Positive microfilm copy of a research paper, "John Bisland, an original member of the Mississippi Cotton Aristocracy," compiled by Miss Sarah Shields concerning Bisland and his family. Bisland (1742–1821), a native of Scotland, came to the United States in 1774, establishing a merchandise store in North Carolina. In 1782 he received a Spanish Land Grant for lands in the Mississippi Territory, which he soon expanded and developed into an extensive cotton plantation.