Collections

Letters and business papers, chiefly 1848-1866, of James E. Cooke of Powhatan, Virginia and the Barker family of Fluvanna County, Virginia. Includes letters relating to the hiring out of slaves, plantation operations and the Civil War. Civil War letters are between John H. Barker and Henry J. Dobbs of the 18th Virginia Regiment of the Confederate army concerning the Battle of First Bull Run/Manassas.

The collection includes: correspondence and land records of Robert "King" Carter; correspondence and land records of his sons Robert Carter (1704-1731) and Landon Carter (1710-1778); correspondence, accounts, land records and the appointment to the Virginia Council of Robert Carter (1728-1804), son of Robert Carter (1704-1731); correspondence, diaries, land records and accounts of Robert Wormeley Carter (1734-1804), son of Landon Carter of Sabine Hall; and correspondence and land records and papers concerning the estate of Robert Carter's grandson, Landon Carter (1757-1820).

A letter from 1796 composed by Cuthbert Bullitt, a lawyer and plantation owner in Prince William County, Virginia. The letter describes Cuthbert Bullitt's interaction with enslaved workers on the plantation and his analysis of the character and value of each person. The letter amounts to a single sheet folded to 6" x 7 3/4" with ink prose.

Diary of James Galt, of "Point of Fork," Fluvanna County, Virginia which concerns farm management on several plantations, activities of himself and his family. Also includes lists of clothing given out to enlsaved persons, who are listed by family group. The entry for 18 January 1839 describes the alleged poisoning of enslaved persons.

Papers, 1772-1872, of the Blow family. Chiefly business papers, 1772-1820, of Richard Blow of Portsmouth and "Tower Hill," Sussex County, Va. and his son George Blow, Sr. and George Blow, Jr. of 'Tower Hill' and Williamsburg, Va. Richard Blow was a partner in stores in Virginia and North Carolina (trading as Richard Blow and Co., Briggs & Blow, Baker & Blow [South Quay, Nansemond County, Va.], Blow & Barksdale [Petersburg, Va.], and Blow and Scammel). He was also a plantation owner that operated in part by labor of enslaved persons. He shipped the goods produced by the plantation by sea, often to European markets. His correspondence and papers during this period provide a model source on plantation management, sea trade, trade during the American Revolution, and trade during the War of 1812. Includes correspondence, plantation accounts, ship accounts, and legal papers.

Papers, circa 1940s, of Richard Williams, an African-American soldier stationed in Alaska during World War II. Includes a diary, in which he describes the weather, fishing and other recreational activities, and his duties. There are photographs and postcards that have been glued into the diary, which depict the local post office covered in snow, the towns of Juneau and Sitka, as well as Williams and other people that he met. There are also loose photographs, which seem to have come out of the diary, a marriage license for Richard Williams and Mattie Williams, and postcards from other locations.