Benjamin Forsythe Buckner papers

Abstract

The Benjamin Forsythe Buckner papers (dated 1785-1918, undated; 8.56 cubic feet; 18 boxes, 1 oversize box) primarily comprise business correspondence, legal documents, and financial records that document the legal career of the nineteenth century Kentucky attorney and judge.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Benjamin Forsythe Buckner papers
Creator
Buckner, Benjamin Forsythe, 1836-1901
Extent
8.56 Cubic Feet
Subjects
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
Lawyers -- Kentucky.
Judges -- Kentucky.
Court administration -- Kentucky.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into 4 series by subject and format: Correspondence, Financial, Legal, and Personal.
Finding Aid Author
Processed by: Archives Staff ; machine-readable finding aid created by:Eric Weig
Preferred Citation
48m39: [identification of item], Benjamin Forsythe Buckner papers, 1785-1918, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Lawyer and judge Benjamin Forsythe Buckner was born in Jacksonville, Illinois in 1836 to Kentucky parents. He attended the Kentucky Military Institute and served as a deputy in the Winchester circuit clerk's office before matriculating as a law student at the University of Louisville in 1856. After his admission to the bar in 1857, he began practicing law in Winchester, Kentucky.
In 1861, Buckner joined the United States Army and entered the Civil War as Major of the Twentieth Kentucky Federal Infantry, where he fought with the Union in the Battle of Shiloh and smaller battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
Buckner resigned from the army in 1863 and returned to Winchester, where he married Helen B. Martin, daughter of Clark County farmer Samuel Davis Martin, and resumed practicing law. In 1865, Buckner was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives on behalf of Clark County. He moved to Lexington in 1870, where he worked in partnership with William Campbell Preston Breckinridge until he was elected Judge of the Common Pleas Court of the Lexington District in 1874.
Buckner served on the circuit court bench for the tenth judicial district from 1880-1883 and then resigned to Louisville to resume a private practice. In 1896, Buckner retired to Winchester, where he died in 1901.
Johnston, J. Stoddard, ed., Memorial History of Louisville from its First Settlement to the Year 1896: Volume II (Chicago: American Biographical Publishing, 1896), 365-366.
Levin, H., ed., The Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky (Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1897), 652-654.
Peter, Robert, History of Fayette County, Kentucky, with an Outline Sketch of the Blue Grass Region (Chicago: O. L. Baskin &, 1882), 571-572.
Scope and Content
The Benjamin Forsythe Buckner papers (dated 1785-1918, undated; 8.56 cubic feet; 18 boxes, 1 oversize box) primarily comprise business correspondence, legal documents, and financial records that document the legal career of the nineteenth century Kentucky attorney and judge. The collection also includes Buckner's correspondence to his wife Helen during his deployment as a Union soldier in the Civil War, an office docket that reflects Buckner's legal practice during the latter part of his career, and a diary from a member of his wife's family, the Martins.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Access Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Contents of the Collection

Correspondence, 1884-1918, undated

Comprises correspondence between Buckner, his clients, and government officials. Arranged chronologically by year and thereunder alphabetically by correspondent's last name.

A-G, 1884

  • Box 1, folder 1
To top

H-O, 1884

  • Box 1, folder 2
To top

P-Y, 1884

  • Box 1, folder 3
To top

B-C, 1885

  • Box 1, folder 4
To top

D-G, 1885

  • Box 1, folder 5
To top

H-M, 1885

  • Box 1, folder 6
To top

N-Y, 1885

  • Box 1, folder 7
To top

A-G, 1886

  • Box 1, folder 8
To top

H-P, 1886

  • Box 2, folder 1
To top

R-Y, 1886

  • Box 2, folder 2
To top

A-J, 1887

  • Box 2, folder 3
To top

K-P, 1887

  • Box 2, folder 4
To top

R-Y, 1887

  • Box 2, folder 5
To top

A-H, 1888

  • Box 2, folder 6
To top

J-Y, 1888

  • Box 2, folder 7
To top

A-H, 1889

  • Box 2, folder 8
To top

J-Y, 1889

  • Box 2, folder 9
To top

A-W, 1890

  • Box 3, folder 1
To top

A-L, 1891

  • Box 3, folder 2
To top

M-Z, 1891

  • Box 3, folder 3
To top

A-H, 1892

  • Box 3, folder 4
To top

J-Y, 1892

  • Box 3, folder 5
To top

A-D, 1893

  • Box 3, folder 6
To top

E-W, 1893

  • Box 4, folder 1
To top

A-G, 1894

  • Box 4, folder 2
To top

K-Z, 1894

  • Box 4, folder 3
To top

A-G, 1895

  • Box 4, folder 4
To top

H-Z, 1895

  • Box 4, folder 5
To top

A-G, 1896

  • Box 4, folder 6
To top

H-W, 1896

  • Box 4, folder 7
To top

A-E, 1897

  • Box 4, folder 8
To top

F-Z, 1897

  • Box 5, folder 1
To top

A-E, 1898

  • Box 5, folder 2
To top

F-Z, 1898

  • Box 5, folder 3
To top

A-W, 1899

  • Box 5, folder 4
To top

1900-1918

  • Box 5, folder 5
To top

undated

  • Box 5, folder 6-8
To top

Financial, 1838-1912, undated

Comprises account books, checkbooks, ledgers, bills, and receipts that document Buckner's legal practice. Arranged into subseries by format and thereunder chronologically.

Account books and ledgers, 1857-1897

Ledger of legal accounts, 1857-1866

  • Box 6, folder 1
To top

Receipt book, 1867-1869

  • Box 6, folder 2
To top

Ledger, 1874 July 6-1897 December 16

  • Box 6, folder 3
To top

Masonic Savings Bank account books, 1889-1891

  • Box 6, folder 4
To top

Bills and receipts, 1877-1912, undated

1877-1878

  • Box 14, folder 4
To top

1879

  • Box 14, folder 5
To top

1880

  • Box 14, folder 6
To top

1881

  • Box 14, folder 7
To top

1882

  • Box 6, folder 5
To top

1883

  • Box 14, folder 8
To top

1884 January-April

  • Box 6, folder 6
To top

1884 April-December

  • Box 6, folder 7
To top

1885 January-June

  • Box 6, folder 8
To top

1885 July-December

  • Box 7, folder 1
To top

1886

  • Box 7, folder 2
To top

1887-1888

  • Box 7, folder 3
To top

1889-1890

  • Box 7, folder 4
To top

1891

  • Box 7, folder 5
To top

1892

  • Box 7, folder 6
To top

1893 January-June

  • Box 7, folder 7
To top

1893 July-December

  • Box 7, folder 8
To top

1894 January-June

  • Box 7, folder 9
To top

1894 July-December

  • Box 7, folder 10
To top

1895

  • Box 7, folder 11
To top

1896

  • Box 8, folder 1
To top

1897

  • Box 8, folder 2
To top

1898

  • Box 8, folder 3
To top

1899

  • Box 8, folder 4
To top

1900-1912

  • Box 8, folder 5
To top

undated

  • Box 8, folder 6-7
To top

Checks and checkbooks, 1838-1896, undated

1838-1858

  • Box 8, folder 8
To top

1860-1864

  • Box 8, folder 9
To top

1865-1869

  • Box 9, folder 1
To top

1869-1870

  • Box 9, folder 2
To top

1880-1884

  • Box 9, folder 3
To top

1885-1891

  • Box 9, folder 4
To top

Cancelled notes, 1890-1892

  • Box 9, folder 5
To top

1891

  • Box 9, folder 6-7
To top

1892

  • Box 9, folder 8
To top

1893

  • Box 10, folder 1-2
To top

1894 January-April

  • Box 10, folder 3
To top

1894 May-July

  • Box 10, folder 4
To top

1894 August-December

  • Box 10, folder 5
To top

1895

  • Box 10, folder 6
To top

1896

  • Box 11, folder 1
To top

undated

  • Box 11, folder 2
To top

Legal, 1785-1905, undated

Constitutes the bulk of the collection, with land surveys, deeds, certificates, resolutions, briefs, subpoenas, and agreements that reflect Buckner's activity as an attorney and judge in central Kentucky. Also includes some financial documents and correspondence, particularly for the early years of Buckner's practice. Arranged chronologically.

1785-1829

  • Box 11, folder 3
To top

1830-1839

  • Box 11, folder 4
To top

1840-1842

  • Box 11, folder 5
To top

1843-1849

  • Box 11, folder 6
To top

Certificates of the Register of the Land Office, 1843-1860

  • Box 19, folder 1
To top

1850-1855

  • Box 11, folder 7
To top

1856-1857

  • Box 12, folder 1
To top

1858

  • Box 12, folder 2
To top

1859 January-June

  • Box 12, folder 3
To top

1859 September-December

  • Box 12, folder 4
To top

1860

  • Box 12, folder 5
To top

1861

  • Box 12, folder 6
To top

1862

  • Box 12, folder 7
To top

1863

  • Box 13, folder 1
To top

1864

  • Box 13, folder 2
To top

1865

  • Box 13, folder 3
To top

1866

  • Box 13, folder 4
To top

1867

  • Box 13, folder 5
To top

1868

  • Box 13, folder 6
To top

1869

  • Box 13, folder 7
To top

1870

  • Box 13, folder 8
To top

1871

  • Box 13, folder 9
To top

1872

  • Box 13, folder 10
To top

1873

  • Box 13, folder 11
To top

1874

  • Box 14, folder 1
To top

Lawyer's office docket, 1874 July -1897 December 16

  • Box 14, folder 2
To top

1875-1876

  • Box 14, folder 3
To top

1884-1885

  • Box 15, folder 1
To top

1886

  • Box 15, folder 2
To top

1887

  • Box 15, folder 3
To top

1888

  • Box 15, folder 4-6
To top

1889

  • Box 15, folder 7
To top

1890

  • Box 16, folder 1
To top

1891

  • Box 16, folder 2
To top

1892

  • Box 16, folder 3
To top

1893

  • Box 16, folder 4
To top

1894

  • Box 16, folder 5
To top

1895

  • Box 16, folder 6
To top

1896

  • Box 16, folder 7
To top

1897

  • Box 17, folder 1
To top

1898

  • Box 17, folder 2
To top

1899

  • Box 17, folder 3
To top

1900-1905

  • Box 17, folder 4
To top

undated

  • Box 17, folder 5-7
To top

Personal, circa 1844-1918, undated

Comprises items related to Buckner's personal life, including letters written by Buckner to his wife Helen during his stint as a Union major in the Civil War. Also includes insurance contracts for Buckner and his wife, a tintype photograph of an unidentified woman, a key to a safety box, a diary by one of his wife's family members, a small notebook and calendar, and assorted clippings and pamphlets.

Benjamin Buckner letters to his wife, Helen, 1861-1863

  • Box 18, folder 1
To top

Clippings, coupons, advertisements, and pamphlets, undated

  • Box 18, folder 2-3
To top

Safety vault box key, undated

  • Box 18, folder 4
To top

Notebook and calendar, 1889, undated

  • Box 18, folder 4
To top

Tintype photograph of an unidentified woman, undated

  • Box 18, folder 6
To top

R. D. Martin diary, 1918

  • Box 18, folder 7
To top

Teutonia Insurance agent authorization for Benjamin F. Buckner, 1897 May 7

  • Box 19, folder 2
To top

Mutual Life Insurance Company contract for Helen M. Buckner, 1896 January 8

  • Box 19, folder 3
To top

Blow For the Building and Loan Associations: The Court of Appeals Declares the Law of 1893 To Be Unconstitutional , 1893 June 19

  • Box 19, folder 4
To top

Geological map of South-West Branch, Pacific Rail Road, by G. C. Swallow, State Geologist, drawn by G. C. Broadhead, circa 1844

  • Box 19, folder 5
To top

Researchers are required to have an SCRC Researcher Account in order to request or order digital copies of materials. Research Account set-up and use instructions can be found at: http://libguides.uky.edu/SCRCaccount

If you are visiting the Breckinridge Research Room, please request materials at least 48 business hours in advance of your arrival.

For all other questions, contact us at: https://libraries.uky.edu/ContactSCRC.

Researchers are required to have an SCRC Researcher Account in order to request or order digital copies of materials. Research Account set-up and use instructions can be found at: http://libguides.uky.edu/SCRCaccount

If you are visiting the Breckinridge Research Room, please request materials at least 48 business hours in advance of your arrival.

For all other questions, contact us at: https://libraries.uky.edu/ContactSCRC.

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