Paul Cameron Letter, November 18, 1845

Paul Cameron Letter, November 18, 1845

Antebellum Plantation Life

Paul writes home to his father from his new plantation property in Greene County, Alabama, noting his journey from North Carolina to Alabama took one week. Paul describes the health of slaves and a process of inspection. Paul indicates slaves are tired of a diet of pickled pork and relays provisions available on the plantation (corn, oats). Paul discusses the cotton crop, workload of slaves (pounds picked per person, per day), and yield. Paul references plantation facilities like a gin house and blow rooms for drying cotton. Paul discusses his impressions of the overseer Lewellyn, noting he has employed him for another year, though the "negros fear him a little more than I wish." Paul receives a tax bill, notes prices for warehousing at Candy's Landing, and discusses arrangements for shipping cotton. Paul mentions mules dying and the need for more. Paul discusses the condition of slave clothing and the need for supplies like wool. Paul relays thoughts of family back home. The letter closes with a long list of slave names and the pounds of cotton each picked in a day.

Paul Cameron

Cameron Family Papers, 1757-1978

Photographed, transcribed, tagged, and shared in this Omeka Collection by Dr. Kevin Oliver, North Carolina State University College of Education

November 18, 1845

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.”

The Southern Historical Collection at the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

PDF

English

Personal correspondence, letter

series: 1.3.3, box: 41, folder: 971

United States: Alabama (Candy’s Landing; Greene County; Greensboro; Hobbie; Mobile; Montgomery; Selma)

United States: Georgia (Columbus)

Paper