Biography/History:

Peter Quin, Jr., was born in South Carolina on January 30, 1787. He was the son of Peter and Judith (Robinson) Quin. Peter Quin, Jr., married Martha (Patsy) C. Moore (1793-1863) in North Carolina, and they moved to Holmesville, Pike County, Mississippi, around 1815. The Quins had at least twelve children: Selena A. (b. 1811), Mary Louise (1813-1832), Lemuel Jackson (1815-1895), Irvin Moore (1817-1886), Hugh Murray (1819-1900), Cynthia Miranda (b. 1821), Martha Lucretia (b. & d. 1823), Peter Childs (1824-1884), Josephus R. (1826-1864), Martha Ann (1828-1842), DeWitt Clinton (1830-1858), and Courtney M. (1833-1866). Peter Quin, Jr., served as colonel of the Ninth Regiment, United States Militia, from 1825 to 1827. He also served as probate judge of Pike County. Quin died on August 25, 1835.

George Nicholson was born in Virginia on June 22, 1809. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Nicholson began practicing medicine in Holmes County, Mississippi, and he later moved to Port Hudson, Louisiana, in 1833. He married Selena A. (Quin) Johnson on December 18, 1835. The Nicholsons moved to Holmesville, Mississippi, around 1846. Dr. Nicholson operated a mercantile store in Holmesville until he retired from business in 1872 and moved to his nearby farm. He also served as a probate judge and state senator for Pike County, and he was a member of the Holmesville Methodist Church. Dr. Nicholson died in Holmesville on July 6, 1883.

Peter Childs Quin was born on September 12, 1824. He probably worked at a mercantile store in Holmesville between 1845 and 1847. Quin married Martha J. Weathersby (b. 1832) on May 3, 1849, and they continued living in Holmesville. He bought land in Lawrence County around 1859 and again in 1872. Quin was also a state senator who represented Lawrence and Pike counties. He died at his home near Holmesville on October 7, 1884.

Josephus R. Quin was born on August 12, 1826. He married Bettie Murphy of Kentucky, and they had at least two children: Kate and Mollie. The Quins lived in Summit, Pike County. Josephus R. Quin apparently operated a mercantile store in Holmesville, at least during 1854 and 1855, and he may also have owned a mercantile store in Summit. He may even have worked at the same mercantile store as his brother, Peter Childs Quin. During the Civil War, Quin became captain of Company A, Garland’s Battalion, Mississippi Cavalry. When his battalion merged with several others in September of 1863, Quin became captain of Company A, Fourteenth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry. Captain Quin was killed at the battle of Harrisburg, Mississippi, on July 14, 1864.

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of one ledger containing accounts from an unspecified mercantile store and two daybooks associated with the Nicholson or Quin families. The similar format shared between the accounting ledger and the daybooks and the repetition of many surnames therein may indicate that they recorded accounts from the same mercantile store.

The bound, paginated ledger contains accounts from 1830 to 1833 for an unspecified mercantile store that sold items such as clothing, cognac, and hardware. The names James Drake and James McNabbs are written on the third and fourth pages of the ledger. Accounts are arranged by customer name, with sales listed chronologically, and there is a customer index.

The front cover of the first bound and paginated daybook is inscribed “P. C. Quin, Holmesville, Mississippi, 1860.” R. Nicholson noted the unseasonably cold weather of August 1, 1845, on the first page of the daybook. The mercantile entries are recorded chronologically, often on a daily basis from August 1, 1845, to September of 1847. Individual sales are recorded, including the names of customers and items sold such as cloth, gunpowder, and nails. The inside front cover of the second bound and paginated daybook in inscribed “J. R. Quin, Holmesville, Mississippi.” The mercantile entries are recorded chronologically, often on a daily basis from 1854 to 1855. The names of customers and items sold are listed, and the merchandise is similar to that of the previous daybook.

Series Identification:

1. Accounting Ledger. 1830-1833. 1 bound volume.

   Box 2

2. Daybooks. 1845-1847; 1854-1855. 2 bound volumes.

   Box 1 (1854-1855)
   Box 2 (1845-1847)

• Box 1, volume 1: daybook (1854-1855)

• Box 2, volume 1: daybook (1845-1847)
  Box 2, volume 2: accounting ledger (1830-1833)