Tag Archives: slaves

20 January 1863: “400 lbs cotton – For the hire of Milly & Rose the present year we or either of us promise to deliver”

Item description: Contract, signed 20 January 1863, for the hire of two slaves, Milly and Rose, entered into by L.J. Ellinor and William Ellinor. Item citation: From folder 40 in the William Francis Martin Papers, #493, Southern Historical Collection, The … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

16 January 1863: “Allen informs me that himself and his family have not, as yet, received all the clothing due them for the past year.”

Item description: Letter, 16 January 1863, from William S. Pettigrew to Dr. A. Palmer regarding the hire of a family of Pettigrew’s slaves. Item Citation: From folder 261 of the Pettigrew Family Papers #592, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

12 January 1863: “…the pony is very nearly starved into death.”

Item Description: Letter, dated 12 January 1863 from Charles Lockhart Pettigrew to his wife, Jane Caroline North Pettigrew.  The letter describes his visit to the area near Winston, NC where his slaves have been hired out to work on the … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

4 January 1863: “For such a servant, I would gladly give $2500.”

Item description: Letter, 4 January 1863, from Jeremy Francis Gilmer to his wife Louisa Fredericka Alexander Gilmer. More about Jeremy Francis Gilmer: Jeremy Francis Gilmer was born in Guilford County, N.C., on 23 February 1818. He entered the United States … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

4 December 1862: “Dear Pa, It has become my painful duty to inform you of Preston’s death.”

Item description: Letter, 4 December 1862, from Ruffin Thomson, 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, to his “Pa” (William H. Thomson). In the letter, Thomson informs his father of the death of his slave, Preston (“Press”). More about Ruffin Thomson: Ruffin Thomson was … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

17 November 1862: “No Sentimental Journey”

Item Description: “No Sentimental Journey,” The New York Herald, 17 November 1862, page 1, column 3. Item Note: The writer refers to Kinston, N.C. as “Kingston.” Transcription: INTERESTING FROM NORTH CAROLINA. Adventures of One of Our Correspondents. NO SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY. … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

14 October 1862: “I was also informed that his negroes were very much averse to leaving, and that 30 of them had run away, in consequence of their having been informed by the disloyal men around them”

Item description: Two letters, dated 14 October 1862, from William Pettigrew. One letter is to his brother Charles Pettigrew and the other letter is to an unknown recipient, possibly a Mr. Bryan. After the fall of Roanoke Island in 1862, William and … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

11 October 1862: “Capt. Craddock will please carry my negroes as far up as Rocky Mount”

Item description: Letter, 11 October 1862, from William S. Pettigrew to Captain James Craddock, making plans to meet in Rocky Mount, N.C., so that Pettigrew could take possession of his slaves. [Please see the post for 1 October 1862 for more information … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

8 October 1862: “you are therefore commanded to take the boddy of the said negro slave Lee and cause him to appear before me or some other Justice of the Peace…”

Item description: Two warrants, executed by Felix Johnson, a justice of the peace for Surry County, N.C., for the arrest of slaves accused of stealing leather from a tannery. The warrants are annotated to indicate the judgment and punishment that … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

4 October 1862: “I much regretted to learn that Mr. Foushee was so much dissatisfied with the bargain he had made with me for my negroes & mules.”

Item description: Letter, 4 October 1862, from William S. Pettigrew, Haywood, Chatham County, N.C., to William Campbell, Watson’s Bridge, N.C. During this period in the war, William S. Pettigrew was consolidating many of his slaves from his plantations in Union-occupied … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off