Charles Lewellyn Correspondence
Dublin Core
Title
Charles Lewellyn Correspondence
Subject
Antebellum Plantation Life
Description
Letters written by Charles Lewellyn, overseer of the Cameron family plantation property in Greene County, Alabama. Letters written to Paul Cameron back in North Carolina who hired Charles to run his Alabama property and manage slaves. Letters convey day-to-day operations of the plantation, two runaway slave incidents, slave health, and conditions for slaves on the plantation (food, clothing, job roles, workload).
Creator
Charles Lewellyn
Source
Cameron Family Papers, 1757-1978
Publisher
Photographed, transcribed, tagged, and shared in this Omeka Collection by Dr. Kevin Oliver, North Carolina State University College of Education
Date
1845-1847
Rights
As noted in the source collection, “copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.”
Relation
The Southern Historical Collection at the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Personal correspondence, letter
Coverage
United States: Alabama; North Carolina
Collection Items
Charles Lewellyn Letter, May 11, 1845
The overseer describes plantation crops, general slave health, a runaway slave named Juber who was caught in Greensboro Alabama, two slaves Salby and Aggy giving birth to a daughter/son respectively, an accident involving a horse while plowing, and…
Charles Lewellyn Letter, June 1, 1845
The overseer discusses plantation crops, getting assistance from Cameron family friend Mr. Ruffin, grass and lice in the cotton, corn needing rain, a dead mule, slave health keeping some from working, and slave Molly's child dying.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, July 3, 1845
The overseer discusses plantation crops, getting assistance from Cameron family friend Mr. Ruffin's slaves, birth of a mule, slave health, and supplies received.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, August 1, 1845
The overseer describes two dead slaves named Old Peter and William who died of congestive fever and colick respectively, many other slaves sick, putting up fodder, a good corn crop, and an indifferent cotton crop.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, August 16, 1845
The overseer describes harvesting cotton and the condition of the crop, listing names of three slaves and how many pounds of cotton they picked in a day, and names of four slaves confined to their house due to health.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, September 4, 1845
The overseer describes baling and packing cotton, mentions slaves are indifferent pickers and the general health of several named slaves, and indicates winter clothing is almost made.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, September 17, 1845
The overseer explains the poor quality of the cotton crop, describes indifferent pickers, indicates baled cotton will be taken to the landing for shipment, discusses health of several named slaves, and mentions the job given to slaves of hauling…
Charles Lewellyn Letter, October 8, 1845
The overseer indicates rain has slowed the harvest, describes 114 cotton bales packed with 95 at the landing for shipment, mentions he will sow rye if he can acquire seed, discusses general slave health, and mentions the names of slaves who perform…
Charles Lewellyn Letter, February 13, 1846
The overseer describes general slave health, that he received supplies and has not found any mules to purchase, and that he will begin sowing oats when land dries.
Charles Lewellyn Letter, March 1, 1846
The overseer describes planting corn, sowing oats, plowing, finding no mules, general slave health, and retrieving winter clothing from the landing.