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Edmund Cottle and Elizabeth Hunt Weeks papers, 1854-1935.
Amount:
4 cubic ft. 11.00 v.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement:
Arranged by record type.
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Biographical/Historical:
Edmund Cottle Weeks, a native of Massachusetts, was born March 10, 1829, to Captain Hiram Weeks, a merchant mariner, and Margaret D. Cottle. Weeks enrolled at Yale College and, later, the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, but failed to finish either course.
Following in his father's footsteps, Weeks became a sailor and eventually was a partner for the firm of Wallace Sherwood and Company. When the Civil War began, Weeks enlisted as an acting officer in the United States Navy on the USS Pensacola and participated in the Battle of New Orleans. Weeks also served as First Lieutenant in the 2nd Florida Cavalry, however this was met with resistance from former Confederate officers and soldiers now under his command. Rising tensions and alleged conspiracy against him resulted in Weeks shooting and killing one of his soldiers. Weeks was ultimately exonerated of the murder charge, but it tarnished his military career as well as his future in Florida politics.
After his discharge from the military, Weeks purchased considerable tracts of land for use in cotton farming, including an existing cotton labor farm near Tallahassee called Tuscawilla, formerly owned by the Parkhill family. This proved ill-advised, as Weeks had no agricultural experience and lacked the funds to pay freed Black laborers or for regular upkeep of his land and equipment. He quickly acquired considerable debt.
Weeks also tried his hand at entering the political sphere of Florida after the war. When Governor Harrison Reed needed to replace his lieutenant governor, he appointed Weeks, a staunch Republican. However, considerable disapproval of this appointment by the constituency led Weeks to leave office. He continued to be active in county and state politics, serving as a Leon County commissioner and sheriff as well as a Leon County Representative to the Florida House of Representatives for several terms. He also conducted unsuccessful campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate.
After U.S. Army forces supporting Reconstruction efforts withdrew from the Republican government, the freedmen were exposed to extreme hostility from their white neighbors. In 1890, the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida resigned in frustration at the inability to enforce the laws of the United States in Florida. President W.H. Harrison appointed Weeks as the new Marshal. Weeks carried out his duties in conflict with the people of Florida: freedmen and whites seeking sanctuary from mobs often used his home in Tallahassee as a refuge. One of his deputies accused him of non-payment, but Weeks was once again exonerated.
Weeks married Mary Jones of London, England in the 1850s, but she died in Tallahassee in 1888. His second marriage took place on June 6, 1890 in Tallahassee to the widow Elizabeth Hunt Craft, whose previous husband, Gilbert D. Craft, served with the 109th New York Volunteers prior to his death in 1883. Craft's estate included business rental property in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt appointed Weeks to Surveyor General of Florida. Two years later Weeks's ill health forced him to resign the post, and he died in Tallahassee on April 12, 1907.
Summary:
The collection contains the papers of Major Edmund Cottle Weeks and Elizabeth Hunt Weeks from 1854 to 1935. The majority of E. C. Weeks' papers relate to his term as United States Marshal from 1890 to 1895 and include official correspondence and record books; civil, execution, and criminal dockets; ledgers; accounts; jury lists; and subpoenas. There is also some of his personal correspondence from 1867 to 1905.
The rest of the collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and genealogies of the Weeks, Craft, Hunt, Fish, and related families. It includes personal and business correspondence of Elizabeth H. Weeks from 1891 to 1935. The business correspondence relates to her interests in copper mines in New Mexico and property in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Information on the copper mines includes reports, survey materials, and drawings.
There is also one photograph album that belonged to Elizabeth Weeks' first husband, Gilbert D. Craft, who was a member of the 109th New York Volunteers during the Civil War. It contains photographs of fellow officers.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
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Ownership/Custodial History:
The documents were found in the attic of the donor's house, where the Weeks Family once lived.
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Hunt family. Fish family. Weeks family. Craft family. Craft, Gilbert D., d. 1883
United States. Army. --New York Volunteers, 109th (1861-1865) United States. District Court (Florida : Northern District) United States. Army. --Florida Cavalry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1865)
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) United States marshals. Women History 19th century Florida Women History 20th century Florida Civil War (Fla.)
Genealogies. aat
Tallahassee (Fla.) Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Florida Genealogy
for detailed listing.