Personal correspondence and business papers of William Johnson, a lawyer and planter of Wilkinson County. Johnson lived at Woodville until 1830 and then moved to Pinckneyville, but was in school at Franklin, Tennessee, early in 1814 and at Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, during 1814, 1815, and 1816. He was the son of Isaac Johnson, had brothers named Joseph, Henry, and Isaac, and sisters named Rebeccah and Rachel.

The papers include Johnson's commissions as tax collector of Wilkinson County for 1811 signed on January 1, 1811, by David Holmes; for 1812 signed on March 16, 1812, by Henry Daingerfield; as clerk of the Superior Court of Law and Equity in Wilkinson County signed on November 2, 1816, by David Holmes; as justice of the peace in Wilkinson County signed on March 16, 1818, by David Holmes; and as captain in the Fifth Regiment of Mississippi Militia signed on March 25, 1818, by David Holmes.

Sixty-one letters are from members of the family to William Johnson, as follows:

• 41 from Henry Johnson (September 14, 1783–September 4, 1864), United States Senator from Louisiana, 1818–1824, 1844–1849, Governor of Louisiana, 1824–1828, and United States Representative from Louisiana, 1834–1839 (July 21, 1814–March 26, 1848)
• 16 letters from Joseph Johnson, member of the Constitutional Convention of 1817, the Constitutional Convention of 1832, the Mississippi Senate, 1817–1820, 1828–1829, and the Mississippi House of Representatives, 1824–1825 (August 17, 1814–May 10, 1832)
• two letters from Isaac Johnson (father) (September 3 and December 28, 1815)
• one letter from Rachel Johnson (January 6–15, 1815)
• one letter from Mrs. E. R. Johnson, wife of Henry (February 25, 1841)

Two interesting items are receipts dated at Woodville on February 1, 1826, for the payment of tuition for dancing lessons given by J. J. Audubon. Another item is Samuel L. Winston's commission, signed by James Monroe on December 9, 1818, as register of the Land Office West of the Pearl River. Fifty-six pieces are letters and accounts from factors pertaining principally to the sale of cotton: Reynolds, Byrne and Company, New Orleans (2 pieces, August 9, 1833–June 10, 1834); Cline and Williams, Fort Adams (January 6, 1842); James Armor, New Orleans (2 pieces, January 12, 1842); Andrews and Brother, New Orleans (October 7, 1843); Black and Mure, New Orleans (2 pieces, November 3 and 28, 1843); Washington Jackson and Company, New Orleans (30 pieces, January 23, 1844–November 16, 1850); Todd, Jackson and Company, Liverpool (6 pieces, November 30, 1844–November 18, 1847); and Washington Jackson, Sons and Company, Liverpool (12 pieces, December 24, 1847–October 13, 1849).
The papers are distributed by dates as follows:

• n.d., 4 pieces
• 1811–1819, 47 pieces
• 1820–1829, 40 pieces
• 1830–1839, 17 pieces
• 1840–1849, 46 pieces
• 1850–1859, 10 pieces.