Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Peter and Aileen McWilliam papers, SMC.0170.0005

Born on June 1, 1875, in Canada Peter McWilliam immigrated to America in 1880 and on September 7, 1896, became a naturalized citizen of the United States in Stark County, Illinois. He married Nelly May Jackson in Illinois on June 1, 1899, and by 1920 Peter moved his family to Polk County, Arkansas. McWilliam was a civil engineer, surveyor, highway commissioner on the Jefferson highway. He owned and operated a farm in Acorn, Arkansas. He also served on the County Board of Education, as well as the board of directors for the Mena Chamber of Commerce. McWilliam died on June 22, 1947, in Polk County, Arkansas, and is buried along with his wife in Pinecrest Memorial Park in Mena, Polk County, Arkansas. This collection contains a newspaper clipping about Peter, an abstract of title, correspondence, memorial records, receipts, printed ephemera, sympathy cards, legal documents, pocket diaries, and poems.
Transferred from the Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2016.


  • File 1
    • Correspondence
      • 1926 April 8: Correspondence from Peter McWilliams, Chicago (IL) to Nelly McWilliams, Mena (AR)
      • 1927 April 7: Correspondence from Peter McWilliam, Chicago (IL) to Nelly McWilliam, Mena (AR)
      • 1928 December 20: Correspondence from Arkansas State Board of Health, Little Rock (AR) to Nelly McWilliam, Mena (AR)
      • 1983 August 8: Correspondence from Mena Memorials, Mena (AR) to Ethel Lester, Cincinnati (OH)
      • 1941 December 20: Correspondence from Mr. and Mrs. Peter McWilliam, Mena (AR) to Mr. and Mrs. James Jackson, Mena (AR)
      • 1947 June 22: Telegram from Aileen McWilliam, Mena (AR) to Wilbur Lester, Alexandria (VA)
    • Printed Ephemera
      • Poem by Aileen McWilliam "The Students Life"
      • Bates Brothers advertisement, Princeton (IL)
      • Elmira (NY) 100 years tag
      • 1908: Mena (AR) advertisement printed by the The Mena Commercial Club
      • 1866 October 11-13: Teachers' Association Twenty-second Annual Meeting
      • 1930 July: "The Inquiring Mind and the Seeing Eye" by Dr. A.S. Alexander"
    • Poems
      • "O, I am a donkey driver"
      • "Tam Gibb's Sowie"
      • "Our Goodman"
      • Untitled Poem
    • Newspaper clippings
    • Peter McWilliam memorial record
    • Sympathy card
  • File 2
    • Nellie Jackson autograph book, Stark County (IL)
    • Peter McWilliam autograph book, Stark County (IL)
    • Daily diary of R.T. Jackson, Osceola, Stark County (IL) 1866 August 15 - 1866 December
    • Legal Documents
      • Abstract of Title for Nellie McWilliam, Polk County (AR)
      • Naturalized Citizen record for Peter McWilliam, Stark County (IL)
    • List of names
    • 1884 January 1: Order of the Eastern Star receipt of dues