
One
volume: bound letter book containing
receipts, invoices, 1892-1896
Box 12
Two
volumes: bound letter books containing
receipts and invoices, 1882-1889
Box 13
Check
stubs: 1917-19, 1891-1903, 1923-24,
1942-43, 1945-51
Box 14
Folder:
1.
Purchases on account tickets: last name
beginning with A B, 1920-1934
2.
C E, 1920-1934
3.
F M, 1910-1925
4.
N R, 1918-1934
5.
S Z, 1911-1934
I. Sub series: Office of
Price Administration
This
material concerns rationing and price control of goods during WWII.
Box 15
Folder:
1.
Memorandum, correspondence, notices, 1943-1944
2.
Two copies of "OPA Food Guide," January 1944
3.
Copies of Retailer's Bulletin, No. 48, December 1943; and No. 51, February 1944
4.
Price Lists and Pricing Charts, 1943-1945
II. Legal Papers
This
series contains various legal papers such as contracts, deeds, leases, notices,
etc.
Folder:
5.
Papers of S.H. Barnes, 1907
6.
Papers of J.A. Barnett, 1902-1906
7.
Papers of the Confederate Memorial Assoc., 1904
8.
Papers of J.B. McAlester, 1906-1910
9.
Papers of J.J. McAlester, 1880-1918
10.
Papers of W.B. McAlester, 1903-1913
III. Printed Materials
This
material is composed of various printed matter such as newspaper clippings,
articles, notices, etc.
11.
"Notice to Holders of Town Lots", re: sale of lots, 1906
12.
"An Act to Create a Board of Examiners and Regulate the Business of
Plumbing in Certain Cities"
13.
Report re: description, powers, and duties of the Interstate Commerce
Commission
14.
"Provision of the Treaty of 1898 Exempting Choctaw Lands from
Taxation"
15.
Speech: J.J. McAlester to the North
Western Oklahoma Irrigation Congress
16.
Newspaper clippings and advertisements
17.
Page from "Affairs in the Indian Territory"
18.
Blank letterhead from North End Mercantile
19.
Copy of the Muskogee Daily Phoenix, No. 33, re: the sinking of the
Tuscania. February 7, 1918.
20.
Schedule of monthly meetings
21.
"Geology of the Eastern Choctaw Coal Field", J. Taff, 1900
IV. Correspondence
Contained
within this series are both loose and hard bound copies of letters to and from
J.J. McAlester, J.J.'s attorneys, and some of Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Barnes.
Box 16
Folder:
1.
Correspondence from J.J. to persons with last name beginning with: A-B, 1908-14
2.
C-D
3.
E-G
4.
H-K
5.
L-N
6.
O-R
7.
S-T
8.
U-Z
9.
A-H, 1892-1910
10.
I-R, 1892-1913
11.
S-Z, 1892-1913
12.
Correspondence concerning Penny vs. McAlester, 1908, 1911
13.
Correspondence from the Lieutenant Governors Office, 1911 1913
14.
Correspondence, c/o Corporation Commission, 1908 1909
15.
Correspondence between J.J. and his attorneys, 1908 1909
16.
Correspondence between J.J's attorneys and a third party, 1908 1914
17.
Correspondence from F.M. Davis regarding the store, 1908
18.
Correspondence of J.A. Barnett, 1896 1909
19.
Correspondence of Mr. Hopkins, 1948
20.
Correspondence of Mr. Barnes, 1906 - 1908
Box 17
One
volume: bound copies of correspondence
from J.J. McAlester, 1911-1913
One
volume: letter copy book of
correspondence from J.J. McAlester concerning business, 1887-1888
One
volume: letter copy book from Osage
Coal & Mining Co., 1885-1886
Box 18
One
volume: letter copy book of
correspondence from J.J. McAlester to the National Bank of Denison, 1895-1896
One
volume: letter copy book of deeds,
cases, and suits of J.J. McAlester, 1874-1899
One
volume: letter copy book from the Osage
Trading Co.
One
volume: record of minutes of meetings
for the formation and activities of the North End Improvement Co., 1906-1909
Cash
Books: daily transactions of cash,
running totals of cash and scrip on hand.
Box 19
Cash
Books: seven volumes, 1891 - 1895
Box 20
Cash
Books: eight volumes, 1895 1898
Box 21
Daily
Journals of cash and scrip sales by patron:
four volumes, 1894-1898
Box 22
Cash
Books: six volumes, 1886 - 1891, and
1904 - 1910
Box 23
Cash
Books: four volumes, 1908 - 1917
Box 24
Cash
books: four volumes, 1896
Box 25
Bound
check stubs dated from 1885-88, 1891-92, 1892-93, 1893-95
Box 26
Bound
check stubs dated from 1895-96, 1896-97
Box 27
Bound
check stubs dated from: 1897-99, 1899-01
One
volume: check book, 1901
Box 28
Accounts
Journals: Daily and monthly status of
accounts and purchases made on account. Five volumes: 1923-27, 1908-10, 1911-14, 1915-21, 1951
One
volume: "Farm accounts" book
Box 29
Daybooks: Daily diary of merchandise sold including
the prices. Eight volumes, 1871-1872,
1898-1903, 1910
Box 30
Invoice/Inventory
books: ten volumes, 1885 - 1896
Box 31
Invoice/Inventory
books: eleven volumes, 1897 - 1906
Box 32
Invoice/Inventory
books: eight volumes, 1907, 1916, 1933,
1945-1947, 1948, 1949, and n.d.
Order
books, orders placed by individuals:
one volume, 1893-1894
Box 33
Order
books, orders placed by individuals:
five volumes, 1891-1893, 1898 1900
Delivery
books: two volumes
Box 34
Delivery
books: thirteen volumes, 1898 1901
One
volume: "Want book", 1900
One
volume: "Lumber book", 1884
One
volume: "Diggers Yardage",
1902-1903
Eight
volumes: Various personal account books
Two
volumes: Unidentified books
Box 35
One
volume: General ledger concerning
mining operations, 1901-1905
One
volume: "Purchases book",
1888-1891
One
volume: book marked "Penny
Matter"
Four
volumes: unidentified paper bound books
Box 36
One
volume: "Dry goods charge
book", 1900
One
volume: "Laborer Accounts",
1884 1892
One
volume: "Accounts of
Laborers", 1890
One
volume: "Laborer Accounts
book", 1877 1879
One
volume: "Merchandise Account
Book", 1894 1897
One
volume: "Dry Goods Charges",
1899 1900
One
volume: "Livery Stable
Accounts", 1890
One
volume: "Pelly Ledger", 1886
Box 37
One
volume: check book, 1906
One
volume: check book, 1943-1945
One
volume: "Income Tax book",
1894
One
volume: Account book, 1894-1896
One
volume: "Uncollected
balances", 1891
One
volume: "Balance Sheets" for
the Osage Trading Co. and for J.J. McAlester Mercantile Co., 1888-1889
One
volume: "Collection book" for
the Osage Trading Co., 1890
One
volume: "Registration of Fire and
Tornado Insurance" with a layout of the store and the surrounding
buildings, 1887-1893
One
volume: Journal of total sales by
month, 1940-1951
One
volume: "Sales of Corn and
Potatoes", 1895
Box 38
Miscellaneous
Artifacts:
75
stereoviewer pictures
One
metal sign "S.H. Barnes & Co."
One
calendar from 1896
One
geological map of the Eastern Choctaw Coal Fields
OVERSIZED BOOKS
Daybook number, and dates:
1:
11/25/1889 - 1/23/90
2.
1/24/90 - 3/7/90
3.
4/8/90 - 6/11/90
4.
6/10/90 - 8/16/90
5.
6/13/90 - 8/29/90
6.
8/30/90 - 11/24/90
7.
11/5/90 - 2/23/91
8.
1/19/91 - 3/28/91
9.
2/24//91 - 4/14/91
10.
4/15/91 - 6/1/91
11.
6/1/91 - 7/17/91
12.
7/17/91 - 10/7/91
13.
7/24/91 - 9/23/91
14.
10/8/91 - 2/22/92
15.
12/1/91 - 2/20/92
16.
2/6/92 - 7/8/92
17.
2/22/92 - 8/2/94
18.
2/25/92 - 7/5/92
19.
7/7/92 - 12/13/92
20.
7/13/92 - 11/30/92
21.
12/16/92 - 9/30/93
22.
12/21/92 - 9/25/93
23.
9/20/93 - 3/24/94
24.
10/4/93 - 4/4/94
25.
3/27/94 - 9/29/94
26.
4/6/94 - 10/25/94
27.
10/1/94 - 2/9/95
28.
10/27/94 - 2/25/95
29.
2/12/95 - 4/13/95
30.
2/25/95 - 12/3/95
31.
2/27/95 - 8/31/95
32.
4/7/95 - 8/07/95
33.
4/16/95 - 10/11/95
34.
9/03/95 - 10/17/95
35.
9/08/95 - 1/11/96
36.
10/14/95 - 3/18/96
37.
12//05/95 - 10/20/96
38.
2/17/96 - 9/2/96
39.
3/20/96 - 7/18/96
40.
5/29/96 - 2/03/98
41.
9/04/96 - 10/16/94
42.
8/23/97 - 12/01/97
43.
5/11/97 - 8/20/97
44.
7/06/97 - 10/16/97
45.
7/21/96 - 2/02/97
46.
10/21/96 - 10/9/97
47.
1/02/97 - 5/08/97
48.
2/15/97 - 7/02/97
49.
4/07/97 - 10/7/97
50.
10/01/97 - 4/30/98
51.
10/11/97 - 1/07/98
52.
10/12/97 - 3/10/98
53.
10/16/97 - 3/07/98
54.
2/17/98 - 7/07/98
55.
3/09/98 - 9/10/98
56.
3/11/98 - 10/21/98
57.
4/30/98 - 11/2/98
58.
7/08/98 - 10/25/98
59.
9/13/98 - 2/28/99
60.
10/20/98 - 1/26/99
61.
10/22/98 - 9/25/99
62.
11/4/98 - 11/17/99
63.
1//28/99 - 5/08/99
64.
3/02/99 - 1/27/1900
65.
5/09/99 - 8/28/99
66.
8/29/99 - 12/21/99
67.
9/26/99 - 7/6/1900
68.
11/20/99 - 6/25/00
69.
12/22/99 - 4/12/00
70.
1/27/00 - 8/21/00
71.
4/13/00 - 8/06/00
72.
5/7/00 - 10/6/00
73.
5/10/00 - 12/30/02
74.
7/7/00 - 11/26/00
75.
8/23/00 - 1/27/01
76.
10/8/00 - 12/18/00
77.
10/19/00 - 2/8/01
78.
11/30/00 - 2/9/01
79.
12/18/00 - 2/13/01
80.
1/08/01 - 3/01/01
81.
1/29/01 - 2/09/01
82.
2/11/01 - 4/26/01
83.
4/27/01 - 7/09/01
84.
11/01/01 - 3/12/02
85.
11/01/01 - 5/10/02
86.
1/01/02 - 7/09/02
87.
2/14/02 - 10/31/02
88.
3/24/02 - 5/28/02
89.
5/12/02 - 12/15/02
90.
5/14/02 - 6/19/03
91.
7/9/02 - 2/20/03
92.
7/28/02 - 11/29/02
93.
11/1/02 - 8/05/03
94.
11/29/02 - 3/9/03
95.
12/17/02 - 7/28/03
96.
1/16/03 - 2/9/04
97.
1/23/03 - 1/11/04
98.
2/3/03 - 6/06/03
99.
2/20/03 - 6/13/03
100.
3/10/03 - 6/5/03
101.
6/02/03 - 10/5/03
102.
6/22/03 - 12/31/04
103.
6/27/03 - 5/01/05
104.
6/27/03 - 6/09/04
105.
7/05/03 - 8/11/03 (butcher)
106.
7/24/03 - 12/3/03
107.
8/05/03 - 3/23/04
108.
8/01/03 - 4/23/04
109.
1/12/04 - 5/18/04
110.
2/11/04 - 5/19/04
111.
3/23/04 - 7/27/05
112.
1/03/05 - 5/08/05
113.
5/11/05 - 3/18/09
114.
5/11/05 - 9/30/07
115.
6/19/07 - 7/31/07, Invoice for Dec. 31, 1917-1943
116.
10/1/07 - 5/12/09
117.
10/1/07 - 12/30/07, Invoice for Dec. 31, 1939-1941
118.
5/02/08 - 12/31/11, Invoice for Dec. 31, 1911-1933
119.
5/13/09 - 4/21/10
120.
4/22/10 - 8/07/11
121.
6/18/10 - 8/09/12
122.
9/01/11 - 4/14/13
123.
8/10/12 - 10/30/16
124.
4/15/30 - 1/29/15
125.
2/18/15 - 9/09/16
126.
9/11/16 - 12/07/17
127.
10/31/16 - 7/30/20
128.
12/8/17 - 5/15/19
129.
5/17/19 - 9/30/20
130.
7/31/20 - 5/31/24
131.
10/1/20 - 2/28/22
132.
3/01/22 - 6/20/23
133.
7/02/23 - 12/31/24
134.
1/01/25 - 5/25/26
135.
3/30/91 - 5/30/91
136.
6/01/91 - 7/31/91
137.
9/24/91 - 11/30/91
138.
5/16/94 - 9/01/94
139.
3/19/09 - 6/17/10
140.
7/10/01 - 9/14/01
141.
9/16/01 - 10/31/01
142.
5/29/02 - 8/26/02
143.
1888, 1899
144.
1896-1897
145.
1908
146.
1908, 1909
147.
1908, 1910-12, 1934
148.
1914-1916
149.
1915
150.
1917-21
151.
1922-25
Ledgers-
Itemized accounts of general merchandise purchased by each customer.
152.
1874-75
153.
1875-78
154.
1877-80
155.
1881
156.
1881-83
157.
1883-85
158.
1885-91
159.
1886
160.
1886-87
161.
1887-88
162.
1888-89
163.
1889-90
164.
1889-90
165.
1890
166.
1890-91, with directory
167.
1890-93
168.
1891
169.
1891-92
170.
1892-94
171.
1893-94
172.
1893-94
173.
1894-96
174.
1894-97
175.
1896-1905
176.
1897-99
177.
1897-1900
178.
1901-03
179.
1904
180.
1908-09
181.
1915-19
182.
1950
183.
Ledger marked "Old Dry Ledger", 1895-1900
184.
Ledger, with day book, 1886-1895
185.
"Journal" of itemized debits, 1888-1891
186.
Book marked "Register", 1891-94
187.
Cash book dated 10/96 - 8/97
188.
Cash book dated 4/97 - 9/98
189.
Cash book dated 3/1898 - 7/1899
190.
Cash book dated 4/1901 - 1/1903
191.
Cash book dated 10/1912 - 5/1916
192.
Cash book dated 6/1916 - 7/1919
193.
Cash book dated 8/1919 - 9/1922
194.
Cash book dated 10/1922 - 12/1925
195.
Book marked "Monthly Account Book"
196.
"Insurance Policy Register"
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