Introduction

(from the finding aid)

The Mayfield Papers, containing approximately six cubic feet, span the years 1895 to 1929. The collection consists of both business and personal letters of the Mayfield family, although the bulk of the material is centered on the family’s law office. The Maxwell law firm was founded by Pearson Brummett Mayfield (1832-1904) Mayfield maintained an extensive general practice as well as serving as legal counsel for the Ducktown Copper Company and the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad. After the addition of two of his sons, the name of the firm was changed to Mayfield and Mayfield.

Among the firm’s prominent clients were the East Tennessee Power Company, the Southern Railway, and the Ducktown Copper Company. The collection’s subject matter included the building of Parksville Dam, Polk County’s “Smoke Suits,” debt collections, title searches, personal injury cases, and estate settlements. Also included is the correspondence of Samuel J. Aiken, who practiced with the Mayfields until his death in 1901.

The collection is arranged in chronological order and then in alphabetical order within each folder. The container list contains an index of the principals mentioned in the law firm’s correspondence. It contains a brief description of the subject and a file folder reference to the original documents.

This collection is a microfilm only collection and is the property of the Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, Tennessee. Although single copies may be made for the purposes of scholarly research, the user is responsible for any copyright infringements.

Click here to browse and download the finding aid (PDF-format; 159 pages) from the TN State Library & Archives Web site.