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(updated 9-4-2009)
Selected Resources
Publications
- General
- Nineteenth Century
- Government Documents
- Slave Narratives
Archival and Manuscript Collections
Other Resources
- Films
- General Reference Index
- Photograph Collections
- Vertical Files
Publications
General
Ashburn, Karl E. Slavery and Cotton Production in Texas. n.p., 1933 (?).
Barker, Eugene Campbell. The African Slave Trade in Texas. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association, 19?.
Barker, Eugene Campbell. The Influence of Slavery in the Colonization of Texas. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association, 1924.
Bragg, Gail. An Historiography of American Slave Women. Brooklyn, NY: CompuBibs, 1984.
Curlee, Abigail. A Study of the Texas Slave Plantations. Austin, TX, 1932.
Curtis, Anna Louise. Stories of the Underground Railroad. New York: Island Workshop Press Co-op, 1941.
Degler, Carl N. The Other South: Southern Dissenters in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Harper and Row, 1974.
Franklin, John Hope. From Slavery to Freedom; a History of Negro Americans. New York: Knopf, 1967.
Fumas, J. C. Goodbye to Uncle Tom. New York: W. Sloane Associates, 1956.
Genovese, Eugene D. The Slaveholders’ Dilemma: Freedom and Progress in Southern Conservative Thought, 1820–1860. Columbia S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1992.
Gossett, Thomas F. Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture. Dallas, Tex.: Southern Methodist University Press, 1985.
Jacobs, Donald M., ed. Index to The American Slave. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1981.
Kuhns, Frederick Irving. The American Home Missionary Society in Relation to the Antislavery Controversy in the Old North West. Billings, MT, 1959.
Lee, Susan. The Westward Movement of the Cotton Economy, 1840–1860: Perceived Interests and Economic Realities. New York: Arno Press, 1979.
Moore, John Hebron. The Emergence of the Cotton Kingdom in the Old Southwest: Mississippi, 1770–1860. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1988.
Murphy, Lawrence. Antislavery in the Southwest: William G. Kephart’s Mission to New Mexico. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1978.
Olmsted, Frederick. Slavery and the South, 1852–1857. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1981.
Olson, James Stuart. Slave Life in America: a Historiography and Selected Bibliography. Lanham: University Press of America, 1983.
Rodriguez, Junius Peter. Ripe for Revolt: Louisiana and the Tradition of Slave Insurrection, 1803–1865. n.p., 1992.
Streets, David H. Slave Genealogy: a Research Guide with Case Studies. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1986.
Sydnor, Charles S. (Charles Sackett). Slavery in Mississippi. New York: Appleton-Century Co. Inc., 1933.
Weisberger, Bernard A. Abolitionism: Disrupter of the Democratic System or Agent of Progress? Chicago: Rand McNally, 1966.
White, Deborah Gray. Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: Norton, 1985.
Williams, David A. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the Emancipation Proclamation, Texas Style (June 19, 1865): A Historical Perspective. Austin, TX: Williams Ind. Research Enterprises, 1979.
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Nineteenth-Century Publications
Ames, Julius Rubens.“Liberty”. New York: American Anti-Slavery Society, 1837.
Andrews, E. A. (Ethan Allen). Slavery and the Domestic Slave-Trade in the United States. Boston: Light and Stearns, 1836.
Bacon, Thomas. Sermons Addressed to Masters and Servants, and Published in the Year 1743 (!) by the Rev. Thomas Bacon. Winchester, Va.: John Heiskell, 1813 (?).
Bourne, George. Picture of Slavery in the United States of America. Middletown, CT, 1834.
Bourne, George. Slavery iIlustrated in its Effects Upon Woman and Domestic Society. Boston: I. Knapp, 1837.
Bowditch, William I. (William Ingersoll). Slavery and the Constitution. Boston: R.F. Wallcut, 1849.
Brooke, Samuel. Slavery, and the Slaveholder’s Religion: as Opposed to Christianity. Cincinnati: Samuel Brooke, 1846.
Butler, A. P. (Andrew Pickens). Speech of A. P. Butler, of South Carolina, on the Bill Providing for the Surrender of Fugitive Slaves: Delivered in Senate of the United States Jan 24, 1850. Washington: Globe Office, 1850.
Child, David Lee. …The Despotism of Freedom: or, The Tyranny and Cruelty of American Republican Slavemasters, Shown to be the Worst in the World. Boston: Boston Young Men’s Anti-Slavery Association, 1833.
Child, Lydia Maria Francis. Authentic Anecdotes of American Slavery. Newburyport: C. Whipple, 1835.
Child, Lydia Maria Francis. The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act : An Appeal to the Legislators of Massachusetts. Boston: American Anti-Slavery Society, 1860.
Drew, Benjamin. A North-Side View of Slavery. The Refugee: or, The Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada. Related by Themselves, with an Account of the History and Condition of the Colored Population of Upper Canada. Boston: J.P. Jewett and Company, 1856.
Estes, Mathew. A Defense of Negro Slavery as it Exists in the U.S.. Montgomery, AL: Press of the University of the ‘Alabama Journal,’ 1846.
The Family and Slavery. Cincinnati: American Reform and Book Society, 1857.
Freeman, George W. The Rights and Duties of Slaveholders. Two Discourses Delivered on Sunday, November 27, 1836. In Christ Church, Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh: J. Gales, 1836.
Interesting Memoirs and Documents Relating to American Slavery, and the Glorious Struggle Now Making for Complete Emancipation. London: Chapman Brothers, 1846.
McTyeire, Holland Nimmons. Duties of Masters to Servants: Three Premium Essays. Charleston, S. C.: Southern Babist Publication Society, 1851.
May, Samuel. The Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims. New York: American Anti-Slavery Society, 1861.
Johnson, H. U. (Homer Uri). From Dixie to Canada: Romance and Realities of the Underground Railroad. Orwell, O.: H.U. Johnson, 1896.
Musson, Eugene. Letter to Napoleon III on Slavery in the Southern States. London, W.S. Kirkland and Co., 1862.
Parker, Theodore. The New Crime Against Humanity. A Sermon Preached at the Music Hall, Boston, on Sunday, June 4, 1854. Boston: B. B. Mussey, 1854.
Parsons, Charles Grandison. Inside View of Slavery; or, A Tour Among the Planters, with an Introduction by H. B. Stowe. Boston: J. P. Jewett and Company, 1855.
Pettit, Eber M. Sketches in the History of the Underground Railroad, Comprising Many Thrilling Incidents of the Escape of Fugitives from Slavery, and the Perils of Those Who Aided Them. Fredonia, NY: W. McKinstry and Son, 1879.
Pollard, Edward Alfred. Black Diamonds Gathered in the Darkey Homes of the South. New York: Pudney and Russell, 1860.
Simmons, George F. Two Sermons on the Kind Treatment and on the Emancipation of Slaves.Preached at Mobile, on Sunday the 10th, and Sunday the 17th of May, 1840. Boston: W. Crosby, 1840.
Thomas, E. A Concise View of the Slavery of the People of Colour in the United States; Exhibiting Some of the Most Affecting Cases of Cruel and Barbarous Treatment of Slaves…. Philadelphia: E. Thomas, 1834.
Thornwell, James Henley. The Rights and Duties of Masters. A Sermon Preached at the Dedication of a Church Erected in Charleston, S. C., for the Benefit and Instruction of the Coloured Population. Charleston, S. C.: Press of Walker and James, 1850.
Weld, Theodore Dwight. American Slavery as it is; Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. New York: American Anti-Slavery Society, 1839.
Whipple, Charles King. The Family Relation, as Affected by Slavery. Cincinnati: American Reform and Book Society, 1858.
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Government Documents
Alabama. Legislature. House of Representatives. Judiciary Committee. Majority Report of the Judiciary Committee, on the Controversy Between the States of Georgia and Maine, the States of Virginia and New York and on so Much of the Governor’s Message as Relates to the Subject of Abolition. Tuscaloosa: Hale and Phelan, 1841.
Alabama. Legislature. House of Representatives. Judiciary Committee. Minority Report of the Judiciary Committee, on the Report and Resolutions from Virginia and South Carolina and so Much of the Message of the Executive as Relates to Southern Convention. Tuscaloosa: Hale and Phelan, 1841.
Illinois. General Assembly. House of Representatives. Committee on the Judiciary. Fugitive Slaves, Report by Mr. Fisk, from the Committee. Springfield, 1839 (?).
New York (State). Court of Appeals. Report of the Lemmon Slave Case : Containing Points and Arguments of Counsel on Both Sides, and Opinions of all the Judges. New York: H. Greeley and Company, 1860.
New York (State) Legislature. Select Committee on the Petition to Prevent Slave Hunting. Report of the Select Committee on the Petitions to Prevent Slave Hunting in the State of New York. Albany: C. Van Benthuysen, 1860.
Norfolk, Va. Citizens. Proceedings of the Citizens of the Borough of Norfolk, on the Boston Outrage, in the Case of the Runaway Slave George Latimer. Norfolk: T.G. Broughton and Son, 1843.
Pennsylvania. General Assembly. House of Representatives. Committee on the Judiciary. Report of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania : in Relation to the Rights of Transit of Slave Property Through this State. Harrisburg: A. Boys Hamilton, 1856.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. South Carolina, Virginia, and New York Controversy: (Report of the Committee on the Judiciary) : March 17, 1842 : Printed by Order of the House of Representatives. Washington, 1842.
United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Slavery and the Treatment of Freedmen. Report. Washington DC: Govt. Print Office, 1864.
Washburn, Israel. The Issues : the Dred Scott Decision : the Parties. Washington: Congressional Republican Committee, 1860.
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Slave Narratives
Clayton, Ronnie W. Mother Wit: The Ex-Slave Narratives of the Louisiana Writers’ Project. New York: P. Lang, 1990.
Federal Writers’ Project. Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States, from Interviews with Former Slaves. St. Clair Shores, Mich.: Scholarly Press, 1976 (1936).
Rawick, George P., ed. The American Slave: a Composite Autobiography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1972.
Rawick, George P., ed. The American Slave: a Composite Autobiography: Supplement, Series 2. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979.
Starling, Marion Wilson. The Slave Narrative: It’s Place in American History. Washington, D. C.: Howard University Press, 1988.
Tyler, Ronnie Curtis, ed. The Slave Narratives of Texas. Austin, TX: Encino Press, 1974.
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Archival and Manuscript Collections
Airlie Plantation Records, 1846–1951. (1 in.)
Louisiana Plantation owned by James Green Carson. The records include land deeds (1846 and 1868); daily record book (1862) including daily events, record of cotton picked, lists of livestock and expenses; genealogical correspondence (1951); and a map of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana with location of Airlie Plantation (ca. 1951). The record book was printed by Thomas Affleck of New Orleans.
Richard Thompson Archer Family Papers, 1790–1919. (5 ft., 4 in.)
Correspondence, financial records, and legal documents to and from Archer, a Virginia native and prominent Mississippi planter and ardent secessionist, and his relatives, friends, and business associates. Papers concern plantation life and economy, agricultural affairs, social life and customs, education, medical practices, household affairs, and slaves and slavery in Mississippi and Virginia. The collection includes some correspondence between Richard Archer and his cousin Branch T. Archer, a leader in the Texas Revolution and a diplomat to the Republic of Texas. Part of the Natchez Trace Collection.
Archivo General de Indias, Papeles de Cuba, Legajo 71A, 1-680, 1799–1806. (2 reels; microfilm.)
These Spanish colonial records document government administration and concern relations between Spain and the United States, Indian relations, the Louisiana-Texas border, slavery, military affairs, and the Philip Nolan incident. Records are largely composed of correspondence of the Marques de Casa Calvo, governor of Spanish Louisiana, and also includes affidavits, inventories, deeds, and a troop roster. Contents are arranged by place of origin, then by correspondent.
Bailey (Lyman J.) Papers, 1905. (1 vol.)
Volume contains Bailey’s correspondence with John H. Reagan and Walter B. Hill in his effort to clarify Abraham Lincoln’s stand on compensation to slave owners for voluntarily emancipated slaves as supposedly voiced at the Hampton Roads Conference of 3 February 1865. Walter B. Hill was chancellor of the University of Georgia when he wrote an article for the Youth’s Companion concerning Abraham Lincoln’s stand on compensation for slaves. Papers also contain newspaper clippings by and about Hill concerning reconciliation of North and South.
Balfour (William L.) Papers, 1841–1863. (4 in.)
Probate records of Balfour (1802–1857), North Carolina native, resident of Mississippi, and owner of plantations in several Mississippi counties, primarily contain financial records related to the management of the estate administered by Horace G. Blackman. Included are receipts, bills, and invoices for clothing and educational expenses for some of the heirs, bills and invoices for slaves, equipment, and supplies for the plantations Fall Back, Bolivar County; Homestead, Madison County; and Woodside, Yazoo County, and others; and letters concerning family matters as well as the purchase of slaves and supplies.
Ballinger (William Pitt) Papers, 1815–1909. (17 ft., 5 in.)
Many of these records relate to the financial and legal affairs of Galveston businesses and antebellum plantations in southwest Texas. Extensive papers documenting Texas’ role in the Civil War.
Barker (Eugene Campbell) Papers, 1785, (1812–1959). (19 ft.)
The bulk of this collection relates to Texas historian and educator, Barker’s, personal papers, correspondence, literary productions, and teaching records, but the material also includes transcripts and notes of Barker’s research on slaves and slavery in Texas, 1824–1835; and slave trade in Texas, 1833–1842, as well as numerous other topics in Texas history.
Barnes-Willis Family Papers, 1783–1840. (1 ft., 11 in.)
Papers of bank director Abram Barnes of Port Gibson, Mississippi includes business correspondence with slave buyer Samuel Cobon, New Orleans cotton factors Wilkins and Linton, and William Bullitt. These letters include discussion of the administration of estates, slaves, and cotton. Correspondence of William Willis and John B. Willis relate to the collection of debts, purchase and sale of goods, slaves, and cotton.
Bass (Joseph and Job) Papers, 1828–1831. (12 items)
Document the business transactions of Joseph and Job Bass. Included are accounts listing expenses for capturing runaway slaves. Forms part of the Natchez Trace Small Manuscript Collection.
Bastrop (Baron de) Papers, 1795–1823. (7 items)
Document the business dealings of the Baron de Bastrop. Included is an 1803 bill of sale for the slave Babtiste Agai, sold to Francois Cavet by Don Vincente Fernandex Texeiro.
J. E. Batson Narrative, undated. (1 vol.)
Writings concern Kansas-Nebraska Act, Compromise of 1850, Know-Nothing Party and the election of 1852 in Kentucky, and sectionalist and secession in Kentucky, 1859–1861.
Bennett (J. Harry) Papers, 1919–1966. (14 ft., 7 in.)
Papers of Bennett (1919–1966), UT history professor and specialist in eighteenth-century British history. Included are research materials concerning the British West Indies, particularly slavery in Barbados.
Benson (Georgia Roads) Papers, 1843–1863. (3 items)
Papers include a plantation receipt book concerning cotton production and a deed of transfer for slaves.
Bertlet (Sarah Wharton Groce) Genealogy, 1921. (1 1/2 in.)
History and genealogy of the Groce and related families, with particular emphasis on William Wharton Groce and Jared E. Groce. Subjects covered include plantations and slaves and slavery.
Billingsley (James Bolivar and Virginia Catherine) Papers, 1843–1918. (3 ft.)
Papers relate to activities in connection with the Willis Lang and Billingsley plantations in Falls County.
Black (William W.) Family Papers, 1820–1911. (2 in.)
Papers, primarily correspondence, of the William W. Black family reflect the personal, social, political, and cultural activities of family members and friends from 1845–1864.
Black History Collection, 1826–1867. (1/4 in.)
Collection of documents relating to black history includes an estate and slave inventory, muster roll for U.S. Colored Troops. Freedmen’s Bureau reports, share-cropping contract, and court records concerning slaves.
Blackshear (Thomas Edward) Papers, 1830–1889. (5 in.)
Photostatic copies of papers concerning the financial affairs of Blackshear, Navasota cotton planter, plus letters, diaries, and business papers pertaining to the administration of the James J. Blackshear and Thomas Edward Blackshear estates.
Bower (Homer C.) Narrative, undated. (1 vol.)
Historical narrative concerning abolitionist policies and general antislavery sentiments; opposition to the antislavery movement in the North; and the influence of these attitudes on the direction of events during 1862.
Braden (Josephine Clarke) Study, 1941. (1 vol.)
Typescript of a student paper entitled “Slavery and the Republic of Texas, 1834–1844,” details diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the Republic of Texas.
Brown (Isaac Newton) Autobiography, ca. 1886. (3 in.)
Brown (1817–1889) recalls his naval studies and his service in the West Indies, in the Gulf of Mexico, in Florida during the Seminole War, as well as his adventures on his first voyage around the world and his experiences with the Confederate Navy in 1861–1862.
Brown (James N.) Papers, 1855–1879. (5 in.)
Probate records of Brown (1807–1859), a wealthy sugar planter from Iberville Parish, Louisiana, contain primarily financial records related to the administration of his estate. Includes records of the plantations Manchac, Iberville Parish; Oakland, Plaquemines Parish; Linwood, Ascension Parish, and magnolia and Highland Place, East Baton Rouge Parish. The papers concerning Linwood Plantation (1858–1867) document the activities of manager John O’Hara and the free black labor situation during the early years of Reconstruction. Included are a transfer of ten slaves, statements and invoices for supplies and merchandise, and payroll records.
Brown, Lane and Garwood Law Firm Records, 1843–1911. (5 in.)
Miscellaneous case files assembled by Joseph C. Brown, lawyer in La Grange, for legal transactions during 1889–1907.
Bryan (Moses Austin) Papers, 1824–1897, 1926. (1 ft., 6 in.)
Papers of Bryan (1817–1895), soldier, postmaster, and county commissioner, relate to his activities as secretary to his uncle Stephen F. Austin, secretary of the Texas legation to the United States in 1839, major in the Civil War, and organizer and secretary of the Texas Veteran Association. Included are Bryan’s recollections of Austin and of the Texas Revolution and following events and petitions for admission to the Texas Veteran Association detailing the service of the applicants. In addition there is a letter from Aaron Burr (1832) to Jane McManus concerning her proposed colonization project and enclosing a letter of introduction to Judge Workman in New Orleans with the request that he introduce her to Stephen F. Austin.
Burges-Jefferson Family Papers, 1836, (1857–1892), 1960. (5 in.)
Collection primarily contains family correspondence and business documents of the Jefferson and Burges families. Included are slave lists, a bill of sale for a slave, and an obituary of a former slave of Joseph Henry Polley, one of Stephen F. Austin’s colonists.
Burn Place Plantation Records, 1840–1846. (11 items)
Receipts for plantation expenses arranged chronologically. Receipts concern financial transactions at Burn Place including overseer’s expenses and the hiring out of slaves. Forms part of the Natchez Trace Small Manuscript Collection.
Burnet (Daniel) Papers, 1800–1819. (5 items)
Correspondence and legal records arranged chronologically. Papers document the personal and business affairs of Burnet, an expert surveyor and member of the Mississippi territorial legislature and the state senate. Includes a bill of sale from James Howard for the slave Lucy and a letter from Burnet concerning the ill health of one of his hired-out slaves. Forms part of the Natchez Trace Small Manuscript Collection.
Canebrake Plantation Records, 1856–1858. (3 vols.)
Record books for 1856–1858 contain information about the affairs of Canebrake Plantation in Adams County, Mississippi. Books include a daily record of events, a daily record of cotton picked, and lists of livestock, equipment, and births and deaths of slaves entered by the overseers. The books, printed by Thomas Affleck of new Orleans, also contain contemporary advertising.
Cavitt (Josephus) Papers, 1800, 1837, 1853–1868. (32 items)
Papers concerning the career and family of Cavitt (b. 1820). Included are documents relating to the selling of slaves.
Chamberlain-Hyland-Gould Family Papers, 1805–1886. (8 in.)
Papers of three Mississippi families contain primarily the correspondence of Ellen Marie Wheaton Chamberlain Hyland (1823–1863) documenting the daily life on the Hyland plantation, Boque Desha in Warren County.
Claiborne (F. L.) Papers, 1837–1851. (6 items)
Correspondence arranged chronologically. Letters of Claiborne from Natchez, Mississippi, include several to Claiborne’s cousin Ann E. Bonnell, advising her not to send for her Negroes because of financial trouble (1838). Forms part of the Natchez Trace Small Manuscript Collection.
Clay (Nestor and Tacitus) Papers, 1802, 1832–1860, 1962. (7 items.)
Nestor Clay (1799–1835) was an early settler of Texas and represented Washington County at the conventions of 1832 and 1833. His son Tacitus was an influential businessman in Independence. Their papers include original correspondence and deeds, transcripts of wills, legal documents, biographical information, and family trees of the Clay and Johnson families.
Coalson (Paul) Estate Account, 1830–1852. (1 vol.)
Photostats of legal documents concern settlement of the estate of Coalson (d. 1830), planter, and the guardianship of his children, Edward and Mary, and include letters of administration, warrant and inventory of appraisement, estate sale and other accounts, letter of dismissal, and letters of guardianship.
Cochran (Robert) Papers, 1838–1858. (115 items)
Correspondence, accounts, and receipts arranged chronologically. Items document the business and personal activities of Cochran, an agent based in Natchez, Mississippi, for the New York financial house of Brown Brothers. Includes correspondence concerning a runaway slave (1846) and an itemized account listing the charges for hiring out slaves (1840–1844). Forms part of the Natchez Trace Small Manuscript Collection.
Coffee (Holland) Papers, 1836–1886. (1 in.)
Material relating to the career of Coffee, trader and legislator. Included are materials relating to his lands, slaves, will, business dealings, and his home, Glen Eden, at Coffee’s Station on Red River.
Cox (Nellie Stedman) Papers, 1843–1908. (1 in.)
Papers contain the literary productions of Cox (1855–1908), teacher and writer, and also includes bill of sale for slaves.
Dancy (Jon Winfield Scott) Papers, 1832–1856, 1977. (6 in.)
Papers of Dancy (1810–1866), Fayette County farmer and legislator during the Republic and early statehood periods, include seven volumes of a diary, army discharge papers, an essay and a speech, a list of legislators in 1841, and other related materials.
Davis (Joseph E.) Papers, 1824–1880. (1/2 in.)
Correspondence, legal documents, plantation records, and estate records documenting the business and personal affairs of Davis, the eldest brother of Jefferson Davis, including an 1838 loan co-signed by Joseph and Jefferson; government documents concerning actions taken by the Freedmen’s Bureau involving Davis’s former slaves and plantations; and a printed petition to President Andrew Johnson requesting a pardon and restoration of Davis’s land. Also included are letters from Davis describing his experiences in the early years of Reconstruction and an 1866 letter from his former slave Ben Montgomery, to whom Davis had sold his Warren County, Mississippi plantation, Hurricane.
Davis (Lynn B.) Essay, undated. (1 vol.)
A study of the Texas-United States boundary dispute in 1850 deals with the basis of the Texas claim to the Santa Fe Territory, United States views on the soundness of Texas claims, and the Pearce Bill.
Dellett (James) Papers, 1775, 1825–1847, 1863. (1 vol.)
Papers pertaining to the career of Dellett (1788-1848), U. S. Congressman from Alabama, include photostats of correspondence, legal papers, receipts, and speeches relating to his political and business activities. A letter from the Shaker Society describes one of their publications.
Denny (William Gowdey) Papers, 1836–1891. (15 items)
Papers relate to the career of Denny (1806–1891), Confederate postmaster of Bastrop County. Included are receipts for goods and a slave.
Devereux (Julien Sidney) Family Papers, 1766–1941. (7 ft., 2 in.)
Papers documenting life in Alabama and correspondence, receipts, ledgers, legal papers documenting Monte Verdi Plantation in Rusk County, Texas.
Dobie-Byler Family Papers, 1838–1890, 1948. (1 1/2 in.)
Papers include correspondence and legal papers of the Dobie-Byler family describing land and slave transactions, family matters, and the Civil War service of Rufus A. Byler.
Douai (Adolf) Papers, 1819–1883.
Duncan (Green Cameron) Papers, 1850–1907. (9 in.)
Papers relate to the career of Duncan (1841–1910), farmer, cattleman, and legislator, including his experiences as a Confederate soldier and as a prisoner of war, his settlement in Texas, service in the twenty-second Texas Legislature, and farming in Wharton County. Included are correspondence, diaries, memorandum books, financial records, land records, newspaper clippings, the plantation records of John B. Walker, and diary of William F. L. Alexander. All or a portion of this collection is available on CAH microfilm 18,335 Series G, Part 1, Reel 33. Photocopies should be made from microfilm, not from originals.
Dutton (John) Papers, 1789–1890. (1 ft.)
Papers of judge John Dutton (d. ca. 1849) and other officials of the Parish Court of Iberville in Plaquemine, Louisiana, contain correspondence, slave lists, financial and legal documents, and public auction records.
Eberstadt Collection, 1699–1959. (4 ft., 9 in.)
An artificial collection of primarily individual items concerning Texas and the Southwest. Included is Edrington v. League record concerning a slave used as security for a loan, 1842–1845.
Edwards (Peyton Forbes) Family Papers, 1812–1947. (11 in.)
Papers relate to the family and career of Edwards (1844–1918), soldier, attorney, judge and politician. Included are family correspondence with him during his service in Company A of the 17th Texas Cavalry in the Civil War, legal papers dealing with his law practice in Nacogdoches, the constitution and by-laws of the Dialectic Society of Nacogdoches College, and the genealogical research of his daughter Leila Edwards Akin. Types of material include certificates, land grants, speeches, plat map, photographs, postcards, diary, tax receipts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, legal papers, notes, memoranda, and architectural sketches.
Elkins (Wilson Homer) Essay, 1931. (1 item)
Student paper by Elkins entitled “Democratic Tendencies in North Carolina from 1820–1860.”
Fornell (Earl W.) Narrative, ca. 1817–1860. (1 vol.)
“The African Slave Trade of the Texas Gulf Coast.”
Fragosa (Ana Maria Martin) Will, 1659–1661. (1 vol.)
Wife of Don Antonio Garcia. Will and accompanying documents produced in Los Angeles, Mexico, between December 1659 and August 1661. The will provides for the distribution of Fragosa’s extensive property, including slaves, and requests that masses be celebrated for herself and others.
Glick (Walter R.) Narratives, 1820–1865. (3 vols.)
A review of the work of the Official Confederate Commission to the United States; Southern Arguments for Slavery; A Study of the Texas Judicial System, 1821–1836.
Gordon (G. Keith) Narratives, ca. 1872–1873. (1 vol.)
“African Slave Trade.”
Hagerty (Rebecca McIntosh Hawkins) Papers, (1823–1901), 1974. (3 in.)
Papers relating to the extended family of Rebecca McIntosh Hawkins Hagerty, a three-quarter Creek Indian who was the only woman in Texas owning more than 100 slaves in 1860.
Haggard (J. Villasana) Papers, 1811–1814, 1833–1834, 1861–1865. (3 vols.)
Includes “A Brief Study of the Impressment of Slave Labor.”
Hall (James Madison) Family Papers, 1813, 1840–1980. (7 in.)
Civil War diary of James Madison Hall documents daily life 1860–1866. Includes correspondence, legal and financial records of Hall family members who lived in Houston County.
Harvin (E. L.) Essays, 1849–1861. (1 vol.)
Contains an essay entitled, “Slavery Question in Georgia up to the Committee of Thirteen.”
Hearne (Sam Houston) Collection, (1820–1900) 1929. (11 in.)
Collection of Sam Houston Hearne, great-grandson of Sam Houston, consists primarily of Houston family correspondence, letters sent and received by Houston during and directly after the Texas Revolution and during his Texas presidency, and correspondence between Houston and Guy M. Bryan concerning Stephen F. Austin.
Horton (Albert Clinton) Papers, 1850–1881. (2 in.)
The collection primarily concerns the sale of 58 slaves to Horton by Josiah S. Brown and family of Charleston, South Carolina, and subsequent efforts to collect the balance of payment for them. It consists of legal papers, including bills of sale for slaves, an 1860 mortgage containing the names of 58 slaves, a will, a property inventory of Horton’s estate, and correspondence.
Houston (Sam) Letter, 1857. (1 item)
Letter to A.M. Alexander from Sam Houston concerning Houston’s oppostition to secessionist efforts and compromise measures on the extension of slavery, September 8, 1857; Huntsville, Texas. Housed with the Houston (Sam) Papers.
Jackson (James) Family Papers, 1824–1895. (1 1/2 in.)
A collection of Jackson Family papers includes an Austin Colony land grant, a bill of sale for a seventeen year old slave girl, Martha, and a family journal.
Kiger Family Papers, 1820, 1841–1885. (2 ft., 8 1/2 in.)
Paper of Mississippi plantation owner Bazil Gordon Kiger and family. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between family members and includes discussion of Kiger’s crops and slaves.
Korecz (Emerich P.) List. (1 item.)
Subscription list for printing of Sam Houston speech on Nebraska Bill.
Lenz (Louis) Collection, 1688–1966. (8 ft., 1 in.)
Materials collected by Lenz (1885–1967) after his retirement as civil engineer in 1951 concern the early history of Texas and its settlement, particularly by the Canary Islanders in San Antonio and the Germans in South Texas; the Texas Revolution; and the Texas Republic. Significant features of the collection are letters from notable persons in Texas history, family papers and government records of settlers, a daily diary of the Confederate tax collector in Victoria (1862-1864), and ledgers from several business establishments in Cuero. Other materials included are financial and legal records, literary productions, certificates, deeds, land grants, guest register from the Muti Hotel in Cuero (1880-1883), speeches, photographs, and newspaper clippings. There are also calendars compiled by Lenz for some of the materials and a card index for the collection. Many documents are in German and Spanish, some of the latter with English translations. Some materials are photostatic copies.
Massie (William) Papers, 1747–1919. (19 ft., 11 in.)
Papers detail life on the four Virginia Piedmont plantations owned and operated by William Massie (1795–1862). Included is precise data on slave population.
Minor Family Papers, 1783–1852. (4 in.)
Papers primarily concern financial affairs of planter John Minor. They contain administrative records, promissory notes, petitions, citations, summons and last will and testament.
Munson (Mordello Stephen) Family Papers, 1825–1978. (4 ft., 10 in.)
Documents the activities of the family of Mordello Stephen Munson. Describes life in Brazoria County from the 1840s to the 1890s.
Natchez Trace Slaves and Slavery Collection, 1793–1864. (1 ft., 10 in.)
Primarily legal documents relate to Blacks and the institution of slavery in the Southern United States, particularly in Concordia, East Carroll, and Iberville parishes, Louisiana, and in Adams and Warren counties, Mississippi, with scattered items from other areas. Many documents registered on one side of the Mississippi River reflect activities on the opposite side as becomes most obvious in the papers related to the entry of slaves into Louisiana.
Neblett (Lizzie Scott) Papers, 1849–1865. (8 ft., 9 in.)
Correspondence and bound manuscript volumes documenting the life and activities of Lizzie Neblett and her husband William, Grimes and Navarro counties, Texas, including agriculture, cotton, corn, livestock, slaves, domestic life, pregnancy and childbirth, social life, and plantation management.
Negro Slaves in Spanish America, 1563–1820. (1 vol.)
Volume 776, “Negroes in Spanish America,” transcribed by Ramsdell from the Mexican Archives.
Obenshain (Ivan J.) Narrative, ca. 1920. (1 item.)
The Abolitionist Leaders at the Outbreak of the Civil War.
Parker (Bruce L.) Narratives. (1 vol.)
Essays titled: “Tennessee and the Compromise of 1850” regarding the issue of slavery and territorial controversy after the Mexican-American War; “Tennessee and the Election of 1852”; “Tennessee and the Know-Nothing Party”; “Tennessee and the Kansas-Nebraska Bill”, the act that created the states of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed them to determine their laws on slavery; and “Tennessee and Secession”. These essays were written for coursework taken under University of Texas history professor Charles Ramsdell. Found in Box 2R132.
Parsons (Edward A.) Collection, 1678–1928. (6 ft.)
Manuscripts relating to the history of Louisiana assembled by collector Edward A. Parsons and acquired by the University of Texas in 1956. The majority of the collection relates to Louisiana prior to 1830. Highlights include 34 letters and administrative documents by Baron de Carondelet, 1791-1797, concerning conditions in Louisiana, regulating slaves, issuing passports, and prohibiting “foreign Negroes and creoles” from entering New Orleans.
Perry (James Franklin and Stephen Samuel) Papers, 1785–1942. (13 ft., 9 in.)
Papers of Perry and his son Stephen Samuel Perry and their extended families cover significant events in Texas history. The collection contains documents relating to the establishment and operation of Peach Point Plantation, and the daily concerns of paternalistic slaveholders who found it difficult to make ends meet raising cotton, corn, and sugar.
Prather (Ben Caldwell) Papers, 1781–1973. (1 ft., 7.5 in.)
Papers collected by Prather, amateur historian and gun collector, relate to James Bowie (1795-1836), hero of the Alamo, and to Prather (b. 1902) and include materials that highlight the Sandbar Duel and the controversy concerning whether James or his brother Rezin invented the Bowie knife. Born in Palestine, Texas, Prather was owner of a restaurant and the Bowie Knife Museum in Alexandria, Louisiana. The collection includes legal documents, narratives, correspondence, genealogical materials, notes, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Some of the Bowie materials are photocopies. Scrapbooks contain pictures of the Bowie family.
Price (Grady D.) Narrative, 1932–1933. (1 item.)
Titled “The Congressional History of the Thirteenth Amendment,” this essay explores the law protecting the institution of slavery in the U. S. Price wrote this essay for Charles Ramsdell”s course “History 88 The South.”
Randale (John H.) Papers, 1858, 1864. (2 items)
Slave bill of sale, 1858; Receipt, 1864.
Roach (Benjamin) Family Papers, 1831–1867. (5 in.)
Probate records relate to the estate of Benjamin Roach, Sr., a wealthy planter and slave owner in several Mississippi counties. There are receipts relating to plantation management, slaves, taxes, and cotton sales including an 1860 receipt for a plantation on Wolfe’s Lake, Yazoo County, given to David Roach as part of his inheritance describing size, number of slaves, and equipment. Also included are bills of sale for slaves, some of which include names and prices; receipts for the capture of runaway slaves listing jail expenses; invoices for merchants and from steamer companies for transportation of cotton, merchandise, family members, and slaves; and receipts from physicians for attending family members and slaves.
Rose (Preston Robinson) Family Papers, 1833–1893, 1921. (7 in.)
Papers of Rose (1828–1860) reflect his activities as a planter, a rancher, and an organizer of the Gulf Coast Fair Association. Included are papers relating to slave sales.
Rusk (Thomas Jefferson) Papers, 1824–1859. (5 ft., 6 in.)
Collection documents the career of Rusk as a participant in the Texas Revolution; chief of the first Texas Supreme Court; major general in the Indian Wars; president of the convention of 1845; and one of Texas’s first two U. S. Senators. The important figures of the times are represented and the important issues dealt with, including (besides the Texas Revolution and the concerns of the Republic of Texas) the Mexican War, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the U. S. Postal Service, and the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes Rusk’s official report on the Battle of San Jacinto.
Sheppard (Morris) Papers, 1894–1942. (14 ft.)
The Morris Sheppard Papers reflect his contributions to national politics as well as his literary efforts. The most historically valuable material in the collection is ten inches of political speeches written by Sheppard on a wide variety of topics, primarily in manuscript form.
Slavery and Abolition Papers, 1563–1866. (17 items)
Letters, 1835; Contracts; Bills of sale; Statement; Payroll.
Slavery Scrapbook. (1/2 in.)
Scrapbook.
Sugg (Peregrine P.) Papers, 1847–1877. (1 1/2 in.)
Diary and papers of Peregrine P. Sugg (b. 1815) documenting his activities as a plantation overseer, slave owner, brick-maker, and lumberhauler. Included is a list of slaves who died between 1848 and 1863.
Tait (Charles William) Papers, 1844–1854. (2 in.)
Papers of Tait (1815–1878), doctor, planter, and member of Texas Legislature (1854–1856). Includes a manuscript copy of Tait’s plantation rules for overseers.
Texas Slave Laws, 1853–1856. (1 item)
Texas Slave Laws.
Vandale (Earl) Papers, ca. 1819–ca. 1947.
Houston Male and Female Academy (Announcement of opening term) August 11, 1862. Slavery (Cases involving it in Texas). Some more obscure cases brought to the Texas Supreme Court between 1846 and 1865.
Vanderfail (Joseph) Slave Bill of Sale, 1838. (1 item)
Bill of sale for slave, October 20, 1838.
Vanderpool (Joseph) Slave Bill of Sale, 1838. (1 item.)
Bill of sale for slave, October 20, 1838.
Washington (Lewis Miles Hobbs) Family Papers, (1832–1904) 1980. (1 in.)
Lewis M. H. Washington was a writer and an adventurer during the days of the Texas Republic. This small collection contains photostat copies of letters to Washington from members of his family and examples of his literary productions from 1832 until his death in Costa Rica in 1857. Also included are original bills and receipts dating from 1838, and a genealogical chart tracing the roots of the Washington and Cloud families back to the 1700s.
Weyman Family Papers, 1732–1844. (2 in.)
Letters, land documents, and recollection of the slave trade in Angola, Africa, 1732–1844.
Wilkins (James Campbell) Papers, 1801–1852. (3 ft., 9 in.)
Papers document the life and career of Wilkins, Natchez Mississippi cotton planter, merchant, cotton factor, financier, and banker. A bulk of the collection deals with the cotton trade in New Orleans in the early to mid 1800s. Throughout the collection there are documents relating to plantation life and economy, slavery, and household purchases. In addition, the collection contains a series related to J.S. Skinner, portmaster at Baltimore, Maryland, detailing an 1836 estate sale and the transportion of a group of fifty slaves from an estate to the south.
Winchester Family Papers, 1783–1906. (14 ft., 6 in.)
Personal correspondence and financial records illuminate nineteenth-century life in the Natchez area. Social and economic issues including slavery, the plantation system, post-Civil War labor problems, bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosure sales, and claims against the United States government are reflected in the papers.
Works Progress Administration Records: Slave Narratives. (2 ft., 4 in.)
A valuable resource for the study of slaves and slavery, the WPA Slave Stories comprise over 200 narratives of ex-slaves collected by the WPA. Several of the narratives have photographs attached. Counties surveyed include Coryell, Dallas, El Paso Ellis, Frio, Galveston, Harrison, Hill, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kinney, McLennan, Medina, Navarro, Newton, Potter, Tarrant, Travis, and Val Verde Counties.
Wylie (Sarah H.) Narratives, 1861–1865. (1 vol.)
Two essays titled “Wade-Davis Bill” (about the Reconstruction Plan put forth in Congress by radical Republicans but was not signed by President Lincoln); and “The Fremont Hunter Abolitions Episodes.” Wylie’s narratives come from the library of Charles Ramsdell.
Young (William) Papers, 1820–1861. (4 items)
Last will and testament, 1820; Slave bill of sale, 1834; Affidavits, 1859, 1861.
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Other Resources
Photograph Collections
Slaves and Slavery
Oversized: Slaves and Slavery (OP26)
Tait (Charles William) Papers, 1844–1854.
Gideon (Samuel E.) Papers, 1908–1945
Prints and Photographs Collection: Slaves and slavery
Films
Juneteenth and Other Freedom Celebrations. Chicago, IL, 1988.
Vertical Files
Collections of clippings grouped by subject. Related headings include Slavery, Blacks, State Rights and the South-Central Texas Slavery Research Project of Winedale Historical Center. Search the online Vertical Files Index.
General Reference Index (GRI)
In the past, The Center for American History indexed its periodicals weekly. This card index is known as the General Reference Index or GRI. Related subject headings include Slaves and Slavery, Slave Trade, Blacks – Civil Rights, Blacks – History, Blacks – Political Activity, Blacks – Social Conditions, and Blacks – Suffrage.
American Memory Web Site
American Memory Web Site
