Back to TopDescriptive Summary
- Repository
-
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
- Creator
-
Ravenel family.
- Title
- Ravenel Family Papers, 1790-1918
- Call Number
- 1022
- Language of Materials
- Materials in
English
- Extent
-
- Items: 400
- Linear Feet: 1.0
Abstract
Descendents of early French Huguenots, the Revenel and related DuBose families of South Carolina ranked among the most prominent
members of the state's planter class. William Francis Ravenel (b. 1828), son of physician/planter Henry Ravenel (1790-1867),
achieved note as a lawyer and planter in the Berkeley District. His half-brother, Henry W. Ravenel (1814-1887), became a well-respected
botanist. Around 1857, William Ravenel married Ellen DuBose, whose brother, Theodore Samuel DuBose (b. 1785), was a graduate
of Yale and a prosperous planter in the Fairfield District.
The collection includes papers, chiefly 1850-1890, pertain primarily to estate settlements and postwar plantation finances,
and include deeds, wills, indentures, receipts, and cotton factor accounts. Estates represented include the following: Abigail
Ravenel (fl. 1840s); Henry Ravenel, Edwin DuBose (fl. 1859), Jonathan Eady (fl. 1850), Frederick Simons (fl. 1880s), and Rebecca
H. Waring (fl. 1880s). Personal correspondence and other miscellaneous papers also appear, including livestock records, 1790-1897,
and a brief journal of two unidentified sisters in the 1840s. Information on slaves owned by the Ravenels and other families
often appears in the correspondence and and estate papers in such items as slave bills of sale, a birth list, and receipts
for clothes and other materials distributed to slaves.
Back to TopAdministrative Information
- Restrictions to Access
- No restrictions.
- Alternate Form of Material
- All or part of this collection is available on microfilm from University Publications of America as part of the Records of
ante-bellum southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, Series J.
- Acquisitions Information
- Received from Mr. and Mrs. Samuel F. Ravenel of Greensboro, North Carolina, in October 1945, and Ann Ravenel Saslow of Greensboro,
North Carolina, in May 1983.
- Processing Information
- Processed by: Linda Griggs, November 1983; Jill Snider, July 1990
- Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the Ravenel Family Papers #1022, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright
law.
Back to TopOnline Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- Berkeley District (S.C.)--History.
- Commission merchants--South Carolina.
- Cotton--Marketing.
- DuBose, Edwin, fl. 1859.
- DuBose, Theodore Samuel, b. 1785.
- Eady, Jonathan, fl. 1850.
- Estates (Law)--South Carolina.
- Fairfield District (S.C.)--History--19th century.
- Lawyers--South Carolina--History--19th century.
- Livestock--South Carolina.
- Plantation life--South Carolina.
- Plantations--South Carolina.
- Ravenel, Abigail, fl. 1840.
- Ravenel, Ellen M. DuBose, fl. 1850.
- Ravenel, Henry William, 1814-1887.
- Ravenel, Henry, 1790-1867.
- Ravenel, William Francis, b. 1828.
- Simons, Frederick, fl. 1880.
- Slave bills of sale--South Carolina.
- Slave records--South Carolina.
- Slavery--South Carolina.
- Waring, Rebecca H., fl. 1880.
Back to TopRelated Collections
Several collections at the South Carolina Historical Society and at the South Caroliniana Collection, University of South
Carolina.
Back to TopBiographical Note
William Francis Ravenel, to whom the majority of the papers in this collection belonged, was born in 1828, the son of Henry
Ravenel (1790-1867) and Elizabeth Catherine Porcher (1798-1846). Ravenel worked as a lawyer, handling the estates of many
of his relatives, and operated the Woodlawn Plantation located in the Berkeley District of South Carolina. Included in the
collection are the estate papers of his father, a prominent planter and physician, and those of his great aunt, Abigail Ravenel.
A few letters written by noted botanist Henry W. Ravenel, William's half brother, also appear. Rene Ravenel (1826-1875), another
of William's half brothers, acted as executor of the estate of Jonathan Eady, and his papers on this estate, along with a
few of his business papers, appear here.
William Ravenel was of Huguenot descent, and he married Ellen M. DuBose, a descendant of another prominent South Carolina
Huguenot family, around 1857. Ellen's brother, Theodore Samuel Marion DuBose, was a prosperous planter in the 1840s and 1850s.
Educated at Yale University, he returned to South Carolina in the mid 1830s to run Farmington Plantation, and later Roseland
Plantation outside Winnsboro in Fairfield District. His son, William Porcher DuBose, became an influential Episcopal theologian
in the latter part of the century. Ellen and Theodore DuBose account for much of the personal correspondence in the collection.
The estate papers of their brother, Edwin, and of their father, Samuel DuBose (b. 1785), are also included.
Back to TopCollection Overview
Series 2 and 3 make up the bulk of the collection. Series 2 contains almost exclusively papers pertaining to the settlement
of the estates of the Ravenels and related families. Most of these papers were those of William F. Ravenel, who acted as executor
of the estates of Abigail Ravenel, 1852-1869; Dr. Henry Ravenel, 1866-1903; Edwin DuBose, 1851-1886; Frederick Simons of Ophir
Plantation, 1885-1890; and Rebecca H. Waring, 1890. William Ravenel's accounts with cotton factors, merchants, and tax collectors,
and his business correspondence are included in Series 3.
Other estates for which settlement papers are included are: John Edwards, 1809; John Louis Ravenel, 1828; Mary Gaillard, 1828;
Mrs. Paul Ravenel, 1852; Samuel DuBose, 1857-1858; and Jonathan Eady, 1854-1876 (Rene Ravenel, executor).
Series 1 contains personal correspondence, mostly of Theodore S. DuBose and his sister Ellen, who married William Ravenel.
Series 4 includes miscellaneous items of interest, including a livestock record (1790-1897, incomplete) and a 10 page journal
kept by two unidentified sisters. Information on slaves can be found in the personal correspondence and in the estate papers
of Jonathan Eady, Samuel DuBose, Abigail Ravenel, John Louis Ravenel, and Mary Gaillard.
Back to TopArrangement of Collection
Series 1. Personal Correspondence
Subseries 1.1. 1830s-1840s
Subseries 1.2. 1850s-1918
Subseries 1.3. Undated and Fragments
Series 2. Legal Papers
Subseries 2.1. Estate Papers
Subseries 2.2. Other Legal Papers
Series 3. Financial Papers
Subseries 3.1. Cotton Factor Accounts
Subseries 3.2. Tax Receipts
Subseries 3.3. Other Financial Papers
Series 4. Other Papers
Back to TopItems Separated
OP-1022/1-5
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Personal Correspondence, 1837-1918.
41 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Family and other personal correspondence. Most of the letters from the 1840s are written by Theodore S. DuBose to members
of his family. Most of those after the 1840s are written to or by DuBose's sister Ellen M. Ravenel and her husband William
Ravenel.
Back to Top
1.1. 1830s-1840s, 1837-1847.
12 items.
One letter to Peter C. Porcher in Paris, 1837, and eleven letters from Theodore S. DuBose to his father and mother, Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel DuBose, who lived in the Charleston District. Most letters discuss DuBose's wife and children, news about friends,
acquaintances and local events, and legal matters and business transactions. There is one letter, 27 May 1847, concerning
a recent railroad convention and subscriptions to construct a railroad along the Catawba River in South Carolina.
Folder
1
1830s-1840s
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1.2. 1850s-1918, 1852-1865, 1867, 1873, 1881, 1918
.
17 items.
Ten letters to Ellen M. DuBose Ravenel from various friends and family members concerning miscellaneous topics, such as her
marriage, ca. 1857, to William Ravenel. Also included are a letter from Henry W. Ravenel to his brother William upon news
of William's engagement to Ellen and two letters written by Theodore DuBose, one to his father and another to his brother,
Edwin DuBose. Of special note is a letter, 24 June 1865, written by Alfred Huger at the age of 80 to William Ravenel reminiscing
about his years at Princeton University, 1803-1807, and discoursing on secession and the nature of the federal union, as well
as the burning of Columbia during the Civil War.
Later letters include a sympathy letter from Ellen M. Ravenel to her aunt, Nina, 1873; one letter to Annie S. Ravenel from
her father, 7 Jan. 1881; and one letter from Capt. William F. Ravenel to his mother, Mrs. Theodore D. Ravenel, from somewhere
in France (28 October 1918).
Folder
2
1850s-1865
Folder
3
1867, 1873, 1881, 1918
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1.3. Undated and Fragments, Undated (probably 1840s-1850s).
12 items.
Letters and fragments written by Theodore S. DuBose, William DuBose, Henry William Ravenel, and others to family members.
These letters discuss illnesses and deaths, personal relationships, church and family matters, crops, and business transactions.
Most of these letters were probably written in the 1840s and 1850s, though a few appear to be from a later period.
Folder
4
Undated and Fragments
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2. Legal Papers, 1809-1912.
About 140 items.
Primarily papers concerning the settlement of Ravenel and other South Carolina family estates. Also included are miscellaneous
legal papers, most of which pertain to Ravenel family members.
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2.1. Estate Papers, 1809-1890.
About 130 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by estate.
Wills, deeds, bills of sale, receipts, probate records, and correspondence related to the settlement of estates as noted below.
Folder
5
Edwin DuBose Estate 1851-1886. Deed for land in St. John's Parish, Charleston District, South Carolina, sold him by Steven
Deveaux (oversize); certificate of executorship; letters testamentary; warrant of appraisement for executors; and survey of
Stewarton Plantation.
Folder
6
Samuel DuBose Estate, 1857-1858. Will (mentions by name slaves owned by DuBose); deed for St. Stephen's Parish land sold him
by Theodore Gourdin; and deed for St. John's Parish land sold him by Edwin DuBose.
Folder
7
Jonathan Eady Estate, 1854-1876. Will, deed for Charleston District land sold him by Edward Owens; letters testamentary; accounts
of the estate; and receipts. Included is a letter fragment referring to, and a receipt for the sale of, a slave named Isaac.
Folder
8
John Edwards Estate, 1809. Promissory note to estate executor for John Edwards.
Folder
9
Abigail Ravenel Estate, 1852-1869. Will, estate accounts, certificate of annual account, correspondence, and order for sale
of personal property. There is material on slaves belonging to the estate, including a bill of sale for a slave named Rose,
correspondence concerning the hiring out of several slaves, accounts for goods and services purchased for the slaves, and
a slave birth list.
Folder
10-12
Dr. Henry Ravenel Estate, 1866-1903. Will, correspondence receipts, accounts of the estate, letters testamentary, railroad
stock certificates, and bill for survey of Woodlawn plantation.
Folder
13
John Louis Ravenel and Mary Gaillard, 1828, Memorandum to the court concerning a dispute in which these estates were involved.
Slaves who were part of the disputed property are mentioned.
Folder
14
Paul Ravenel Estate, 1852. Property appraisal and one receipt.
Folder
15
Frederick Simons Estate, 1890. One letter, tax receipts, and bills of redemption for land seized for failure to pay taxes.
Folder
16
Rebecca H. Waring Estate, 1890. One letter and a bill of redemption for land seized for failure to pay taxes.
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2.2. Other Legal Papers, 1823-1912 and Undated.
8 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Deed transferring title of Pine Ville, South Carolina, land from Peter Gaillard to Mrs. Charlotte Ravenel, 28 June 1823; deed
transferring title of St. John's Parish land from R.D. McKelvey to Steven Deveaux, 7 November 1839; letter of guardianship
appointing Theodore D. Ravenel as guardian of minor Samuel F. Ravenel, 9 January 1912; two unidentified fragments, one dated
8 March 1805 and the other undated; and four oversize plats (a 10 1/2" x 15" plat of St. John's Parish lands; a plat of St.
Stephen's Parish land owned by Theodore Gourdin; a plat of Berkeley County lands for sale by John Ward; and a plat of Charleston
District? land owned by Daniel Ravenel).
Folder
17
Other Legal Papers
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3. Financial Papers, 1833-1903.
About 125 items.
Cotton factor accounts, tax receipts, and other financial papers, mostly of William F. Ravenel.
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3.1. Cotton Factor Accounts, 1865-1900.
About 60 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by cotton factor.
Accounts of William F. Ravenel with cotton factors S.L. Howard & Company, 1865-1875; Ravenel & Co., 1890-1900 (includes a
lien on his crop); W. B. Smith & Company, 1883-1891; and Whaley & Rivers, 1889-1899.
Folder
18-20
Cotton Factor Accounts--S.L. Howard & Co.
Folder
21
Cotton Factor Accounts--Ravenel & Co.
Folder
22
Cotton Factor Accounts--W.B. Smith & Co.
Folder
23
Cotton Factor Accounts--Whaley & Rivers
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3.2. Tax Material, 1868-1900.
About 40 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Tax receipts of William F. Ravenel and others for South Carolina state and property taxes. Many of these receipts probably
were related to estates for which Ravenel was the executor, but for which no other papers have survived.
Folder
24
Tax Material
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3.3. Other Financial Papers, 1833, 1855, 1859, 1871-1903
.
26 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Account receipts with bankers, grocers, hardware merchants, and others, mostly of William F. Ravenel. There are also several
bills of lading with the Atlantic Coast Line and North eastern Railroad Company. Four receipts of Theodore S. DuBose are also
included and are dated 1833, 1855, and 1859.
Folder
25
Other Financial Papers
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4. Other Papers, 1790-1897.
13 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type.
An arithmetic (ciphering) book belonging to William DuBose at the Newport Academy, Rhode Island, 1802; genealogical material
on the Gaillard, Stevens, Palmer, and Ravenel families; women's diary entries from the 1840s; a livestock record, 1790-1897;
and miscellaneous items including poems (manuscript and printed), recipes, and other miscellaneous materials.
The diary entries are by two unidentified women, one who wrote in the early 1840s, mostly about her religious beliefs, and
a second, sister of the first, who wrote several later entries reflecting on the first woman's death and on her own religious
feelings. Also of note, among the miscellaneous items, is a copy of the Rules of the Courting, Wooing, and Matrimonial Society,
an organization of over 100 South Carolina gentlemen formed to promote marriage and proper conduct among courting couples.
Folder
26
"Cyphering Book," 1802
Folder
27
Genealogical Material
Folder
28
Diary Entries of Two Sisters, 1843, 1849, and Undated
Folder
29
Livestock Record, 1790-1897
Folder
30
Miscellaneous Items
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