Archibald Fairly, son of Alexander and Margaret Thompson Fairly, was born in Greene County, Mississippi, on July 4, 1832. He was the fifth of eleven children. For thirteen years prior to the Civil War, Fairly taught school in Copiah, Lawrence, and Marion counties in Mississippi. With the outbreak of the war, Fairly enlisted in Company B, Fourth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry. He attained the rank of first lieutenant. After the war, Fairly worked for Mississippi Mills, Wesson, Mississippi, as a traveling sales representative.

Fairly married his first wife, Mildred (Millie) Waller, in 1866. The couple had one daughter, Bettie. Mildred Fairly died sometime between 1866 and 1875. He married his second wife, Cornelia McLaurin, on February 14, 1877, and they had three children: Knox, Mary, and Nancy. Cornelia Fairly died sometime between 1880 and 1884. Fairly married his third wife, Sabra McKay, on August 30, 1884, and they had three children: Alexander, Earl, and Lena.

For the last fifty years of his life, Fairly was a resident of Mount Olive, Mississippi, where he served as justice of the peace for a number of years. He also served two terms as sheriff and was twice elected mayor. Archibald Fairly died in Mount Olive in October of 1929.

The collection contains correspondence, a diary, an autograph album, and a newspaper clipping. The majority of the letters were written during Archibald Fairly’s 1875 trip to Texas as a representative of Mississippi Mills, Wesson, Mississippi. The diary also offers information about Fairly’s experiences in Texas in 1875. The autograph album belonged to Mildred Waller Fairly, and it contains inscriptions from family and friends. The newspaper article contains a brief description of Mississippi Mills. The collection also contains a marriage proposal of Willy Waddell to Mildred Waller, Fairly’s first wife.

1. Correspondence. 1866; 1875; 1970. 4 folders.
2. Diary. 1875. 1 folder.
3. Autograph Album. 1861-1862. 1 folder.
4. 4. Newsclipping. 1951. 1 folder.