The Audubon Mississippi / Strawberry Plains Finley Collection is open for research.
Donated to the University by the National Audubon Society, 2003. Accretion donated by Dr. Hubert Horton McAlexander, 2008.
Collection processed by Jennifer Ford. Stephanie McKnight processed the Hubery H. Alexander Accretion. Finding aid encoded
by Jason Kovari, 8 May 2009 ; revised June 2010.
No further additions are expected to this collection.
The Finley and Davis families, related through marriage, lived in Marshall County, Mississippi;
in 1834, Mary Jane Greelee of Virginia married John Tate Finley while her sister, Martha Trimble Greelee, married Ebeneezer
Nelms Davis in 1845.
Martha and Ebeneezer built the substantial plantation home, Strawberry Plains, while the Finley’s lived in Holly Springs
proper.
Strawberry Plains was burned during the Civil War. For several years after the 1863 fire, the family lived in a small
cabin on the property.
The “Finley Place” was built by Mrs. Martha Alston Reese Jones, April 1859.
During the Jones’s tenure, the Surgeon General of Grant’s Army and his staff occupied the home.
The home became known as the Jones-Shuford House when Mrs. Jones sold the property to her son-in-law Dr. Shuford in 1872.
In 1906 George Finley purchased the home, which passed to his son Thomas Finley in November 1923.
By this time Thomas had married Ruth Leach and had two children: Ruth Finley (September 1911) and Margaret Finley (June
1915).
The two young girls grew up in the house and inherited it from their parents.
Margaret Finley Shackelford returned to Holly Springs with her husband, Dr. Shackelford,and purchased Strawberry Plains
while her sister Ruth remained in the Finley Place.
The two sisters donated Finley Place and Strawberry Plains to the National Audubon Society in 1983; the Society took residence
in the Spring of 1998.
Collection from the Marshall County plantation, Strawberry Plains. Contains the letters, documents, photographs and other
materials related to the lives of several Marshall County families: Davis, Finley, Leach, Hull, Fant, Moseley, Pinson, Kimball,
Bynum, Tidwell, and Levy.
The bulk of the collection concerns the Finley family and is in the 20th century.
The Dr. Hubert H. McAlexander Accretion contains five boxes of research materials kept by Dr. McAlexander for his book on
Strawberry Plains and the Audubon Society in Mississippi. Also includes information on family history from Holly Springs.
Audubon Mississippi / Strawberry Plains Finley Collection, circa 1830-1980, Archives and Special Collections, J.D. Williams
Library, The
University of Mississippi
The Audubon Mississippi / Strawberry Plains Finley Collection is open for research.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the
making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under
certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized
to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions
is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other
than private study, scholarship or research.” If a user makes a request for, or
later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use”,
that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Photographs were removed from this collection, housed separately for preservation purposes.
This collection is arranged by series according to family, then divided by subject and format. Materials are chronologically
arranged within each subseries. Materials in the Dr. Hubert H. McAlexander accretion remain in original order.
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Series VI. Finley Family |
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Correspondence |
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4.5
| Undated-January 1886 |
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4.6
| March 1886-March 1888 |
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4.7
| October 1888-December 1899 |
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4.8
| Undated 19th-century |
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4.9
| Undated 19th-century |
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4.10
| January 1900-May 1900 |
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4.11
| January 1901-November 1906 |
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4.12
| January 1907-November 1909 |
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5.1
| March 1910-December 1914 |
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5.2
| January 1911-December 1919 |
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5.3
| January 1920-December 1924 |
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5.4
| February 1927-December 1929 |
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5.5
| March 1930-December 1934 |
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5.6
| January 1935-December 1939 |
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5.7
| January 1940-December 1949 |
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5.8
| July 1950-December 1959 |
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5.9
| January 1960-October 1969 |
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6.1
| March 1970-June 1979 |
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6.2
| June 1980-January 1981 |
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Miscellaneous Materials |
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6.3
| 19th Century documents |
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6.4
| 20th Century documents, Undated-1967 |
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6.5
| 20th Century documents, Undated-1967 |
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Note: Includes materials on the Strawberry Plains historic register nomination
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6.6
| 19th Century miscellaneous |
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6.7
| General miscellaneous |
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6.8
| General miscellaneous |
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6.9
| General miscellaneous |
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6.10
| General miscellaneous |
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Note: Contains TVA abstract
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7.1
| General miscellaneous |
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7.2
| General miscellaneous |
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7.3
| General miscellaneous |
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7.4
| Miscellaneous art prints |
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7.5
| General miscellaneous |
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Note: Contains copy of deed of gift of land for Finley Chapel
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7.6
| School materials (See also Box 11)
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7.7
| School materials (See also Box 11)
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7.8
| Empty envelopes |
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7.9
| Miscellaneous invitations |
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Note: Includes invitation to Ruth Leach and Thomas Finley’s wedding in 1907
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7.10
| Maps and blueprints |
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Note: Contains blueprint of a corn crib
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7.11
| Maps and blueprints |
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Note: Contains highway map of Marshall County, January 1939
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7.12
| Plans for the restoration of Strawberry Plains, 27 March 1969 |
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7.13
| Map of Mississippi County, Arkansas |
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8.1
| School materials (See also Box 10)
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8.2
| School materials(See also Box 10)
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8.3
| Unidentified 20th Century scratch notes |
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14
| 19th century cookbook- labeled, “receipt book, 28 October 1857. Woodland” |
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14
| 19th century cookbook- labeled, “Mother Finley’s old cook books” |
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8.4
| 19th century cookbook fragment and recipes |
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8.5
| 20th century cookbooks and recipes |
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8.6
| 20th century cookbooks and recipes |
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8.7
| Certificate of Baptism. Ruth Anna Leads, 29 October 1893 |
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8.8
| Notebook Diary. Margaret Finley, Holly Springs, 1922 |
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Magazines and Pamphlets |
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9-10
| Magazines and Pamphlets |
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Miscellaneous Fabric and Ephemera |
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11
| Fabric |
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11
| Glasses |
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11
| Autograph books |
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11
| Bio of Our Baby |
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Diaries and Scrapbooks |
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12
| Diaries and Scrapbooks |
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Note: Contains Emma Finley’s diary, 1858-1859
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Newspaper Clippings |
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3
| 19th Century |
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3
| 20th Century |
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General Miscellaneous |
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14.1
| General 19th Century miscellaneous |
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14.2
| General 20th Century miscellaneous |
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14.3
| General 20th Century miscellaneous |
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14.4
| Materials on the Children of the Confederacy group of Holly Springs |
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14.5
| General correspondence, unknown sender or recipient |
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14.6
| Documents 19th Century |
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Ruth Finley Bank Statements |
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13
| Bank Statements |
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Restrictions: These materials are not publically available.
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Photographs |
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19th Century General Financial Documents |
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14.7
| Undated-1889 |
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14.8
| 1890-1899 |
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14.9
| Documents regarding the guardianship of Finley Scruggs by George J. Finley, 1881-1887 |
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14.10
| General 19th Century financial documents |
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20th Century General Financial Documents |
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14.11
| Undated |
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14.12
| 20th Century documents regarding the McKissack Farm |
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14.13
| Undated-1906 |
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14.14
| 1900-October 1909 |
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15.1
| October 1911-December 1919 |
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15.2
| 1920-1921 |
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15.3
| January-October 1922 |
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15.4
| 1922-1925 |
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15.5
| 1923 |
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15.6
| 1924 |
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15.7
| March-October, 1925 |
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15.8
| 1926-1929 |
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16.1
| 1930-1933 |
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16.2
| 1934 |
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16.3
| 1935 |
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16.4
| 1936-1939 |
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16.5
| 1940-1942 |
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16.6
| 1943-1949 |
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16.7
| March 1950-October 1958 |
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16.8
| 1961-1967 |
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16.9
| 1970-1979 |
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16.10
| Addition to Finley Place, 1975 |
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16.11
| 1985 |
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20th Century Tax Return Documents |
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17.1
| Undated-1918 |
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17.2
| 1921-1923 |
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17.3
| 1929 |
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17.4
| 1930 |
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17.5
| 1933-1939 |
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17.6
| 1940-1949 |
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17.7
| 1941 |
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17.8
| 1942 |
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17.9
| 1943 |
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17.10
| 1944 |
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17.11
| 1945 |
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17.12
| 1948 |
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17.13
| 1949 |
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17.14
| 1951 |
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17.15
| 1952 |
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17.16
| 1954-1959 |
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17.17
| 1957 |
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17.18
| 1958 |
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17.19
| 1959 |
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17.20
| 1960 |
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17.21
| 1960-1965 |
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18.1
| 1961 |
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18.2
| 1962 |
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18.3
| 1963 |
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18.4
| 1964 |
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18.5
| 1966 |
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18.6
| 1966 |
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18.7
| 1967 |
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18.8
| 1967 |
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18.9
| 1968 |
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18.10
| 1968-1969 |
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18.11
| 1969 |
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18.12
| 1970 |
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18.13
| 1970-1972 |
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18.14
| 1971 |
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18.15
| 1972 |
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18.16
| 1973 |
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18.17
| 1973 |
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18.18
| 1974 |
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19.1
| 1974-1976 |
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19.2
| 1975 |
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19.3
| 1976 |
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19.4
| 1977-1979 |
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19.5
| 1978 |
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19.6
| 1980-1981 |
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Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Files |
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19.7
| 1967 |
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19.8
| 1968 |
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19.9
| 1969 |
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19.10
| 1970 |
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19.11
| 1971 |
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20th Century Stock and Bond Information |
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20.1
| Stocks and bonds, 1929-1979 |
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20.2
| Miscellaneous stock and bond information |
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20.3
| Miscellaneous stock and bond information |
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20.4
| Stocks and bonds, 1929-1979 |
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20.5
| Cancelled checks and bank statements, Undated-1921 |
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20.6
| Cancelled checks and bank statements, Undated-1925 |
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20.7
| Cancelled checks and bank books, 1920s-1930s |
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21.1
| Finley Family cancelled checks, 1933-1947 |
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21.2
| Finley Family cancelled checks, 1961-1963 |
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21.3
| Finley Family cancelled checks, 1975-1977 |
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21.4
| Finley Family cancelled checks, 1978-1979 |
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21.5
| Shackelford Family financial documents |
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21.6
| Shackelford Family financial documents |
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21.7
| Shackelford Family financial documents |
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Ledgers |
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Undated Financial Ledgers |
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22
| Loose Undated Financial Ledgers |
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Thomas Finley Ledgers |
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Ledger #1
| February 1917-August 1917 |
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Scope: Contains rent records and cash advances
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Ledger #2
| 1915-1922 |
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Ledger #3
| 1917-1918 |
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Ledger #4
| 1918 |
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Ledger #5
| 1918-1921 |
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Ledger #6
| 1918-1920 |
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Ledger #7
| 1919-1921 |
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Ledger #8
| Settlements 1921-1924 |
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Ledger #9
| Income Tax 1921-1932 |
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Ledger #10
| 1921-1923 |
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Ledger #11
| 1922 |
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Scope: Contains financial records, cotton records, and rent records
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Ledger #12
| October 1922-April 1929 |
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Scope: Contains securities information, the account, cotton records, and household expenses
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Ledger #13
| 1922-1935 |
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Scope: Contains information on J.L. Finley, guardian of E.E. Finley
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Ledger #14
| 1923-1929 Receipt book for cotton |
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Ledger #15
| 1925-1927 |
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Ledger #16
| 1925-1927 |
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Ledger #17
| 1925 |
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Ledger #18
| 1925-1927 |
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Ledger #19
| 1925-1928 |
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Ledger #20
| 1925 |
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Ledger #21
| 1927-1929 |
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Ledger #22
| 1927-1928 |
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Ledger #23
| 1929-1931 |
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Scope: Contains information on cotton records
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Ledger #24
| 1929-1931 |
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Ledger #25
| 1931-1932 |
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Ledger #26
| 1931-1934 |
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Ledger #27
| 1931-1933 |
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Ledger #28
| 1932-1934 |
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Ledger #29
| 1932-1934 |
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Ledger #30
| [1933] |
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Ledger #31
| 1934-1935 Records of cotton bales |
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Ledger #32
| 1934-1943 |
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Ledger #33
| 1934-1935 |
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Ledger #34
| 1934 |
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Ledger #35
| 1934-1939 |
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Ledger #36
| 1934-1935 |
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Ledger #37
| 1935-1949 |
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Scope: Contains information on taxes, rents, and dividends
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Ledger#38
| 1935-1937 |
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Ledger #39
| 1935-1957 |
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Ledger #40
| 17 April 1937-31 January 1940 |
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Ledger #41
| 1935-1938 |
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Ledger #42
| 1935-1941 |
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Scope: Contains bank records, repair information, tax information, and cotton information
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Ledger #43
| 1935-1942 |
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Ledger #44
| 1935-1937 |
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Ledger #45
| 1937 |
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Ledger #46
| 1937-1939 |
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Scope: Contains cotton records
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Ledger #47
| 1938-1940 |
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Ledger #48
| 1938-1940 |
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Scope: Contains tenant records and information on acreage
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Ledger #49
| 1940-1944 |
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Ledger #50
| 1940-1943 |
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Ledger #51
| 1940-1941 |
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Ledger #52
| 1941-1943 |
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Ledger #53
| 1942-1943 |
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Scope: Contains information on cotton
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Ledger #54
| April 1942-October 1943 |
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Scope: Contains information on debt, army worm, poison records, and fertilizer records
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Ledger #55
| 1943-1945 |
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Ledger #56
| 1943-1945 |
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Ledger #57
| September 1944-February 1945 |
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Ledger #58
| 1944-1949 |
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Ledger #59
| 1944-1945 |
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Ledger #60
| September 1945-April 1946 |
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Scope: Contains cotton and fertilizer records
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Ledger #61
| 1945-1946 |
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Ledger #62
| December 1946-October 1948 |
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Ledger #63
| 1947-1948 |
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Scope: Contains cotton, corn, and fertilizer records
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Ledger #64
| 1947 |
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Ledger #65
| 1947-1950 |
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Ledger #65B
| 1948-1962 |
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Ledger #66
| 1948-1950 |
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Ledger #67
| 1948-1950 |
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Ledger #68
| 1950s |
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Ledger #69
| 1950-1956 |
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Scope: Contains bank records, crop expenses, interest and stocks, and information on the Victoria Gin Company
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Ledger #70
| September 1936-1950 Cotton records |
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Ledger #71
| 1950-1952 |
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Ledger #72
| 1951-1955 |
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Ledger #73
| 1953-1959 |
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Scope: Contains cotton register and farm reports
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Ledger #74
| 1955-1961 |
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Scope: Contains cotton and poison records
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Ledger #75
| April 1956-October 1959 |
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Ledger #76
| 1956-1967 |
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Ledger #77
| 1957-1961 Records of the Emma Finley Estate |
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Ledger #78
| 1959-1962 |
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Ledger #79
| 1960-1962Cotton and rent records |
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Ledger #80
| 1960s |
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Ledger #81
| 1962-1964 |
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Ledger #82
| 1964-1965 |
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Ledger #83
| 1966-1973 |
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Ledger #84
| 1966-1971 |
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George Finley Ledgers |
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Ledger #1
| Undated |
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Scope: Contains land plats and relating to George Finley’s land holdings
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Ledger #2
| 1868-1875 |
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Ledger #3
| 1876-1877 |
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Ledger #4
| 1878-1882 |
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Ledger #5
| 1878 |
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Ledger #6
| 1880 |
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Ledger #7
| 1883 |
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Ledger #8
| 1885 |
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Ledger #9
| [1885]-1888 |
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Ledger #10
| 1886 |
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Ledger #11
| 1887-1888 |
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Ledger #12
| August-September 1888 |
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Scope: Contains wage and time records
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Ledger #13
| 1889-1891 |
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Ledger #14
| 1891-1893 |
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Ledger #15
| 1893 |
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Ledger #16
| 1894 |
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Ledger #17
| 1895-1896 |
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Ledger #18
| 1896-1897 |
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Ledger #19
| 1897-1899 |
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Ledger #20
| 1898 |
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Ledger #21
| 1899-1900 |
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Ledger #22
| 1901-1902 |
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Ledger #23
| 1902-1904 |
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Ledger #24
| 1914-1915 |
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Miscellaneous Ledgers |
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Ledger #1
| 1934-1936 General ledger of household expenses |
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Ledger #2
| Undated Contains inspirational writings and prayers |
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Ledger #3
| 1967 Unknown owner but contains fertilizer records |
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Ledger #4
| 1965-1967 |
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Ledger #5
| Undated Ruth Leach’s short stories for composition class |
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Ledger #6
| 6 June 1915 Margaret Elizabeth Finley baby book |
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Ledger #7
| 1961 Ruth Finley’s diary |
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Ledger #8
| Undated Dockery & Donelson Company, Spot Cotton Brokers, notebook |
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Ledger #9
| 1929 Ruth Finley lesson book |
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Ledger #10
| 1929-1930 Ruth Finley Biology I notes |
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Ledger #11
| 1932, 1934 |
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Scope: Contains Margaret Finley’s Holly Springs High School diploma and her 1934 certificate from the Delta, Delta, Delta Sorority
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Ledger #12
| 20 June 1919-16 December 1931 Holly Springs Gin Company Board Minutes |
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Ledger #13
| 1930-1931 Ledger from the Victoria Gin Company |
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Ledger #14
| 1931-1938 Ledger from the Victoria Gin Company |
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Ledger #15
| 1931-1938 Ledger from the Victoria Gin Company |
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Ledger #16
| Holly Springs Garden Club Records, 1947 |
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Ledger #17
| 1921-1925 Finley Brothers Ledger |
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Ledger #18
| 1920-1922 Holly Springs school board minutes |
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Ledger #19
| 1904-1920 Holly Springs Institute board minutes |
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Ledger #20
| Miscellaneous ledger from the 1940s |
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Books |
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28-29
| Uncataloged Books |
