Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#M-1263
ROBERT REID RAYMOND DIARY
Inventory
Abstract: After a political and judicial career in Georgia,
Robert Raymond Reid (1789-1841) was appointed judge of
the Superior Court in the Eastern District of Florida
in 1832. He was a member of the Florida
Constitutional Convention of 1838 and was territorial
governor from 1839 to 1841.
Two volumes, 31 January 1833-10 October 1833 and
22 January 1835-25 September 1835, in which Reid
recorded his opinions on the nullification
controversy, abolitionism, and the black population of
the South, both free and enslaved. The journal also
gave Reid the opportunity to express, in a tone
apparently influenced by his readings of Byron, whom
he mentions, his deep feelings of melancholy.
Similarly, theological speculations reveal his
struggle for faith. The legal communities in St.
Augustine and Tallahassee, an epidemic in the former
town, Reid's repeated and unsuccessful attempts to
adhere to a daily schedule, and the character of John
C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson, and especially John
Randolph, are also addressed.
Online Catalog Terms:
Afro-Americans--History--To 1863.
Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850.
Florida--Religion--19th century.
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845.
Judges--Florida--History--19th century.
Lawyers--Florida--History--19th century.
Nullification.
Randolph, John, 1773-1833.
Reid, Robert Raymond, 1789-1841.
Saint Augustine (Fla.)--History.
Slavery--United States.
Slavery--United States--Anti-slavery movements.
Tallahassee (Fla.)--History.
Size: 1 reel of microfilm.
Provenance: Lent for filming by Mrs. Charles F. Andrews of
Palatka, Fla., in April 1947.
Access: No restrictions.
Processing Note: This collection was processed with support
from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers,
or their descendants, as stipulated by United
States copyright law.