Collection Title: Morrison (Jessie) Collection

Collection Number: M422

Dates: 1864-1990

Volume: 1.8 cu. ft.

Provenance: Materials in this collection were donated by Mrs. Gray Sutherlan and Ms. Mary Butler in 1991 and 1992.

Copyright: This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).

Biographical/Historical Sketch:

Jessie Hagler "Miss Jessie" Morrison was born on February 5, 1919, in Forrest County, Mississippi, one of nine children born to Eva B. Morrison and William Sylvester Morrison. The family moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1903, where William Morrison became the manager of a small brickyard on the banks of the Bouie River, just northwest of Hattiesburg. In 1904, Mr. Morrison and Mr. Ira Gaston purchased the company and renamed it Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company.

Jessie graduated from the Demonstration School on the State Teachers College (now USM) campus in 1937. In 1947, she received a Bachelor's degree from Mississippi Southern College (now USM).

In 1943 she enlisted in the U. S. Waves, and was sent to Hunter College in New York for training. Afterward, she served in the hospital corps at the U. S. Naval Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was later transferred to New Orleans. She left the service in 1944.

She was employed by Western Union and Cranston's Commercial School before landing a job as secretary to the dean of Mississippi Southern College, Dr. R. A. McLemore, in 1953. From 1955 until her retirement in 1986, she served as secretary, executive secretary and administrative assistant to the president of the University of Southern Mississippi. Once Jessie retired, she continued to work part time in the same office.

Miss Jessie was a lifetime member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She was also a member of the Mississippi Association of Office Personnel, National Association of Office Personnel, the Mystic Krewe of Zeus, and the Daughters of the Confederate States of America.

Jessie H. Morrison died on February 22, 1991. She is interred in the Roseland Park Cemetery in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Sources:

U. S. Census Records, 1920, 1930
M108 Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company
RG 4 Faculty and Staff Biographies
Neka Camon, 1939

Series:

Series I: Jessie Morrison and Family
Series II: Receipts
Series III: The Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company

Scope and Content:

Materials in this collection span more than a century of activities relating to Jessie Morrison and her family. Most of the materials have been photocopied, due to water and insect damage. The collection is divided into three series.

Series I - Jessie Morrison Family

This series contains records that deal with the Morrison family as a whole. Included are correspondence, a short history of the Morrison family in Hattiesburg, insurance policies, newspaper clippings, grocery lists, record book, high school bulletins, and records regarding Jessie Morrison's involvement in various organizations and community issues. In addition, there are day planners relating to Miss Jessie's work at the University of Southern Mississippi. Noteworthy items in this series are the beautifully written correspondence, and materials pertaining to Kamper Park.

Series II - Receipts

Receipts in this series apparently relate to both personal and business expenses. They provide insight into the types of goods and services used by the Morrison family between 1903 and 1938.

Series III - Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company

This series consists of materials relating to the daily operation of the Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company from 1903 - 1935. Included are company ledgers, shipping orders, receipts, payroll, a court case, stock sheet and the notice of incorporation.

Related Collections:

M 108 Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company
RG 6 USM Office of the President
M 208 Hattiesburg Municipal Records
M 36 Postcards

Other Finding Aids:

Box and Folder List
Photograph Log

M422
Jessie Morrison Collection
Box and Folder List

Series I: Jessie Morrison and Family

Series II: Receipts

Series III: Riverside Brick and Manufacturing Company

M422
Jessie Morrison Collection
Photograph Log

Created by: Catherine Eddins
Prepared and maintained by
The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries Special Collections
http://www.lib.usm.edu/spcol/index.php
118 College Drive #5148   Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5148

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Revised: April 10, 2006