William Franklin Hamilton was born in Carroll County on January 27, 1842. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1859 and shortly thereafter joined the Carroll County company of Confederate troops. Wounded in the hand after two years of service, he served in clerical work during the remainder of the War. Mr. Hamilton was a teacher for forty years and was county sheriff for two terms. A local historian, he produced several historical studies of Carroll County and the surrounding area. W. F. Hamilton died on July 16, 1929, in Carrollton.

This collection contains two versions of a manuscript "History of Carroll County." According to Hamilton's grandson, only fragments of the original manuscript survive. Hamilton had the manuscript published in serial form in the Carrollton Conservative in 1925–1926 under the title "History of Carroll County." These serials were clipped and pasted into an old journal (1906 entries), possibly by Hamilton, along with some related clippings. Some time later, someone made a typescript of the early serials and indexed the typescript for proper names and places. (This typescript does not go beyond page sixty-one of the scrapbook.)

Photocopies of Hamilton and Thomson families genealogical notes, compiled by Hamilton, are also included. A typescript of these notes, prepared by the Department at the donor's request, is also included.

Series:

1. Scrapbook. 1906; 1925–1929. 1 vol. Contains original journal entries from 1906. Also includes serialized version of "History of Carroll County." Miscellaneous newsclippings include Hamilton's obituary, "A Supplementary Chapter to W. F. Hamilton's 'History of Carroll County,'" by T. J. Booth (ca. 1926), "Sketch of Black Hawk Rifles," by Col. H. J. Reid, n.d.—reprinted from Judge James W. Johnson recalling old days in Carrollton (January 27, 1926).
2. Typescript. n.d. 2 items. Has proper name and place index.
3. Genealogical Notes. n.d.; 1980. 3 items.